Magnus Carlsen jokes about his retirement plan: Buy an island, get WiFi and play chess

Magnus Carlsen crushed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-0.5 in the final of the Chess.Com Classic of the Champions Chess Tour to be crowned champion on Friday.

The Norwegian Super GM did not lose a single game in the event, which featured a series of match-ups competed by some of the best minds in the game, including World Champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, among others.

After a relaxed outing in the final that ended with a game to spare, Carlsen had a casual chat with commentator David Howell, who asked him a funny question from a fan.

"Do you see yourself playing chess well into your 50s, or would you prefer to buy an island and retire at some point?" Howell asked. Carlsen replied in his peculiar, easy-going style: "Can't I just buy an island and then get WiFi and play chess from there?"

His funny response was enjoyed by the interviewer and, most likely, by his numerous fans, who have seen him dominate all formats of chess for over a decade.

At 34, Carlsen is the undisputed World No. 1 in the game. He first reached the top spot in January 2010, and though India's Viswanathan Anand briefly went ahead, Carlsen regained the position in July 2011 and has not lost it since.

Carlsen won five classical World titles, the last in 2021. However, he chose not to defend his title and has not competed for the World Championship ever since, claiming he lacks motivation.

In January this year, Carlsen put World Chess body FIDE in a spot by sharing his World Blitz title with Nepomniachtchi. The two players were tied first after an exhaustive seven-game final battle in New York, and instead of playing on, as is the norm, Carlsen made an offer to Nepo, which he couldn't refuse.