Magnus Carlsen says he will not defend his World Chess Championship title in 2023 against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi. The five-times winner is not retiring but promising “to be the best in the world” even if that means taking no part in chess’s showpiece event.
China’s world No 2, Ding Liren, will now step up and face Nepomniachtchi, who Carlsen beat last year in Dubai.