“I can tell his wife that he used to be a pro labor coach, because he’s already done it once.”
Magnus Carlsen is embarking on his biggest move yet: fatherhood.
The 34-year-old Norwegian chess grandmaster and five-time World Chess Champion is officially entering his dad era with the birth of his first child — a baby boy.
Magnus Carlsen’s wife Ella Victoria Carlsen took to her Instagram Stories on Sept. 30 to reveal the news with a photo of the first-time dad sleeping next to the newborn, whose face was covered by a blue heart.
In a text overlay, Ella Victoria confirmed that the baby was born on Sept. 27.
The couple have yet to reveal the baby’s name, but Magnus was quick to respond to a congratulatory post by Chess.com on X — in which he simply replied, “Thanks,” with a red heart emoji.
Magnus and Ella Victoria, who are known to keep their personal life private, have been linked since January 2024 when he appeared in one of her Instagram posts.
They were spotted together publicly for the first time one month later at the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in Germany, according to Chess.com, and have appeared at numerous tournaments since.
READ MORE: Natalie Joy says she’s ready for ‘more babies’ in sweet birthday tribute to husband Nick Viall
The couple tied the knot on Jan. 4 — a few days after Magnus won the World Blitz Chess Championship for the eighth time in his career — per Chess.com.
On May 12, Magnus Carlsen’s baby made its Instagram debut when he posted a photo of his “beautiful pregnant wife” showing off a growing baby bump.
Magnus Carlsen joins a coveted list of chess grandmaster parents
Magnus will likely go down in history as one of the most talented and dominant chess players of all-time.
He became a chess grandmaster in 2004 at the age of 13, making him one of the youngest grandmasters in chess history, and achieved world No. 1 status for the first time in 2010.
While he lost that title later that year, he regained it in 2011 and has now been the world No. 1 for 14 consecutive years.
As of right now, Magnus is one of two top-10 players to welcome a baby — the other being world No. 7 Anish Giri, who is a father of three with his wife Sopiko Guramishvili.
Hikaru Nakamura of the United States, who is the current world No. 2, will soon enter that list.
Nakamura and his wife, Atousa Pourkashiyan, announced that they were expecting their first child together during a July stream on Kick.
On Sept. 30, Nakamura took to X to congratulate Magnus on the arrival of his baby boy.
“Huge Congrats to @MagnusCarlsen and Ella on the birth of your first baby!” he wrote in the post.
ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: Country music personality Bobby Bones and wife Caitlin Parker share exciting baby news
Magnus Carlsen’s first tournament as a father is just one week away when he headlines the “Clutch Chess: The Legends” event in St. Louis, Missouri, according to Chess.com.
