Magnus Carlsen's coach, Peter Heine Nielsen, was quick to criticize FIDE for hosting the World Cup 2025 without the top 3 chess players in the world.

While the brightest talents were absent in the tournament, D Gukesh, along with Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, are setting ripples in the playing field along with world names like Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri.

Carlsen's Coach Criticizes FIDE

Magnus Carlsen Hits Insane 2909 Rating in Freestyle Chess: 'My
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According to FirstPost, Nielsen was publicly critical of FIDE over the "glaring" absence of the world's top players.

"The World Cup is happening right now. None of the top 3 players in the world participate, but right now instead plays a weekly online event " Titled Tuesday." It would cause an outrage in any other sport, but is the "normal" in chess."

His comments are the latest example of how relations between Carlsen and the governing body are deteriorating. Tensions between Carlsen and FIDE Carlsen has had a strained relationship with the FIDE since the infamous "Jeansgate" incident at the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York City.

The current world champion did not defend his title this year and chose not to indicate whether he would challenge Gukesh for it next year. This just feeds more speculation about the future of top-level tournaments.

Notable Absences: Carlsen, Nakamura, and Caruana

Three of the world's top-rated players will not be part of this tournament: five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana. All three have just played in the "Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown" in St. Louis, USA, which Carlsen won with two games to go.

As many intense battles will be witnessed in Goa in the World Cup, the trio keeps playing online in various events, which keeps them sharp, but the fans want them on the classical boards.

Big Names Early Exits Shake the Tournament

Surprises have already come out of this strong field: two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi and world No. 8 Wesley So both lost in the second round and did not make it past the Classical games. Meanwhile, the Indian competitors emerged dominant in their respective boards.