Chess - Blog
Posted in ChessBase on Окт 28, 2009
28.10.2009
– Last month we reported on the Women's World Team Championship in Ningbo. An exciting event in a remote place. While most players just flew in and out, one, IM Irina Krush, first board of [...]
Posted in ChessBase on Окт 27, 2009
27.10.2009
– Chess is a suitable sport for many children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Scientific research on this subject is lacking, also on an international level, but experience indicates that chess stimulates social, emotional and cognitive development. A new book, "Developing Chess Talent", by Karel and IM Merijn van Delft, uses case histories to illustrate this assumption. Excerpts.
Chess is a suitable sport for many children and adults with an Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Scientific research on this subject is lacking, also on an international
level. Experience indicates that chess stimulates social, emotional and cognitive
development.
‘Mate’, Jaap de Vries (9) announces firmly. After an attack on
the enemy king, Jaap manages to score his third full point during national championships
for chess pupils in Gouda. ‘My rating is rocketing sky high!’, he
shouts.
Jaap de Vries
Jaap is not very keen on a conversation with a total stranger. But this changes
if he is allowed to play a game of chess with him. Then he talks incessantly
between moves. ‘If I play chess, I keep learning more and more. It’s
a fun sport, actually.’ Jaap wants to learn to play good chess. ‘This
is a super championship!’, he says.
Jaap is suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. Because of this, he has few
social contacts. In between tournament rounds, he plays games on his Nintendo.
In fact, this is precisely what does allow him to make contact with other children,
who come to him to see what game he is playing. ‘If you share his interest,
he is open for contact’, his mother Annemieke has noticed. ‘These
games look individualistic, but for Jaap they are an opportunity to make contact
with other children.’
Jaap takes in sounds much more strongly than others, says his mother. ‘His
brain does not filter away these background sounds.’ That is why he wears
custom-made earplugs when he plays chess with other children. He keeps his kinetic
unrest under control with a toy snake that he can fiddle with.
Jaap plays chess every week, in the youth section of De Wijker Toren. Trainer
Jan Sinnige teaches a group of four beginners. ‘Jaap has a good contact
with the other children of the group, but not with children from other groups
of the youth section’, he says.
‘At the chess club he can gradually build up contacts’, Jaap’s
mother tells me. ‘He has no friends in the neighbourhood. At the chess
club he feels at home.’
In the coming season, Maarten Beekhuis (26) will make his debut in the second
team of Homburg Apeldoorn. He has an Elo rating of 2126. ‘I’ve been
playing chess for almost twenty years now. During a game I’m fanatical,
but I don’t study hard. I think that I like chess because I’m good
at it.’
Maarten Beekhuis
Maarten suffers from the classical form of autism. After a stay of several
years in the Leo Kanner House (a centre for treatment of young people with autism)
in the Dutch town of Doorwerth, he is now living in a protected housing unit
in Twello. There he works half-time in the public library. ‘The rest of
the day I’m doing everyday business like shopping and cooking. I also
occupy myself with the computer, I read, and I play Scrabble.’
As a chess player, Maarten has achieved some successes. He became Dutch champion
with the E-team of De Schaakmaat and with the lower school team of the City
Gymnasium in Apeldoorn. At one Dutch junior championship (under 12), he came
fourth.
‘I’m probably more self-involved than most people, but I like to
have social contacts. My autism makes this difficult.’ Autists take language
literally. ‘Sometimes people mean something else with what they say, and
I often miss that. That makes me uncertain.’
Autism occurs in different forms. ‘In any case, autism is hereditary,
and there are certain symptoms: in my case, a need for structure and clarity.
My perfectionism makes it difficult to separate main issues from side-issues.
And new things are scary for me.’
During a chess game Maarten is in his element. ‘I’m very good at
focusing. Via the health institute GGNet I play indoor soccer. That’s
fun, but it’s also hard. I am a slow thinker and I cannot size up a situation
at a glance: should I pass the ball or make an action myself?’
Tom Meurs (17) has Asperger’s. This pre-university education student
has been playing chess since he was eleven. ‘They needed a player for
the school chess team. So I quickly learned the rules, and it was fun.’
Soon he became a member of the chess club in Ermelo, and he joined the chess
camp of De Schaakmaat at the Open Dutch Youth Championship. Tom trained with
the Stichting Bevorderen Schaken Apeldoorn (Foundation for the Promotion of
Chess in Apeldoorn), and now plays in the second team of Homburg Apeldoorn.
His Elo rating is 2175. ‘I want to cross the 2300 mark within a year.
I train with IM Yochanan Afek for two hours every week, and via email with IM
Tibor Karolyi, with whom I have stayed in Hungary for a week.’
Tom Meurs (left) training with IM Merijn van Delft
Tom often doesn’t understand exactly what other people mean. ‘Sometimes
I attach too much meaning to it.’ An advantage of his Asperger’s
Syndrome is that he is good at concentrating. ‘Especially during trainings.
A disadvantage is that during a tournament I sometimes feel less at ease, which
is bad for my performance.’
In recent months he has taken up boxing. ‘That’s a strategic sport.
Taking blows, fighting back. You become self-confident, because you have to
dare to attack as well. It is very much like chess.’
The nice thing about chess, Tom thinks, is that it is a very strategic game.
‘It offers you full scope to apply all your understanding and your creativity.
You really have to work hard; analyse, make plans, look deeper than your opponent.’
Tom has a tip for chess trainers. ‘At De Schaakmaat they wanted to slow
me down when I had finished Step 4 in one week. Other children finish two pages
in a week, but a kid with Asperger’s, who is enthusiastic, can do a lot
more. Such kids should be allowed to go ahead.’ His social skills have
improved a lot compared with ten years ago. ‘Whether this is because of
chess, I don’t know. I’ve also learned a lot from the support of
my parents.’
Autism is a congenital neurological disorder. Symptoms are: limited social
skills, a need for structure, and problems with emotions, empathy, self-image,
language, imaginative powers and locomotion. Autists have trouble internalizing
sensory stimuli as a coherent whole. Autists often have a limited field of interest,
in which they can specialize strongly. To cope with the complexities of the
outside world, autists seek refuge in fixed habits and patterns. We speak of
the Spectrum of Autism Disorders. Category classifications are: classical autism,
MCDD (Multiple Complex Development Disorder), the Asperger’s Disorder,
and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified).
Approximately one in every 200 persons has an autistic disorder. Boys suffer
from it six times more frequently than girls. The better their environment is
geared to their needs, the more autists will be able to develop their qualities.
‘Chess is definitely a suitable sport for autists. The rules of the game
are clear, there is no physical contact, it’s nice and quiet’, says
Heleen Kers from Apeldoorn. Via Heleen, a dozen children of De Ambelt –
a school for special education – have joined the school chess club De
Schakel. ‘You can teach them in a normal way, but you must give them individual
attention. And the teacher must use straight language.’
In Putten, the ‘Foundation for Groundbreaking Talents’ organizes
chess lessons for young people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This
is done in cooperation with the local chess club PSV DoDo. Initiator Jacqueline
van den Brink: ‘They are often able to think very logically, and this
fits in well with chess. That game is very structured and surveyable. Autists
are often perfectionists. When playing chess, they have a grip on what they
are doing.’ The experience of Poulien Knipscheer, a chess trainer and
pedagogue from Rotterdam, is that as a trainer you have to express yourself
very clearly, and give a lot of information. ‘To autistic children who
learn to play chess, it’s better to explain everything in one go than
to introduce the rules and the exceptions step by step.’
Chess is a good means for creating mutual contact, is the conclusion of recreational
and leisure activities coordinator Wicher Struik of the Leo Kanner House. ‘By
joining this little club they belong somewhere, and that strengthens their identity.’
Peter Hamers gives chess lessons in the Leo Kanner House as a volunteer. ‘When
giving chess lessons to autists, your group should be small and surveyable.
You must state clearly what you are going to do during the lesson and you must
stick to that. Their mastering of the game adds to their self-respect. It also
makes them feel more appreciated.’
Four autistic boys between seven and twelve years old receive one-hour chess
lessons from Willem van der Hulst, who is on an Early Retirement Scheme, on
a weekly basis. ‘The most important thing is to have patience. Now and
then they are very busy and impulsive. You must tell them clearly what is expected
of them. Also, you have to motivate them, as they often find it hard to take
initiatives by themselves. You can see how much fun they’re having. I
have the impression that chess is very good for their development – intellectually,
socially and emotionally. It also gives them self-confidence, as they learn
to be good at something.’ Walk-in Centre InsideAut in Alkmaar has a chess
club. Many people with autism like to play chess and do it well, says professional
employee Carola Zwartjes. ‘It is safe and structured here. At a ‘normal’
club, people with autism often miss social association with other club members.’
The Australian IM Alex Wohl has trained the talented Trevor Tao in the 1990s.
‘You have to explain everything as simply as possible’, he says.
‘You should not assume that certain knowledge is present, or that something
will be understood. You have to check all the time if what you say is getting
across. With many autists you can communicate really well, but it’s different
than with most other people.’
Chess trainer GM Artur Jussupow working with young players
By Karel van Delft and IM Merijn van Delft.
Translation Peter Boel.
Foreword GM Artur Yusupov.
The book is a translation of the Dutch book ‘Schaaktalent ontwikkelen’.
It will be published in April 2010 by KVDC, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Contact:
karel -at- kvdc.nl.
Posted in ChessBase on Окт 23, 2009
23.10.2009
– "I saw GM Koneru Humpys letter on your website," wrote D.V. Sunder, Honorary Secretary of the All India Chess Federation. "You normally seek the reaction of the other side, as you have earlier agreed that there is always the other side of any episode." Indeed there usually is. We bring you in full what we received from the AICF: a letter of clarification.
At the outset let me tell you that many things are said out of imagination
and half truths. As I see it, there are two things which are highlighted 1.
Her father accompanying her to Asian Indoor Games and 2. Her not being allowed
to Gibralter open. And she has accused me on both these things, let me clarify
on the above two first.
It is a lie to say that we have not recommended her father to accompanying
her to Asian Indoor Games. Her father knows very well that I have recommended
him on the request of Humpy to accompanying her as his personal coach. In
fact after recommending his name to the Indian Olympic Association, I have
also requested him to talk to IOA directly. The fact is that Government
has refused any personal trainer for any players for which AICF or its Secretary
cannot be found fault with.
We have the copy of the letter from Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (Humpy
is employed in Oil company) instructing that all chess players to participate
in the Indian tournaments and not to be permitted to any foreign tours during
the period of the two GM tournaments in January & February. Petroleum
Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) is the nodal agency controlling the sportsmen
employees of all oil companies in India and all players are bound by their
rules.
The PSPB is an affiliated member of the All India Chess Federation we are
bound to honour their commitments. Hence, while we had no objection to her
participants in Czech tournament we had indicated that it is not possible
for us to consider to her request for Gibralter tournament favaourably.
It is for the first time that in India AICF arranged for back to back tournaments
one at Delhi and the other at Chennai and these tournaments attract more
than 20 Grandmasters. So it is our wish that players like Humpy should participate
in such events. In fact we have been repeatedly asked by our members, chess
lovers and the press why we are not requesting all top players to play in
India. Therefore, we want players like her to play. So you will find that
the above two allegation against AICF or the Secretary are either out of
not knowing the whole truth or a deliberate attempts to malign us.
It is a lie to say that AICF agreed to spend for Mr. Koneru Ashok. On
the contrary we have sent a mail to Humpy informing her very clearly that
AICF cannot foot his bills.
Koneru Humpy has never sought the permission of AICF to participate in
any tournament before. First time we received a request in August and we
have not denied her any permission.
Her ticket for the World Championship at Nalchik, Russia, was given to
her before she left India. What prevented her to inform us about the return
dates of the tickets so that we could have given her the ticket she wanted.
She could have even mailed us from Russia and we would have been duty bound
to get her ticket. After all now-a-days e-tickets are issued. She need not
have troubled her father for this. India had sent an official coach/Manager
WIM Anupama Gokhale to the same championship. They could have utilized her
services also. We had checked up with WIM Anupama, and she confirmed that
when she asked Humpy if she could stay back, Humpy had replied saying not
necessary. In fact we are hearing this for the first time through the media.
The World Championship Bronze certificate can be issued only by the organizers
at Nalchik, Russia, and it is common knowledge that AICF cannot issue the
merit certificate.
It is common knowledge that whenever a kit sponsor is involved, the most
important thing he expects is that the players have to wear T-Shirts with
their logo. This is one of the main conditions for sponsorship. For the
first time in Indian Chess history we had a sponsor and all the players
were paid money to represent the Country in the Chess Olympiad. Koneru Humpy
is no exception. Not only Humpy, if any player is seen playing without the
T-Shirt the AICF is duty bound to caution. That is exactly what AICF did
in this case with Humpy.
I have nothing to say on her personal remarks about me. She is free to
have her opinion. But what ever decision the AICF takes it is only after
discussing with people like Mr. Bharat Singh and Mr.R.M.Dongre. But she
was all praise for AICF administration when we enabled her mother to accompany
her to Asian Games at Doha as her “personal trainer”.
D.V. Sunder (right), Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, with
Ravindra Dongre, Deputy President of Commonwealth Chess Association
It will be interesting to note that Humpy refused to play in the World
Women Team Chess Championship held at Ningbo, China, from 01st to 12th September,
2009 just because the AICF did not accede to her father's request to spend
for him. This is for the first time ever that India qualified for the World
Women Team Chess Championship and only ten countries qualified to play in
this coveted championship. She had also indicated that she will play in
selected Women tournaments for the Country. But within 15 days she plays
for a club in the European Women Team Championship. She did not play in
the Dresden Olympiad also. Will it be wrong on the part of AICF to request
the best player of the Country to represent India? And can that be construed
as harrassment?
One thing is very clear to us that Ms. Koneru Humpy will play for the
country only if her father or mother accompanies her.
These personal allegations are not acceptable and totally unwarranted.
In fact, I had requested Mr. Koneru Ashok to come to the AICF Central Council
meeting where all our office bearers and State representatives will be present
on 26th September, 2009, so that we can sort out all issues, to which he
refused to come.
Finally the entire Indian Chess fraternity knows my contribution to the growth
of the game of chess in India. Just to highlight a few of my personal contributions:
a. I had organized the All India Bank open FIDE rated chess tournament annually
from 1978 to 1992.
b. I organized the Vishy Anand-Alexei Dreev World candidates at Chennai in
1991.
c. I organized the Videocon IM tournament in 1993
d. I organized the Asian Zonals in 1994
e. I organized the Sakthi Grandmasters tournament in 1995
f. I organized the Penta Media Grandmasters in 1998
g. I organized the Asian Continental Women Championship in 2001
h. I organized the Asian Junior in 2008
Further to the above I have organized countless National Championships and
State Championships. Therefore, in all humility I would like to tell you that
there are very few parallels to be compared with me in my endeavour to promote
the game of chess in India.
D.V. Sundar
Hon. Secretary
Posted in ChessBase on Окт 22, 2009
22.10.2009
– "I am very unhappy to inform that I have withdrawn my participation in the Asian Indoor Games 2009 to be held at Vietnam due to some nasty circumstances caused by Mr. D.V. Sundar, Secretary, All India Chess Federation." That is the start of a press release sent to us by Koneru Humpy, the second strongest female player in the world, and the second to cross the 2600 rating mark. Humpy's protest.
PRESS22nd October, 2009.
I am very unhappy to inform that I have withdrawn my participation in the Asian
Indoor Games 2009 to be held at Vietnam due to some nasty circumstances caused
by Mr. D.V. Sundar, Secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF). As you know
Chess is a mind game. So, I need to be mentally peaceful to perform well. I
was put under lot of pressure and stress by Mr. Sundar that I am upset and not
in a position to participate in a prestigious event for the country.
Today, I am bringing all the happenings between me and Mr. D.V. Sundar to make
the things clear to everyone.
After confirming my participation in Asian Indoor Games 2009 I requested IOA
(Indian Olympic Association) to allow my personal trainer Mr. Koneru Ashok (Dronacharya
Awardee) to the event. They responded favorably and asked me to get a letter
from AICF. I requested the Secretary, AICF for the same through email. He didn’t
respond. Then my father contacted him by phone and made a request for which
he refused and kept some terms. He bargained with my father that he will see
that AICF bears his expenses if I confirm my participation in all the forthcoming
Women tournaments. I gave my confirmation to the tournaments accordingly. But
Mr.Sundar did not keep up his promise and he said that in case my father accompanies
me for the tournament he has to bear his expenses. I do not want to make this
an issue. As Asian Indoor Games means playing for the country, my father decided
to bear his expenses and accompany me as my trainer.
In the meantime, I happen to apply for permission from AICF to play in two
International tournaments abroad. As I am representing PSPB (Petroleum Sports
Promotion Board), I am supposed to get permission from AICF to participate in
International tournaments as per its guidelines. Generally AICF will give permission
unless the tournaments applied are clashing with the Official tournaments like
World Championships, Asian Games etc.
But to my surprise, Mr. Sundar didn’t give me permission to play in
the Gibtelecom Chess festival to be held at Gibraltar from 26th Jan. to 4th
Feb., 2010. The reason is that an International tourney will be held at Chennai
during those dates. Let me clarify that, it’s just an International tournament,
not an Official event.
D.V. Sundar (right) receiving a formal letter of recognition as Honorary
Secretary of the AICF from FIDE Continental president for Asia Khalifa Mohamad
AL-Hitmi in Doha
on March 30 2005.
As a player I must have the freedom to choose the tourney I am going to
play. Gibtelecom is a prestigious event where I can compete with my peers
as a World No. 2 women player. In this event world class players like present
and former Women World Chess Champions and many more Super Grandmasters will
be participating.
This is not the first time such incident took place.
In August this year, I made a request for permission to participate in two
tournaments in Greece, for which Mr. Sundar has not responded at all.
In fact there is no reason for him to object my participation in those tournaments.
That is why he didn’t give any reply.
But what am I supposed to do in such circumstances?
I suffered due to his insane behavior and didn’t get the usual clearances
from PSPB. In spite of that I played the tournaments as I have already agreed
with the organizers to participate but failed to perform well due to the severe
pressure he created.
Another incident took place in September 2008 during the World Championship
at Nalchik, Russia. My return flight ticket was booked by AICF in the middle
of the event instead of booking it after completion of the event which caused
lot of disturbance. My father who accompanied me as a personal trainer by bearing
all the expenses personally has to leave me alone in the hotel room before the
crucial stage of the tournament (semi-finals) and left to change the dates of
return tickets. So, my father had to travel six hours by road to and fro to
the Aeroflot Airlines Office and spent there around three hours for that purpose.
Humpy with her father and trainer Koneru Ashok
That means I missed him the whole day during the practice. It has deeply disturbed
our routine practice sessions. There is no official manager or coach at that
time to look after such things.
Isn’t it the responsibility of the Secretary, AICF to see that there
will be an official manager to take care of players in the highest titled event
in the game of Chess i.e. the Women World Chess Championship?
Besides this, on the same day Mr. Sundar called to my hotel room at Nalchik
and put pressure on me to participate in the Olympiad even though I intimated
him about my unavailability for that event long back.
After completion of the World Championship I requested AICF to issue the certificate
that I won the Bronze medal. In practice AICF issues certificates for such events
like World Youth Championships, Asian Games, Asian Indoor Games etc. Mr. Sundar
said that he will issue the certificate after confirming with FIDE (World Chess
Federation) but didn’t turn up. After waiting for a long time, I contacted
FIDE and got the certificate directly from them.
Doesn’t the Secretary of AICF have the responsibility in such matters?
For the first time in my career I went alone (without my father and personal
trainer Mr. Koneru Ashok) to play in the Chess Olympiad 2006 at Turin, Italy.
I was sick throughout the tournament. My teammate and good friend Swati Ghate
took me to the doctor. I was under medication throughout the tourney and inspite
of that I played 12 games out of 13.
Can anyone guess the reward that Mr. Sundar has given me for this?
“It’s a warning letter from Mr. Sundar that I didn’t wear
the t-shirts provided by the AICF and that he has forgiven me as it is first
time. He warned me that Action will be taken if it repeats again.”
Let me explain where in the world these t-shirts came from. Those are given
by AICF to wear during the games. But the ones given to me didn’t suit
me. So, I borrowed two of them from another team mate Mary Ann Gomes. I managed
with those two shirts in the tournament (15 days) and may be I missed them in
one or two games to get this wonderful letter from Mr. Sundar.
Of course Mr. Sundar is very passionate about issuing such warning letters
to players. His recent victim is GM G.N. Gopal.
Growing up into a chess
star: photos from the family album
Mr. Sundar’s Chess understanding is very poor and he is insisting me
to play in all the tournaments he mentions. And if I don’t accept that
he is creating hurdles. He is trying to keep players under his control. Being
a world No. 2 player I will have my preferences in selecting the tournaments
keeping my rating and world ranking in view. I don’t think that a person
who doesn’t know the game of Chess and who doesn’t know my preparation
strategies can blindly insist me about the tournaments I have to play.
Inspite of the ridiculous administration of Mr. Sundar, the AICF is still producing
good results because there are some good organizers who know Chess, like Mr.
Bharat Singh Chauhan (Delhi), Mr. R.M. Dongre (Mumbai), Mr.Soumen Majumdar (Kolkota),
and they are frequently conducting International events.
Mr. Sundar is testing my patience during all these times. Every time I am adjusting
myself and letting things pass on without making an issue. But every now and
then he is troubling me. Now I am bringing all these things to the notice of
everyone because I can not bear this any longer.
If a world level player like me is suffering so much because of Mr. Sundar,
what is the position of upcoming players? It’s time for everyone to think
of it.
Koneru Humpy
Chess Grandmaster
Born on March 31, 1987, in Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh (India), Koneru Humpy has
a current FIDE rating of 2595. Her top rating was achieved in July 2009 and
reached 2623, making Humpy the second female player in history to cross the
2600 rating mark (she had been rated
2600+ since April 2008). These are the September 2009 world rankings –
Humpy had just lost 28 points and for the first time in over a year dipped below
the 2600 mark.
| Rank | Name | Title | Country | Rating | Games | B-Year |
| 1 | Polgar, Judit |
g | HUN | 2687 | 0 | 1976 |
| 2 | Koneru, Humpy |
g | IND | 2595 | 25 | 1987 |
| 3 | Hou, Yifan |
g | CHN | 2585 | 9 | 1994 |
From 2002 through 2008, Humpy held the record as the youngest woman ever to
become a grandmaster (not merely a Woman Grandmaster), which she achieved at
the age of 15 years, 1 month, 27 days, beating Judit Polgar's previous mark
by three months. However, this has since been surpassed by Hou Yifan. In 2001
she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship. In 2006 she participated
in the Women's World Chess Championship, but was eliminated in the second round.
In the Women's World Chess Championship 2008 she made it to the semi-finals,
but was beaten by Hou Yifan.
Humpy was originally named Hampi, (after the ancient city) by her parents,
but her father later changed it to Humpy, a more Russian-sounding name. She
writes her family name (Koneru) before her given name, as is the convention
with Telugu speaking people.
Posted in ChessBase on Окт 19, 2009
19.10.2009
– Johan Golden is a Norwegian TV host and a colorful figure in the country's comedy, musical and political scene. In his show Golden Goal he recently had a special guest: Magnus Carlsen, Norway's chess wonder and one of the greatest sports heros the country has had. A light-hearted trademark Golden exchange (in Nowegian) ensues. We bring you a video and English transcript.
Magnus
Carlsen interviewed by Johan Golden on Norwegian television. The segment aired
October 15, 2009. It is in Norwegian, but contains English subtitles, which
can be see when you click on the pop-up menu on the bottom right of the Flash
player. A link to the video is given at the end of this transcript.
The host of the show, Johan Golden, 35, is a Norwegian comedian, musician,
politician and radio and television presenter of the program Golden Goal. His
father is from the Caribbean, and he often describes himself as a negro, putting
him into the center of debates about the use of this word. Golden stood for
the 2001 Norwegian parliamentary election, and his personal slogan was "Your
slave in parliament".
Last Friday he won the Grand Slam Chess tournament in China, in what
surely is the achievement of the year for Norwegian sports. Today he is with
us, please, welcome Magnus Carlsen... Have a seat. The applause is very well
deserved, welcome, and congratulations.
Thank you.
So tell me… what is it like to be 18, travel to China, blow those
old-timers off the board, grab a million, and head back home?
It might have been more gratifying had I done it in Norway.
You are charmingly modest.
No, seriously, it's been fun. I hadn't expected this. That is, I had hoped
to win the tournament, but to win it like this was beyond all expectations.
What about the way you won did you enjoy the most?
Well, my game was very tight, I scored really well. I won comfortably. Everything
came together for me.
It's been scientifically proven that you are extremely good. Most people
can only claim excellence, but in your case there is now a scientific proof.
Someone has figured out that it has been ten years since chess was played
as brilliantly as you did in China. You’re also the youngest player
to ever reach 2800. Are there any records left?
Sure, there are many records left, such as the youngest world champion ever.
You are well on schedule. I think there is no arguing for that.
Perhaps, but I don’t think about it much. I try to stay focused on actually
becoming the world champion, rather than when.
I agree completely. Though won't it be fun when it happens? As in, say,
next year? Oh, I won't pressure you. How much of the progress you’ve
made recently is due to your work with Kasparov?
He’s has had a major influence on me. But let me stress that I started
working with him earlier this year, without immediate results. But now that
it’s public, my opponents might be worried that I’ll play his openings,
employ his style. Not only would they have to fear me, they'd have to fear him
as well.
That's clever. You’re getting help from some tag team player, who’s
not really playing at all.
Yeah, announcing I’m working with Kasparov may be nearly as effective
as actually working with him.
So you’re collaborating, and you had some sort of a chess camp
in Russia and Croatia for a few weeks. Here is a picture:
To me it looks more like a LAN-party, with some dude who is slightly
too old. Like, don't go at home with the guy in the tank top. Do you teach
Kasparov anything while you’re working together?
Our playing styles are very different, so there’s a lot I can teach him.
At the same time he has much to offer.
Do you argue at all?
Well, we play blitz sometimes, for practice. Neither of us – he especially
– likes to lose the games.
But you beat him?
We’re fairly even. There are many interesting games.
Again you are very modest. You could say, "Shut up old man! I am
younger and better." You gave an incredible performance in China, but
there’s one thing I have been pondering – your outfit. You played
in a kimono. Was it mandatory?
We had to show up in Chinese – perhaps I shouldn’t use this word
– costumes. But since we had to wear Chinese clothing, I thought I would
go all the way. It is also a scientific fact that it is a good idea to wear
red. In wrestling, for instance, the red wrestler tends to defeat the blue wrestler.
The opponent sees red, like a bull, and becomes enraged?
That may be.
Or since red is the color of love, the player across the board might
get amorous? Something you should keep an eye out for. Those guys are a bunch
of old pigs. Are there rules for what you can wear? Or you can show up in
some psychedelic t-shirt, covered in confusing circles to the point where
the other guy gets a headache and can’t concentrate?
Certain players – such as Topalov… He has worn colorful shirts
deliberately. But in most tournaments, there’s some kind of a dress code.
How about way too much of a foul aftershave?
I haven’t experienced that.
You haven’t been around players who reeked?
Well, yes. But not like that.
Who was it?
I don’t wish to reveal that information.
You became the youngest grandmaster in the world at thirteen. That was
in Dubai. We have some pictures from the event:
You look pretty happy of course, but then you start thinking...
"What the hell is Ben Redic Fy Fazan doing here? Where is Ludvig?"
[movie reference: Flåklypa
Grand Prix]. Were you frightened?
I don’t think it occurred to me then. But it’s something you think
back to, and wonder what you were doing.
We asked our viewers to submit questions for you. One of them sent us
this – his name is Eirik: Do you get lots of women, when you play chess?It’s
not exactly the best sport for scoring girls, or am I wrong? Is he wrong?
Or do you get a lot of groupies in the chess scene?
No, he is not entirely wrong.
Not entirely, I see. There is room for more. How long can a game of chess
last?
There are time controls, so a game is never longer than seven hours. I have
played seven-hour games a few times in the past.
How taxing is that?
It is very draining. If you lose a seven-hour game, you don't want to play
chess ever again.
The little pieces can just take off? I’ve heard the world record
is twenty-four hours and thirty minutes? That’s completely ridiculous.
Yeah, but that was back when they still adjourned games. You would play for
four hours, have dinner, play some more, go home. And start back up the next
day.
Sounds like abolishing that practice was good idea.
Yeah, towards the end of the tournament you would have people with fewer games
than the rest, and so on. It’s good thing they stopped.
When did you realize you were just super good at chess?
I don’t think I’ve ever used those exact words to describe myself.
Well, it’s about time. You’re ranked second in the world.
It should dawn on you that you are at the very least OK.
I started playing later than most of my peers, at about eight or nine. So when
I still beat them, it got me hoping I could become the best player in Norway.
You’ve managed that. And you will become the best in the
world as well, or so we hope. Let me wish you good luck with the rest of your
career. I hope you do exceedingly well. I’d like to give you this t-shirt.
Feel free to wear it while playing. There’s a picture of you, with the
caption: “Watch your lady, I’ll get her with my tower. (And the
horse, too)” [Watch your queen, I’ll get her with my rook (and
the knight)].Magnus Carlsen!
