Grandmaster at 13. World No 1 at 19. World’s highest-ever rated player at 22. Meet Magnus Carlsen, who has made it a habit of breaking records from the time he became the third youngest GM in the history of chess in 2004.
The Norwegian dubbed the ‘Mozart of Chess’ broke the 13-year-old highest-ever rating record of Garry Kasparov (2851) with a spectacular show at the London Chess Classic.
Securing 6.5 points in eight rounds with five wins and three draws, Carlsen gained 13 points (2848 at the start of London event) to be placed at 2861 on the live rating list, which will be his rating in the new list in January 2013. He had a performance rating of 2994. From the time he became the youngest-ever world No 1 in 2010, Carlsen has been the best tournament player.
The Norwegian has won 14 super tournaments. The only title missing in his CV is the world title. After winning Chess Oscars for the last three years (2009, 2010 and 2011), Carlsen won three Classical tournaments out of the five he competed in 2012.
After finishing second at Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, he triumphed in the Tal Memorial in Moscow. Carlsen emerged champion for the second straight year in the Grand Slam Masters Final (Sao Paulo/Bilbao).
Carlsen’s understanding and his relentless pursuit for victory in every game makes him the most difficult opponent in the world of chess now. If Kasparov outwitted opponents with his opening preparation and attacking flair, Carlsen wears down his opponents in the most innocuous position with his endgame skills. Many strong GMs have succumbed to the Norwegian in equal positions, where he is able to build pressure slowly before delivering the knockout blow.
For a period the No 1 spot changed hands between Carlsen and Anand. However, in the last one year Carlsen has maintained his tournament performance at a higher level to outdistance his nearest rival – Vladimir Kramnik (2809) - by 52 points on the live rating. On the other hand, Anand’s tournament performances have been ordinary in the last 12 months, which has resulted in his ranking slipping to seventh (2772).
Carlsen’s goals for 2013 will be to stay on top of the rankings besides becoming the challenger for Anand by winning the Candidates tournament in London. It will be a tough challenge for Carlsen in the eight-player double round-robin tournament, which has the likes of Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Boris Gelfand, Peter Svidler and Vassily Ivanchuk. However, considering his performances in tournaments and his ability to keep improving, Carlsen will start as favourite in the event .
The chess world has been eagerly waiting for the Anand-Carlsen match to happen for some time. If Carlsen wins the Candidates, it will be a matchup between the best match player against the best tournament player.
The match will generate a lot of interest in chess. The way Carlsen is raising the bar he is bound to break more records.