Carlsen ‘surprised’ by his influence

UPDATED: Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who ranks as the best chess player in the world, said he was “surprised” but “quite proud” that he’d landed on an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as chosen by Time Magazine. He didn’t seem to have much influence over the World Chess Federation (FIDE), [...]

Carlsen exhausted after latest win

Magnus Carlsen is already a chess champion in the eyes of his fellow Norwegians, but now the young man from Lommedal west of Oslo will go after the official title of World Chess Champion as well. He won an exhausting qualification tournament in London over the weekend, and admitted to being completely spent when it [...]

Chess hero ‘relieved’ but ‘irritated’

UPDATED: He says he’s “relieved” now: Norwegian chess star Magnus Carlsen did indeed emerge as the best chess player in history during the London Chess Classic this past week. He said he was “irritated” over his own performance, though, after one of his final matches ended with no decision. Carlsen played remis against the best [...]

Norway’s chess star makes history

Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian chess progidy who rose to be ranked tops in the world, now seems to have made history as well. His victories in a chess tournament in London this week have given him a live rating of 2857.4, surpassing the record of 2851 set by the legendary Garry Kasparov in 1999. “This [...]

Chess genius Carlsen doubles money

Norwegian chess star Magnus Carlsen’s company more than doubled its income between 2009 and 2010 thanks to improved sponsorship deals, new figures have revealed. The board of the company that manages Carlsen’s affairs, Magnuschess, is chaired by the chess player’s own father, Henrik. The company saw an increase in income from NOK 3.5 million (nearly [...]

Chess star wins prestigious award

Magnus Carlsen, the young Norwegian who’s recently ranked as the top chess player in the world, can now add another prize to his growing list of accomplishments. The Norwegian Parliament will bestow upon him the national honor of being named Årets Peer Gynt, the winner of this year’s Peer Gynt Prize. The prize is given [...]

Chess star drops World Championship

Magnus Carlsen, the teenage Norwegian chess whiz, won support on Friday for his decision to drop the chess World Championships, even though it means he’ll lose his chance at the title and at least NOK 10 million in earnings. Norway’s chess association thinks he did the right thing. Carlsen told newspaper VG on Friday that [...]

Tromsø to host Chess Olympiad

Norwegian officials say they’re looking forward to welcome the world to Tromsø in 2014, after the World Chess Federation picked the northern city to host the Chess Olympiad four years from now. “Fantastic,” the secretary general of Norway’s chess association (Norges Sjakkforbund), Dag Danielsen, told news bureau NTB when the decision was announced Saturday. Anniken [...]

Chess star defends his #1 ranking

Magnus Carlsen of Norway has maintained his ranking as the world’s best chess player. The 19-year-old from Lommedalen was still in first place when new world rankings were recently released. Newspaper Aftenposten reported that Carlsen (photo) increased his rating on the March listing by three points since January. His 2,813 points mean that only Garry [...]

Magnus Carlsen at the top of his game

Magnus Carlsen, the 19-year-old international chess sensation, was back home in Norway this week after confirming his ranking as the world’s top player. The past few months have been a whirlwind of accomplishment and glory, but the soft-spoken teenager seems strangely unaffected and mostly intent on retaining his top spot. Carlsen, who started winning tournaments [...]

Carlsen secures top chess ranking

A teenage chess star from Lommedal, just west of Oslo, finally secured the top chess ranking that’s been expected for months now. Magnus Carlsen, who turns 19 later this month, is now the best chess player in the world. Carlsen just wrapped up a major tournament in Russia, the Tal Memorial in Moscow, and was [...]