Magnus, The Man

A lot has been said in the last few days about World Champion Magnus Carlsen soon to become "just" GM Magnus Carlsen. As someone who has interviewed him many times, socialized with him several times, and been in his orbit for weeks at a time, here's my take.

Magnus, the man, cannot really be compared to the champions that preceded him. I don't mean in terms of dominance at the board, but rather interests away from the board. While I can't speak to anything that Petrosian enjoyed when not playing chess, I have to assume that the "old masters" gave themselves to the game in a way that seemed glorious, selfless, and all-consuming. But times have changed.

Magnus is the first world champion to truly grow up completely in the online age. His world is more expansive. Recently he famously performed very well in a worldwide fantasy football league and has appeared onfield at many sporting events. He also traveled to Las Vegas to play on poker's biggest stage. 

For training camps, he chooses idyllic places like Oman. I can't imagine Karpov having swimming pool races with his team (in true Magnus fashion he took an outside lane to have clean water, and took care of business from there). Magnus will even play chess from the hot tub, while in a park, or even drunk.

It's probably too strong to call the World Championship an occupational hazard. But for Magnus it is a life hazard. Many of the joys he has in life have to be put on hold for the onerous task of preparing, and being secretive -- it is indeed the "fault" of chess that training for the title is not as interesting as, say, tennis (another one of the many interests of Magnus). Preparation for Federer does not involve "hiding" a new shot or serve, but instead playing lots of smaller events to perfect his game. As an aside, if indeed the World Championship became mostly rapid chess, as is the purported suggestion of the Norwegian, he wouldn't have to shut down and be nearly as hermetic in the months leading up to a title bout.

The World Championship is a cloistered affair. Players live in a soft bubble in the weeks and months leading up to the encounter, and that bubble hardens once the match begins. However, as someone who has covered the last four matches as a reporter, I can say there was one glaring exception. The match in Sochi, 2014, was probably the least interesting in terms of location, but it was perfect for Magnus and his sporting life.

Even the third day is called a "rest" day but not for him. For hours and hours he would play soccer/football, basketball, and ping pong. The host hotel was used by both players, and there was so little going on in the resort town's shoulder season (too cold for the sea, not yet cold enough for skiing), that Magnus needed the press corps for his sporting foils.

The games lasted so long that even this reporter wanted to ask Magnus if he was consuming too much energy. Side note -- while I don't favor the "chess is life" metaphor, his basketball skills greatly resemble his chess style. He will play back-to-the-basket style and gain inch after inch until he gets in the lane for a shorter shot. On one rest day, Magnus caught a slight cold, and at first it seemed the day's games would take place without him. He came out to the basketball court anyway (with some of his handlers clearly not in support but likely knowing he couldn't be persuaded). Wearing sweats instead of shorts, he proceeded to just shoot some layups, which of course progressed into yet another afternoon of full-scale games.

Sorry, Magnus, this is still a double dribble all these years later.

His sporting interests include a lot of fandom. During that same World Championship, he was staying up into the early hours of the morning to watch early-season NBA games in the U.S. In my short post-match interview seen in the lead picture of this blog, I asked him a question about chess and he alluded to this notorious and funny interview with an NFL player answering "yeah" to every question.

Earlier in his career, when his entourage wasn't as large and the demands on his time not quite as large, he chatted with me in a social setting about his love for the ESPN "30 for 30" series of historical films. Just through those, he could name nearly every member of the 1980s Detroit Pistons "bad boys" teams. Somehow I have to believe that "Jordan Rides the Bus," about Michael Jordan leaving the NBA after three consecutive titles to pursue baseball, had an impact on him. Not only does it show another star leaving his profession at his height, but it also shows that any comeback is a huge rekindling-of-the-magic story. While I doubt that Magnus is leaving because he knows a future World Championship run would ignite the media, it probably doesn't hurt to envision this a few years down the road.

I like Magnus better than a lot of players. He gives great interviews. You can ask him, as I once did out of left field, about whether his constant battles with Anand resembled the Rocky Balboa-Apollo Creed rivalry. After only a few moments of hesitation to think of a witty reply, he will use the rare, and in this case self-deprecating, English expression that they played a game resembling "punch drunk" boxers.

Many chess fans and pundits have pointed out that he "owes" chess nothing and I couldn't agree more. My friend said it well:

People complaining about Carlsen retiring are being unreasonably demanding. He’s still going to play beautiful games to entertain us and he only gets one life.

— Elizabeth Spiegel (@elizspiegel) July 21, 2022

As fans, pundits, and players, we are owed nothing by Magnus. I am reminded of this great retrospective of Tom Durkin, the most famous horse racing announcer of my lifetime. When being asked, on the eve of his retirement, if he was disappointed that he never got to call a triple-crown winner despite more than a half-dozen close calls, he said, "Horse racing owes me nothing." The very next year following his retirement, a horse won the triple crown after nearly 40 years.

Let's not bet against Magnus returning, but let's also wish him well in living a full life. And if he does come back to play another title match, I hope I'm there to cover the return of Michael Jordan.