Is Carlsen good-looking?

First of all few questions:

-Carlsen has been selected one of the sexiest men on the world, but would that happen if he was lesser famous?

-Do women rate averagely-looking man handsome or sexy mostly because he is famous?

-Doesn't Carlsen look bit like a boxer? Is that handsome?

As heterosexual I am not of course the best person evaluate these things :) The handsomeness of Carlsen is far away from someone, say, Hugh Jackman's (even his past pics when he was same age).

Carlsen has a rugged, brooding look which I am sure is attractive to some. He does a good frown and scowl. This means that, on the rare occasions that he smiles, it comes as something of a surprise. It's like the sun emerging from behind dark thunderclouds and then disappearing again. Well, that's the public persona. Maybe Carlsen smiles a lot more in private.

TBH, I'm more concerned with the handsomeness of his chess (or lack thereof). It is undoubtedly admirable, but not at all 'sexy' in my opinion.

An experiment that you could do is print out a few recent photos of Carlsen, show them to random women on the street, and see what they think.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02506/Magnus-Carlsen_2506451b.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02517/CARLSON_2517500b.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/4/1/1364855195463/Chess-tournament-Magnus-C-009.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wzSym9zdpPo/Uu6L_OwWINI/AAAAAAADVSI/EqC2wGH0djk/s1600/Magnus+Carlsen+WC.jpg

He looks like a Neanderthal, what with that giant flat forehead and all.. but that doesn't matter - He's still a chess genius.

A genre of heavy metal, called black metal, originated in Norway.  I wouldn't be surprised if Carlsen is into the metal stuff. The guy looks evil as hell in my opinion.

My wife does not think Magnus is good-looking. Rather, as NomadicKnight has pointed out, she considers his face Neanderthal-like.

Uhhh... please go read this book first:

http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Ugly-Boris-Vian/dp/0966234669/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391601356&sr=1-14&keywords=Boris+Vian

Then, come back and talk about "beauty"...

Handsome or not, who cares? He plays awesome chess. I can't understand all his moves at my current level, but I think this is an evidence.

(I don't mean to be disrespectful but that's a silly topic, especially because it comes from a FM)

same 

+1 to... sinaphai

Well, he does have a modelling contract! He's almost certainly the only person ever to have been a pro chess-player and a pro model. So there's got to be something there for the ladies to like.

Oh my goodness, another Carlsen thread!

As a woman, I don't find him very attractive. That said, who cares. He's a chess player, not a model, and he's awesome at chess.

Pleistocene?

I had talked about this during the WC with a female friend of mine who does find Carlsen attractive.  I feel he looks a bit simian, but not necessarily in an unappealing way.  He has a boyish charm and a really great physique. Not all attraction or ideas of handsomness are purely physical. Magnus carries himself like an athlete and projects an aura of self-confidence, a trait, btw, that I personally find irresistible.  So, while he isn't attractive in the traditional cookie-cutter celebrity fashion, he does have a certain appeal for many.

Being heterosexual in no way precludes you from judging Carlsen's sexual allure. Being a man might.

There are a few females players that have this combo.  

well, i don't care at all. The guy plays great chess, and that is all i care about. Who cares about looks? 

Ever seen People magazine's sexiest person? It's always someone famous. If Jane Doe and John Smith were ever on these lists, people wouldn't pay much attention. Celebrity sells.

That being said, batgirl's mention of confidence is spot-on. It is a very attractive quality to most women.