Chess Without a King: Why Magnus Carlsen Grew Tired of Competition
The whole chess world is begging Carlsen, the maverick and perhaps the most inspiring athlete of our time: "King Magnus, come back!"
By Rafał Stec
He hasn't really left at all. The fascinating paradox is that the Norwegian champion abdicated, yet retained his power — and in many respects has even grown more powerful.
In July 2022, he shook the chess world by announcing he would not defend the world title he had held for a decade, but he didn't withdraw from competition entirely. He wasn't crushed by depression, as so many other famous athletes have been, nor did he feel burned out from constant pressure or fatigued by a discipline he had practiced since early childhood — as tennis star Ashleigh Barty was, when she hung up her racket for good while leading the WTA rankings, shortly after winning the Australian Open.
