Before Magnus Carlsen relinquished the world champion title, he kept the possibilities for a new WC match open on one condition: If Alireza Firouzja became an opponent. – It could be something that motivates me properly, said Carlsen. At that time, back in 2021, the then 18-year-old French-Iranian was ranked as the world’s second best player. Only beaten by Carlsen himself. – He is one of the greatest talents we have seen, says chess expert Sheila Barth Stanford to news. But in recent years, people have seen less of Firouzja. He hardly played tournaments and rumors began to abound. What is actually the matter with the super talent? tricked people. MEETING OF THE STARS: Firouzja in a duel against Magnus Carlsen. Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB Dyrkar’s new interest Firouzja made a mark at a very young age with some wild parties online. During the Blitz and Rapid Chess World Championships in 2019, only 17 years old, he attracted attention by pushing Carlsen hard. The French-Iranian had the upper hand, but still ended up losing time. Afterwards, he complained that the Norwegian had spoken during the party. Then there was an uproar: Firouzja is still among the highest-ranked players in the world. He is number four in classical chess and number one in blitz, but lately he has spent more time on his new passion. Namely fashion and design, he can reveal. – I have always wanted to do something outside of chess. To only play chess all my life seems strange to me. I have always loved playing chess, but the fact that I live in Paris now… There are good opportunities there. But I am still part of chess, he said in an interview with chess24 this week. – A loss for chess EXPERT: Sheila Barth Stanford. Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB scanpix Earlier this year, Firouzja said that he had worked in fashion for two years and that it was a “serious thing” for him. He nevertheless underlines that he has not given up chess, but that he likes to combine the best of two worlds. – It is a loss for chess, says Barth Stanford. She still believes that the other option – spending all the time on chess – would not necessarily have been healthy for the creatively strong youngster. She therefore praises Firouzja as a counterweight to the idea that you cannot do anything other than play chess to become good at it. – Creativity can be stifled by an overdose of chess, so he might enjoy it. But there is an enormous amount of information in chess, and you cannot keep up to date without spending as much time as the others. He will suffer there, predicts Barth Stanford. Gets full support from Carlsen In a recent episode of the podcast “Sjakksnakk”, Carlsen repeated Firouzja’s praise. The chess stars of the future were the topic, and the 32-year-old used the opportunity to highlight Nodirbek Abdusattorov’s concentration and discipline, and said that he can learn a lot from the young insider Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. According to Carlsen, there is still one young player who stands out. – Then you have Alireza, who has several things he likes to do, but he is the greatest talent of them all, said the Norwegian in the podcast. On his own account, Carlsen has previously stated that he is open to wearing clothes designed by Firouzja in the future, and gives the youngster his full support. – I think it’s cool that he cultivates his interests, regardless of what people think or expect of him. Strategic statements? Barth Stanford speculates whether Firouzja’s statement about his alternative career could also be a tactical choice. Something he does consciously to reduce the pressure on his shoulders. – Is it a move he has taken? He seems genuinely honest in the interview, but I think he is a trickster. It may be smart of him to say that he is involved in fashion, but I think we will see more of him in chess, says Barth Stanford. – There are great expectations for him, that he will become the best player in the world, but he does not owe chess an explanation, she concludes. PS! On Wednesday, Firouzja really showed that his chess form has been taken, when he beat the recent world champion Ding Liren in long chess during the Superbet Chess Classics.
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The 19-year-old was appointed as Carlsen’s successor – then life took an unexpected turn
