Magnus and his sisters in Bilbao 2008
Sibling rivalry got Magnus Carlsen started
Susan Ninan, TNN | Nov 13, 2013, 02.04 AM IST
CHENNAI: This is about the positive effects of sibling rivalry. Magnus Carlsen was eight and was obsessed about beating his elder sister Ellen in chess, and that’s when the journey of the Norwegian master started.
“I was the first to pick up the sport when our father introduced it to us. When we were young, I was the better player. Now he’s way too good, so we don’t really play chess together,” says Ellen, who is in the city to watch her brother play.
Oldest of four siblings, Ellen, is pursuing medicine at the university of Oslo.
Carlsen’s parents and two other siblings had arrived in the city with him from Oman. While his father is expected to stay put for the entire duration of the match, his mother and younger sisters Ingrid and Sigrun have returned to Norway. Ellen will leave this weekend.
“At home, he is just my younger brother. When he is not away playing, we play cards and watch sports on TV together. In fact, the three of us try to ensure that he does not get too high over himself,” says the 24 year-old.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
It is very nice of the Indian news outlet to cover a boy next door story about the Norwegian challenger. While they may be competing for the ultimate glory in the world of chess, they are normal humans off the board, and the media needs to cover those aspects about these great ambassadors of chess.