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Henrik Carlsen confirmed his son Magnus isn’t planning to retire despite rising competition from young Indian players.
Chess legend Magnus Carlsen (X/@NorwayChess)
Henrik Carlsen believes his son Magnus, the world No. 1 chess player, has no immediate plans to retire, despite concerns about the increasing challenge posed by rising young Indian players. At 34, Magnus faces stiff competition, particularly from India, exemplified by D Gukesh, who, at 18, became the youngest world champion last year.
With the emergence of players like R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, the pressure on Magnus is mounting. His father acknowledges the need for realism. “You have to be realistic. There’s now a generation of Indian players whose strength is somewhat daunting for the rest of us. The real concern is their maturity. Their mental state is more advanced than their playing level, which is worrying because they are young and should typically lack that maturity. However, they seem psychologically prepared to become the top contenders.
“As the father of a competitor, that worries me because that used to be an advantage Magnus had over these up-and-coming players. Magnus may still have a bit of that intimidation factor, but it’s not enough to maintain his supremacy for very long,” added Henrik, a former chess player whose peak rating reached approximately 2100 in 2007.
With Gukesh competing in Norway Chess, Henrik noted that Magnus was giving the match more thought but maintained his usual preparation routine. “I think Magnus thought more about it because Gukesh is here. But in terms of preparations, I shouldn’t reveal too much. Magnus’ way of preparing for tournaments is quite different from what you might expect. He has a regimen in a certain way.
“For Magnus, it’s more about thinking ahead to upcoming tournaments. He’s trying to adjust his tournament schedule to fit into a pattern. He talks to his trainer a bit and has some ideas. He keeps up with all the top-level games happening around the world because he’s a chess fan.
“So, it’s more about organizing that information in a way that is adequate and relevant for each tournament. Generally, his thoughts reflect his approach to preparation, regardless of who is playing. I think Magnus is still, with all respect to Gukesh, the world champion. He still focuses on world rankings and recent results.”
Henrik, a frequent presence at his son’s events, described Magnus’s first-round match in Norway Chess as “special”. “I’m just trying to give my perception of his thoughts. And, of course, playing Gukesh in Round 1 was quite special,” said Henrik, referring to the exciting match Magnus won to secure three points.
He firmly stated that Magnus has no imminent retirement plans, dismissing concerns about a potential shift away from Classical chess. “He’s not planning to retire yet. I shouldn’t make promises on his behalf. But I think, coming here this year was never in question,” said Henrik.
“He loves chess, the history of chess, and the environment. Chess is his legacy. He makes his living from chess, even though it started as a hobby that turned out to be lucrative. So chess is everything to him.
“To him, it’s an identity. He likes golf and spends a lot of time on the course. He follows football and the NBA closely. But chess is his life. He’s quite grateful to chess as a sport. It’s his passion and hobby.”
Henrik rejects the notion that his son is arrogant, attributing his demeanour to confidence earned through achievement. “He’s the same confident young man. He may appear arrogant, but he’s the sweetest person when you talk to him. In our family, being ‘arrogant’ isn’t a negative trait if you’ve earned it.
“He’s not trying to put on a show. He has a level of confidence that can come across as arrogance. He’s confident because he has delivered and earned it.”
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov… Read More
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