“It doesn’t matter to me!”
Those straightforward words from Magnus Carlsen — arguably one of the greatest chess players in history — reaffirmed his stance on selectively engaging in classical chess, despite the emergence of talented young challengers.
At the drawing of lots for the Tata Steel Chess India 2024 tournament, Carlsen reiterated his ambivalence towards returning to regular classical events by stating his current approach to the long-format version of chess.
After years of domination across all formats and winning every major title, Carlsen relinquished his World Championship title, which China’s Ding Liren subsequently claimed. Carlsen, who first ascended to World No. 1 at just 19, has held the top ranking consistently for 13 years since July 2011. With a record highest rating of 2882, he has remained untouchable at the top.
However, with the rapid rise of Indian chess, this could be set to change sooner, as Arjun Erigaisi, now the 16th and the newest member of the 2800-elo-points club, recently ascended to World No. 2 with a live rating of 2809.3.
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With a live rating of 2831.0 and only two classical events played in the past year — the Budapest Olympiad and Norway Chess — Carlsen remained carefree at the thought of someone surpassing him.
“I don’t play a lot of classical chess, so whenever somebody is going to pass me, I wouldn’t particularly mind,” said the 33-year-old. “A lot of people have had the chance to surpass me, but we’ll see when it happens. I think it sort of depends on others.”
Carlsen went on to address what he perceives as a shift in the value of chess ratings, suggesting they don’t carry the same weight as they did a decade ago. “There’s definitely been deflation in chess ratings, so a level of ELO 2830 would probably correspond to 2850 about 10 years ago, and not a lot of people have reached that,” he explained.
The Norwegian also sees the young Indian chess generation as exceptional calculators yet not as intuitive in their play — a quality he believes impacts their performance in quicker formats, making them more suited to the longer games.
“If you’re asking me if I still believe that Indians are great at calculating, then yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “Obviously, these are very different players with very different styles, but one thing’s certain: they all calculate extremely well, and that speaks to the great work done in Indian chess over the last 15-20 years. All of the good youngsters are being taught in a very good way that you can see very clearly.”
For Carlsen, India holds a special place in his career, having won his first World Championship title in Chennai in 2013 against Viswanathan Anand. Reflecting on his time there, he noted the visible transformation in Indian chess.
“I came to Chennai in August 2013, and I was told I’d be meeting some of the better kids in the area. Now, it feels like half of them are either GMs or playing in top tournaments,” he said. “Those kids back then are now the core of the Olympiad-winning team. Indian chess has come a long way since then, thanks in large part to Anand and his impact on the sport here.”
With the longest unbeaten streak in chess history, Carlsen still relishes testing his skills against the rising talents.
“I always enjoy getting to test myself against the younger generation. I’ve always been curious to see how much they have improved since the last time we played. They have improved a lot, but not always enough,” he said with a smile.
He also acknowledged the excitement of facing younger players, who bring an unpredictable style to the board. “It’s very interesting to see a different brand of chess.
“A lot of the older players from my generation won’t surprise you in any major way, but with the younger generation, it’s always fascinating to see where they stand and how they play.”
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