World No. 2 Nakamura reacts to Carlsen possibly retiring and his rare losing streak: 'I think Magnus will...'

World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura believes Magnus Carlsen’s recent struggles at Norway Chess 2026 are linked to the tournament’s time control, after the world No. 1 suffered two losses in the opening three rounds.

Speaking on his stream, Nakamura said it was unusual to see Carlsen lose two Classical games so early in an event. According to him, it may be the first time in more than a decade that the Norwegian star has had such a poor start in a major tournament.

“Will Magnus fully retire after this? Magnus lost two games in the first three rounds of the tournament for the first time in who-knows-how-long. Honestly, I think it's been at least over ten years since Magnus lost two of his first three games in classical time control,” Nakamura said.

Carlsen lost to Alireza Firouzja and Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in the first three rounds. He managed to win one game through Armageddon, but questions started to rise about his form.

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Nakamura explains Carlsen's poor form

Nakamura explained that Carlsen appeared uncomfortable with the time format being used at Norway Chess. He pointed out that the five-time world champion repeatedly found himself under heavy time pressure, which led to mistakes in critical moments.

“I think he's having trouble with this time control. It was very similar with Alireza: time pressure, intuition let him down, and he made a serious mistake just when there was almost no time left,” Nakamura added.

The American Grandmaster added that Carlsen may need to change his approach if he wants to avoid more trouble in the tournament. “I think Magnus will have to play a bit faster in some games. He needs to try to avoid these huge time pressure duels,” Nakamura added.

Despite the difficult start, Carlsen bounced back strongly by defeating reigning world champion D Gukesh in the fourth round on Thursday. The victory gave Carlsen his first Classical win of the tournament.

After four rounds including Armageddons, Alireza Firouzja is leading the Norway Chess 2026 standings with 8.5 points. Praggnanandhaa is second with 6.0 points, while Wesley is third with 5.5 points. Carlsen is currently fourth with 4.5 points.