Magnus Carlsen explains reason to leave world championship: 'Don't feel the need to artificially...'

Magnus Carlsen has revealed that he remains extremely confident of his abilities and does not feel the need to win the world championship to show the world that he is the best in the world.

Carlsen had been the world champion from 2013 to 2023 before relinquishing the title, citing a lack of motivation for playing classical chess. A five-time world champion, the Norwegian superstar has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of a return to the world title scenario.

The Norwegian star has now revealed that as he grew older, the world championship titles stopped bringing him much joy.

Carlsen on leaving world title scene

The reigning world no.1 recently revealed that he was not enjoying the world championship and relinquished the title.

"The obsessive drive I had when I was younger, the desire to always be the absolute best version of myself, is gone. It's simply too exhausting," Carlsen was quoted as saying by Tatler Asia. "When I'm fully switched on, I usually play at my peak. When I'm not, I play a little worse."

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"Everything used to revolve around one thing: the World Chess Championship, which never really brought me much joy. Why spend so much time on something I don't enjoy? I have a healthy confidence in my abilities, and I don't feel the need to artificially reinforce it," the five-time world champion said.

Carlsen, regarded to be among the greatest chess players ever, had also previously called the world championship game "circus". “I am not part of this circus anymore,” he had said after D Gukesh beat Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion ever at 18 in 2024.

Since giving up on his world title, Carlsen has shifted his focus to other time controls. He regularly participates in rapid and blitz chess events while rarely making classical appearances.