GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura treated chess fans in Barcelona with fascinating insight and entertainment when they appeared for a discussion about chess and played a blindfold game, expertly commented on by none other than IM Levy Rozman.
The appearance took place at ICE Barcelona on Tuesday, the world’s largest exhibition for the gaming and betting industry. Carlsen attended the event as a guest of Betby, one of his sponsors since 2024, and he was joined on stage by Nakamura, the world number-two.
Rozman, better known as GothamChess and the world’s most-followed chess YouTuber, rounded out the trio, joining the conversation and providing expert commentary during the event.
You can watch the three-hour show in the video below:
Following two on-stage conversations, fans were treated to a novelty with the first-ever blindfold game between Carlsen and Nakamura. Played with a 15-minute time control without increments, it turned into a sharp, tactical battle—impressively played with an accuracy of 96 percent for both players.
Playing with the white pieces, Carlsen kept a slight advantage after the opening until tactics arose in the middlegame. When the Norwegian captured a central pawn, it allowed Nakamura to deliver a crucial blow by sacrificing his rooook. 26…Bxe3!!, followed by the exchange sacrifice 27…Rxd5!, forced a perpetual check and a draw.
“It was very interesting because, all of a sudden, it just exploded with tactics,” Carlsen said while analyzing the game with Nakamura afterward.
Next on the agenda was a Meet & Greet, where the three players took on fans in the audience for several games. It turned out that some of them were quite decent players, such as Argentinian GM Tomas Sosa, among the coaches of 12-year-old prodigy IM Faustino Oro.
Before the games, the trio had participated in two panel sessions that covered the evolution of the game since the pandemic boom as well as emotions in chess. Carlsen was asked about recurring moments of controversy, such as pushing away a camera after a loss at the World Rapid & Blitz Championships.
“What happened now in Qatar, it was pure emotions,” Carlsen said. “The stress of playing in that sort of environment, where you are expected to win, the games are fast and stressful, and games are long—it gets to me sometimes. It’s just part of life.”
“You want to be in control, you practice to be in control, but it doesn’t always happen,” he added. “Fortunately, I’ve also shown many times that I can have difficult moments and recover. I’m proud of that.”
Fortunately, I’ve also shown many times that I can have difficult moments and recover. I’m proud of that.
—Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen also addressed comparisons of top players with the rising generation of young stars. “It’s very interesting for me to prove ourselves against the young generation, but the fact is they are not there yet,” he said. “And I don’t think they’re particularly close at the moment either. That’s a great balance. Overall, we’re still ahead.”
Having won basically everything there is to win in chess, including a total of 20 world championships across all formats, the 35-year-old was asked what motivates him going forward. He recalled being awarded the Greatest Player Of All-Time award during the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest 2024, saying:
“What I was mainly focused on was that Norway was playing Vietnam that day, “Carlsen said. “The match was not finished, and I was much more focused on what was going on there. I love playing, I love the game, and to me, that is enough motivation itself.
I love playing, I love the game, and to me, that is enough motivation itself.
—Magnus Carlsen
He also added that his attention has shifted: “Otherwise, I was just watching on my phone that my son is getting closer and closer to crawling. That will be my next goal.”
The trio also talked about the explosive growth the game has experienced since the pandemic, with Nakamura saying: “If I look back to 2018-2019, I never could’ve imagined that the whole chess boom would be what it is today, but I think the chess world is much better off because of it.”
When asked by Rozman why chess hasn’t fully capitalized on the global audience it has reached, Nakamura noted that the game is hard to monetize. He also took a dig at the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
“It’s very difficult, because in chess we have a governing body who doesn’t care about the players. They care only about keeping the organization running,” he said. “It’s very unlikely, I think, that we can make chess a game that becomes a big commercial success. I hope I am proven wrong.”
Carlsen also revealed that he had, in fact, considered accepting an invitation to play in Tata Steel Chess this year. “Not because it’s the Wimbledon of Chess or anything like that, but I think it’s good to give myself challenges once in a while.”
The Norwegian said he decided to wait until after his son was born at the end of September to make a decision, but ultimately he decided three weeks of playing would be too much, and he wanted a break.
Welcome Magnus Carlsen!
World number one and multiple World Champion Magnus Carlsen will play in the 2026 TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament in Malmo 1-7 May!
More news to follow… pic.twitter.com/SeHGu1x6QO
— tepesigeman (@tepesigeman) January 20, 2026
However, on the same day, Carlsen was surprisingly confirmed for the TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament in Malmo, Sweden, which will be held May 1-7.
The tournament will be a test for Carlsen, who last week was also confirmed for his 14th participation in Norway Chess. The event, which has moved from Stavanger to Oslo, will be played May 25-June 5.
Carlsen did not take a break after the event, as he went on to play—and win—Titled Tuesday just hours later, playing from Chess.com’s Barcelona office.
