Prodigy Makes Ascent to Chess’s Most Rarefied Air
November 9, 2013 Leave a comment
Prodigy Makes Ascent to Chess’s Most Rarefied Air
Nov. 8, 2013 5:44 p.m. ET
The matches of the 2013 FIDE World Chess Championship start Saturday in Chennai, India, where national icon Viswanathan Anand, known as the Tiger from Madras, will defend his title against Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked chess player since July 2011. The contest is perhaps the most anticipated chess event since American Bobby Fischer outdueled Boris Spassky during a Cold War détente in 1972. India’s first grandmaster, Anand, 43, has been the undisputed champion since 2007. The 22-year-old wunderkind Carlsen, however, is the odds-on favorite. A victory would make Carlsen, already the international face of chess, the second youngest champion in history, behind only Garry Kasparov, considered one of the greatest of all time. Carlsen’s creative, prodigious play has earned him the right to challenge not only for the world title, but to cement a place in history alongside two of the games greatest champions.—Jonathan Zalman
Tale of the Genius Tape
How the achievements of Magnus Carlsen stack up against two of chess’s most legendary players: Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer.
| Magnus Carlsen | Garry Kasparov | Bobby Fischer | |
| Nationality | Norwegian | Russian | American |
| Became Grandmaster | age 13 | age 17 | age 15 |
| First World Champ. | vs. Anand (2013) | def. Karpov (1985)* | def. Spassky (1972) |
| Peak ELO Rating | 2872 (record) | 2851 | 2785 |
| Strengths/ Playing Style |
Middlegame and endgame; stamina; can effectively play in any position | Preparation for opening sequences; tactical and aggressive; solving complex positions | Obsessive student of the game; clear positional play; aggressive and a fighter to end |
| Notable Achievements | • Youngest to reach 2800+ rating (one of six to do so) • Third-youngest to become grandmaster • 2009 World Blitz Champion (speed chess) |
• Became youngest world champion (age 22) • Ranked No. 1 for 255 months (1986-2005) • Defeated IBM’s Deep Blue in 1996, then lost to computer in 1997 |
• Def. Donald Byrne at age 13 in ‘Game of the Century’ • 20-game win streak leading up to 1972 championship • Only official U.S. World Champion; defaulted title, never defended it |
*played aborted
match in 1984
Source: chessgames.com
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