Things you didn’t know About Magnus Carlsen

On Magnus Carlsen’s 26th Birthday, we bring you some of the lesser known facts about the number one ranked player in the World, who was also the youngest Grand Master when he became one on January 1, 2010. He’s now the third youngest grandmaster of all time.

Countries, check. Capitals, Check

By the time Magnus Carlsen was 5 years old, he could name almost all the countries in the world, with their capitals and as well as their population. He was always smart, wasn’t he?

Nickname Maggi

Former World Champion Vishwanathan Anand has a special name for his Norwegian Counterpart. He call him ‘Maggi’. The name is very common with the Indians because it also the name of the most popular instant noodles available in India. When asked about the nickname, Carlsen said, “Anand is a world champion. He can call me anything.”

9 moves, 80 seconds

That’s what it took Carlsen to defeat Bill Gates in a Speed Chess match. Fair to say that before Bill Gates could think of employing any strategy, he was checkmate. Watch the video here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84NwnSltHFo

Walking Away:

Carlsen, while playing against former World Champion Gary Kasparov, walked away to look at other boards while playing the Rapid Game. He read Donald Duck comics before the game. It was his first game against Karpov, and he was just 13 years old. Watch the video here:

Not a Movies Fan:

Carlsen says that he’s not a huge movie fan because he doesn’t have the patience to sit for 1.5-2 hours. Instead,?he likes watching TV serials. His favourite is Seinfeld, which he has seen multiple times. He also read Donald Duck comics before his game against Kasparov at the age of 13. When asked during an interview, “Do you unwind to Donald Duck?”

This is what Carlsen said:

Modelling Assignments:

Magnus Carlsen is perhaps the only Chess player to have done modelling. He appeared alongside actor Liv Tyler for the Dutch designer label G-Star Raw?s 2010 campaign, and continues to be their brand ambassador. Talk about style, this man his both while playing chess, and when off it.

Plays Blindfolded, defeats 3 Players Together:

During the Sohn Conference in June this year, Magnus Carlsen was wearing a blindfold and playing a timed exhibition game against three people: J. Christopher Flowers, the chairman of J.C. Flowers & Company; Paul Hoffman, the chief executive of the Liberty Science Center; and Gbenga Akinnagbe, a star of the HBO series ?The Wire.? Two grandmasters, Pascal Charbonneau and Anatoly Bykhovsky, made Carlsen?s moves as he called out to them, while Maurice Ashley, another grandmaster, provided commentary. Each player, including Carlsen, had nine minutes to complete the games, which averages to three minutes per game. Even though Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Flowers have competed in tournaments, Magnus had little trouble dispatching all three players.

Watch the video here:

Allegation of Using Hypnotic Powers:

Magnus Carlsen has been alleged of using hypnotic powers to force his opponents into making blunders. This theory came up after he defeated Vishwanathan Anand, and the game by Anand was analysed.?It was stated that such blunderous moves of Anand could be possible? because of conscious or unconscious hypnosis. How much of this story is true is still debated by some chess websites.

Many chess experts believe that chess hypnosis exists , and is used by focusing really hard on a particular square during the game to unsettle the opponent.?Back in 2011, 80 year old legend Victor Korchnoi? said in an interview that he firmly believed Carlsen had achieved success due to his hypnotic abilities.

First Chess Book:

The first chess book Carlsen read was Find the Plan by Bent Larsen,?and his first book on openings was Eduard Gufeld’s The Complete Dragon.?Carlsen has always said in interviews that he has developed his game by playing alone mostly and thinking of various moves.

Kick-off for Real Madrid:

Magnus Carlsen, a Real Madrid supporter, once took an honorary kick-off for them in 2014 in a match against Celta Vigo.

?Sexiest Man Alive

In 2013, the UK edition of the Women’s Magazine Cosmopolitan, named Carlsen on the list of ‘The Sexiest Men of 2013’.