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Magnus Carlsen abuses FIDE, calls Hikaru Nakamura ‘shameless’ in 2026 Candidates qualification controversy
Magnus Carlsen called Hikaru Nakamura's participation in lower-rated tournaments 'shameless'. He also didn't mince his words as he also abused FIDE.
World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura recently clinched the title at the Iowa Open, as he maintained his hunt for a spot at the 2026 Candidates. The Iowa C'ship victory saw Nakamura's live rating climb to 2815.8, and his peak rating is 2816. Earlier this month, he had also won the Louisiana State Championship.
The American GM is participating in lower-rated tournaments as he needs to qualify for the Candidates. According to FIDE rules, one spot at the tournament is reserved for the highest-rated player, in accodance with the six-month average rating based on Standard Rating Lists from August 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.
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Also, the berth is reserved for players who have played at least 40 classical games during the mentioned time period. Nakamura had only played 18 classical games in 2025 before August this year.
‘It is so shameless’: Magnus Carlsen
In an interview with Take Take Take, Carlsen called Nakamura's participation in lower-rated tournaments 'shameless', but also felt that it was the 'pragmatic thing to do. Carlsen also didn't mince his words as he also abused FIDE.
"I kind of admire the way he is going about it because it is so shameless. The thing is a lot of players, they probably would have picked tournaments where there was maybe like a couple of IMs or something like that. But Hikaru just wants to make sure that he’s getting his games, which is the pragmatic thing to do. It’s absolutely shameless, but it’s probably the right thing to do. It looks like the system could do with some fixing. But I’m not part of that s**t anymore. So it’s fine," he said.
He was also asked if he would resort to farming points if there was a chance of him losing his World No. 1 title. He said, "No. But I have farming points myself this year in the Norwegian League. But I was still playing two GMs and one IM, which is an incredibly dumb way to do it. But I am learning (from Hikaru) now."
