It might be a fleeting notion, but in 2022, when Magnus Carlsen declared his consideration to relinquish the classical world chess title, he followed through. Now, he suggests that the Norway Chess tournament, concluding this Friday in Stavanger, Norway, might be his last appearance in this format. Just a day after suffering a painful defeat to current world champion, Indian prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh, the 34-year-old Norwegian, unrivaled in his field, bested American Hikaru Nakamura, ranked second, in sudden death after a non-confrontational draw in the classical game.

Contrary to the frustration he exhibited on Sunday, when he lost a well-played winning position against Gukesh and stormed off furiously after congratulating his opponent, Carlsen took a moment to address the press with his usual candor: “Winning the Armageddon [or sudden death] was the best I could hope for today because I wasn't in the right mindset for classical chess after yesterday's events.”

Earlier, Nakamura speculated that their recent draw might be their last encounter in classical chess, prompting Carlsen to reflect: “Once this tournament ends, I need to consider whether to participate in the next Norway Chess in 2026 or any other classical event. Truth is, my motivation for it is dwindling.” He left without further elaboration.

It's widely recognized that Carlsen has been more driven by rapid and freestyle formats, where the initial piece positions are randomly determined just before the game, leading to 959 possible setups and demanding deep thought from the outset. However, just two days prior, after defeating American Fabiano Caruana, ranked third, in sudden death (10 minutes for white, who must win, and 7 for black), Carlsen expressed an opposite sentiment: “I enjoy sudden death, but also the classical pace here, as we don't get extra time after the 40th move, only ten seconds per move, creating immense pressure, much more demanding than conventional tournaments.”

This suggests that his Monday comments might simply be an emotional response to Sunday's disappointment. Moreover, there's an ongoing debate about whether the Norway Chess format (three points for a win, like in soccer, and all draws followed by sudden death) could shape the future of chess as a middle ground between the traditional long-drawn classical games and the radical freestyle approach. Additionally, it remains to be seen whether the substantial investment in freestyle chess from 2024 by German patron Jan Henrik Buettner will result in solid commercial sponsorships or fade like a fleeting storm. If it doesn't materialize, Carlsen might only have rapid games left, which alone don't seem to satisfy his aspirations.

It's likely that another element weighs heavily on Carlsen's mind: if he retires, it would be challenging to definitively claim him the greatest chess player in history, as he would lack at least five more years to surpass Garry Kasparov's record of being number one for twenty consecutive years (1985-2005). In a November 2021 interview with EL PAÍS in Dubai, Carlsen made it clear that this achievement was on his mind: “(…) My intention is to keep playing chess for many more years, even if I'm not the world champion. In that case, maintaining the number one spot would be the main goal (…)”.

Seventh round results (still ongoing, to be updated later): Gukesh vs. Erigaisi; Carlsen vs. Nakamura, draw, white wins; Caruana vs. Yi Wei. Women's tournament: Wenjun Ju vs. Khadem; Tingjie Lei vs. Vaishali; Koneru vs. Muzychuk, draw, draw.

Standings (after the sixth round): 1st-2nd Carlsen and Caruana 9.5 points; 3rd Gukesh 8.5; 4th-5th Nakamura and Erigaisi 7.5; 6th Yi Wei 6.5. Women's tournament: 1st-2nd Koneru and Anna Muzychuk 9.5; 3rd Ju 8.5; 4th Vaishali 8; 5th-6th Khadem and Lei 6.

Seventh round (Monday, 5:00 PM, live broadcast on the official portal): Erigaisi vs. Caruana; Yi Wei vs. Carlsen; Nakamura vs. Gukesh. Khadem vs. Koneru; Muzychuk vs. Tingjie Lei; Vaishali vs. Wenjun Ju.