On Chess: Carlsen so cavalier yet so effective
Saturday July 7, 2012 9:26 AM
By Shelby Lyman
Magnus Carlsen — at 21, the best chess player in the world — is nonchalant, noncontroversial and seemingly at ease in the stressful game.
In his words: “I don’t quite fit into the usual schemes.”
No one doubts that just below the surface of his apparent affability lurks a relentless competitor who shows up only to win — no amiable draws for him.
His determination and single-mindedness — or “tremendous willpower,” as the great Viktor Korchnoi labels it — are not pleasant for those whom fate has placed opposite him.
It’s usually a relief when the other guy at least occasionally presents himself as prey rather than predator.
Carlsen’s self-appraisal is a succinct warning to all: “Not winning a tournament is not an option for me.”
His relaxed preparation for the caldron of competition is itself a weapon.
Because he spends less time preparing concrete opening lines than most of his opponents, he sits down to play with an obvious freshness and flexibility, his head usually brimming with a broad range of general ideas which he has taken pains to cultivate.
His approach is only for the very brave.
Playing to win but not afraid to lose, he rarely defeats himself.
Source: http://www.dispatch.com
Hard to take an article seriously when there’s a factual error in the first sentence. He’s 21.
Very well written I believe you have captured some of the essence of what makes Carlsen the best player the world have ever seen. Yeah I know he cannot match the best players of the past in terms of years as WC etc, but the world has changed and Carlsen enjoys doing things his own way and being on top of the rating list is of equal importance to him as is playing tournaments. He is still so young 🙂
I do believe that noone in the past have been stronger than he is – and we see it again in the rapids tournament now that the others simply cannot beat him, he does not out-prepare or intimidate his components like Kasparov, he is busy doing fashion shoots, playing soccer – so he simply out computes his opponents. Hence my comment he is the best we have ever seen – the fact that he comes from a country (Norway) which does not have proud Chess traditions just makes his feat that much more amazing.
It will be interesting to see if anyone can give him a proper challenge going forward – right now it seems only Magnus can beat Magnus. 🙂
To the author of the article, I am sorry, how did you arrive at the conclusion that he is the best player in the world?