20 Interesting Facts About Magnus Carlsen You Didn’t Know

The current world champion, Magnus Carlsen, is obviously an interesting person and worth learning more about so you yourself can improve as a Chess player. Playing on Chess.com may not be enough.

With that being said, here are 20 interesting facts about Magnus Carlsen.

1. Magnus Can Recall All of the World’s Countries And Its Capitals

At the age of 5, Magnus Carlsen could name almost every country on the planet, as well as their capitals and populations. He was always bright.

2. Carlsen Travelled Europe When He Was Young

Schools in Norway have passionate instructors, but getting individual attention is difficult. As a result, Magnus’ parents decided to home-school their children for at least half a year or a year while they traveled for a year!

Critics may claim that had Magnus not been a chess player; his parents would not have undertaken this project; nevertheless, the main attraction was never chess! The family was ecstatic that we were able to spend quality time together as a whole family! Magnus embarked on a year-long worldwide trip that included chess lectures as well as chess tournaments. Carlsen never liked traditional education since he did not go to university.

3. Carlsen Obtained His Second GM Norm At The Moscow Aeroflot Open

Carlsen earned his second Grand Master norm at the Moscow Aeroflot Open in February. On March 17, 2004, Anatoly Karpov lost to Magnus Carlsen in a blitz chess tournament in Reykjavík, Iceland.

4. Six Year Old Carlsen Almost Beat Kasparov But Ends In A Draw

When Carlsen was six years old, he faced off against Kasparov before a crowd of thousands. After the game, he had ice cream at McDonald’s. In 2009, five years after the duel, Kasparov became his trainer.

5. Magnus has won the Chess Oscars five times

Magnus has won the Chess Oscar five times. Magnus began playing Russian legends at a young age, and he has shown that he is capable in every area. The Chess Oscars is a Russian chess magazine’s award given to the outstanding player of the year selected by leading chess experts, writers, and journalists.

6. Magnus is the highest-rated player in chess history

Magnus Carlsen has a rating of 2882, which is the highest ever recorded by a grandmaster. When he was just 23 years old, Magnus achieved the highest Elo rating. Magnus Carlsen is considered to be the most skilled chess player in history. He could potentially reach the 2900 Elo mark in the near future.

7. At a very young age, he became a grandmaster

At the age of 13 years and 148 days, Magnus became Grand Master. He had beaten Anatoly Karpov to gain one of these GM norms, which was a major achievement for such a young player.

8. Youngest Chess Player To Ever has Achieve A 2800 ELO

At the age of 18, Magnus achieved a rating of 2800. At the age of 19, Magnus was the world’s top chess player. At such a young age, Magnus holds the record for being ranked first in his field. Magnus first competed in a chess tournament when he was eight years old.

9. Magnus is the current World Chess Champion, having won his first title in 2013

In 2013, Magnus Carlsengot his first World Chess Championship match against one of the best Indian Vishy Anand in India. Carlsen defeated Vishy and retained the title. The current world chess champion is Magnus Carlsen. In November 2021, the next World Chess Championship will take place. Ian Nepomniachtchi will compete against Magnus Carlsen as a candidate.

10. Magnus is a huge football enthusiast

Not only is Magnus a huge fan of football, but he was once the top player in a fantasy football league. He participates in fantasy football since Carlsen has excellent knowledge of the game and so does well playing it. Magnus is a supporter of Real Madrid.

11.  Incredible Ability of Magnus Chess Blindfolded

Magnus is also amazing at blindfold chess, as he has defeated ten Harvard attorneys at the same time. This demonstrates Carlsen’s memory.

12. Magnus follows a vegetarian diet with only minor variations

He follows a nearly Vegetarian diet. He does not consume any non-vegetarian meals, and it’s claimed that Magnus was influenced by his sisters.

13. He plays his Shortest game with 4-5 moves

At Tata Steel Chess India in 2019, Magnus played his shortest game in his chess career against Vidit Gujrathi. This game developed after Magnus played 4-5 moves before offering a draw to Vidit; on the other hand, Vidit was shocked and accepted the draw. This was a blitz game with an increment.

14. The longest continuous winning run in classical games

In a classical time format, he holds the record for most games won in a row. The 125-game unbeaten streak (best by any player) began with their victory against Vladimir Kramnik in 2003.

15. Nickname for Noodles

Magnus Carlsen has been nicknamed Maggi’ by former World Champion Vishy Anand. Maggi is India’s most popular and well-known noodle. When asked about his moniker, Carlsen replied, “Anand is a world champion. He has the right to refer to me as he wishes.”

16. Personable and down-to-earth personality

Despite being a world champion, Magnus is a down-to-earth person who respects every persona. He has a good sense of humor, which you may have seen in interviews and online chess streaming. Anish Giri is known as a caustic chess player. Magnus and Anish are good friends, and their Nice sarcastic posts are frequently seen on Twitter.

17. Carlsen took on Bill Gates

Magnus once played chess on a program with Bill Gates and checkmated him in only 9 moves. It’s hardly unexpected given Magnus’s status as a world champion and Bill Gates’ technological background. The game barely lasts a few seconds.

18. Plays Uncommonly Clever Playing Positions

Carlsen, unlike Mikhail Tal, is believed to be a positional player who does not assault or sacrifice pieces. He tries to acquire control of the board after playing openers, but you never know what he’ll do next. The engine bar constantly shows Magnus negatively throughout the game, yet Magnus eventually converts the entire game. That is why, according to science, Magnus is the best chess player in history even though Garry Kasparov is considered to be the best in history.

19. According to science, Magnus Carlsen is the best chess player in history

Carlsen has played with an unrivaled Computer Accuracy and Precision Score of 98.54 in the last year, according to Chess.com’s new metric that analyzes moves with computers. His scores for the last five years (98.38) and as an adult (98.32) were likewise unmatched.

20. Most sexiest man alive

Carlsen was named one of the world’s sexiest men alive in 2013 by a UK-based publication. Magnus is undeniably attractive, and he has also worked as a model. Magnus has been a brand ambassador for a number of well-known companies and frequently participates in their photoshoots. He even once shared the screen with Liv Tyler.