Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsenis a Norwegian chess grandmaster, and the current World Chess Champion...
NationalityNorwegian
ProfessionChess Player
Date of Birth30 November 1990
CityTonsberg, Norway
CountryNorway
trying looks facts
What I admired most about him [Bobby Fischer] was his ability to make what was in fact so difficult look easy to us. I try to emulate him.
self-confidence winning opportunity
Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them.
intelligent men people
One of the things that first attracted me to chess is that it brings you into contact with intelligent, civilized people - men of the stature of Garry Kasparov, the former world champion, who was my part-time coach.
moving guy psychology
I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style.
winning needs belief
You need to have that edge, you need to have that confidence, you need to have that absolute belief that you’re the best and that you’ll win every time.
chess talent satisfied
Maybe if I didn't have the talent in chess I'd find the talent in something else. The only thing I know is that I have talent in chess, and I'm satisfied with that.
moving intuition sometimes
You have to choose the move that feels right sometimes; that's what intuition is.
winning thinking games
All I expect are wins and to get pleasure from the game. And if someone thinks something about me, if someone's dissatisfied with something... that's not my headache. I hope someday I'll become World Champion - and I'll make all these people happy. But even if for some reason that doesn't happen it won't stop me getting pleasure from chess. I'm sure of that.
trying elements enjoyment
Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.
father player chess
My father, a fine chess player himself, has been a massive influence throughout my life.
summer winter hiking
I enjoy hiking and skiing, like most Norwegians. In winter, there will be snow for months on end. In the summer, there are the long evenings to enjoy.
nice care too-much
It's nice to be financially secure. Apart from that, I really don't care too much about money.
interesting opponents looks
I don't look at computers as opponents. For me it is much more interesting to beat humans.
school play people
I was lucky enough to attend schools where they were understanding about when I needed to go abroad to play chess. Of course, socially it is important to go to school and interact with people your own age.