Magnus Carlsen Set To Marry Ella Victoria Malone After World Blitz Gold Medal

GM Magnus Carlsen is set to begin 2025 with a major milestone as he ties the knot with his girlfriend, 26-year-old Ella Victoria Malone, this weekend, Norwegian media has reported.

The Norwegian, fresh from his eighth World Blitz Championship after sharing the title with GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, will score an even bigger win when he marries Malone at an undisclosed location this weekend, according to Norwegian newspaper VG. The couple confirmed the news through Carlsen's longtime friend Magnus Barstad, but additional details are not publicly known. 

Carlsen and Malone were first seen publicly together during the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in Germany in February. Since then Malone has been a regular during his tournaments, most recently at the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Oslo and the World Rapid & Blitz Championships in New York at the end of December.

Speaking to TV 2 during the Speed Chess Championship in September, Carlsen shared what Ella's presence means: "It's very nice to have her with me. She is understanding and supportive. That's nice and it's good to have some distractions in case I don't perform well."

Malone grew up in Oslo from a Norwegian mother and an American father, but spent years in Singapore where she is a permanent resident, according to an interview with Carlsen in The Straits Times.

In a video interview with ChessBase India during the Freestyle Chess Match against GM Fabiano Caruana, the 26-year-old already hinted about a possible marriage by saying, "Maybe someone we know is getting married?"

She shared her thoughts about being thrown into the "crazy, but sweet" chess world. "I am really enjoying it and I've made a lot of new friends."

Asked whether she watches Carlsen's games, she said: "During rapid and blitz I am tuned in. But I need to see the eval bar, because I don't know what's happening," she said. "When he makes a mistake I am like 'Oh ****!'. I start freaking out!"

"I want him to win and be happy. It kills me to see him lose, but luckily that's a rare occurrence."

I want him to win and be happy. It kills me to see him lose, but luckily that's a rare occurence.

—Ella Victoria Malone on Magnus Carlsen

Malone also shared her thoughts about watching her future husband's games with Chess.com's FM Mike Klein.

"I get stressed, I get very stressed!"
— Ella Victoria Malone on watching the games of Magnus Carlsen, who she's set to marry this weekend pic.twitter.com/FHG4UaLrbU

— chess24 (@chess24com) January 2, 2025

In an interview for the Sjakksnakk podcast in 2023, Carlsen spoke about his hopes for the future, and dreams of creating a family of his own. 

"I don't feel any pressure, but it's definitely something I want, if not right now, at some point. I think it's incredibly nice to be an uncle and also have friends who become parents. To score some adult points, pretty much!"

In an October interview with The Guardian, the chess star hinted at a possible relocation away from Norway in order to have a more private life for his family.

“There are people who have it a lot worse than I do. But I’ve certainly lost some freedom in my life, both in Norway and in other countries. Sometimes it can be annoying, but overall, I’m very privileged to do what I do. But I’m not going to live in Norway full time, because I don’t want my future wife and kids to also have that pressure.”

Ella on Magnus: "He's looking confident, he's looking good, he's looking hot..."#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/7sajx72VHE

— chess24 (@chess24com) November 21, 2024