Chess prodigy, 22, beats Gary Kasparov’s 12-year record to become game’s highest-rated player of all time
– Norwegian sensation took up chess at the age of five and became world number one by the time he was 19
– Became highest-rated player ever after beating Brit Luke McShane
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED:06:03 EST, 7 December 2012
UPDATED: 07:15 EST, 7 December 2012
He’s been making all the right moves in the world of chess since the age of five and now Norwegian sensation Magnus Carlsen has become the game’s highest-rated player ever.
The 22-year-old world number one has finally surpassed legendary Russian grandmaster Gary Kasparov’s 12-year-old tally to be earn the prestigious accolade.
Known as the ‘Mozart of chess’ for the raw ability he demonstrated from a young age, Carlsen achieved his goal by defeating English player Luke McShane at the London Chess Classic this week.
Kasparov had previously claimed that his record rating of 2,851 was impossible to beat, but with victory over McShane, Carlsen nudged his own total to 2,857.4 points.
In typically understated fashion Carlsen, who has been world number one since he took the crown at the age of 19, said his win over McShane was a ‘great start to the tournament’ and he was satisfied with the record.
Ratings are determined through performance and they predict how likely a player is to beat a rival. Points are allocated accordingly.
Carlsen’s manager Espen Agdestein said he didn’t anticipate his client would be devoting any time to enjoying a few glasses of champagne to celebrate the landmark because he was ‘a bit boring in that regard’.
Carlsen says his first goal in the game was to beat his sister, then his father. He progressed quickly and became an International grandmaster at the age of 13, the youngest at the time.
In October 2009, during the Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament, he became the fifth chess player in the history to achieve an Elo-rating over 2800 – by far the youngest to do so. That year he also became The World Blitz Chess champion.
In 2009 he took on ‘The World’ in a game of chess. Hikaru Nakamura (U.S.), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) and Judit Polgar (Hungary) made suggestions to a live vote on the internet
On paper, The World had a reasonable chance, but with three players advising it’s difficult to form a coherent plan.
In a King’s Indian defence Carlsen could have won in a mundane way, but instead he finished in striking fashion, his passed pawns on the queenside proving unstoppable.
Carlsen started his recent game over McShane with the in-vogue Berlin defence and McShane went for a symmetrical set up that gave him a slight advantage when the middle game arrived.
Not one to shy away from complexities, Carlsen created chances for himself in the queen and minor piece endgame after coming back from the jaws of defeat. He avenged a loss at the hands of McShane in 2010 at the same venue.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
What’s the big deal? Nakamura achieved so much more.
Nakamura could beat Carlsen with both his hands tied, Helen Keller style
Yea but I do not think Nakamura can do the same that Magnus is doing
That would probably be called blindfold though 🙂
After Kaspy threw out Naka, his rating dropped. After Kasparov and Magnus seperated Magnus climbs… who is better.. Grow up man.. Magnus is in his own orbit… Nobody can catch him.. especially by a egomaniac who needed the crutches of sunil and garry.