Carlsen, So favoured to win Altibox tournament

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |
Magnus Carlsen (left) versus Wesley So during their first round encounter at the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament in Stavanger, Norway. Carlsen is the world’s No 1 chess player while So is the No 2. The game ended in a fighting draw. Carlsen persevered with the white pieces but his opponent defended creatively. The tournament is ongoing and ends Friday. (Photo by Lennart Ootes/Chessbase)
Magnus Carlsen (left) versus Wesley So during their first round encounter at the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament in Stavanger, Norway. Carlsen is the world’s No 1 chess player while So is the No 2. The game ended in a fighting draw. Carlsen persevered with the white pieces but his opponent defended creatively. The tournament is ongoing and ends Friday. (Photo by Lennart Ootes/Chessbase)

The Norwegian Chess Federation celebrated the 5th anniversary of its Altibox Norway Chess Tournament by inviting the world’s strongest chess players to participate. Representing the host nation and all of Norway is the stylish world champion Magnus Carlsen. The Russians are there: Vladimir Kramnik and Sergey Karjakin, and so are the Americans: Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. The most accurate chess player from India, Viswanathan Anand, is representing over one billion people in his homeland and all of Asia. The Frenchman, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Netherlands’ Anish Giri, and Armenia’s Levon Aronian are all expected to play excellent chess. Such is the roster: