Mozart of Chess: Magnus Carlsen
February 19, 2012 7:34 PM
(CBS News) Demolition, not defeat, is the goal of 21-year-old Magnus Carlsen. No, he’s not a boxer, not a wrestler. Rather, Magnus is the top chess player in the world, and he takes it on like an athlete. First, there’s the tough physical workouts to prepare himself for the tough mental workout of competition. And then there’s the attitude. Magnus, who comes from a nice Norwegian family, tells Bob Simon: “I enjoy it when I see my opponent really suffering, when he knows that I’ve outsmarted him.” But really, he’s a nice guy – an athlete and fashion model in addition to being the top-ranked chess player in the world. Bob Simon profiles Magnus Carlsen.
The following is a script from “Mozart of Chess” which aired on Feb. 19, 2012. Bob Simon is the correspondent. Michael Gavshon and Drew Magratten, producers.
Magnus Carlsen is the best in the world. He is a 21-year-old Norwegian, reigns supreme in a sport played by 500 million people. It is chess. Many don’t think of it as a sport because nobody moves, but chess masters will tell you it can be more brutal than boxing. That’s because at the championship level, the objective is not only to win, but to demolish your opponent. That can take hours, the best players need extraordinary endurance…so most of them are young. Magnus is the youngest number one ever. And no one can explain to you how he does what he does. It seems to come from another world, which is why he has become known as the Mozart of chess.
Just look at what he is doing – competing against 10 players simultaneously. That, in itself, is not extraordinary. But Magnus cannot see the boards. He is facing the other way. So he has to keep track of the positions of 320 pieces blind. And the number of possible moves? Infinite. Magnus comes out on top.
Bob Simon: That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Do you have any idea how extraordinary this looks to–
Magnus Carlsen: No. It’s one of the amazing things in chess that you can– you don’t really need the board. You can just keep it–
Bob Simon: But it transcends chess. I mean, I just can’t fathom what you’ve just done. It’s just–
Magnus Carlsen: Uh-huh (affirm).
Simon: –it seems like it’s supernatural.
Last December, we caught up with him at the London Chess Classic. He arrives with his constant companion – his father. Magnus will play against eight other top ranked players. But he is the star as celebrated in this world as Eli Manning is in his.
[Malcolm Pein: The world number one player from Norway, Magnus Carlsen.]
Today, Magnus is playing America’s number one, Hikaru Nakamura. The match will last four hours and there will be no breaks. Magnus will go on a stroll now and then. But his mind won’t be going anywhere. He says he’s concentrating not only on this game, but on other games played by other masters at other times which he might want to draw on now. Ten thousand of them. We gave him a test.
Magnus Carlsen: It was played right here in London. Simpson’s on the Strand in 1859. I don’t know the month or day.
Simon: You got it wrong.
Magnus Carlsen: Not ’59?
Simon: ’51.
Magnus Carlsen: Wow.
Simon: You see, mem– your memory isn’t–
Magnus Carlsen: It’s not what it used to be.
Chess players are pretty pokerfaced. But occasionally Magnus will flash the smile of someone who knows it’s all over but the handshake while Nakamura dives deeper into doom. Magnus was playing brilliantly and he knew it.
Simon: Is there anything in life more satisfying than that feeling when you’re playing brilliantly?
Magnus Carlsen: I don’t know. But it’s really, you know, up there.
Simon: It’s pretty good.
Magnus Carlsen: Yes.
The spectators seem as mesmerized as the competitors. They’re all chess players, of course. If they weren’t, it would be like watching paint dry. Worldwide, a hundred thousand are watching on their computers. The suspense keeps building until end game by which time, it’s cutthroat.
Simon: Do you enjoy it when you see your opponent squirm?
Magnus Carlsen: Yes. I do. I enjoy it when I see my opponent, you know, really suffering when he knows that I’ve outsmarted him. If I lose just one game, then usually, you know, I just want to really get revenge.
Full article: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57380894/mozart-of-chess-magnus-carlsen/
While I like Carlsen, and enjoy his games, the reporting was biased, objectively speaking.
For example:
1. covering the London tournament, while Carlsen did crush Nakamura, there was no mention of his ‘troubles’ against McShane. or the fact that Kramnik had a stronger performance.
2. when showing the blitz game against Kasparov, nothing is mentioned about the fact that Kasparov is on his fading years. this is not the kasparov of 1980s or early 1990s.
Nothing against Carsen. I just worry that the other stories these reporters tell us are similarly biased. They are trying to present their point of view, and any facts that are inconvenient are left out.
Very Poor and biased documentary. CBS 60 min does this to sensationalize and for hero worshipping to get more money from advertisers and to get higher rating. They are not objective. Playing blindfolded? All top chess players do that. Susan also probably can do that too. Carlsen is definitely very good player but not unique in this ability. Carlsen is blonde and good looking so CBS 60 mins wants to make him a hero to increase their rating. Poor journalism.
Very Poor and biased documentary. CBS 60 min does this to sensationalize and for hero worshipping to get more money from advertisers and to get higher rating. They are not objective. Playing blindfolded? All top chess players do that. Susan also probably can do that too. Carlsen is definitely very good player but not unique in this ability. Carlsen is blonde and good looking so CBS 60 mins wants to make him a hero to increase their rating. Poor journalism.
Lighten up on CBS…they know that their audience isn’t chess savvy and
sensationalism sells.
Much of what they presented would be totally new to many or most of their viewers.
It was a great promotion for chess. When’s the last time any of us saw that on a major network?
It was a great mainstream press segment on chess. I don’t remember the last one I’d seen in US. People criticizing it just come off as silly and myopic. That story was a profile of Carlson, the highest rated player in the world. It also gave a cursory look at the chess world in which he plays. It was not a hard journalism account for the ‘chess world’, it was for the millions of Americans who aren’t part of it. And a piece like that on 60 minutes can do more for chess in the US than a 1,000 ‘accurate’ stories on Chessbase, or other chess sites.
Anon February 20, 2012 1:29:00 PM CST:
We understand what you are saying, and factored it in in the comments.
The point is, next time you see a story by Bob Simon on 60 minutes, how much will you trust its accuracy, vs propaganda or a point of view?
This item/presentation is ostensibly about facts, not an opinion piece.
The good it does for chess, or not, is not the point.
I also noticed McShane in one of the videos — but no mention of this brilliant star by the reporter.
Similarly, since that piece in London, we have had an extraordinary performance from Aronian — and a devastating blow to Carlsen by Karjakin. No mention of that either.
It’s not balanced reporting — so I can’t trust them for stories in which I’m not as familiar.
I’m sorry, did they claim that Carlson won the London tournament? No. It just happened to be the tournament they were filming him at. Is he number one in the world like they said? Yes he is number one on the ratings list by a fair margin. Carlson is the star of the chess world with more promise than anyone else in recent memory. That’s the only reason they would do a segment on him, because he might turn out to be one of the greatest players of all time.
I get the impression that some people on here just don’t like Carlson, and can’t stand that he got a glossy puff piece on 60 minutes. But hey, you’re probably right, they would have done better by doing an in depth look at Aronian or Karjakin. LOL