Magnus Carlsen recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience for a two-hour session, which was one of the most exciting chess talks in recent memory. During their chat, Carlsen discussed the roots of his career, his ideas on chess engines, and the impact of legends like Vishy Anand and Garry Kasparov on his knowledge of the game. The Norwegian grandmaster also discussed his long-standing love of chess, how he keeps it from becoming an obsession, and his newfound passion for golf.

The infamous Hans Niemann issue was a hotly debated topic. Carlsen voiced his lingering concerns about Niemann’s performance in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup, stating that certain parts of his play did not match what he expected from a human player. While Magnus Carlsen avoided going into depth, citing an upcoming Netflix documentary, he stated that he still does not entirely trust Niemann. He also addressed the broader topic of chess cheating, noting how advances in artificial intelligence have made it more difficult to detect engine-assisted play.

Beyond the drama, Magnus Carlsen discussed the progress of chess training in the digital era. He reflected on his early days learning the game from his father, adding that while he originally preferred Lego, his competitive spirit eventually led him to master chess. When comparing his journey to modern prodigies, he cited seeing a three-year-old in India play “decent” chess and predicted that Argentina’s 11-year-old Faustino Oro would soon achieve grandmaster status.

Magnus Carlsen also praised rising players, such as Alireza Firouzja and Gukesh, comparing their various methods and approaches to mastering the game. “It was fun playing anonymously online—until one day, I got a message from a Russian player who listed all of my secret accounts,” Carlsen revealed during the podcast. “That was a little unsettling.” This was a truly fun episode that would truly interest fans. However, it seems like not everyone was in favor of it. But why? Well, that’s because many had issues with the second guest of the episode, Tony Hinchcliffe.

Fans raise issues against Joe Rogan for bringing Tony Hinchcliffe with Magnus Carlsen

The idea of having the chess master sit alongside Joe Rogan for a two-hour episode surely piqued the interest of several fans. However, once they saw the name of the second guest on the episode, they were surely miffed. While Tony Hinchcliffe is definitely not one of the most hated guests to appear on the platform, the idea of having the comedian sit alongside Magnus Carlsen as he talks chess is an odd idea. Many believed that Hinchcliffe would not be contributing much to the conversation. In fact, he might even deviate from the topic. So, taking to the comments, the fans wrote, “Tony does not need to be here lol, “Has Tony ever needed to be on one?”  “F—— Tony here for no reason. What the f— Joe?” and “I love Tony, but I don’t need to hear him at all right now.”

Fans were definitely of the opinion that Tony Hinchcliffe shouldn’t be brought on episodes where he wouldn’t have much to talk about. One area where he does seem genuinely interesting and insightful to fans is when the guest is a wrestler. After all, the comedian is a ‘mark’ (a passionate wrestling fan) and can actually provide inputs that are worth listening to. Pointing it out in the comments, the fans shared, “It’s better to have him on when a wrestler is on the show,” “he’s a mark, bring him with wrestlers,” and “Even then he’s too annoying. A couple of the times it seemed like even though he knew a lot about wrestling, the wrestlers were annoyed with him.”

However, not everyone believed that Hinchcliffe could not provide insights when it came to chess. Several fans pointed out that the comedian himself once revealed that he was fixated on the game and knows a thing or two about it. So, the comedian surely can be a part of those episodes as well, where we have chess maestros such as Magnus Carlsen. The fans wrote, “Tony has previously stated that he’s obsessed with chess, so. Makes sense,” “Tony averages over 2 million views per episode, and he knows chess,” and “To be fair, I remember the last time Tony was on JRE, he had rapidly mentioned getting obsessed with chess overnight.” What do you think? Was it a good move by Joe Rogan to bring Tony Hinchcliffe on the podcast? Let us know in the comments.