FIDE CEO slams Magnus Carlsen, Freestyle Chess: ‘If you want a war – try us’

The organisers of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and the planetary governing assemblage for chess, person been astatine loggerheads for months now, with FIDE taking objection to the victor of the Grand Slam Tour being called a “world champion”.

Simultaneously, Carlsen besides gave an interrogation with Gambling Insider wherever helium said that helium was not “aiming to beryllium bigger than chess” But then, portion seemingly talking astir FIDE, helium said: “Specific organisations… are not bigger than I am.”

Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura had besides slammed Sutovsky’s claims astir however overmuch wealth FIDE was making for players arsenic “horses**t.”

Sutovsky addressed the comments successful his Twitter post.

“‘I americium bigger than FIDE’ conception didn’t enactment adjacent for (Bobby) Fischer and (Garry) Kasparov,” Sutovsky posted connected X connected Tuesday. “When 1 sees nationalist rhetoric coming from Freestyle Chess leaders, it becomes clear, that the task is bound to fail. ‘F U’, ‘They are truthful stupid’, ‘Horse sh.t’ etc.”

Sutovsky said that if the organisers of Freestyle chess lawsuit wanted a war, FIDE was up for it.

“FIDE is known for its readiness to beryllium mindful, flexible, and to spell other miles towards partners, and particularly players – and that was mistaken for weakness. ‘I americium bigger than FIDE’ conception did not enactment adjacent for Fischer and Kasparov – who tried it being reigning World Champions, portion having a existent dominance implicit their rivals astatine the time. Of course, initially the nationalist whitethorn backmost a superstar vs the governing body. And you whitethorn lure successful a mates of naive investors. But that is unsustainable — and we saw galore examples of the kind.

“Today FIDE is astir apt successful the champion presumption ever — and chess assemblage sees it — we present unprecedented fig of projects astir the world, we support expanding prize funds for apical players and enactment for acquisition and societal programs, and we tin program acold up acknowledgment to our partnerships East and West. We’d emotion to enactment with immoderate backstage task – successful peculiar with ambitious ones. But if you privation a warfare – effort us,” FIDE’s Sutovsky said.