Chess master Leonard Barden shared his opinion on Alireza Firouzja. Barden calls Firouzja a creative talent, and believes that negative experiences with tournament organizers could limit his future invitations.

Leonard Barden

Leonard Barden

Chess master, journalist

“There was a match for third place in which Hikaru Nakamura defeated Firouzja.

With the score in the six-game match 3-1 against him, the Frenchman left the tournament hall without making a move and defaulted the fifth game, in response to some technical internet issues in game four…

Firouzja is a creative talent, but he has been involved in several disputes with organizers over the years, which most recently included his withdrawal from the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis in favour of Paris.

It amounts to a negative track record which could seriously limit his future invitations.”

The Esports World Cup 2026 took place from August 11 to 15, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in France. Firouzja lost in the 4th round of the third-place match due to a technical issue. Alireza refused to play in the 5th round and Hikaru won the match early.

Alireza Firouzja withdrew from the remaining 2026 GCT events at the end of July. Firouzja’s points from Super Rapid & Blitz Poland, Super Chess Classic Romania, and Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia for 2026 were annulled by the organizers.

The French Chess Federation (FFE) made a statement about Alireza in May. Firouzja will not participate in the 2026 Chess Olympiad and will not be invited to future events until the specific requirement is fulfilled. The FFE noted that Alireza did not respond favorably to the French national team’s invitation and did not provide any official reasons.

Credit: Lennart Ootes