Journalist asks Chess legend Magnus Carlsen if he was "concerned" about playing in UAE

Chess legend Magnus Carlsen is currently battling it out in the World Chess Championship 2021, which is being held in Dubai. During a press conference, a journalist asked Carlsen if he had any concerns about the fact that the location of the tournament was the United Arab Emirates.

Although Carlsen refrained from answering the question, it put him in a very uncomfortable spot, and fans believe that the question was completely unnecessary.

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Magnus Carlsen refrains from answering an awkward question about playing in UAE

During a press conference held amidst the ongoing World Chess Championship 2021, Magnus Carlsen was asked a very awkward question about the tournament's location. Journalist Nicholas Bergh appeared for Aftenposten and asked Magnus Carlsen if he had any concerns about playing in the UAE, given the nation's history with human rights.

"United Arab Emirates is often criticized for its human rights record. Did you have any concerns before agreeing to play the match here?"

Carlsen was visibly uncomfortable with the question, as he tried to answer it as politely as possible. However, in the end, he refrained from answering it at all, dodging it with a simple, "No comments."

"Um, yeah, that's a tough question. Er, no. No comments."

As expected, the clip made its way to the LiveStreamFails subreddit, where fans had a mixed bag of responses towards the situation. While many applauded the journalist for having the courage to ask such a controversial question, others believe that it was very uncalled for to put Magnus Carlsen in such a sticky situation all of a sudden. In fact, many even said that the reporter was simply trying to farm drama at Carlsen's expense.

"Dunno, putting Magnus on the spot like that is kind of a d**k move. He didn't choose for the tournament to be hosted there..."

Many others were also concerned about the reporter's safety after he asked such a controversial question, directly addressing the human rights issues in UAE.

Magnus Carlsen recently won against his opponent Ian Nepomniachtchi on December 3, after a grueling match that ended in 136 moves. He still retains his position as No. 1 on FIDE rankings.