“I am chaotic and lazy”
Interview by Maik Grossekathöfer
German weekly magazine Der Spiegel
SPIEGEL: Mr Carlsen, what is your IQ?
Carlsen: I have no idea. I wouldn’t want to know it anyway. It might turn out to be a nasty surprise.
SPIEGEL: Why? You are 19 years old and ranked the number one chess player in the world. You must be incredibly clever.
Carlsen: And that’s precisely what would be terrible. Of course it is important for a chess player to be able to concentrate well, but being too intelligent can also be a burden. It can get in your way. I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that.
SPIEGEL: How that?
Carlsen: At the age of 15, Nunn started studying mathematics in Oxford; he was the youngest student in the last 500 years, and at 23 he did a PhD in algebraic topology. He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess.
SPIEGEL: Things are different in your case?
Carlsen: Right. I am a totally normal guy. My father is considerably more intelligent than I am.
Here is the full interview which can be read on chessbase.
Carlsen is smart, I think.
How can you not love this kid?
Wonder what Garry makes of this bit?
“Carlsen: No. In terms of our playing skills we are not that far apart. There are many things I am better at than he is. And vice versa. Kasparov can calculate more alternatives, whereas my intuition is better. I immediately know how to rate a situation and what plan is necessary. I am clearly superior to him in that respect.”
Carlsen in praise of Kasparov:
“We remain in contact and I have the opportunity to confer with Garry regularly. I will also attend training sessions with him. I want to stress: the last 12 months have been of immense value to me, and I continue to listen to Garry‘s advice.”
Chess talent involves some specialized skills.
I really don’t see evidence that Kasparov is brilliant, outside of chess.
Part of that, of course, is that he has devoted all his intellectual energy towards mastering chess.
I’ve read some of his op-eds, over the years, and I have to say that in politics he is not even of average ability as an analyst.
He’s sort of a crackpot right wing type… like many chess players.
Oh come on….lol….who made up this interview??? Thats so not Magnus.
Anon 1:07 p.m., Please illuminate us as to what some of Garry’s “crackpot right-wing type” ideas are.
He’s 19!! for heavens sake…with all this ateetion I wou;dn’t be surprise to see him just go do something thats more fun….Bleh..
Kasparov a crackpot right winger? Huh? The man has been devoting and risking his life opposing the right wing dictatorship of Putin.
“Lazy and chaotic”…habits that Kasparov would be disgusted with. If true, then I bet that in the past year of working together, Kaspy tried to pummel Magnus into a disciplined approach, while Magnus resisted.
It sounds a bit like Josh Waitzkin’s experience with Mark Dvoretsky.