Power struggle shakes chess world
Magnus Carlsen at Rapid $ Blitz 2025
It has long been my observation that the gravest disturbances in any established order seldom announce themselves with fanfare, but rather emerge—quietly at first—through the accumulation of small and telling irregularities. Such, I think, is the case in the present upheaval within the world of chess, a domain which, though ancient in its origins, now finds itself entangled in the very modern machinery of commerce, influence, and restraint.
On the sixth day of April there occurred an event which, to the casual observer, might have seemed merely another addition to the ever-expanding catalogue of digital enterprises. Yet to those who concern themselves with the deeper currents beneath the surface, the launch of Take Take Take bore all the marks of a calculated and consequential move. Conceived in part by Magnus Carlsen—whose eminence in the game requires no elaboration—the platform stands as the first credible challenge to the long-standing predominance of Chess.com, that vast and rather inscrutable colossus which has, for years, governed the habits and pursuits of the online chess-playing public.
What lends the matter its peculiar character is not the emergence of a rival—such things are inevitable—but the curious silence of Carlsen himself. Bound, as he is, by an earlier agreement formed at the time of Chess.com’s acquisition of his Play Magnus enterprise, he finds himself in the singular position of being unable to publicly advocate for a creation that is, in no small measure, his own. It is a constraint which, though contractual in nature, carries with it the unmistakable air of enforced discretion. Thus it falls to Mats André Kristiansen, his associate and co-founder, to speak where the principal figure cannot—a circumstance as unusual as it is revealing.
“I find it a strange business,” Kristiansen remarks, “that I must speak not only for myself but for Magnus also, on a matter in which his interest is so deeply engaged.” There is, in that simple admission, something of the broader tension which now permeates the scene.
Nor is this the only feature of note. The alliance formed between Take Take Take and Lichess—an organisation hitherto distinguished by its independence and non-commercial character—introduces an element of genuine consequence. Lichess, long regarded as the principled alternative to its more commercially inclined counterpart, has rarely, if ever, entered into such arrangements. That it should do so now suggests not merely opportunity, but a shared conviction that the existing balance of power is, in some respect, untenable. By this union, the fledgling platform acquires immediate access to a vast and active community, while Lichess gains the support of resources and visibility which it has never previously sought.
When one further considers the names now associated with the enterprise—figures drawn not only from the world of chess but from the highest echelons of technology and sport—the scale of the undertaking becomes clearer still. The involvement of Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, and Patrick Collison, alongside the formidable presence of the footballer Erling Haaland, indicates that what we observe is not merely a contest between platforms, but the convergence of influence from domains far beyond the sixty-four squares.
It is, however, impossible to separate these developments from the coincident release of Netflix’s Untold: Chess Mates, which revisits the controversy between Carlsen and Hans Niemann. That affair, unresolved in the minds of many, cast a long and troubling shadow over the integrity of competitive chess. The subsequent legal action—directed not only at Carlsen but at Hikaru Nakamura and Danny Rensch of Chess.com—served only to deepen the impression that forces beyond the board were exerting an ever greater influence upon the game. Though the matter was ultimately settled, its reverberations have not entirely subsided.
“I cannot but feel,” Kristiansen observes, “that the question of trust—of whether the game can be preserved in its integrity—remains central to everything we now attempt.” His words, though measured, point to what may be the most serious concern of all: that the very essence of chess, as a contest of intellect and honour, risks being overshadowed by the mechanisms that now sustain its popularity.
Meanwhile, FIDÉ—the traditional custodian of the game—remains curiously distant from these proceedings. For some years it has occupied a position not unlike that of an observer at the edge of a crowded room: present, yet not entirely engaged. Whether the present disturbance will afford it an opportunity to reassert itself is a question upon which I would not yet venture a firm conclusion. But it would be unwise to assume that it shall remain indefinitely without influence.
There are, in addition, certain structural peculiarities which merit attention. Lichess, by virtue of its non-profit constitution, could never have been absorbed into any commercial scheme, and thus stands apart as a necessary ally rather than a potential acquisition. And there remains the delicate matter of Carlsen’s contractual silence—an issue which, if pressed too openly, might well provoke consequences of a legal character. One cannot ignore the signs that Chess.com, for its part, has adopted a posture not altogether devoid of caution.
Taken together, these elements form a picture at once intricate and incomplete. It would be premature to declare the outcome, for the lines of engagement are only now being drawn, and much remains concealed beneath the surface. Yet I am persuaded that we stand at the opening of a contest whose significance extends far beyond the immediate actors.
As in chess itself, it is seldom the first move that determines the game, but the design which unfolds thereafter. Whether this present struggle will resolve into equilibrium or escalate into something more decisive is a matter which time alone can answer. For now, one may only observe—and, perhaps, prepare for the unexpected.
[My thanks to Adam Black, the former Reuters chess correspondent, for providing much of the research and analysis contained in the complexity of the still-evolving story above.]
This week’s game is taken from FIDÉ’s qualifying classical world championship tournament in Cyprus, where eight candidates have lined up to decide the challenger to that paper tiger Gukesh, whose feeble grip on the world sceptre is underscored by his ranking of 47th on the global chart of recent rating achievement.
The players involved are as follows:-
Hikaru Nakamura, USA, 2810
Fabiano Caruana, USA, 2795
Wie Yi, PRC, 2754
Anish Giri, NED, 2753
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, IND, 2741
Javokhir Sindaraov, UZB, 2745
Andrey Esipenko, FIDE, 2698
Matthias Blübaum, GER, 2698
Our featured game showcases the current leader, a surprise outsider, Javokhir Sindarov, winner of the 2025 World Cup. During the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, he played board three for the eventual shock Uzbek team champions, and who has now risen to be firmly ensconced at number eleven in the world’s top 20 rated players.
Facing him in round four of this fourteen double-round robin, was Fabio Caruana, former 2018 world championship finalist and ranked third in the world. Both players started the round as joint leaders with 2½/3. And in our following encounter, both sought the full point.
We shall witness an epic struggle where Sindarov hardly missteps, and exerts an inexorable stranglehold, crushing the very life out of his unassuming victim.
Javokhir Sindarov vs. Fabiano Caruana
World Championship Candidates, Pegeia, 2026, round 4
- d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 dxc4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qe2 a6 8. Nc3 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. a4 b4 TN
Caruana’s sound and reasonable innovation. Previously 10… bxa4 has been played [Hertneck-Klundt, Kecskemet, 1988], and more recently, 10… c4 [Svane-Anton Guijarro, London, 2025].
- Ne4 Na5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. dxc5 Nb3 14. c6!
In his preparation, black may have thought the threat of the exchange sacrifice after 14. Nd4 Nxa1 15. c6 assists him, as after 15… Bc8 16. Bd2 e5 17. Rxa1 exd4 18. exd4+ Be7 19. Re1 Be6 20. Qf3 Qxd4, black has equalised. However, the move played required no preparation.
14… Bxc6 15. Nd4 Nxd4
And not 15… Nxa1? 16. Nxc6 Qb6 17. Nd4 with a significant advantage for white, with two minor pieces for the rook and powerful threats against the vulnerable black king to follow.
- exd4 Rg8 17. g3 f5?
An inaccuracy, and a significant one. Necessary was 17… Qxd4 18. Be3 Qd5 19. f3 f5, when white’s small initiative is kept in abeyance.
- Bc4 Rg4?!
This rook has trouble trying to extricate itself for the rest of the game, More direct and effective is again, 18… Qxd4, when after 19. Bxe6 Qe4 20. Qxe4 Bxe4 21. Bb3 Rg6, black has maintained the status quo. After the text, white simply stands better.
- Be3 Bd5 20. Rac1 Be7 21. Bxa6 Kf8 22. Bb5?!
One of only two slight inaccuracies that act as an impediment to an otherwise perfectly played game by Sindarov. While a perfectly natural continuation, it offers black chances to reform and consolidate. A far better plan follows, 22. Bc4 h5 23. Bf4 h4 24. Rfd1 Rg6 25. Bc7 hxg3 26. fxg3 Bxc4 27. Qxc4 Qe8 28. b3, when white is beautifully coordinated while black’s forces are in disarray.
22… Bf6?
This poor decision permits white to increase pressure on black’s increasingly incoherent position. 22… Kg7 23. f3 Rg6 24. Bf4 h5 25. Qe3 h4 26. Kf2 Bd6, combats any further decay.
- Rfd1 Kg7 24. Bc6 Ra5?!
The wrong choice, a sign of the pressure taking root in black’s thinking. Black remains worse after 24… Rc8 25. Bxd5 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Qxd5, but no worse than before the move.
- Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Rc5 Rd7 27. d5 exd5?!
Another inaccuracy accumulates more trouble for black. Comparatively, 27… Re4 28. b3 h6 29. h4 Rg4 30. Kf1 Be7 31. Rb5 Kh7, gives less away, but black is already close to losing.
- Qf3 Bxb2?!
An almost desperate grab, when the more principled 28… d4 29. Rxf5 Rg6 30. Bd2 Qe7 31. Rb5 b3 32. Rxb3 Bg5 maintains some counter-play, at least until such time as white can set loose his deadly pair of connected passed pawns on the queenside.
- Rcxd5 Rxd5 30. Rxd5 Qe8 31. Rxf5 Rg6?!
The slight slippages have accumulated into a deadly prospect for black, with very little real chance of anything without a serious white blunder. There were better lines available here, but as the following examples amply demonstrate, only postponement is possible:
- a) 31… Re4 32. Rxf7+ Qxf7 33. Qxe4 b3 34. a5 Bf6 35. a6 b2 36. a7 Qa2 37. Qb7+ Kg6 38. a8=Q Qxa8 39. Qxa8 b1=Q+; and,
- b) 31… Rc4 32. Qd5 Rc6 33. Rg5+ Kh8 34. Rg4 Be5 35. Rxb4 Rd6 36. Qf3 Ra6.
Both merely act as a postponement of the inevitable.
- h4!?
The second misdemeanour by white is ludicrously inconsequential. While 32. Qe2 Be5 33. Bf4 or Bd4 are stronger continuations, white remains in absolute control in any case.
32… Bc3?!
Delaying with 32… Kf8 33. h5 Re6 34. Rb5 Be5 35. Rxb4 Qc6, or 32… b3 33. h5 Re6 34. Rb5 h6 35. Qg4+ Kh7 36. Rxb3 Bg7 accomplishes little of substance.
- h5 Ra6?
Another error hardly makes a significant difference, but 33… Rd6 34. h6+ Kg8 35. Rb5 b3 was marginally preferable.
- Qg4+ Kh8??
The losing blunder with the time control still another six moves away. There is no way for black to mount any further defence.
- Bd4+ f6 36. Rc5 Black resigns 1-0
It is mate in 16 moves, or less.
Ray’s 206th book, “ Chess in the Year of the King ”, written in collaboration with Adam Black, and his 207th, “ Napoleon and Goethe: The Touchstone of Genius ” (which discusses their relationship with chess) can be ordered from both Amazon and Blackwell’s. His 208th, the world record for chess books, written jointly with the late chess playing artist, Barry Martin, Chess through the Looking Glass , is now also available from Amazon.
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