Five years after fighting for the biggest prize in chess, GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi are about to meet again.
The former World Championship rivals face off on the Icon board as Carlsen's Alpine APL Pipers take on Nepomniachtchi's Ganges Grandmasters in the second day of the Global Chess League.
Their most famous encounter came in Dubai in 2021, when Carlsen defeated Nepomniachtchi 7.5–3.5 to retain his world title for the fifth and final time.
The match turned dramatically after their epic Game 6. Carlsen eventually won after 136 moves and almost eight hours, the longest game in World Championship history, before going on to win three of the next four games.
A lot has changed since.
Carlsen subsequently gave up his world title without defending it again, while Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates for a second time before narrowly losing the 2023 title match to GM Ding Liren.
Now they meet in the rather different surroundings of franchise chess in Bengaluru.
Both made winning starts with their teams on Saturday—but neither managed an individual victory.
Carlsen drew GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave as the defending champion Pipers edged the CheQ Mumba Masters 10–8.
Nepomniachtchi, meanwhile, drew GM Alireza Firouzja as the Ganges Grandmasters squeezed past the Triveni Continental Kings 10–9.
That leaves today's clash nicely poised.
It may no longer decide who becomes world champion—but Carlsen against Nepomniachtchi still carries considerably more history than your average Global Chess League game.
Carlsen's decision to relinquish the crown eventually opened the door to a new generation of world champions. This November, GM Gukesh D will defend the title against GM Javokhir Sindarov in Geneva in the youngest World Championship match in history.