Magnus Carlsen was late once again, this time for his first game at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship in Doha, Qatar. The scene was familiar: the opening round was ready to begin, hundreds of players sat at their boards, cameras were rolling, and yet everyone waited while the tournament’s biggest star had not arrived. Carlsen eventually showed up, played, and won. The chess result itself surprised no one. What lingered instead was the question many fans and players have asked before: should this keep happening?
The World Rapid Championship is not a casual event. It runs on a tight schedule, with multiple rounds per day, and involves hundreds of competitors who are expected to be seated and ready on time. In that context, a late arrival at the top board affects the rhythm of the entire hall and the professionalism of the event.
Hikaru Nakamura summed up the frustration bluntly while reacting live on his Kick stream. “They should start the clock no matter what,” he said. “For everybody else they just start the clock. For Carlsen they never do it.” Nakamura went further: “For Magnus FIDE will literally do anything.”
The comment resonated because it echoed a feeling many already had, that rules and procedures seem to bend when the name on the pairing sheet is Carlsen.
Online reaction was immediate and loud. On Reddit, one of the most upvoted comments joked, “Bro is making it a custom at this point.” Others were less amused. “Being late is rude, greatest chess player in history or not,” wrote one user. Another pointed out the awkward position it puts Carlsen’s opponent in: if you lose, you lost to someone who started with less time; if you win, some will dismiss it with an asterisk. Either way, the opponent pays a psychological price for something they had no control over.
To be fair, Carlsen has explained his reasoning before. He dislikes spending time in the playing hall and prefers to arrive as late as possible rather than sit through ceremonies, cameras, and small talk. From a purely technical standpoint, he is correct when he says it is “his time” on the clock. In rapid chess, arriving late is equivalent to burning time on your first move.
But context matters. In Doha, the clocks did not appear to start immediately, and several boards waited as officials staged ceremonial opening moves. That is where personal preference crosses into something more uncomfortable. If the clock is not running, then the cost of being late is no longer paid by the player who chose it. It is paid by everyone else who has to wait.
This was also not an isolated incident. Carlsen has been late to games multiple times over the years, across formats and tournaments. Combined with other high-profile disputes with FIDE, it has created an image of a superstar who expects flexibility without always offering the same courtesy in return. As one Reddit commenter put it, joking but not entirely wrong, “If he decided to wear pajamas, they’d probably change the rules to allow it.”
None of this diminishes Carlsen’s greatness. He is still the strongest player of his generation and one of the greatest the game has ever seen. But greatness does not require being an exception to basic standards like punctuality. Chess already struggles with perception issues: accessibility, formality, and respect for opponents are part of what the sport tries to project on the world stage.
There is an easy solution. Start the clocks on time. Do it for everyone, without hesitation, regardless of rating, titles, or legacy. If Magnus still wants to arrive late and take on the challenge, that is his right. If he loses time, that is the trade-off he has chosen. What should not happen is a silent accommodation that turns one player into a special case.
In the end, this is not about punishing Magnus Carlsen. It is about protecting the integrity and professionalism of top-level chess. Fans want to talk about ideas on the board, not arrival times. Opponents want a fair and focused start, not an unnecessary distraction. And the game itself deserves better than yet another conversation about why everyone was waiting.
Watch the 2025 World Rapid Championship live here
I’m a passionate board game enthusiast and a skilled player in chess, xiangqi and Go. Words for Attacking Chess since 2023. Ping me at Lichess for a game or chat.