GM Magnus Carlsen, perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game, has become a father for the first time. The five-time world champion and his wife Ella Victoria Carlsen have welcomed their first child on September 27.
The joyful news was first revealed by Ella Victoria’s Instagram story on Tuesday, showing a sleeping Carlsen next to their newborn with the caption “27.09.25”. Covering the face of the baby is a blue heart, a hint at the baby’s gender..
The world number-one was quick to respond to Chess.com’s congratulatory post on X/Twitter.
Thanks❤️ https://t.co/V3nkU0R16J
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 30, 2025
The couple tied the knot in a ceremony in Oslo on January 4, less than a year after first appearing publicly together at the 2024 Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T Challenge in Germany. While initially keeping a low profile, Ella Victoria has taken on a more visible role in Carlsen’s life, accompanying him to tournaments and appearing in several interviews.
On the Norwegian chess podcast Sjakksnakk last December, she recalled their first meeting: “He was really sweet, very shy and nervous, which I found very endearing. He’s incredibly intelligent—he remembered my birthday immediately! He’s going to be an amazing father.”
She also revealed, during a recent ChessBase India broadcast, that she is responsible for her husband’s social media strategy, in particular on YouTube. “We have some big things planned in the next year or two. Hopefully that will be a success,” she revealed.
The couple had long been open about their plans to start a family, and on May 12 they revealed that they were expecting their first child. “When I have a baby, I am probably going to spam my Instagram with pictures,” she said.
Carlsen’s family milestone comes during a very successful year at the board. He has scored a total of seven tournament victories, most recently the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Among the current top 10, Carlsen is now just the second players to become a parent, alongside GM Anish Giri, who just reentered the top 10 and is a father of three. Recently, world number-two GM Hikaru Nakamura and wife WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan also revealed that they are expecting their first child. The U.S. star used the opportunity to congratulate his rival.
Huge Congrats to @MagnusCarlsen and Ella on the birth of your first baby!
— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) September 30, 2025
For now, Carlsen is taking a step back from chess until the Freestyle Chess tournament on December 8-11 to embrace his new role as a father, his biggest title to date.
