Magnus Carlsen: Chess Genius or Just Skilled?

For my first post, I thought I’d talk about my favorite chess player, Magnus Carlsen. We’ll dive into his childhood, chess beginnings, and current career, so let’s begin.

Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen was born on November 30th, 1990, in Tønsberg, Norway. As a young boy, Carlsen showed signs of great intelligence. By the time he was two, he could assemble 500-piece puzzles, and at four, he built Lego sets designed for much older children aged ten to fourteen. Recognizing his son's mental abilities, Carlsen's father taught him how to play chess at the age of five. Initially, he showed little interest in the game. Carlsen had three older sisters, and later, in 2010, he stated that his desire to beat them at chess was one of the main things that motivated him. Soon, young Carlsen became hooked on the game. By age eight, he was competing in prestigious chess tournaments and won several of them.

At just thirteen, Carlsen made headlines after his triumphant victory in the C group at the 2004 Corus Chess Tournament. While competing in the C group, Carlsen lost only one game to the highest-rated player competing, Duško Pavasovič. As a result, he received his first GM norm and achieved a rating of 2702. His victory in the C group led him to qualify for the 2005 B group. Soon after, a reporter for The Washington Post called him the “Mozart of Chess.”

Although Carlsen had many victories in the following years, I would have to write all day to fit them all into this blog post. His most recent win was in the 2024 Speed Chess Championship against Alireza Firouzja.

Hope you enjoyed reading this!