Magnus has always been unhappy with the format of the WCC cycle. He first skipped it in 2011, when he was already the top-rated player but not yet champion (htt

Magnus has always been unhappy with the format of the WCC cycle. He first skipped it in 2011, when he was already the top-rated player but not yet champion (https://www.chess.com/news/view/carlsen-quits-world-championship-cycle-7234 https://www.chess.com/news/view/carlsen-quits-world-champion...), and very nearly skipped it again in 2013.