Carlsen Accuses Nakamura of ‘Shameless’ Tournament Farming, Criticizes FIDE Rules

Magnus Carlsen has sparked fresh controversy in the chess world, criticizing FIDE and calling American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura "shameless" over his approach to qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

World No. 2 Nakamura recently triumphed at the Iowa Open, continuing his push for a Candidates berth. The victory raised his live rating to 2815.8, just below his peak of 2816. Earlier in September, Nakamura also claimed the Louisiana State Championship title.

The American GM has been entering lower-rated tournaments in order to meet FIDE's requirements for qualification. Under current rules, one Candidates spot is given to the highest-rated player based on the six-month average rating from August 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. However, the player must also have completed at least 40 classical games during this period. Nakamura had played only 18 classical games in 2025 before August, prompting his participation in smaller events.

Carlsen: 'Absolutely shameless, but pragmatic'

Speaking to Take Take Take, Carlsen described Nakamura's strategy as both "shameless" and practical. "I kind of admire the way he is going about it because it is so shameless. The thing is a lot of players, they probably would have picked tournaments where there was maybe like a couple of IMs or something like that. But Hikaru just wants to make sure that he's getting his games, which is the pragmatic thing to do. It's absolutely shameless, but it's probably the right thing to do," Carlsen said.

The former World Champion also lashed out at FIDE, arguing that the qualification system was flawed. "It looks like the system could do with some fixing. But I'm not part of that s**t anymore. So it's fine," he remarked.

On 'farming points'

Carlsen was asked whether he would adopt a similar approach if his World No. 1 ranking were at risk. He admitted he had played some lower-rated opponents in Norway earlier this year but claimed it was not a deliberate strategy. "No. But I have farming points myself this year in the Norwegian League. But I was still playing two GMs and one IM, which is an incredibly dumb way to do it. But I am learning (from Hikaru) now," Carlsen said.

The remarks have ignited debate within the chess community, with many questioning both FIDE's qualification rules and the ethics of players entering weaker tournaments to secure Candidates eligibility.