OSLO: Is this the end? Is this the beginning of the end? Is this a new beginning? When Magnus Carlsen walked out of the playing hall on Thursday following yet another loss — this time to Wesley So in Armageddon — it wasn't hard to wonder about the fate of the Norwegian's future in Classical chess, at least in the truest sense of the format.
The inception of Norway Chess, just before Carlsen's first World Championship match against Viswanathan Anand in 2013, coincided with his rise. In 13 previous editions of the tournament, he has triumphed on seven occasions. The summer of 2026, though, has not been his friend. In a near blowout, after nine rounds, he finds himself in ninth place in the standings. Four outright losses in nine games means this is now one of his worst ever Classical performances since becoming world champion for the first time in Chennai in 2013.
Seeing the 35-year-old in the flesh is truly one of the greatest experiences a sports journalist can wish to hope for. His aura, the way the kids line up for autographs, the way he manages to turn around dangerous positions and just, generally, how even fully grown adults completely lose it when they realise they are breathing the same air as him. Pure theatre.
Over the last 10 days, though, it's been captivating to watch him but for different reasons. Going to the confessional and wishing one of his game screens could be switched to the Champions League final between Arsenal and PSG. Admitting that his head feels like sauce. Admitting he was feeling like shit at another point. One can understand that point of view; he has lost over 21 rating points in this tournament.
Generally, what makes the Norwegian such a compelling watch is the way he fights, grinds and gobbles up opponents over the board. Death by a 1000 small improvements. Asphyxiation by the pawn moving ever so gradually towards the opposition's king. Using the knight as a sort of machete to fork the enemy's fortress. Using the rook to skewer opponents. Chess may not be everybody's idea of entertainment but the World No. 1 made it fun. Cool. In Oslo the last 10 days, it's still been cool to watch the five-time world champion but not in the way he would have liked.
Now, time for some caveats. The other five players in the field have all done varying levels of prep in the lead up to the tournament and during the competition itself. It's hard to say how much prep Carlsen still does, if at all. He likely does some but it's fairly safe to say he spends less time on the board than most of his opponents, especially in Classical. It's a format he plays the least but it's also the format that has given him universal fame.
Will Friday be his last ever game of Classical chess? The same version of this question lingered at the last edition of Norway Chess as well. He won that event. After that, he has featured in only one more Classical event; Malmo in April, another tournament he won. It's a point his coach, Peter Heine Neilsen, said during the middle of the tournament. That he remains, at some level, the player to beat even in a format he doesn't play that much.
So, in that sense, the undisputed World No. 1 for the better part of the last 15 years can be allowed a one-off blow out competition like this. But it's also true that he doesn't enjoy playing this. The third floor of the Deichman Bjorvika was packed, with people milling outside the entrance of the playing hall a good 45 minutes before the start of play on Friday. The ticket-holders who were loitering in the periphery formed an orderly queue as soon as they got the first — last? — glimpse of the 35-year-old on the escalator. He signed a few autographs before speaking to the media ahead of the 10th round.
Some of the people who know him well insist that this won't be the end. At some level, it won't. The Total Chess World Championship, a new tour from the makers of Norway Chess, will have something called the Fast Classical (45 minutes). For the purposes of ratings, it would be Classical in nature. So, Carlsen will continue being an 'active' Classical player irrespective. But that's a bit like playing a three-day red-ball game and calling that as Test cricket.
For so long, he has enriched the Classical format. For nearly 16 years, he has held the World No. 1. Five world titles, countless epics, an unbelievable 125-match unbeaten streak and a peak ELO rating of 2882. If this is it in Classical chess for the GOAT, it has been one hell of a ride.
A ride unlikely to be repeated ever again in history.
