Magnus Carlsen gives up Chess World Title for poker instead

The World Number 1 has skipped the chance to defend his reign to play on the Hustler stream and Norwegian Poker Championships instead.

Chess has never been cooler or more popular, and it looks like one of the primary benefactors of that could be poker. 

We are already seeing a spark of interest from chess fans courtesy of the Botez sisters. It looks like World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen is also doing a lot of heavy lifting for us. 

The World Chess Championship is underway right now and reigning champion Carlsen has skipped it to play poker instead: 

Magnus instagram story 🤣 pic.twitter.com/XSrA9BNK4x

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) March 29, 2023

Carlsen has been spotted at the Norwegian Poker Championships as well as the Hustler Live Stream. He has also been putting poker hands that he has played on his YouTube channel: 

As a five-time World Champion, Carlsen has skipped the World Championships this year because he feels he has nothing to prove. That means he will be giving up his reigning world title this year, the first player to do so since Bobby Fischer in 1975. 

Chess's loss is poker's gain and it looks like Carlsen wants to focus his energy on new pursuits. If he could become a formidable force on the poker circuit and perhaps win a title of significance, it could prove a brilliant advertisement of the game for an audience that seems ripe to make the small migration from chess to poker. 

Will Magnus Carlsen make it as a poker player? Let us know in the comments: