Carlsen: “Definitely I’m the man to beat now!”

‘I am the player to beat’
Manisha Mohite, Dec 1, 2013 :

Magnus Carlsen, the new world champion, says his title triumph is an apt reflection of the rankings.

Whether he has royal blood from the Magnus Kings who ruled Norway from the 11th to 14th century may be debatable but what is undeniable is the fact that the world chess crown fits his head, snugly, securely and unquestionably in the 21st century.

Magnus Carlsen, the sporty and sexy chess king — Cosmopolitan named him as one of the sexiest men of 2013 — passionately pursues physical sports like football, basketball, swimming and flaunts fashionable outfits.

Dubbed as ‘the Prince in waiting’ for the last three years, Carlsen’s the coronation was complete after he dethroned five-time champion Viswanathan Anand 6.5-3.5 in the World Chess Championship title match at Chennai.

His comments might border on the brash at times but he always displays a super sharp analytical mind. Carlsen, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday, spoke to the Indian media prior to his departure from Chennai. Excerpts from his interaction:

How do you look at your title triumph?

I am happy to win the title. Only last year I thought that I wanted to be a world champion and played in the Candidates. I had not given it much thought before. I just wanted to play chess and have fun, so in that sense it was not a childhood dream

Can you take us through the ten games you played in this match?

The first two games were tough as I was nervous and tense. I really settled in after the third game where Anand settled for a draw in an advantageous position. That was the time I realised he was also nervous and tense. The fourth game was the best one in terms of interest and quality as both of us played well. Game 5 and Game 6 were decent games which could have ended in draws. They were more about grinding him out than anything else but the trick in the sixth game (in the ending) was fun. I was in trouble in Game 9 but by then I had the cushion of two points. Last few nights I did not get much sleep because of the excitement. Second half of the match, I was in control of my nerves and managed to keep my composure.

What was your strategy against Anand?

I was aware that my openings may not be as good as Anand’s but the idea was to be smart always, to stay one step ahead of him. I managed to do that and in the second half, I managed to dictate play. I just wanted to come out of the openings without doing any harm to my position. My strategy was simple — to make 40 or 50 good moves and challenge Vishy to do the same. Vishy knew this was going to happen but it is difficult to play like this for a long time, keep concentrating and not make a mistake. Vishy was tired after four or five hours, I was not!

So you think age factor had a say on the match, with Anand being 21 years older?

Partly maybe. Every strong player makes mistakes when put under pressure regardless of his age. That is what Anand did. That is what players have done in the past. As for me, age-wise I might be young but chess wise I have played a lot. I first played Anand when I was 14 years old.

You have assisted Anand in World Championship matches against Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov. What insights did you gain that time?

To be honest, I’ve learnt a lot from him in the past, both playing against him and especially while training with him. Just the kind of positions that he understands, the way he would just outplay me like no one else did in certain kinds of positions. Also the precision with which he analyses games and positions has been an eye-opener. In this match I showed him in a way that although he has taught me many things in the past, it’s probably now my turn to teach him. So, it’s safe to say I’ve surpassed him now.

What are your views on the Candidates’ tournament in March 2014?

I think Vladimir Kramnik and Aronian will be the favourites. Vishy will firstly have to figure it out if he would want to play in the Candidates. Although he is an all-time great player, his results lately have not been too good and he will need some time to readjust to be able to come back. It all depends on him now. He needs to figure some things out and if he manages to keep his motivation after this match, he will still be a force to reckon with. Right now though I don’t think he is the biggest favourite at the Candidates.
 
You have been compared to the legendary Bobby Fischer…

Fischer always kept his opponents under pressure. In that sense I can be compared to him as I definitely like to play relentlessly, put more and more pressure on the opponent. Yeah I think my opponents are not used to fighting every game till the very end.
 
Who is your favourite player and also the game that impressed you most…

There are many players that I admire and I try to learn from all the great masters but I have never had a favourite player, past or present. I have learned from so many games that I have seen but cannot single out either a player or a game. I am more interested in the games than the people.

You are a popular figure in Norway…

Earlier, I would know all the people from the chess environment but now when I go out, people on the streets walk up to me — these are people who I have not met in my life but they follow all the top tournaments that I play. More kids are interested to learn the game now. When I was in school, during breaks lot of kids wanted to play chess till a certain age when it was not supposed to be cool. Then they wanted to do other things.

As the world champion, what do you think are your responsibilities?

I think marketing is the main issue with chess and I think there is potential. It is just about making it exciting and yet preserving the qualities that make it special. In that sense, presentation is important and we will see how to work that out. I have to play well and be a positive figure. I would be participating in many tournaments and do the things which I did before. It is important to show as a world champion that you are the best player in the world and this has not happened for a long time. I am quite ahead in the world rankings and am also the world champion, so definitely I’m the man to beat now!

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com