Magnus Carlsen raises profile of chess after winning the world title
Leonard Barden
The Guardian, Friday 6 December 2013 11.48 EST
If chess hopes to count as sport, Magnus Carlsen is doing his best to make it happen. The new world champion, who is a Real Madrid supporter, was invited by the club to perform a ceremonial kick-off at last weekend’s 4-0 win against Real Valladolid, and was photographed with Gareth Bale who scored a hat-trick.
Carlsen is in London on Saturday when the annual Classic, the UK’s strongest chess event, gets under way at Olympia. Alas, he is not competing this year and his presence is owing to a photoshoot for his new male model campaign with G-Star Raw.
He returns to competitive action next month at the six-grandmaster Zurich elite tournament, which has a novel format. There are five rounds of classical chess, then a one-day rapidplay with colours reversed.
Scoring will be win two points, draw one point in classical and half that in rapid, with the overall best scorer declared the tournament winner.
Full article here.
Big mistake. Nakamura would be a better fit.
Does it surprise anyone that the former Chess Queen, Alexandra Kosteniuk, was severely criticized in the press and by chess bigots everywhere for modeling, yet no criticism, as far as I am aware, has been voiced towards Magnus Carlsen for modeling for G-Star Raw? Double standard???
Well, I’m all for both of them. Too bad I’m too old (and too ugly) for Magnus. Sigh!
Lucymarie
Yeah Nakamura would be a better fit if this were a buffet eating contest!!!!
The difference is Kosteniuk’s team attacked other female players. They also make stupid demands like a spoiled Diva. Carlsen doesn’t.