Magnus Carlsen (left) played against Alexander Grischuk (right) in the World Chess Candidates’ Tournament in London in March 2013.
Twenty-two-year-old Magnus Carlsen of Norway is a chess superstar, and his fame continues to grow. He is the youngest chess player ever to be ranked number one, and recently Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
At the World Chess Candidates’ Tournament held this past spring, Carlsen was the main attraction. Whenever he played, the tournament’s website became overloaded with traffic as fans logged on to watch Carlsen in action.
Why is Carlsen so popular? Many think it’s a combination of his youth, exceptional skills, and down-to-earth attitude. Even though his skill at chess has brought him fame, he says he would have rather been a soccer champion than a chess star.
Carlsen learned how to play chess from his father at age five, but he didn’t get serious about the game until he was eight years old. That’s when he decided that he wanted to beat his older sister Ellen at the game. Carlsen began taking chess lessons at age nine, and at age thirteen, he earned the title Grandmaster. The Grandmaster title is one of the highest rankings awarded in chess. Only the World Champion title is more highly ranked.
From an early age, Carlsen showed signs of a remarkable memory. By age four, Carlsen had memorized the names and populations of most of Norway’s 430 towns and cities. Today, Carlsen can recall the moves from more than 10,000 chess games.
Carlsen won the Candidates’ Tournament in April. This win earned him the chance to compete for the World Champion title in November. He will play against the current title holder, 43-year-old Viswanathan Anand of India. Will the world’s number-one chess player become the next World Champion? Fans around the world will definitely be tuning in to find out.
Image credit: ©Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Related Links
- 60 Minutes Interview with Magnus Carlsen
View Bob Simon’s profile of the “Mozart of Chess.” - Learn to Play Chess
Watch to learn the basics of chess.
Loading...
