Perhaps, to avoid the swarm, Norway show up late. Very late. Uruguay, who are ready to go, are half-joking. “Maybe he’s still preparing (for the match).” He turns up after 95 per cent of the other occupants are in. The other three Norwegians turn up later. You are perhaps allowed that when you have the five-time world champion in your corner. The Uruguayans have amped up the joke-o-meter. “They are lucky they are meeting us in chess and not in football,” Meier notes.
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Norway is going through a dream phase of producing elite sportspersons. Erling Haaland. Karsten Warholm. Jacob Ingebrigsten. The winter Olympics team. Casper Ruud. Yet, Carlsen, on his own, has silently brought about a chess revolution in a country not really known for traditional chess prowess.
“Magnus was a capacitor for the popularity of chess in Norway,” Haarr says. “Chess was on the main broadcast TV in Norway. They are sending the World Championships like Classical, Blitz and Rapid on the main station and lots of people watch it. People are looking at chess as entertainment. Many people have been influenced by Magnus and started playing because of him. We have seen several people GM norms and whatnot after he got into chess.”