Magnus Carlsen, the world chess champion, has announced he won’t defend his title in next year’s competition because he’s “not motivated to play another match”.
The 31-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said he was “pretty comfortable” surrendering the title he has held since 2013, adding: “I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain. I don’t particularly like it.”
He said he was not retiring and wished “to be the best in the world” without taking part in the sport’s biggest tournament.
