IMAGE: Magnus Carlsen continues to shape the sport’s future — sometimes with brilliance, sometimes with drama. Photograph: Magnus Carlsen/Instagram
Magnus Carlsen may have stepped away from the classical world championship, but make no mistake — the Norwegian maestro still rules the chess world. As Indian prodigies rise fast and challenge the elite, even five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand believes Carlsen remains the gold standard.
From flawless tournament runs to viral outbursts, Carlsen continues to shape the sport’s future — sometimes with brilliance, sometimes with drama.
With a nine-year-old player coming close to beating him in an online game, that inevitability seems very close.
“I think Magnus is still the best player in the world. And I don’t think there is any question about it. Whenever he plays a tournament, he is the favourite. He has been proving that he is still the best by winning every tournament,” teenage Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa said.
“For me, personally, I take a lot of inspiration from him, the way he plays.”
“For example, he won 9 out of 9 (games) in Grand Slam Freestyle Tournament, which I don’t think anyone can do except Magnus. So, yeah, it’s just brilliant.”
Carlsen’s big bang
Nothing could be more dramatic in modern chess than Carlsen banging his fist on the table after losing to Gukesh in a game at the elite Norway Chess tournament recently. The incident quickly went viral on social media across time zones.
Asked if the reaction was good in terms of popularising the game or should FIDE draw a line somewhere, Praggnanandhaa said he too would have done it sometime but it got blown up because Carlsen is a “strong guy”.
“Yes, it was an instinctive reaction. I think it does happen to players. I’ve done it sometimes, but rarely.”
“I mean, it’s (me hitting the table) not as powerful as Magnus because he’s a strong guy, but Gukesh has done it and many others. It’s just an instinctive reaction because you’re so focused that it just comes out.”
“But, I mean, is it a good thing? Maybe not. I don’t think so because I guess it’s not good. (Having said that), I think so many people got to know that something like this happened and it became such a big thing on the internet.”
“And, I think it’s good for the game in a way because a lot of people got to know that there was such a tournament going on and that such a dramatic game happened.”
“So, I think there are some good things and bad things, but I think overall, chess is growing. That’s what matters.”
