Judit Polgar joins Magnus Carlsen in push for faster chess formats: ‘Classical is struggling’

World’s greatest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgar, has joined world No 1 Magnus Carlsen in advocating faster formats as the future of chess over classical. Polgar feels the Chess Olympiad should also be played with shorter time controls and over fewer days to keep pace with the modern world.

Five-time world champion Carlsen walked away from the classical World Chess Championship almost four years ago and has since refused to return to the tournament cycle. The highest-rated chess player of all time, Carlsen, has often said that faster formats such as rapid, blitz and freestyle chess — where the back rank is randomised — are “pure sport”, while classical chess hides many of a player’s weaknesses.

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"If you want the kind of chess in which you need the most well-rounded game, classical chess is probably the worst way because it’s sort of too forgiving," Carlsen said on the Take Take Take podcast in 2024. "It’s too easy to mask the deficiencies in your game. And I think if you’re able to handle both faster chess and freestyle, you have covered a lot of bases. You do have your basic pattern and quick tactics."

Carlsen feels that most openings and lines in classical chess, a format that is centuries old, have already been extensively explored, and that freestyle and faster formats are better suited to promoting creativity and fresh thinking. He also co-founded the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam last year, which has now evolved into the Freestyle Chess World Championship.

'Classical chess is struggling'

While speaking exclusively to Firstpost, the only woman chess player ever to break into the top 10, Judit Polgar, said something similar as she pointed out that classical chess is "struggling" with the youngest generation, as life has become more fast-paced.

"Classical games, I think is struggling in some ways because of the speeding up of the whole life in every field," Judit Polgar told Firstpost. "And it's very clear that the rapid games are more favourable, more liked by the top players, maybe not only by Magnus, but there are others also. And I do think that rapid chess can be just as competitive. It can be even more interesting for the audience."

Judit added that classical may need changes to remain relevant, while also adding that the time taken to host Olympiad events must be cut down with the help of faster time controls.

"Of course, classical chess, we have a heritage there. But it is a big question; everything has to transform. The question is how. The technology also transforms the game pretty much. So, it will be very interesting in the next five years to see how it goes. But for example, I have to tell you that the chess Olympiad is played in a classical format and for two weeks. I strongly believe that it would make a lot of sense for many different purposes and benefits to have it only one week and do it with a shorter time control."

On the contrary, the chess governing body FIDE has maintained that classical is the most prestigious format to determine the world champion. But it has also actively promoted rapid and blitz events due to the commercial value for younger audiences and streaming platforms. However, with two of the biggest chess voices — Carlsen and Polgar — openly backing the faster formats, we may see big changes in the chess world in the near future.