Blitz CM or fan school?

01/01/2025 – The Men’s Blitz World Championship ended with the two finalists, Carlsen and Nepo, calling a halt to the confrontation after 7 games, demanding that the referees award them a share of the title. The rules stipulated that the players had to play each other until one of them won a game (the so-called “sudden death” rule). Despite the fact that the Norwegian, while receiving the title of best player of all time on the occasion of FIDE’s centenary, had openly scorned FIDE President Dvorkovich, he received the support of the President of the International Federation in the “trouser affair”. This gave wings to the world No. 1, who took advantage of the opportunity to make a new splash, demonstrating that he not only wishes to dominate the chessboard, but also the politics of the sport. Kasparov did the same in his day, leaving chess visibility in a shambles for almost a decade. We know what happened: the Baku Ogre exited the chess scene through the back door, at the same time as the wounds left by the champion’s hubris were healing. Will history repeat itself? In any case, the referees’ submission to Carlsen’s wishes rather than to the rules that all other players are supposed to follow suggests an anarchic era ahead for all tournament organizers! What could the referees and the president of the Federation do in the face of the concerted efforts of two richly-paid gladiators determined to stop the fight? Simply deprive them of their prize money, and announce that 2024 has no world champion!