Theirs is one of the most exclusive clubs in sport. So exclusive, only 16 members have been added to it in 136 years. Becoming the undisputed World chess champion is indeed among the most difficult things to achieve in sport, or in any other sphere of human endeavour. And yet, the club’s most recent member, Magnus Carlsen, has chosen to abdicate his crown, which had been sitting firmly on his head since 2013.
But when he announced his decision, on a podcast recently, pieces did not jump off chessboards. Carlsen had given hints about his abdication last December; there was no motivation for him to contest another title match. He, however, had said that he would play if his opponent was Alireza Firouzja, the Iran-born prodigy who became a French citizen last year.
