Chess
At 18, Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is ranked number four in the world. His country wants him to be number one, and simultaneously, the world champion. Six months ago, Norwegian businesses employed the legendary Garry Kasparov to be his personal trainer. His goal: to make Magnus the world’s best chess player in the coming year. Will it happen?
I don’t think so. I have no doubt that it would eventually happen, but not in the coming year. To do so, Carlsen would have to demonstrate he is better than Anand, Aronian, Karjakin, Ivanchuk, Morozevich, Kramnik and Gelfand. How can he do this?
On April 26, 2004 Carlsen became the world’s youngest grandmaster at 13 years, 4 months and 27 days. Since that time he has established himself as a member of the inner circle of elitist grandmasters playing the game on the international chess circuit. Kasparov is training just one person in the world, and it is Carlsen. He believes Carlsen is the player with the most talent that he has met.
Carlsen would not reveal what the training programme costs, but confirms that it is expensive. My guess is that it would not cost less than US$1 million. Norwegian businesses want to make Carlsen the most famous brand in international chess and this is why Kasparov was retained. You cannot find a bigger name than Kasparov in chess, or a more competent coach. Over the years, Kasparov has been reported to have made millions on chess, so I don’t believe it is money that drives him.
He has demonstrated through his games that he is a perfectionist, and if he says Carlsen has the capacity to be world champion, we have to believe him. This is the King training his Crown Prince. Carlsen has a full-time working team that is organising sponsorship for his numerous programmes. Cooperation with Kasparov is intended to last throughout the coming year with the possibility of extension.
Since the training programme began six months ago in secret, and has only just been revealed, Carlsen has been to Moscow twice visiting Kasparov, and spent 14 days recently at Kasparov’s summer residence in Croatia. This week Kasparov will travel to Norway for another training session with his student. He is convinced Carlsen would be number one. This is what he had to say: “With so many victories coming relatively easy to his immense talent and fighting spirit, the final crucial ingredient of relentless work will guarantee his place in history.”
Kasparov believes that Carlsen is already very close to being the strongest player in the world, despite his youth. “In six months of working with Magnus,” he said, “I have seen in him many of the qualities of the great champions.”
