Fulfilling the target

Magnus Carlsen wins without distinction
Leonard Barden
The Guardian, Saturday 19 December 2009

Magnus Carlsen won the London Classic and confirmed his world No1 status, yet paradoxically the Norwegian seemed, compared with the legends Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov in their pomp, far from his personal zenith.

Carlsen impressed in his opening win against Vlad Kramnik, which ultimately settled first prize, and in the later stages of his next win from Luke McShane. But in the remaining five rounds he stuttered his way to victory. He could have lost to Michael Adams, had two or three other dubious positions and missed a simple win in the puzzle below.

Still the 19-year-old’s No 1 spot in the January world rankings will fulfil the target set by his coach Kasparov. Kramnik will be an improving No 4, while Adams will be back as UK No1 ahead of Nigel Short.

The notable performer at Olympia was David Howell. The 19-year-old British champion was seeded to finish last but had his best result yet, tied third with Adams.

The other winner was the outstandingly good organisation. Large and enthusiastic audiences watched the grandmasters, argued with commentators and played their own competitive or friendly games. The Classic will return in 2010 and London has an option to host the 2012 world championship where Carlsen could be the title challenger.

Here is the full article.