BEST CHESS PLAYER IN THE WORLD UPGRADE

He'll make a quick draw one day, the next day he'll fight as if his life depends on it. 'You would expect him to really try but he's already decided he wants to play the tiebreak,' Anand adds, 'He takes these unconventional decisions. After 11 drawn games, in a superior position with time on his clock, Carlsen offered the bewildered American a draw in the final classical twelfth game, forced a tiebreak and went on to win the match. He did it all over again two years later against Caruana. He didn't want to wager half chances in the final classical game when he had the surer option of going for the kill in the faster time controls in which he enjoys an obvious strength and edge. Carlsen apologized for disappointing followers of the sport but he had his plans laid out. Commentators, players and fans came down hard on the lack of a fight. He exchanged his pieces, an almost symmetrical endgame followed and the game came to an abrupt end in all of 35 minutes. Despite playing with the slight advantage of White pieces, he didn't push for a win. By the twelfth game, it was a slightly different Carlsen. It was the first and only occasion so far when he trailed in a World Championship match. And somehow he came back.'Īfter seven draws against Karjakin in 2016, Carlsen obstinately turned down a draw in the eighth game, chased risky moves from an equal position, overreached and lost with White. If his pre-match strategy didn't work out, he'll find something else, as he showed in his match against (Sergey) Karjakin, where things went horribly wrong.

'Lots of theories have been offered over why Magnus is great, let me try maybe a slightly new one,' he says, 'Whatever situation, you drop him in, his promptness to react is brilliant. 'He has a phenomenal memory and has been vocal about studying as many games as he can get his hands on and his wealth of knowledge and exquisite technique allow him to find multiple possible angles to overcome even the sturdiest of defenses, particularly in an endgame.'įormer world champion Viswanathan Anand, against whom Carlsen won his first two world titles, proffers that unpredictability and flexibility are his two most striking qualities. 'He is second-to-none at evading common theoretical lines and prefers to outplay his opponents in positions where both players must rely on their understanding of the current dynamics,' Hess says. The seeming hubris isn't without a few truths.Īmerican GM and chess commentator Robert Hess describes Carlsen as the 'hardest worker you'll find' both at the board and in preparation. Carlsen's answer? 'Probably myself, like, three or four years ago.' Caruana went with Fischer, the late brilliant fellow American who'd challenged the Soviet hegemony in the sport. Former world champion Garry Kasparov once called him a combination of two greats Anatoly Karpov and Bobby Fischer who 'gets his positions and never lets go of his bulldog bite'.Ī post shared by Magnus Carlsen a post-game press conference at the 2018 World Championships, Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana were asked to pick their favorite players from the past. He's also perfected the art of turning the smallest opportunities into major breakthroughs. In a technologically flat, AI-powered chess world where preparation among the best players can be almost equal, what really makes one guy stand out with his dominance and genius for this long?Ĭarlsen, perhaps the only current chess player with no apparent shortcomings in his game, holds a catalog of strengths - immaculate calculations, rare outright mistakes, superlative positional sense and an eagerness to trade material for activity. 'I've lost lots of stupid games, but not as many in such a short time.'

'What happened here has never happened before in my career,' Nepomniachtchi said after Friday's game, in a perhaps unintended homage to the new champion.

He's been the No 1 chess player in the world for a decade now and is in his eighth year as undisputed world champion. On Friday, needing just one point against Ian Nepomniachtchi to defend his world champion status, Magnus Carlsen closed the match out with three games to spare, 7.5-3.5.

BEST CHESS PLAYER IN THE WORLD UPGRADE

You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪnatomy of a GOAT: What makes Magnus Carlsen the world's best chess player

Best chess player in the world