Magnus Carlsen

Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen for his huge victory at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee! He matched my record score of 10/13 there and without losing a game, and he pushed his record rating up even higher. I would like to say he owes his success to my year of coaching him, but it was already clear then and even clearer now that Magnus is a very special talent with no limits on what he can achieve.

Carlsen’s next step is obvious, but not easy: winning the March candidates tournament in London to become Vishy Anand’s challenger in a world championship match later this year. I try to root for good chess and big fighting spirit, not for players, but of course it will be hard for me not to support my three Russian compatriots in London: Kramnik, Svidler, and Grischuk. How can the world chess title move from sunny India to frigid Norway without stopping by in its traditional home of Russia?

Some say world championship matches are old-fashioned, or that a sport with a rating list and top tournaments doesn’t need a world champion at all. But I still believe that head-to-head combat is the most exciting and fairest way to decide the title, and that our legacy of great champions is one of the most potent elements in chess as a global sport. Magnus is destined to join these ranks. It only remains for him to win when it matters most, a true test of a champion.