The Life of Magnus Carlsen
MAGNUS CARLSEN
It is called the Mozart of chess.
The chess prodigy Carlsen earned the title of grandmaster in 2004 (at the age of 13.5), making him the third youngest grandmaster in history. He became the world's youngest No. 1 (according to the FIDE charts) on January 1, 2010 (aged 19). According to the January 2013 FIDE rating list, Carlsen achieved an ELO of 2861, the highest in history. In November 2013, he defeated Viswanathan Anand and won the 2013 World Championship, thus becoming the World Chess Champion and not only defending his title by winning the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 World Chess Championships.
Carlsen has been known for his offensive acting since childhood and has become a more universal actor as he ages. Unlike other high-ranking chess players, Carlsen did not pay attention to the opening preparations, thus surprising his opponents who gave more importance to openings. Carlsen's mastery of playing positions and endgame prowess is similar to that of past world chess champions José Raúl Capablanca, Vasily Smyslov and Anatoly Karpov.
WORLD CHAMPİONSHİPS
2013 FIDE World Chess Championship
Carlsen faced Anand from December 9 to December 22 in the 2013 World Chess Championship match in Chennai, India. Carlsen won the game 6.5-3.5 (won the games 5.6 and 9; the remaining matches ended in a draw). As a result, Carlsen became the new World Chess Champion.
2014 FIDE World Chess Championship
Carlsen again faced Anand in the December 2014 World Championship Game as he won the Candidates' Tournament. The replayed match started on 7 December in Sochi, Russia and ended on 23 December. After 11 of the 12 matches were played, Carlsen placed the 6.5-4.5 lead in the series and secured the win, thus retaining his title as the 2014 World Chess Champion.
2016 FIDE World Chess Champion
In the 2016 FIDE World Chess Championship match held in December 2016, Carlsen faced Sergey Karjakin, who won the Candidates' Tournament in Moscow in March 2016. The match started on 11 November in New York, USA and finished on 30 November. At the end of 12 matches, tiebreak games were played due to a 6-6 draw and Carlsen retained his 2016 World Chess Champion title on his birthday, November 30, thanks to his 3-1 score advantage in tiebreak games.
2018 FIDE World Chess Champion
Carlsen faced Fabiano Caruana from 9 November to 28 November in the 2018 World Chess Championship title match in London, England. After the first 12 games (6-6) that ended in a draw, Carlsen maintained his title of World Chess Champion on November 28, 2018, by gaining a 3-0 advantage over his opponent in tiebreak games.
2021 FIDE World Chess Champion
Carlsen defeated his opponent Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 6th game of the 2021 World Chess Championship after drawing the first five games. It was also the longest game in the history of the World Chess Championship with 136 moves. Subsequently, Carlsen also defeated Nepomniachtchi at Games 8, 9 and 11 to retain the title. After the match, Carlsen said, "If Firouzja doesn't win the next Candidates' Tournament, I'm unlikely to play the next World Championship match."
