Chess Olympiad: Magnus Carlsen bikes to venue, almost forfeits, saved by photographer

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen played his first game of the ongoing Chess Olympiad on Friday and yet the World No. 1 could have lost against Roberto Garcia Pantoja even without taking the board.

Carlsen reached the venue late and came narrowly close to being defaulted. Carlsen’s match, and Norway’s chances against Colombia, were rescued by a photographer. When he did take the board, the former world champion won in 40 moves.

Carlsen had reportedly decided to take a bike to the playing hall by himself rather than arrive with the rest of the Norway contingent. It led to him getting delayed.

The tournament regulations stipulate that if a player is not at the playing hall within 15 minutes of the round starting (the default time), they will be forced to concede the game.

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World No.1 Magnus Carlsen arrived at Round 3 of the 45th Chess Olympiad, for his first game, by bike! 🚴‍♂️ What’s the first word that comes to mind after watching Magnus’ “journey” to his board? #ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/OKnexThElN

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 13, 2024

Talking to the media later, Magnus Carlsen said: “It was a bit of a mess. I am in a different hotel from the others, so they were supposed to pick me up. Then, they suddenly told me that traffic was horrible and they would be at my hotel at five to three. At that point, I thought I couldn’t get there in time by car, so I decided biking might be faster.”

When he arrived late at the venue, Carlsen thought he was already defaulted but for a coincidence with a photographer.

Luckily for Carlsen, the start of the third round was already delayed, giving him further time to make it. But he was unaware of the development and told the photographer, Maria Emelianova, he was sure he had forfeited.

What happened today and why do I have a photo of @MagnusCarlsen on a bike at 15:24 local time? Well you might hear about it all soon on @chesscom broadcast 😆 #chessolympiad https://t.co/qq32xlIFR5 pic.twitter.com/LGh5PoWCdw

— PhotoChess (@photochess) September 13, 2024

“As I was waiting outside the arena to click photos of the players, I was told by another Norwegian player that Magnus Carlsen was arriving by bicycle. That’s when I got really scared that he would appear at all because it’s very hard to find the entrance to this arena (the BOK Csarnok events venue) even if you already know the layout of the venue. And it was raining outside,” Emelianova recounted on the Chess24 live broadcast.

“So I decided to go out to get some photos. That’s when I saw him, he was on the bicycle, he was soaking wet and he was trying to find the entrance. And he didn’t have his (accreditation) badge. He said his card was with with Norway team captain (Odin Blikra Vea), but he was like ‘I’ve already lost, right?’. That’s when I told him he still had four minutes.”

🇳🇴 Magnus Carlsen arriving 10 minutes late to the 3rd round.

This is Magnus’ first game in this #ChessOlympiad.
Norway drew to the lower-seeded Canada yesterday and plays against Colombia today. Will the World #1 help bring the team to victory?

ℹ️ The default time in the… pic.twitter.com/f8E38YtFSj

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 13, 2024

Emelianova then showed Carlsen a shortcut to get to the playing arena inside four minutes so he could reach in time to avoid a forfeit.

She also took care of his bicyle and mobile phone as the former world champion switfly made his way to the table.