Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
This blog is about Magnus Carlsen
In this blog you will read about Carlsen and see games of his and a video.
MAGNUS CARLSEN
GM Magnus Carlsen is the current world chess champion. To many people, he’s the best to ever play the game, although GMs Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer remain in the conversation. At any rate, the clear and remarkable point is that before turning 30 years old, Carlsen has already earned a spot at the top.
It’s easy to see why. The 13-year-old Norwegian prodigy drew Kasparov and defeated GM Anatoly Karpov at the same event in 2004, one month before he became the second-youngest GM in history (and still eighth-youngest as of 2021). In 2009, he became the youngest player to break the 2800-rating threshold (a record only broken by GM Alireza Firouzja in 2021).
Then Carlsen transitioned from young world-class player to all-time great. He captured the world number-one ranking in 2011 and still hasn’t let go of it. He won the world title in 2013 and has successfully defended it four times (2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021). Additionally, he has won multiple world titles in rapid (twice) and blitz (four times) time controls, achieved the highest rating ever, and racked up several elite tournament wins, including four Norway Chess victories and seven in Wijk aan Zee.
The amazing part is it seems like there’s much more ahead for Carlsen. In October 2020 Carlsen's 125-game undefeated streak came to an end (he scored 42 wins and 83 draws during this streak), setting yet another world record. If he continues performing the way he has, Carlsen could create something truly legendary. In an era of chess that’s more competitive than ever, he’s far ahead of the opposition.
Youth and Early Chess Career (1995 To 2004)
Carlsen learned how to play chess when he was five years old. However, he didn’t show much interest at first. He instead amazed other people by completing activities that demonstrated his general intellectual aptitude at an early age.
At two years of age, Carlsen could solve 50-piece jigsaw puzzles. He also played with Lego sets intended for children 10 to 14 years old. When Henrik Carlsen, his father, introduced him to chess, the five-year-old was busy memorizing the areas, population numbers, flags and capitals of every country in the world. Later Carlsen completed a similar task—memorizing areas, population numbers, coat-of-arms and administrative centers—for nearly all Norwegian municipalities (there are 422 municipalities today).
Carlsen's impressive memory helped as he became more interested in chess. Initially, he simply wanted to beat his oldest sister. But soon he was replaying games that his father had showed him, practicing combinations while playing against himself and reading chess books. His first book was Find the Plan from GM Bent Larsen, the six-time Danish champion and the strongest-ever Scandinavian player—before Carlsen.
In 2002 Carlsen continued his upward trajectory. He placed sixth in the Under-12 section of the European Youth Chess Championship, and a few weeks later he tied for first place in the World Youth Chess Championship’s Under-12 section. However, in tiebreaks he lost to GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, who took the title.
One year later, Carlsen finished in the top 10 for the same two tournaments (European and World Youth Chess Championship) in the Under-14 sections. He secured three IM norms that year, at the age of 12, to claim his IM title in August 2003.
The Second-Youngest GM In History (2004 To 2009)
The Norwegian phenom became well-known on a world stage after his successful year in 2004. Carlsen began by winning the C group at the elite Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee. He went 10.5/13 and had a tournament performance rating of 2702. It was good enough for his first GM norm, and his performance made headlines and led to a Microsoft sponsorship.
After obtaining his second GM norm one month later, Carlsen took part in a blitz tournament in Iceland. There he defeated Karpov, the former world champion and often recognized as one of the top 10 players of all time. The next day, in the subsequent rapid knockout event, the 13-year-old was paired with Kasparov, then the number-one player in the world and likely the best player of all-time.
Remarkably, Kasparov was fortunate to escape with a draw. Carlsen had a commanding position but faced time trouble. Carlsen lost the next game against Kasparov, but his battles against two of the greatest players to play chess were widely publicized.
Video:
Magnus Carlsen Vs. Kasparov - YouTube
By: aBhIsk123
Help from chess.com
