OSLO: For a player who has spent much of the last two decades setting the benchmark, Magnus Carlsen's remark in the Norway Chess confession box that "we're getting old" carried an unusual resonance.
The comment came in the midst of his game against Wesley So -- a contest that ended in defeat and left the Norwegian, remarkably, at the bottom of the six-player standings.
As is his custom, Carlsen stepped into the confessional booth -- a Norway Chess innovation introduced in 2015 to give players a platform to share their thoughts and emotions during a game.
He offered a candid glimpse into his state of mind, saying in a video posted on 'X' by Norway Chess: "So, this is my diary of the day so far... Johannes, a good friend of mine, came by for lunch and we were talking about how we were both like struggling with memory these days, and like he's the same age as me and that we're getting old and so on...and this is me right now."
The 35-year-old Carlsen, a seven-time Norway Chess champion and the defending title-holder, has spent much of the last two decades atop the sport.
Winner of more than 20 world titles across formats, including five classical world crowns, the Norwegian stepped away from the World Championship cycle in 2022, citing the increasingly demanding nature of preparation and a growing lack of motivation for the opening-heavy grind that modern classical chess had become.
Carlsen said on Saturday, before the start of his game against American Grandmaster Wesley So, that he had been reviewing his preparation but could not recall many details during the game.
He also revealed that he had to drink coffee to lift his energy levels --something he said he never used to rely on.
"...like I literally was checking these lines just before I started the game, and I like have some clue but I don't remember any details whatsoever. Hopefully, things will get better in the course of the game like in a proper dad move as well.
"I just had some coffee to try and cheer myself up, which I never used to do but now it's just, yeah, it's tough. It's not easy out there," he confessed.
So went on to defeat the world No.1, marking only his second classical win over the Norwegian -- both in Norway Chess.
During another confessional appearance on Friday, Carlsen revealed he had wished one of the giant screens would switch away from the chess and instead show the Champions League final clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, reflecting his well-known love for football and, perhaps, a desire for a brief escape from the intensity of play.
Paris Saint-Germain denied Arsenal a Champions League triumph, edging them in a penalty shootout to lift the title for a second successive year.
There was little sign of football fever gripping Oslo, with life continuing as usual despite the high-voltage Champions League final unfolding in parallel -- even on a perfect evening that seemed made for a match of such magnitude.
"Also, there are like two sets of monitors up on the stage showing the (chess) games. And, personally, I would not mind if one of the monitors of my game was switched out with PSG vs Arsenal. I don't know...let me know," Carlsen asked his legion of fans to comment before the start of the PSG vs Arsenal game.
"I've polled a few people so far, I don't think I found any non-Arsenal fans...fan that hopes that they win this match or anything in general, but let me know," added Carlsen, a Real Madrid fan.