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Magnus Carlsen trolls FIDE in Team Liquid announcement video: ‘Do I have to change?’ | Chess News

Magnus Carlsen could not resist taking a dig at FIDE in his announcement video for esports franchise, Team Liquid, on Friday. Carlsen will join forces with Fabiano Caruana for Team Liquid with an eye on the upcoming Esports World Cup.

The announcement video sees Carlsen wear a Team Liquid jersey along with a jacket and jeans. He then asks: “Do I have to change?” To this, someone responds: “Don’t worry, we’re pretty chill in esports. Welcome to Team Liquid.”

The reference is a dig at FIDE, the global governing body for chess, with whom Carlsen has butted heads recently over the Freestyle Chess Tour. The disagreements between Carlsen and FIDE over him wearing jeans at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in December led to the World No 1 quitting the FIDE World Rapid Championship before being coaxed into competing at the FIDE World Blitz Championship, which he jointly won. Carlsen had withdrawn because he was sporting jeans at the game and was asked by the arbiter to change. While Carlsen said he would change for the next day, the arbiter warned him that if he doesn’t change before the next round that same day, he would be handed a forfeit in the next round.

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This had led to a livid Carlsen withdrawing. He was later convinced to play on by FIDE chief Arkady Dvorkovich. Carlsen pointedly played the rest of the event in jeans, even turning up late for a game and then claiming he was out buying jeans.
Talking about signing for Team Liquid, Carlsen said on Take Take Take: “Team Liquid is all about winning. And that’s what I intend to do.”

Team Liquid ended second to Team Falcons in the Club Championship standings last year at the Esports World Cup. Team Liquid had finished second in Dota 2, third in Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang last year.

With chess being introduced for the first time in the 2025 Esports World Cup, Team Liquid has bet big on the sport to propel it to the top of the team standings by enlisting both Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.