‘Sexiest’ Carlsen Wins World Chess Championship, Upending Anand
By Adi Narayan – Nov 22, 2013 8:24 AM CT
Magnus Carlsen, a 22-year-old Norwegian, won the world chess championship today with a personal style that defies the cerebral, reserved tone of the game.
Carlsen defeated India’s Vishwanathan Anand, who had held the crown since 2007, by drawing the 10th game in the competition that started on Nov. 9 at a luxury hotel in the southern Indian city of Chennai, Anand’s hometown. Carlsen, who will turn 23 on Nov. 30, becomes the second-youngest person to claim the title and with it $1.5 million in prize money.
“Carlsen’s charisma and popularity around the world” will be a “good boost for chess,” said Susan Polgar, a winner of four world chess championships and one of the tournament’s official commentators. “He has a different style and a very good sense of humor. I think we can just sit back and enjoy the Magnus show for the coming years,” she said.
Carlsen has modeled for apparel brand G-Star, appeared on U.S. television’s “The Colbert Report” and was named as one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s sexiest men of 2013, alongside actors Bradley Cooper and Hugh Jackman. Carlsen became the world’s youngest grandmaster in 2004 and has been the highest rated player since July 2011, according to the World Chess Federation.
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“He’s a legend, and he’s done a lot for chess in India and Asia, so he’s a fantastic role model,” Polgar said in a telephone interview before today’s game. “The popularity of chess in India is phenomenal and the attention to the match was absolutely incredible. It gave a huge boost to the popularity of the game.”
Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com
Nakamura will beat Carlsen in the next match.
Nakamura fans are funny…
It would help if Nakamura was even in the candidates tournament.
In addition Nakamura has never beaten Carlsen in a classical timed game AFAIK.
I like Nakamura myself, but the comedic fanboyism needs to stop. It’s just silly.