'My Wife Is Way More Attracted To Me Now': World No.1 Magnus Carlsen Reacts To Reaching 2900 Rating

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World No.1 has finally achieved a long-standing personal goal: surpassing the 2900 rating mark. While his five World Championship titles and nearly 15 years as world number one in classical chess are monumental, the elusive 2900 rating in that format remained just out of reach, with his classical peak being 2882 in 2014. However, Carlsen's perseverance has paid off, albeit in a different variant of the game. He has now breached the 2900 threshold in Freestyle Chess, a new format that's gaining traction. The updated freestyle ratings, released this past Thursday, show Carlsen leading the pack with an impressive 2909.

Carlsen, known for his witty remarks, couldn't resist a joke when he heard the news. "My wife is way more attracted to me now that I’ve achieved 2900," he quipped, highlighting the personal significance of this milestone.

This achievement follows his remarkable performance at the Grenke Freestyle Open earlier this year, where he secured a flawless 9 out of 9 wins. Reflecting on that incredible feat, Carlsen expressed his disbelief, stating, "It’s incredible. I have never done that in classical chess, or in any format - and it’s not gonna happen again! It feels amazing."

How Is Freestyle Rankings Different

It's important to note that Freestyle Chess differs from traditional classical chess. The rankings for this format are not issued by FIDE, the global chess governing body, but by the organizers of Freestyle Chess themselves. These ratings are based on performances from five recent tournaments: Weissenhaus 2024, Singapore 2024, Weissenhaus 2025, Paris 2025, and Karlsruhe 2025. For Indian chess enthusiasts, there's also exciting news on the Freestyle Chess front. R Praggnanandhaa holds the highest Indian rank, sitting at 4th globally with a rating of 2773. He's just behind Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura (2818), and Fabiano Caruana (2804). Arjun Erigaisi also features in the top 10, securing 8th place with a 2758 rating.

Other notable Indian players in these rankings include Vidit Gujrathi at 18th (2713), Aravindh Chithambaram at 22nd (2707), and even the current classical world champion D Gukesh at 26th (2701). Gukesh's comparatively lower ranking in this format is due to his less prominent performance in recent freestyle chess tournaments.