Magnus Carlsen

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Magnus Carlsen

Carlsen at the 2016 Chess Olympiad

Full name Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen

Country Norway

Born 30 November 1990 (age 28)

Tønsberg, Norway

Title Grandmaster (2004)

World Champion 2013–present

 FIDE rating 2876 (October 2019)

Peak rating 2882 (May 2014)

Ranking No. 1 (August 2019)

Peak ranking No. 1 (January 2010)

Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (Norwegian: [svɛn ˈmɑŋnʉs øːn ˈkɑːɭsn̩]; born 30 November 1990) is a
Norwegian chess grandmaster and the current World Chess Champion. In addition to his success
in classical chess, he is also a two-time World Rapid Chess Champion and four-time World Blitz
Chess Champion. Carlsen first reached the top of the FIDE world rankings in 2010, and trails
only Garry Kasparov at time spent as the highest rated player in the world. His peak
classical rating of 2882 is the highest in history.
A chess prodigy, Carlsen tied for first place in the World U12 Chess Championship in 2002. Shortly
after turning 13, he finished first in the C group of the Corus chess tournament, and earned the
grandmaster title a few months later. At age 15, he won the Norwegian Chess Championship, and at
17, he finished joint first in the top group of Corus. He surpassed a rating of 2800 at age 18 and
reached number one in the FIDE world rankings aged 19, becoming the youngest person ever to
achieve those feats.
Carlsen became World Chess Champion in 2013 by defeating Viswanathan Anand. In the following
year, he retained his title against Anand, and won both the 2014 World Rapid Championship and
World Blitz Championship, thus becoming the first player to hold all three titles simultaneously. He
defended his classical world title against Sergey Karjakin in 2016, and against Fabiano
Caruana in 2018.
Known for his attacking style as a teenager, Carlsen has since developed into a universal player. He
uses a variety of openings to make it more difficult for opponents to prepare against him and reduce
the effect of computer analysis. He has stated the middlegame is his favourite part of the game as it
"comes down to pure chess". His positional mastery and endgame prowess have drawn
comparisons to those of former World Champions Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, Vasily Smyslov,
and José Raúl Capablanca.

Contents

 1Childhood
 2Chess career
o 2.12004
o 2.22005
o 2.32006
o 2.42007
o 2.52008
o 2.62009
o 2.72010
o 2.82011
 o 2.92012
o 2.102013
 2.10.1World Chess Championship 2013
o 2.112014
 2.11.1World Chess Championship 2014
o 2.122015
o 2.132016
 2.13.1World Chess Championship 2016
o 2.142017
o 2.152018
 2.15.1World Chess Championship 2018
o 2.162019
 3Tournament and match results (2012–)
 4Honours
 5Rating
 6Playing style
 7Notable games
 8Personal life
 9Books and films
 10Notes: Interactive games
 11References
o 11.1Sources
 12External links

Childhood[edit]

A view of Tønsberg from the Tønsberg Hospital, where Carlsen was born

Carlsen was born in Tønsberg, Norway, on 30 November 1990, to Sigrun Øen, a chemical engineer,
and Henrik Albert Carlsen, an IT consultant.[1] The family spent one year in Espoo, Finland, and then
in Brussels, Belgium, before returning to Norway in 1998, where they lived in Lommedalen, Bærum.
They later moved to Haslum.[2] Carlsen showed an aptitude for intellectual challenges at a young
age: at two years, he could solve 50-piece jigsaw puzzles; at four, he enjoyed assembling Lego sets
with instructions intended for children aged 10–14.[3] His father, a keen amateur chess
player,[4] taught him to play chess at the age of 5, although he initially showed little interest in the
game.[5] He has three sisters, and in 2010 he stated that one of the things that first motivated him to
take up chess seriously was the desire to beat his elder sister at the game.[6]
The first chess book Carlsen read was a booklet named Find the Plan by Bent Larsen,[7] and his first
book on openings was Eduard Gufeld's The Complete Dragon.[8] Carlsen developed his early chess
skills by playing by himself for hours on end—moving the pieces around, searching for combinations,
and replaying games and positions shown to him by his father. Simen Agdestein emphasises
Carlsen's exceptional memory, stating that he was able to recall the areas, population numbers,
flags and capitals of all the countries in the world by the age of five. Later, Carlsen had memorised
the areas, population numbers, coat-of-arms and administrative centres of "virtually all" Norwegian
municipalities.[9] Carlsen participated in his first tournament—the youngest division of the
1999 Norwegian Chess Championship—at the age of 8 years and 7 months, and scored 6½/11.[10]

Carlsen, aged 13, in Molde giving a simultaneous exhibition, July 2004

Carlsen was coached at the Norwegian College of Elite Sport by the country's top
player, Grandmaster (GM) Simen Agdestein,[1] who in turn cites Norwegian football manager Egil
"Drillo" Olsen as a key inspiration for his coaching strategy.[11] In 2000, Agdestein introduced Carlsen
to Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen, a former Norwegian junior champion and later International Master (IM)
and Grandmaster (GM),[12] as Ringdal served a one-year siviltjeneste (an alternative civilian
service programme) at the college. Over the course of this year, Carlsen's rating rose from 904 in
June 2000, to 1907. Carlsen's breakthrough occurred in the Norwegian junior teams championship
in September 2000, where Carlsen scored 3½/5 against the top junior players of the country, and
a performance rating (PR) of about 2000.[13] Apart from chess, which he studied about three to four
hours a day, Carlsen's favourite pastimes included playing football and reading Donald
Duck comics.[14] Carlsen also practised skiing until the age of ten.[15]
From autumn 2000 to the end of 2002, Carlsen played almost 300 rated tournament games, as well
as several blitz tournaments, and participated in other minor events.[16] In October 2002, he placed
sixth in the European Under-12 Championship in Peñiscola.[17] In the following month, he tied for first
place in the World Under-12 Championship in Heraklio, placing second to Ian Nepomniachtchi on
tiebreak.[18] After this, he obtained three IM norms in relatively quick succession; his first was at the
January 2003 Gausdal Troll Masters (score 7/10, 2453 PR), the second was at the June 2003
Salongernas IM-tournament in Stockholm (6/9, 2470 PR), and the third and final IM norm was
obtained at the July 2003 Politiken Cup in Copenhagen (8/11, 2503 PR). He was officially awarded
the IM title on 20 August 2003.[19] After finishing primary school, Carlsen took a year off to participate
in international chess tournaments held in Europe during the fall season of 2003, returning to
complete secondary education at a sports school.[20][21] During the year away from school, he placed
joint-third in the European Under-14 Championship[22] and ninth in the World Under-14
Championship.[23]
Chess career[edit]
2004[edit]
Carlsen vs. Ernst, 2004

a b c d e f g h
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2

1 1
 a b c d e f g h

Position after 17...c5. The game continued 18.Ng6 fxg6 19.Qxe6+ Kh8 20.hxg6 Ng8 21.Bxh6 gxh6 22.Rxh6+
Nxh6 23.Qxe7 Nf7 24.gxf7 Kg7 25.Rd3 Rd6 26.Rg3+ Rg6 27.Qe5+ Kxf7 28.Qf5+ Rf6 29.Qd7#

This example uses algebraic notation.

Carlsen made headlines after his victory in the C group at the 2004 Corus chess tournament in Wijk
aan Zee. Carlsen obtained a score of 10½/13, losing just one game (against the highest-rated player
of the C group, Duško Pavasovič).[24] As a result of the victory, he earned his first GM norm, and
achieved a PR of 2702. Particularly notable was his win over Sipke Ernst in the penultimate round,
when Carlsen sacrificed material to give mate in just 29 moves.[25] Carlsen's victory in the C group
qualified him to play in the B group in 2005, and it led Lubomir Kavalek, writing for the Washington
Post, to give him the title "Mozart of chess". Agdestein said that Carlsen had an excellent memory
and played an unusually wide range of openings.[26] Carlsen's prowess caught the attention
of Microsoft, which became his sponsor.[27]
Carlsen obtained his second GM norm at the Moscow Aeroflot Open in February. On 17 March, in
a blitz chess tournament in Reykjavík, Iceland, Carlsen defeated former World Champion Anatoly
Karpov. The blitz tournament was a preliminary event leading up to a rapid knockout tournament
beginning the next day. In that event, Carlsen was paired with Garry Kasparov, then the top-rated
player in the world. Carlsen achieved a draw in their first game but lost the second, and was thus
knocked out of the tournament.[28]
In the sixth Dubai Open Chess Championship, held 18–28 April, Carlsen obtained his third and final
GM norm. This achievement made him the world's youngest GM at the time, as well as the second-
youngest GM in history at the time (after Sergey Karjakin, who earned the title at the age of 12 years
and 7 months).[29] Carlsen played in the FIDE World Chess Championship, thus becoming the
youngest player ever to participate in one, but was knocked out in the first round by Levon
Aronian.[30]
In July, Carlsen and Berge Østenstad (then the reigning Norwegian champion) tied for first in the
Norwegian Chess Championship, each scoring 7/9. A two-game match between them was arranged
to decide the title. Both games were drawn, which left Østenstad the champion because he had
superior tiebreaks in the tournament.[31]
2005[edit]
In the Smartfish Chess Masters event at the Drammen International Chess Festival 2004–05,
Carlsen defeated Alexei Shirov, then ranked No. 10[32] in the world, as well as the co-winner of the
tournament.[33] In the semi-finals of the Ciudad de León rapid chess tournament in June, Carlsen
played a four-game match against Viswanathan Anand, who was ranked No. 2 in the world at the
time and had won the 2003 World Rapid Chess Championship.[34] Anand won 3–1.[35]
In the Norwegian Chess Championship, Carlsen again finished in shared first place, this time with
his mentor Simen Agdestein. A playoff between them was played between 7 and 10 November. This
time, Carlsen had the better tiebreaks, but the rule giving the title to the player with better tiebreak
scores in the event of a 1–1 draw had been revoked previously. The match was closely fought—
Agdestein won the first game, Carlsen the second—so the match went into a series of two-game
rapid matches until there was a winner. Carlsen won the first rapid game, Agdestein the second.
Then followed three draws until Agdestein won the championship title with a victory in the sixth rapid
game.[36]
In October, he took first place at the Arnold Eikrem Memorial in Gausdal with a score 8/9 and
a PR of 2792.[37]

Carlsen in Warsaw, 2005

At the end of 2005, Carlsen participated at the Chess World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. In the
knockout tournament, he upset the 44th-ranked Zurab Azmaiparashvili in round one, and proceeded
to defeat Farrukh Amonatov and Ivan Cheparinov to reach the round of 16. There, Carlsen lost
to Evgeny Bareev,[38] but then won against Joël Lautier and Vladimir Malakhov before losing again
to Gata Kamsky. Thus, Carlsen finished in tenth place and became the youngest player to be an
official World Championship Candidate.[39]
2006[edit]
Carlsen qualified for a place in the Corus B group due to his first-place finish in Corus group C in
2004. His shared first place with Alexander Motylev with 9/13 (+6−1=6) qualified him to play in the
Corus group A in 2007.[40]
At the 2006 international 'Bosna' tournament in Sarajevo, Carlsen shared first place with Liviu-Dieter
Nisipeanu (who won on tiebreak evaluation) and Vladimir Malakhov; this could be regarded as
Carlsen's first "A" elite tournament win, although it was not a clear first.[41]
Carlsen was close to winning the 2006 Norwegian Chess Championship outright, but a last-round
loss to Berge Østenstad dropped him into another tie for first place with Agdestein. It also prevented
Carlsen from beating Agdestein's record as the youngest Norwegian champion ever.[42] Nonetheless,
in the playoff held from 19–21 September, Carlsen won 3–1. After two draws at standard time
controls, Carlsen won both rapid games in round two, securing his first Norwegian championship
win.[43]
Carlsen won the Glitnir Blitz Tournament in Iceland.[44] He achieved a 2–0 win over Viswanathan
Anand in the semi-finals and achieved the same score in the finals.[45] He scored 6/8 in the 37th
Chess Olympiad and achieved a PR of 2820.[46]
In the Midnight Sun Chess Tournament in Tromsø, Carlsen finished second behind Sergei
Shipov.[47] In the Biel Grandmaster Tournament, he placed second, beating the tournament
winner Alexander Morozevich twice.[48]
In the NH Chess Tournament held in Amsterdam in August, Carlsen participated in an "Experience"
vs. "Rising Stars" Scheveningen team match. The "Rising Stars" won the match 28–22, with Carlsen
achieving the best individual score for the Rising Stars team (6½/10) and a 2700 PR, thus winning
the right to participate in the 2007 Melody Amber tournament.[49]
With a score of 7½/15, Carlsen placed 8th out of 16 participants at the World Blitz Championship
in Rishon LeZion, Israel.[50] In the rapid chess tournament Rencontres nationales et internationales
d'échecs in Cap d'Agde, France, he reached the semi-final, losing there to Sergey Karjakin.[51] In
November, Carlsen achieved a shared 8th place of 10 participants in the Mikhail Tal Memorial in
Moscow with two losses and seven draws. He finished ninth in a group of 18 participants in the
associated blitz tournament, which was won by Anand.[52]
2007[edit]

Carlsen playing Levon Aronian at Linares 2007

Playing in the top group of the Corus chess tournament for the first time, Carlsen placed last with
nine draws and four losses, scoring 4½/13.[53] In the Linares chess tournament, Carlsen played
against top-rated players Veselin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand, Peter Svidler, Alexander
Morozevich, Levon Aronian, Peter Leko, and Vassily Ivanchuk. Despite being rated significantly
lower than any of them, he finished in second place on tiebreaks with 7½/14, having scored four
wins, seven draws and three losses, and achieving a PR of 2778.[54]
Carlsen played for the first time in the Melody Amber blind and rapid chess tournament in Monte
Carlo in March. In the 11 rounds, he achieved eight draws and three losses in the blindfold games,
as well as three wins, seven draws and one loss in the rapid games. This resulted in a shared ninth
place in the blindfold, shared second place in the rapid (behind Anand), and a shared eighth place
overall.[55]
In May and June, he participated in the Candidates Tournament for the FIDE World Chess
Championship 2007, facing Levon Aronian in a six-game match at standard time controls, which
Carlsen drew (+2−2=2) by coming from behind twice. The four-game rapid playoff was drawn as well
(+1−1=2), with Carlsen winning the last game to stay in the match. Eventually, Aronian eliminated
Carlsen from the tournament after winning both tiebreak blitz games.[56]
In July and August, Carlsen won the Biel Grandmaster Tournament with a 6/10 record and a PR of
2753. His score was matched by Alexander Onischuk and they played a match to break the tie. After
drawing two rapid and two blitz games, Carlsen won the armageddon game.[57] Immediately after the
Biel tournament, Carlsen entered the open Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø, but his fourth-place
result with +5=4 was a slight underperformance in terms of rating. In the first round, Carlsen
conceded a draw to his classmate Brede Hagen (rated 2034)[58] after having a lost position at one
point.[59] A game which attracted some attention was his sixth-round win over his father, Henrik
Carlsen.[60]
Carlsen reached the semi-final round of the World Chess Cup in December, after defeating Michael
Adams in the round of 16 and Ivan Cheparinov in the quarterfinals. In the semi-final, he was
eliminated by the eventual winner, Gata Kamsky, scoring ½–1½.[61]
2008[edit]

Carlsen in 2008

In the top group A of the 69th Corus chess tournament, Carlsen scored 8/13, achieving a PR of
2830. Carlsen won five games, lost two and drew six, sharing first place with Levon Aronian.[62] At the
Linares chess tournament, Carlsen had another 2800+ PR, scoring 8/14. He finished in sole second
place, ½ point behind the winner World Champion Viswanathan Anand.[63]
In March, Carlsen played for the second time in the Melody Amber blind and rapid chess
tournament, held in Nice for the first time. In the 11 rounds he achieved four wins, four draws and
two losses in the blindfold, and three wins, two losses, and six draws in the rapid. This resulted in a
shared fifth place in the blindfold, shared third place in the rapid and a shared second place in the
overall tournament.[64]
Carlsen was one of 21 players in the six-tournament FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2009, a qualifier for
the World Chess Championship 2012. In the first tournament, in Baku, Azerbaijan, he finished in a
three-way tie for first place, with another 2800 PR. He later withdrew from the Grand Prix cycle
despite his initial success, criticising FIDE for "changing the rules dramatically in the middle of
a World Championship cycle".[65]
Carlsen won a rapid match against Peter Leko held in Miskolc, Hungary, scoring 5–3.[66] In June,
Carlsen won the annual Aerosvit chess tournament,[67] finishing undefeated with 8/11 in
a category 19 field and achieving a PR of 2877, his best PR at that point in his career.[68] Playing in
the category 18 Biel Grandmaster Tournament, Carlsen finished third with 6/10, with a PR of 2740.[69]
In the Mainz World Rapid Chess Championship, Carlsen finished in second place after losing the
final to defending champion Anand 3–1.[70] In the qualification round Carlsen scored 1½–½
against Judit Polgár, 1–1 against Anand and 1–1 against Alexander Morozevich.[71] In the category
22 Bilbao Masters, Carlsen tied for second with a 2768 PR.[72]
2009[edit]
Playing in Group A of the 71st Corus chess tournament, Carlsen tied for fifth with a 2739 PR.[73] In
the Linares chess tournament, Carlsen finished third with a 2777 PR.[74] Carlsen tied for second place
with Veselin Topalov at the M-Tel Masters (category 21) tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. He lost to
eventual winner Alexei Shirov in their final game, dropping him from first.[75]
Carlsen won the category 21 Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament, 2½ points ahead of second-place
finisher Topalov, the world's highest-rated player at the time. He scored an undefeated 8/10, winning
every game as white (against Topalov, Wang Yue, Leko, Teimour Radjabov, and Dmitry
Jakovenko), and also winning as black against Jakovenko. By rating performance, this was one of
the greatest results in history, with a PR of 3002.[76] Chess statistician Jeff Sonas has declared it one
of the 20 best tournament performances of all time, and the best chess performance of all time by a
teenager.[77]
In the Tal Memorial, played from 5 to 14 November, Carlsen started with seven straight draws, but
finished with wins over former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov and Peter Leko. This
result put Carlsen in shared second place behind former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and
equal with Ivanchuk.[78][79] After the Tal Memorial, Carlsen won the World Blitz Championship, played
from 16 to 18 November in Moscow, Russia. His score of 28 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses left him
three points ahead of Anand, who finished in second place.[80]

Carlsen at the World Blitz Championship 2009

Carlsen entered the London Chess Classic as the top seed in a field including Kramnik, Hikaru
Nakamura, Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Ni Hua, Luke McShane and David Howell. He defeated
Kramnik in round one and went on to win the tournament with 13/21 (three points were awarded for
a win, and one for a draw; using classical scoring he finished with 5/7) and a PR of 2844, one point
ahead of Kramnik. This victory propelled him to the top of the FIDE rating list, surpassing Veselin
Topalov.[81]
Based on his average ranking from the July 2009 and January 2010 FIDE lists, Carlsen qualified for
the Candidates Tournament that would determine the challenger to World Champion Viswanathan
Anand in the World Chess Championship 2012. In November 2010, however, Carlsen announced he
was withdrawing from the Candidates Tournament. Carlsen described the 2008–12 cycle as "[not]
sufficiently modern and fair", and wrote that "Reigning champion privileges, the long (five-year) span
of the cycle, changes made during the cycle resulting in a new format (Candidates) that no World
Champion has had to go through since Kasparov, puzzling ranking criteria as well as the shallow
ceaseless match-after-match concept are all less than satisfactory in my opinion."[82]
In early 2009 Carlsen engaged former World Champion Garry Kasparov as a personal trainer.[83] In
September their partnership was revealed to the public by Norwegian newspapers.[84][85]
Responding to a question in an interview with Time magazine in December 2009 as to whether he
used computers when studying chess, Carlsen explained that he does not use a chess set when
studying on his own.[86]
2010[edit]
Carlsen won the 72nd Corus chess tournament played 16–31 January with 8½ points. His ninth-
round loss to Kramnik ended a streak of 36 rated games undefeated.[87] Carlsen appeared to struggle
in the last round against Fabiano Caruana, but saved a draw, leaving him half a point ahead of
Kramnik and Shirov.[88]
In March it was announced that Carlsen had split from Kasparov and would no longer use him as a
trainer,[89] although this was put into different context by Carlsen himself in an interview with the
German magazine Der Spiegel, in which he stated that they would remain in contact and he would
continue to attend training sessions with Kasparov.[90] In 2011, Carlsen said: "Thanks to [Kasparov] I
began to understand a whole class of positions better. ... Kasparov gave me a great deal of practical
help."[91] In 2012, when asked what he learnt from working with Kasparov, Carlsen answered:
"Complex positions. That was the most important thing."[92]
Carlsen shared first place alongside Ivanchuk in the Amber blindfold and rapid tournament. Scoring
6½/11 in the blindfold and 8/11 in the rapid, Carlsen accumulated 14½ from a possible 22
points.[93] In May it was revealed that Carlsen had helped Anand prepare for the World Chess
Championship 2010 against challenger Veselin Topalov, which Anand won 6½–5½ to retain the title.
Carlsen had also helped Anand prepare for the World Chess Championships in 2007 and 2008.[94]
Carlsen played in the Bazna Kings Tournament in Romania on 14–25 June. The tournament was a
double round robin involving Wang Yue, Boris Gelfand, Ruslan Ponomariov, Teimour Radjabov, and
Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu. He finished with 7½/10 and a 2918 PR, winning the tournament by two points
ahead of Radjabov and Gelfand.[95] Carlsen then played in a rapid tournament 28–30 August at the
Arctic Securities Chess Stars tournament in Kristiansund, Norway. The field featured World
Champion Viswanathan Anand, female world No. 1 Judit Polgár, and Jon Ludvig Hammer. In the
preliminary round robin, Carlsen scored 3½/6 to qualify for the final, second behind Anand.[96] In the
final, Carlsen defeated Anand 1½–½ to win the championship.[97] Following this event, Carlsen
suffered setbacks in his next two tournaments. In the 39th Chess Olympiad from 19 September to 4
October, he scored 4½/8, losing three games, to Baadur Jobava, Michael Adams, and Sanan
Sjugirov; these were his first losses with the black pieces in more than a year.[98] His team, Norway,
finished 51st out of 149 teams.[99]
Carlsen's next tournament was the Grand Slam Masters Final on 9–15 October, which he had
qualified for automatically by winning three of the previous year's four Grand Slam chess events
(2009 Nanjing Pearl Spring, 2010 Corus, 2010 Bazna Kings). Along with Carlsen, the finals
consisted of World Champion Anand and the highest two scorers from the preliminary stage held in
Shanghai in September: Kramnik and Shirov.[100][101] The average Elo of the participants at the time
was 2789, making the Grand Slam Final the strongest chess tournament in history. In the first round,
Carlsen lost with black to Kramnik; this was Carlsen's second consecutive loss to Kramnik, and
placed his hold on the world No. 1 ranking in serious jeopardy. In his second round, Carlsen lost with
the white pieces to Anand; this was his first loss as White since January 2010. Carlsen recovered
somewhat in the latter part of the tournament, achieving a win over Shirov, and finishing with 2½/6.
The tournament was won by Kramnik with 4/6.[102] Carlsen finished this tournament with a rating of
2802, two points behind Anand at 2804 who temporarily ended Carlsen's reign at world No. 1. These
setbacks called into question from some whether Carlsen's activities outside chess, such as
modelling for G-Star Raw, were distracting him from performing well at the chessboard.[103] Carlsen
said he did not believe there was a direct connection.[104]
Carlsen's next tournament was the Pearl Spring chess tournament on 19–30 October in Nanjing,
China, against Anand, Topalov, Vugar Gashimov, Wang Yue, and Étienne Bacrot.[105] This was the
only tournament in 2010 to feature Anand, Carlsen and Topalov, at the time the top three players in
the world, and was the first tournament in history to feature three players rated at least 2800. With
early wins over Bacrot, Wang Yue, and Topalov with white, Carlsen took the early lead, extending
his winning streak with white in Nanjing to eight. This streak was halted by a draw to Anand in round
seven, but in the penultimate round Carlsen secured first place by defeating Topalov with black. This
was his second victory in the tournament over the former world No. 1; his final score of 7/10 (with a
PR of 2903) was a full point ahead of runner-up Anand.[106]

Carlsen at the 2010 London Chess Classic

On 5 November, Carlsen withdrew from the 2011 Candidates Tournament, having qualified as the
highest rated challenger, citing dissatisfaction with the World Championship cycle format.[107]
In the World Blitz Championship, held in Moscow on 16–18 November, Carlsen attempted to defend
his 2009 title. With a score of 23½/38, he finished in third place behind Radjabov and winner Levon
Aronian.[108] After the tournament, Carlsen played a private 40-game blitz match against Hikaru
Nakamura,[109] winning with a score of 24½–15½.[110]
Carlsen won the London Chess Classic on 8–15 December in a field comprising World Champion
Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Nakamura, and British players Adams, Nigel Short, David Howell, and
Luke McShane. Carlsen had a rocky start, losing his games to McShane and Anand in rounds 1 and
3, but winning with white against Adams and Nakamura in rounds 2 and 4. He joined the lead with a
win over Howell in round 5, and managed to stay in the lead following a harrowing draw against
Kramnik in round 6, before defeating Short in the last round. Since the tournament was played
with three points for a win, Carlsen's +4−2=1 score put him ahead of Anand and McShane who
scored +2=5 (a more traditional two-points-for-a-win system would have yielded a three-way tie, with
Carlsen still on top, having the better tiebreaker due to four games with black—Anand and McShane
played only three times with black).[111]
2011[edit]
Carlsen competed in the GM-A group of the 73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament (formerly called the
Corus chess tournament) on 14–30 January in Wijk aan Zee in an attempt to defend his title; the
field included World Champion Viswanathan Anand, Levon Aronian, former World Champion
Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Grischuk, Hikaru Nakamura, Ruslan Ponomariov, among others.
Despite losing games with white against Anish Giri and reigning Russian champion Ian
Nepomniachtchi, Carlsen finished with 8/13, including victories over Kramnik and tournament winner
Nakamura.[112] Although Carlsen's performance raised his rating from 2814 to 2815, Anand's 8½/13
score elevated his rating to 2817, making him the world No. 1 for the March 2011 FIDE rating list.[113]
The first tournament victory of the year came in the Bazna Kings tournament, a double round robin
played in Mediaș, Romania on 11–21 June. Carlsen finished with 6½/10, equal with Sergey Karjakin
but with a better tiebreak score. Carlsen won his White games against Nakamura, Nisipeanu, and
Ivanchuk and drew the rest of the games.[114]
Carlsen won the 44th Biel Grandmaster tournament, held from 16 to 29 July. He took clear first place
with a score of 19/30 (+5–1=4; three points for a win) in a field comprising Fabiano Caruana,
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexander Morozevich, Alexey Shirov and Yannick Pelletier, two points
ahead of Morozevich. This was Carlsen's second title.[115][116]
The Grand Slam Chess Final was held as a double round robin with six players, in São Paulo (25
September – 1 October) and Bilbao (5–11 October). Although Carlsen had a slow start, including a
loss against bottom-ranked Francisco Vallejo Pons, he finished +3−1=6, equal with Ivanchuk (whose
+4−3=3 finish was equal due to three points for a win). Carlsen then won the blitz tiebreak against
Ivanchuk. The other players were Anand, Aronian, Nakamura, and Vallejo Pons.[117]
Another tournament victory was achieved in the Tal Memorial in Moscow 16–25 November as a
round robin with ten players. Carlsen won two games, against Gelfand and Nakamura, and drew the
rest. Although he finished equal on points with Aronian, he placed ahead since the tiebreak was
determined by the number of black games; Carlsen had five black games, while Aronian only had
four.[118][119]
In the London Chess Classic, played 3–12 December, Carlsen's streak of tournament victories
ended when he finished third, behind Kramnik and Nakamura. Carlsen won three games and drew
five. Although he did not win the tournament, Carlsen gained rating points, rising to a new personal
record of 2835.[120]
2012[edit]

Carlsen at the 74th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in 2012

At the 74th Tata Steel Chess Tournament held on 14–29 January in Wijk aan Zee, Carlsen finished
in a shared second place with 8/13, behind Aronian, and equal with Radjabov and Caruana. Carlsen
defeated Gashimov, Aronian, Gelfand, and Topalov, but lost against Karjakin.[121] At the blitz chess
tournament at Tal Memorial, held in Moscow on 7 June, Carlsen shared first place with Morozevich.
In the main event (a category 22 ten-player round robin), he won two games and drew seven. He
finished in first place, ahead of Radjabov and Caruana.[122]
Carlsen then went on to finish second in the Biel Grandmaster Tournament, with 18 points, just one
point behind Wang Hao using the 3–1–0 scoring system. As in the Tal Memorial earlier in 2012,
Carlsen managed to finish the tournament without any losses (+4−0=6). He also defeated the winner
Wang in both of their individual games. In the exhibition blitz tournament at Biel before the GM
tournament, Carlsen was eliminated (+1−2=0) in the first round by Étienne Bacrot. Bacrot deprived
Carlsen of a win in the classical tournament by holding him to a draw in the final round. Carlsen
would have won the classical tournament on the traditional 1–½–0 scoring system, with 7/10.[123]
The Grand Slam Chess Final was again held as a double round robin with six players, in São Paulo
and Bilbao. Carlsen started with a loss against Caruana, but after three wins in the second (Bilbao)
round, finished +4−1=5, equal first with Caruana, and ahead of Aronian, Karjakin and Anand.
Carlsen won the tournament by winning both tiebreak games against Caruana.[124]
From 24 to 25 November, Carlsen took part in the chess festival "Segunda Gran Fiesta Internacional
de Ajedrez" in Mexico City. As part of it, Carlsen took on an online audience (dubbed as "The
World") with the white pieces and won. He then took part in the knockout exhibition event
"Cuadrangular UNAM". Carlsen first beat Lázaro Bruzón 1½–½, thus qualifying for a final against
Judit Polgár (who had in turn beat Manuel León Hoyos 1½–½). Carlsen lost the first game, but won
the second one, and in the tiebreak defeated Polgár 2–0.[125][126]
Carlsen won the London Chess Classic in December with five wins (over McShane,
Aronian, Gawain Jones, Adams and Judit Polgár) and three draws (against Kramnik, Nakamura and
Anand).[127] This win, the third time Carlsen had won the tournament in the past four years, increased
his rating from 2848 to a new record of 2861, breaking Kasparov's 13-year record of 2851.[127][128] By
rating performance, this was one of the best results in history, with a PR of 2994.[129]
2013[edit]

Carlsen in play during round seven of the 75th Tata Steel, 2013

Carlsen played in the 75th Tata Steel Chess Tournament from 11 to 27 January in Wijk aan Zee. In
the 13-round tournament, he scored 10 points (+7−0=6), winning clear first 1½ points ahead of
second-place finisher Aronian.[130] On 1 February, Danish GM Peter Heine Nielsen joined the team of
assistants who helped Carlsen prepare for the Candidates Tournament in March. Before this,
Nielsen was on Viswanathan Anand's team.[131]
Carlsen played in the 2013 Candidates Tournament, which took place in London, from 15 March to 1
April. He finished with +5−2=7, and won the tournament on tiebreak over Vladimir Kramnik. As a
result, he earned the right to challenge Anand for the World Championship.[132]
In May, Carlsen played in the first edition of Norway Chess tournament. He finished second, scoring
5½/9 (+3−1=5), half a point behind Sergey Karjakin.[133]
Carlsen played in the Tal Memorial from 12 to 23 June. He finished second, with 5½/9, half a point
behind Boris Gelfand. Carlsen ended the tournament with +3−1=5, losing to Caruana but beating
Anand, Kramnik and Nakamura.[134] Later that month, Carlsen played a four-game friendly rapid
match against Borki Predojević, which he won 2½–1½.[135]
In the Sinquefield Cup, held in September, Carlsen finished first, scoring 4½/6 (+3−0=3), a point
ahead of Nakamura.[136]
World Chess Championship 2013[edit]
Main article: World Chess Championship 2013
Carlsen faced Anand in the World Chess Championship 2013, at Hyatt Regency in Chennai, India,
from 9 to 22 November. Carlsen won the match 6½–3½ by winning games five, six and nine and
drawing the remainder. Thus, Carlsen became the new World Chess Champion.[137] Though Carlsen
was the challenger, and less experienced than Anand, he handled the pressure with ease. He drew
first blood in game 5 by taking advantage of a small mistake made by Anand, and emerged
victorious in games 6 and 9, making him the 16th undisputed World Chess Champion.
2014[edit]
From 29 January to 4 February, Carlsen played in the Zurich Chess Challenge, winning the blitz
event (+2−1=2) and the classical event (+3−0=2). He fared worse in the rapid event (+1−2=2), which
counted towards the overall standings, but retained enough of a lead to win the tournament. The
other players in the event were Aronian, Nakamura, Caruana, Gelfand and Anand.[138] On 22 March,
Carlsen played a game for his club Stavanger in the final team match for promotion to the
Norwegian Premier League. His win over Vladimir Georgiev helped his team to a 3½–2½ win over
Nordstrand.[139]
Carlsen won the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Şəmkir, Azerbaijan, played from 20–30 April. He
played in the A group along with Caruana, Nakamura, Karjakin, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and
Radjabov. Carlsen started the tournament with 2/2, beating Mamedyarov and Nakamura. He then
drew against Karjakin, only to lose two games in a row for the first time in four years, losing to
Caruana with black and then with white to Radjabov. In the second half of the tournament, Carlsen
scored 4/5, beating Mamedyarov and Nakamura again, and securing the tournament victory by
beating Caruana in the final round, finishing with +5−2=3.[140]
On 8 May, Carlsen played an exhibition game at Oslo City against the people of Norway, assisted by
a grandmaster panel consisting of Simen Agdestein, Jon Ludvig Hammer, and Leif Erlend
Johannessen. Each of the panel members proposed a move and the public could then vote over the
proposed moves. Each panel member was allowed three chances to let chess
engine Houdini propose a move during the game. Norway's moves were executed by Oddvar
Brå who was disguised in a red spandex suit for the occasion. The game was drawn when Carlsen
forced a perpetual check.[141]
From 2–13 June, Carlsen played in the second edition of Norway Chess, a ten-man round robin. He
placed second with 5½/9, ½ a point behind the winner Karjakin. Other players in the event were
Aronian, Caruana, Topalov, Svidler, Kramnik, Grischuk, Giri and Agdestein.[142]
Carlsen won the FIDE World Rapid Championship, which was held in Dubai from 16 to 19
June.[143] He went on to claim the World Blitz Championship two days later, becoming the first player
to simultaneously hold the title in all three FIDE rated time controls.[144]
Carlsen played nine games for Norway in the 41st Chess Olympiad, scoring five wins, two draws,
and two losses (against Arkadij Naiditsch and Ivan Šarić).[145]
Carlsen placed second to Fabiano Caruana in the Sinquefield Cup, a six-player double round robin
held from 27 August to 7 September. Billed as the strongest chess tournament ever held, the
remaining 4 players in the event were Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Veselin Topalov,
and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Carlsen lost to Caruana in round 3 and defeated Aronian and
Nakamura in rounds 5 and 7, respectively. He finished the tournament with 5½/10 (+2–1=7), three
points behind Caruana.[146]

Carlsen on-stage at the closing ceremony of the 2014 World Chess Championship in Sochi, Russia. Vishy
Anand and Vladimir Putin also pictured.

World Chess Championship 2014[edit]

Main article: World Chess Championship 2014
Carlsen faced Anand in a match for the title of World Chess Champion in 2014. Anand qualified by
winning the 2014 Candidates Tournament. The rematch was held from 7 to 23 November in Sochi,
Russia. After 11 of 12 games, Carlsen led 6½–4½, thereby defending his World Champion title.[147]
2015[edit]
In January, Carlsen won the 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, which was played mainly in Wijk
aan Zee on 9–25 January. Carlsen had a poor start to the tournament with two draws and a loss in
the third round to Radosław Wojtaszek, which left him in tenth place among the fourteen players.
However, a string of six wins in a row thrust Carlsen into clear first place. Drawing the final four
games was sufficient to win the tournament with 9 points out of 13, half a point ahead of Anish Giri,
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wesley So and Ding Liren.[148][149]
In February, Carlsen won the 3rd Grenke Chess Classic after a five-game tiebreak with Arkadij
Naiditsch. Carlsen had finished joint first with Naiditsch on 4½/7, beating Michael Adams, Anand,
and David Baramidze, and losing to Naiditsch in their classical encounter.[150] This tournament victory
meant that Carlsen began 2015 by winning two out of two tournaments. Carlsen continued his streak
in April, winning Shamkir Chess with a score of 7/9 (+5–0=4), defeating Mamedyarov, Caruana,
Vachier-Lagrave, Kramnik, and Rauf Mamedov. With a performance rating of 2983, this was
Carlsen's third best tournament result ever, behind only Nanjing 2009 (3002 TPR) and London 2012
(2994 TPR).[151]
Carlsen had a poor result in the third edition of Norway Chess, held 15–26 June. In the first round he
obtained a winning position against Topalov after pressing in a long endgame, only to lose on time
when he mistakenly thought that he would receive 15 minutes of extra time at move 60.[152] He was
then outplayed by Caruana in the second round, missed a win against Anish Giri in round 3, and lost
to Anand in round 4. He won against Grischuk in round 5, drew against Nakamura and Vachier-
Lagrave in rounds 6 and 7, and defeated Aronian in round 8, but he lost the last round against Jon
Ludvig Hammer, leaving him in seventh place and with a performance rating of 2693.[153] Carlsen
said of this result: "It's just extremely frustrating not to be able to show anything close to what I am
capable of in my home country."[154]
From 22 August to 3 September, Carlsen played in the 2015 Sinquefield Cup. He finished in second
place with 5/9 (+3–2=4), one point behind winner Levon Aronian. He defeated the 2014 Sinquefield
winner Fabiano Caruana, as well as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and wild-card Wesley So, but lost to
Veselin Topalov and Alexander Grischuk.[155]

Carlsen at the FIDE World Rapid Championship 2015 award ceremony

In October, Carlsen successfully defended his title in the FIDE World Rapid Championships held in
Berlin, as the first World Rapid Champion to do so in history, going +8–0=7.[156] He reached the
highest live rapid rating in history after the tournament, and was at that point ranked No. 1 in all three
disciplines simultaneously.[157][verification needed] However, Carlsen lost his No. 1 blitz ranking after he had a
weak second day in the World Blitz Championship, and was unable to retain his World Blitz
Champion title, losing it to Alexander Grischuk.[158]
In November, Carlsen participated in the European Team Chess Championship with the Norwegian
team. He started off poorly, scoring ½ points out of 3 games, losing to Levon Aronian, drawing
against Sune Berg Hansen, and losing again to Yannick Pelletier due to a blunder. However, he
finished the tournament strongly, scoring victories against Peter Leko and Radoslaw Wojtaszek, the
latter of whom he had lost to earlier in the year, but his performance was not enough to earn his
team a medal, and he lost 16 rating points during the event.[159]
From 4–13 December, Carlsen participated in the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour, the London
Chess Classic. He scored 5½/9 (+2–0=7) in the event, defeating Nakamura (thus inflicting
Nakamura's 12th classical loss to Carlsen) and Grischuk, and finished joint first with Anish
Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. In the 3-way tiebreak, Carlsen was the top seed, meaning he
faced the winner of the first tie-break match between Giri and Vachier-Lagrave. Carlsen eventually
won the tournament by defeating Vachier-Lagrave, which meant he also won the overall Grand
Chess Tour.[160] Carlsen then played in the second edition of the Qatar Masters Open, which was
held from 20 to 29 December. He finished joint first with 7/9 (+5–0=4), and defeated Yu Yangyi in a
tie-break match to win the tournament.[161]
2016[edit]
From 15 to 31 January, Carlsen participated in the 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, held in Wijk
Aan Zee. Carlsen won the tournament by scoring 9 points out of 13 (+5–0=8), earning him his 5th
Wijk Aan Zee title.[162]
From 18 to 30 April, Carlsen played in the fourth edition of the Norway Chess Tournament. He
finished in first place with 6/9 (+4–1=4), half a point ahead of Levon Aronian, and a full point in front
of Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. This was Carlsen's first Norway
Chess victory.[163]
From 17 to 20 June, Carlsen played in the Leuven leg of the Grand Chess Tour. He finished first in
the rapid portion of the tournament with 12/18 (+5–2=2; two points for a win) and also first in the blitz
portion with 11/18 (+7–3=8) to place first overall with a score of 23/36, two and a half points ahead of
the runner-up, Wesley So.[164][165]
In July, Carlsen won the 9th edition of the Bilbao Masters Final, scoring 17 points out of 10 games
(+4–1=5; a win was 3 points, a draw was 1 point). His only loss was to Hikaru Nakamura, who had
never beaten Carlsen in classical chess before. Also during this tournament, Carlsen recorded his
first victory over Anish Giri in a classical game.[166]
Carlsen played ten games for Norway in the 42nd Chess Olympiad, scoring five wins and five draws,
as the Norwegians placed 5th among the 180 teams in the open event.[167]
Carlsen also featured in Chess.com's Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship. Magnus
defeated Tigran L. Petrosian 21 to 4 in the first round, and beat Alexander Grischuk 16 to 8 in the
semi-final. On 27 October, he faced Nakamura in the final. Playing both blitz and bullet chess for a
total of three hours, Carlsen defeated Nakamura 14½ to 10½ and became the first winner of the
Chess.com Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship.[168]
From 26 to 30 December, Carlsen played in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships held in Doha,
Qatar. He scored 11/15 in the rapid tournament, finishing third on tiebreak behind Ivanchuk and
Grischuk.[169] In the blitz tournament, he scored 16½/21, finishing second on tiebreak behind Karjakin,
and 2 points clear of the rest of the field.[170]
World Chess Championship 2016[edit]
Main article: World Chess Championship 2016
Carlsen faced Sergey Karjakin in the 2016 World Chess Championship in New York City. The 12-
game standard match, held between 11 and 28 November, concluded with a 6–6 draw. The match
began with seven consecutive draws. Karjakin won game 8 after Carlsen overpressed, but Carlsen
equalised the match in game 10. Games 11 and 12 were both drawn. The tiebreaking games were
held on 30 November, Carlsen's 26th birthday. After drawing games 1 and 2, Carlsen won games 3
and 4 to record a 3–1 victory and retain his World Champion title.
2017[edit]

Carlsen at the 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, 29 January 2017

In January, Carlsen participated in the 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He started well, scoring 2
wins and 4 draws in his first 6 games, but missed mate-in-3 versus Giri in round 7, which Giri
described as "the most embarrassing moment" of Carlsen's career.[171] Carlsen then lost in round 8
to Richárd Rapport, and ultimately placed second with 8/13 (+4–1=8), one point behind winner
Wesley So.[172]
From 13 to 22 April, Carlsen competed in the 4th Grenke Chess Classic, finishing in joint second
place, though third on tiebreaks, with Fabiano Caruana, with a score of 4/7 (+1–0=6). The clear
winner with 5½ points (+4–0=3) was Levon Aronian. As a result, Carlsen's FIDE rating dropped to
2832, his lowest since November 2011 (2826).[173]
Carlsen participated in the fifth edition of Norway Chess from 6 to 16 June. He performed poorly and
had a performance rating of 2755, his lowest since 2015 (2670, at the European Team Chess
Championship). Ultimately, he placed ninth in the round-robin tournament with 4/9 (+1–2=6), losing
to Aronian and Kramnik and winning against Karjakin. Aronian won the tournament with 6/9 (+3–
0=6).[174]
Carlsen played in the Paris leg of the 2017 Grand Chess Tour, which was held from 21 to 25 June.
He finished first in the rapid portion of the tournament with 14/18 (+5–0=4; two points for a win) and
fifth in the blitz portion with 10/18 (+8–6=4) to place joint first overall with Vachier-Lagrave. Carlsen
then defeated Vachier-Lagrave in the playoff to win the tournament.[175]
From 28 June to 2 July, he played in the Leuven leg of the Grand Chess Tour. He won this
tournament convincingly, scoring 11/18 (+3–1=5; two points for a win) in the rapid portion and
14½/18 (+12–1=5) in the blitz portion for an overall score of 25½/36, three points ahead of the
runner-up, Wesley So.[176] Carlsen's performance rating in the blitz portion of the tournament was
3018, which Garry Kasparov described as "phenomenal".[177] Additionally, Leonard Barden, writing
for The Guardian, said the performance was only matched by Fischer's 19/22 score at the 1970
World Blitz Championship.[178]
From 2 to 11 August, Carlsen competed in the Sinquefield Cup, the first classical event of the Grand
Chess Tour. He finished joint second with Anand, scoring 5½/9 (+3–1=5). He recorded three
victories (against Karjakin, So and Aronian) and his one loss was to Vachier-Lagrave, who won the
tournament with 6/9 (+3–0=6).[179] This result left Carlsen in first place in the Grand Chess Tour
standings with 34 points, three points ahead of second place Vachier-Lagrave.[180]
In September, he took part in the Chess World Cup 2017. His participation in the event as World
Champion was unusual as the World Cup is part of the cycle to challenge the World Champion in
2018.[181] He defeated Oluwafemi Balogun +2–0=0 in the first round to advance to the second round,
where he defeated Aleksey Dreev +2–0=0. He was then defeated in the third round by Bu
Xiangzhi +0–1=1 and eliminated from the tournament.[182]
On 1 October, Carlsen won the Isle of Man Open, a tournament held from 23 September to 1
October. He scored 7½/9 (+6–0=3), half a point ahead of Nakamura and Anand, for a performance
rating of 2903. This was Carlsen's first classical tournament victory in 435 days.[183][184]
From 9 to 14 November, Carlsen faced Ding Liren in the 2017 Champions Showdown, a match
consisting of 10 rapid and 20 blitz games, hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club.[185] Carlsen won,
scoring 22–8 (+16–2=12).[186]
From 1 to 11 December, Carlsen competed in the 2017 London Chess Classic, the final event of the
2017 Grand Chess Tour. He finished fifth, scoring 5/9 (+2–1=6). Caruana shared first place with
Nepomniachtchi on 6/9 (+3–0=6) and won the tournament after defeating Nepomniachtchi 2½–1½ in
the blitz tiebreak. Carlsen's placing awarded him 7 additional points in the Grand Chess Tour
standings, which was enough to crown him the 2017 Grand Chess Tour champion.[187]
From 26 to 30 December, Carlsen played in the 2017 World Rapid and World Blitz Chess
Championships, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He finished fifth in the rapid event, scoring 10/15 (+8–
3=4). Anand shared first place with Vladimir Fedoseev on 10½/15, and won the tournament after
defeating Fedoseev on tiebreak.[188][189] Carlsen won the blitz event, scoring 16/21 (+13–2=6), one and
a half points ahead of his nearest competitors, Karjakin and Anand. This was Carlsen's third World
Blitz Chess Championship victory.[190]
2018[edit]

Carlsen facing Caruana at the 5th Grenke Chess Classic, 31 March 2018

From October 2017 to January 2018, Carlsen played in the second edition of Chess.com's Speed
Chess Championship.[191] He defeated Gadir Guseinov, So and Grischuk in the first three rounds
20½–5½, 27½–9½ and 15½–10½, respectively. On 3 January he defeated Nakamura 18–9 in the
final, thus winning the tournament for a second time in a row.[192]
From 13 to 28 January, Carlsen competed in the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He placed joint
first with Giri, scoring 9/13 (+5−0=8).[193] Carlsen then defeated Giri 1½–½ in the blitz playoff, thus
winning the tournament for a record sixth time.[193] In February, Carlsen won the unofficial Fischer
Random Chess Championship, defeating Nakamura by a score of 14–10.[194][195]
Carlsen placed second with a score of 5½/9 (+2–0=7) in the 5th Grenke Chess Classic, held from 31
March to 9 April. Caruana won the event with 6½/9 (+4–0=5).[196] Carlsen won the fifth edition of
Shamkir Chess, held from 18 to 28 April, finishing clear first with a score of 6/9 (+3–0=6).[197] From 28
May to 7 June, he competed in the sixth edition of Norway Chess, placing second with 4½/8 (+2–
1=5), half a point behind winner Caruana. He defeated Caruana and Aronian in rounds 1 and 3,
respectively, but lost to So in round 6.[198]
Carlsen participated in the 51st Biel Grandmaster tournament, held from 23 July to 1 August. He
finished second on 6/10 (+3–1=6), one-and-a-half points behind the winner Mamedyarov.[199] In
August, he competed in the 6th Sinquefield Cup. He tied for first with Caruana and Aronian on 5½/9
(+2–0=7), and jointly won the tournament after the trio decided to share the title.[200] Carlsen
represented Vålerenga sjakklubb at the 34th European Chess Club Cup in October. He scored 3½/6
(+1–0=5), as his team finished fifth.[201]
From 26 to 30 December, Carlsen played in the 2018 World Rapid and World Blitz Chess
Championships, held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He lost three of his first eight games—including
both of the first two—to significantly lower-rated opponents in the rapid event. Despite a strong
recovery, he was unable to attain a medal, placing fifth with 10½/15 (+9–3=3).[202] He defended his
blitz title, going unbeaten to finish clear first on a score of 17/21 (+13–0=8).[203]
World Chess Championship 2018[edit]
Main article: World Chess Championship 2018
Carlsen faced Fabiano Caruana in the 2018 World Chess Championship in London. The 12-game
match, organised by FIDE, was played between 9 and 28 November. All 12 classical time control
games were drawn. Carlsen retained his title by defeating Caruana 3–0 in rapid tiebreak games.
Carlsen cited the first rapid game as "critical", and said he felt "very calm" after winning it.[204]
2019[edit]
From 12 to 27 January, Carlsen competed in the 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament. With a score of
9/13 (+5−0=8),[205] half a point ahead of Giri, he won the tournament for a record-extending seventh
time.[205]
Carlsen participated in the sixth edition of Shamkir Chess, held from 31 March to 9 April. He took
clear first place with 7/9 (+5−0=4), two points ahead of runner-up Ding. Carlsen said at the event's
closing ceremony that it was "one of the best tournaments I've ever played, both in terms of
performance and also the quality of the games."[206][207] Later in April, Carlsen won the 6th Grenke
Chess Classic. He took clear first place with 7½/9 (+6–0=3) and increased his rating to 2875.[208][209]
In early May, Carlsen won the Côte d'Ivoire Rapid & Blitz, the first leg of the 2019 Grand Chess
Tour, with a score of 26½/36.[210] In late May, Carlsen won his sixth tournament in a row, winning the
Lindores Abbey Chess Stars Tournament. The four-man rapid tournament was a double round-
robin. In addition to Carlsen, Anand, Ding, and Karjakin participated. Carlsen's score was 3½/6 (+1–
0=5).[211].
In June, he won the seventh edition of Norway Chess. Scoring 13½/18, he finished three points
ahead of his nearest competitors.[212] From 26 June to 7 July, Carlsen participated in the second leg
of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, held in Zagreb. He took clear first with 8/11 (+5–0=6), and improved
his rating to 2882, equalling his peak set in 2014.[213] This was Carlsen's eighth consecutive
tournament victory.
From 10 to 14 August, Carlsen participated in the fourth leg of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, the St.
Louis Rapid & Blitz. He had a poor showing, scoring 8/18 (+3−4=2, points doubled) in rapid and 9/18
(+6−6=6) in blitz for a combined total of 17/36, putting him in sixth place.[214] He said at the end of the
first day of blitz: "Everything's going wrong. My confidence is long gone ... At this point I just don't
care anymore and I'm just waiting for the classical to start."[215] The fifth leg, the 7th Sinquefield Cup,
was a classical tournament. Carlsen won his last two games to tie for first on 6½/11 (+2–0=9) with
Ding, but lost the tiebreak 1–3, drawing both rapid games then losing two consecutive blitz
games.[216]

Tournament and match results (2012–)[edit]

Legend

Tournaments organized by FIDE

Year City Tournament Time control Wins Losses Draws Points Place showTPR[217]

Honours[edit]
Carlsen won the Chess Oscars for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Chess Oscar, organised by the
Russian chess magazine 64, was awarded to the year's best player according to a worldwide poll of leading
chess critics, writers, and journalists, but it was no longer awarded after 2013, as 64 ceased publication.[295][296]
The Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) has awarded Carlsen the "Name of the Year" (Årets navn) twice,
in 2009[297] and 2013.[298] VG also named him "Sportsman of the Year" in 2009.[299] Carlsen has also won
the Folkets Idrettspris, a people's choice award from the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, in 2009[300] and
2010.[301]
In 2011, he was awarded the Peer Gynt Prize, a Norwegian prize awarded annually to "a person or institution
that has achieved distinction in society".[302]
In 2013, Time magazine named Carlsen one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[303]

Rating[edit]
Carlsen's Elo rating evolution from 2002 to 2016.

In the January 2006 FIDE rankings, at the age of 15 years and 32 days, Carlsen attained a 2625 Elo rating,
which made him the youngest person to surpass 2600 Elo (the record has since been broken by Wesley
So, Wei Yi and John M. Burke).[304] In the July 2007 FIDE rankings, at the age of 16 years and 213 days,
Carlsen attained a 2710 Elo rating, which made him the youngest person to surpass 2700 Elo (the record has
since been broken by Wei Yi and Alireza Firouzja).[305]
On 5 September 2008, after winning in round 4 of the Bilbao Masters, Carlsen, aged 17 years and 280 days
old, briefly became No. 1 on the unofficial live ratings list.[306][307] Carlsen's victory in the 2009 Nanjing Pearl
tournament raised his FIDE rating to 2801, making him, aged 18 years and 336 days, the youngest player ever
to surpass 2800 Elo.[76] The youngest before Carlsen to achieve this feat was Vladimir Kramnik at the age of
25,[308] and up until this point only Kasparov, Topalov, Kramnik, and Anand had achieved a 2800+ rating.[309]
The FIDE rankings in January 2010 recorded Carlsen's rating at 2810, which made him No. 1 rated player in
the world.[310] This meant that Carlsen became, at the age of 19 years and 32 days, the youngest ever world No.
1, as well as the first player from a Western nation to reach the top of the FIDE rankings since Bobby Fischer
in 1971.[311][312][313]
The March 2010 FIDE rankings showed Carlsen with a new peak rating of 2813, a figure that only Kasparov
had bettered at that time.[89] On the January 2013 FIDE rankings, Carlsen reached 2861, thus surpassing Garry
Kasparov's 2851 record from July 1999.[127][128] In the May 2014 rankings, Carlsen achieved an all-time high
record of 2882,[314] with a peak of 2889 on the live ratings list achieved on 21 April 2014.[315] In August 2019 he
equalled his peak FIDE rating of 2882.[316]
As of May 2019, Carlsen is also ranked No. 1 in the FIDE rapid and blitz rating lists with Elo ratings of 2869
and 2954, respectively.[317][318]

Playing style[edit]
Carlsen had an aggressive style of play as a youth,[319][320] and, according to Simen Agdestein, his play was
characterised by "a fearless readiness to offer material for activity".[321] As he matured, Carlsen found that this
risky playing style was not as well suited against the elite of the chess world. When he started playing in top
tournaments, he had trouble getting much out of the opening. To progress, Carlsen's style became more
universal, capable of handling all sorts of positions well. He opens with both 1.d4 and 1.e4, as well as 1.c4,
and, on occasion, 1.Nf3, thus making it harder for opponents to prepare against him and reducing the effect of
computer analysis.[322][323][324] He said in 2015 that the middlegame is his favourite part of the game as it comes
down to "pure chess".[322] In a 2016 interview, Anish Giri said: "Magnus and I are very close in terms of style,
but in our approach to the game we're total opposites. Magnus tries to put the accent only on play, getting away
from preparation, but for me preparation plays an enormous role."[325]
[Carlsen] has been known to say that he isn't all that interested in opening preparation; his main forte is the middlegame, in which
he manages to outplay many of his opponents with positional means. ... Carlsen's repertoire is aimed at avoiding an early crisis in
the game. He invariably aims for middlegames that lend themselves to a strategic approach.
Jan Timman, 2012[326]

Garry Kasparov, who coached Carlsen from 2009 to 2010, said that Carlsen has a positional style similar to
that of past world champions such as Anatoly Karpov, José Raúl Capablanca, and Vasily Smyslov, rather than
the tactical style of Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Tal, and Kasparov himself.[327] In a 2013 interview, Peter
Heine Nielsen said: "The days of big novelties are over, and that fits Magnus' style well."[328] According to
Carlsen, however, he does not have any preferences in playing style.[91] Kasparov said in 2013 that "Carlsen is
a combination of Karpov [and] Fischer. He gets his positions [and] then never lets go of that bulldog bite.
Exhausting for opponents."[329] Carlsen has also stated that he follows in the traditions of Karpov and Fischer,
but additionally mentions Reuben Fine as a player who "was doing in chess similar to what I am doing".[330]
Anand said of Carlsen in 2012: "Magnus has an incredible innate sense. ... The majority of ideas occur to him
absolutely naturally. He's also very flexible, he knows all the structures and he can play almost any position."
He also compared Carlsen to Boris Spassky in his prime, and stated that "Magnus can literally do almost
everything."[331] Kasparov expressed similar sentiments: "[Carlsen] has the ability to correctly evaluate any
position, which only Karpov could boast of before him."[332] When asked in a 2016 interview whether Carlsen's
style resembles his own, Karpov answered: "It is quite possible. He grew up when I was in power, and perhaps
he studied my games. He can convert a minimal advantage into a real one."[333]
In a 2012 interview, Vladimir Kramnik stated that Carlsen's "excellent physical shape" was a contributing
factor to his success against other top players as it prevents "psychological lapses", which enables him to
maintain a high standard of play over long games and at the end of tournaments, when the energy levels of
others have dropped.[334] Levon Aronian said in 2015: "Magnus' main secret is his composure and the absence
of any soul-searching after mistakes during a game."[335] Tyler Cowen gave a point of view on Carlsen's playing
style: "Carlsen is demonstrating one of his most feared qualities, namely his 'nettlesomeness,' to use a term
coined for this purpose by Ken Regan, of the University at Buffalo.[336] Using computer analysis, you can
measure which players do the most to cause their opponents to make mistakes. Carlsen has the highest
nettlesomeness score by this metric, because his creative moves pressure the other player and open up a lot of
room for mistakes. In contrast, a player such as Kramnik plays a high percentage of very accurate moves, and
of course he is very strong, but those moves are in some way calmer and they are less likely to induce mistakes
in response."[337]
Carlsen's endgame prowess has been described as among the greatest in history.[338][339][340][341] Jon Speelman,
analysing several of Carlsen's endgames from the 2012 London Classic (in particular, his wins against
McShane, Aronian, and Adams), described what he calls the "Carlsen effect":
... through the combined force of his skill and no less important his reputation, he drives his opponents into
errors. ... He plays on for ever, calmly, methodically and, perhaps most importantly of all, without fear:
calculating superbly, with very few outright mistakes and a good proportion of the "very best" moves. This
makes him a monster and makes many opponents wilt.[342]
An artificial intelligence approach, designed by Jean-Marc Alliot of the Institut de recherche en informatique
de Toulouse ("Toulouse Computer Science Research Institute"), which compares chess grandmaster moves
against that of Stockfish—a chess engine that outperforms all human opponents—rated Carlsen as the best
player of all time as he had the highest probability among all World Chess Champions to play the moves
which Stockfish suggested.[343]

Notable games[edit]
 Carlsen vs. Garry Kasparov, Reykjavík Rapid (2004), Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs
Defense (D52), ½–½.[games 1] At the age of just 13 years, Carlsen had serious winning chances in a rapid
game against Kasparov,[28] who was ranked No. 1 in the world at that time.[344]
 Carlsen vs. Veselin Topalov, M-Tel Masters (2009), Semi-Slav Defense: General (D43), 1–0.[games 2] This
was Carlsen's first win against a 2800+ player.[345]
 Carlsen vs. Boris Gelfand, Tal Memorial (2011), Slav Defense: Quiet Variation. Schallopp Defense
(D12), 1–0.[346][games 3] The No. 1 Israeli player creates a seemingly decisive rook invasion into White's back
rank, but Carlsen vanquishes the threats. Carlsen called it "one of the most interesting games I have
played in recent times".[347]
 Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura, London Chess Classic (2011), Italian Game: Classical Variation. Giuoco
Pianissimo (C53), 1–0.[games 4] Facing the No. 1 American player, Carlsen sacrifices the exchange to achieve
a winning position in an otherwise near-equal game.
 Carlsen vs. Viswanathan Anand, Bilbao Masters (2012), Sicilian Defense: Canal Attack. Main Line (B52),
1–0.[games 5] Playing against the then-World Champion, Carlsen sacrifices a pawn to leave Black with
a cramped position, which leads to Anand's resignation at move 30. Carlsen stated in 2013 that he
considers this game to be one of his very best.[348]
 Carlsen vs. Li Chao, Qatar Masters (2015), Neo-Grünfeld Defence: Goglidze Attack (D70), 1–0.[games
6]
Playing against one of the leading Chinese GMs, Carlsen finds a winning attack by sacrificing his queen
in a sharp position.

Personal life[edit]

Carlsen in May 2013

Carlsen modelled for G-Star Raw's Fall/Winter 2010 advertising campaign along with American actress Liv
Tyler. The campaign was shot by Dutch film director and photographer Anton Corbijn.[349] The campaign was
coordinated with the RAW World Chess Challenge in New York, an event in which Carlsen played an online
team of global chess players, who voted on moves suggested by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru
Nakamura and Judit Polgár. Carlsen, playing white, won in 43 moves.[350] In February 2014, he appeared in G-
Star Raw's Spring/Summer 2014 campaign along with actress and model Lily Cole.[351]
Film director J. J. Abrams offered Carlsen a role in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness as "a chess player from
the future", but Carlsen was unable to get a work permit in time for shooting.[352] In 2012, Carlsen was featured
in a 60 Minutes segment[353] and appeared as a guest on The Colbert Report.[354] He was also interviewed
by Rainn Wilson for SoulPancake in 2013.[355]
As of 2012, Carlsen is the only active chess professional with a full-time manager; Espen Agdestein, a FIDE
Master and brother of Carlsen's former trainer Simen Agdestein, began working as an agent for Carlsen in late
2008.[356] Agdestein's work consisted initially of finding sponsors and negotiating media contacts but, since
2011, he has taken over management tasks formerly performed by Carlsen's father Henrik.[357] According
to The New York Times, Carlsen earned US$1.2 million in 2012, the bulk of which was from sponsorships.[358]
In October 2013, Carlsen started his majority-owned company, Play Magnus AS. Based in Oslo, Norway, Play
Magnus' first product was an iOS app, called Play Magnus, that allows the user to play a chess engine created
using a database of thousands of Carlsen's recorded games from the age of 5. Carlsen's goal is to use Play
Magnus as a platform to encourage more people to play chess.[359][360]
In August 2013, Carlsen became an ambassador for Nordic Semiconductor,[361] and in November was selected
as one of the "sexiest men of 2013" by Cosmopolitan.[362]
In a 2008 Q&A session with Nettavisen, Carlsen was asked whether he had autism, and replied "Well, isn't that
obvious?"[363][364] In a December 2013 interview with Verdens Gang, he clarified that the response was a joke
and he had meant "obviously not", also stating: "I consider myself to have normal social skills and to be
functioning normally."[363]
As of 2016, Carlsen identifies as a social democrat and mostly follows a vegetarian diet, as two of his sisters
are vegetarians.[365]
In 2017, Carlsen made a special guest appearance on The Simpsons, in an episode where Homer's chess history
is revealed.[366]

Books and films[edit]

 Valaker, O; Carlsen, M. (2004). Lær sjakk med Magnus [Learn Chess with Magnus]. Gyldendal Norsk
Forlag. ISBN 978-82-05-33963-7.
 The Prince of Chess, a film about Magnus Carlsen (2005). Directed by Øyvind Asbjørnsen.[367]
 Opedal, Hallgeir (2011). Smarte trekk. Magnus Carlsen: Verdens beste sjakkspiller [Smart Moves.
Magnus Carlsen: The World's Best Chess Player]. Kagge. ISBN 978-82-489-1050-3
 Mikhalchishin, Adrian; Stetsko, Oleg. (2012). Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen (Progress in Chess).
Edition Olms. ISBN 978-3-283-01020-1.
 Crouch, Colin (2013). Magnus Force: How Carlsen Beat Kasparov's Record. Everyman
Chess. ISBN 978-1-78194-133-1.
 Kotronias, Vassilios & Logothetis, Sotiris (2013). Carlsen's assault on the throne. Quality
Chess. ISBN 978-1-906552-22-0.
 Butler, Brin-Jonathan (2018). "The Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match That Made Chess Great
Again." ISBN 978-1-501172601.
 Magnus (2016). Directed by Benjamin Ree.[368][369]

Notes: Interactive games[edit]

1. ^ "Carlsen vs. Garry Kasparov, Reykjavík Rapid (2004)". Chessgames.com.
2. ^ "Carlsen vs. Veselin Topalov, M-Tel Masters (2009)". Chessgames.com.
3. ^ "Carlsen vs. Boris Gelfand, Tal Memorial (2011)". Chessgames.com.
4. ^ "Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura, London Chess Classic (2011)". Chessgames.com.
5. ^ "Carlsen vs. Viswanathan Anand, Bilbao Masters (2012)". Chessgames.com.
6. ^ "Carlsen vs. Li Chao, Qatar Masters (2015)". Chessgames.com.