I had a chance to speak at length with Magnus’ father Henrik in Bilbao. First of all, I have to say that I am quite impressed with the whole family, and not just Magnus. They are a very nice, warm, and down to earth family.

In my book “Breaking Through“, I said one of the key factors for my success in chess (and outside of chess) is the unconditional support from my family. The same thing can be said about the Carlsen family. Magnus has their support and he acknowledged that it is important for him to have his Dad in Bilbao.

Another thing which I came away with from the time I spent with them is the amount of freedom which Magnus has. His Dad said to me that he has always given Magnus (and his sisters) the opportunity to grow and make his own decisions and to be his own man.

I think this is so important to the strong development of children. If they are being shielded from every angle and never allowed to make their own decisions, how can they gain the maturity and confidence needed to succeed in life? Of course mistakes will happen but that is a part of the growing process.

Magnus takes his chess very seriously and he has a very strong sense of self-confidence. Even though he will soon approach a level never been seen in chess, he is quite a normal (and in a way shy) young man.

With the new generation of talents like Carlsen, Karjakin, and Radjabov, etc., the future of chess is quite exciting.

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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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