Magnus Carlsen Opens Up On Rivalry With D Gukesh: 'I Was A Top-50 Player When He Was Born'

Chess superstar Magnus Carlsen didn’t shy away from being direct, stating his clear intent to win the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship and emphasizing that fatherhood and the rise of young talents had not diminished his competitive drive.

Carlsen has maintained his position as the undisputed king of chess for another year and is the firm favourite for the season-ending global event. He has won five Rapid and eight Blitz titles, with the most recent victory coming in 2024 in New York. His appearance in jeans, a violation of FIDE’s dress code, led to his ban from the Rapid competition.

Without the ban, the Norwegian might have secured both the Rapid and Blitz titles.

On the eve of the Worlds, sharing the stage with India’s classical world

champion D. Gukesh, Carlsen expressed his joy in being a husband and father. He said: “I love being a husband, and a father. It’s been a fantastic experience this year. Neither my son or my wife are too much of a help, unfortunately in terms of chess advice yet. So, it (fatherhood) really hasn’t changed much and I’m here to win as always, doesn’t change.”

Gukesh, a potential future rival, beat Carlsen in Norway Chess this year, causing a stir. When asked if he still considers Gukesh a youngster, Carlsen affirmed. “I think I was like a top-50 player at the very least in the world when he was born, so in my book definitely ‘yes’,” said the five-time classical world champion.

Carlsen finds playing against youngsters interesting as they are less predictable compared to established top players. “It’s always very interesting to play against youngsters because playing against a lot of established top players is very interesting but it’s also a little bit of a known entity. So when I haven’t played some of the youngsters in a few months, I don’t quite know how good they are going to be…,” he added.

“…because they (youngsters) are continuously developing and it’s not only the generation that is now in between 22 and 16 years old, even younger players that have developed tremendously within a short time.

“And, I see every time in the world rapid and blitz (championships) that there is somebody emerging whom you don’t quite expect,” he added.

AI Harming Chess?

Regarding artificial intelligence in chess, Carlsen mentioned it has made the game less interesting. “To give an honest answer, I think all of these (AI) tools are incredible for learning, and and they were very exciting for top chess players at the start. Overtime, it’s made the game egalitarian and also harder, and honestly more and more boring. Kind of made it too easy to prep up. So, there’s always give and take with technology,” he said.

Gukesh had a different perspective, saying he enjoys learning new ideas. “For me, it’s mostly been positive and more. Something that (AI) helps me learn a lot of things quickly but also there are disadvantages. Like it’s made preparations more easier and in classical games it’s harder and harder to win games against well-prepared opponents. But, also I feel it’s become more sportive… so sportive qualities like physical fitness, you mentality… like people with better sporting qualities generally have been performing better, I feel. But yeah, I enjoy working with computers, enjoy learning new ideas,” said the Indian ace.

(With inputs from Agencies)