Magnus Carlsen has been the main draw at the Global Chess League here in Bengaluru this year - as he always is, wherever he goes for a chess event. The five-time world champion has enjoyed his time in India so far, with games everyday not coming in the way of his hours at the golf course everyday.
In a media interaction on Thursday, Carlsen spoke on several topics concerning modern-day chess - including the the upcoming World Championship match between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, his favourites in chess right now, and how fatherhood has firmed up certain opinions he held towards classical chess in particular.
Here are excerpts from his interaction with the media on the sidelines of the GCL:
On how difficult it will be for Gukesh to defend his world championship title
I think the word defend is really not a good place to begin because in terms of how Gukesh has played for the last couple of years, he should not be in a position where he has to defend anything. He should be in a position where he has everything to gain. He has shown previously in 2024 that when things click, he has the potential to play at an extremely high level.
I don't think a lot of people believe that he will do it now, but I think it is even more of an interesting challenge for him to try and get back to that. Chess is a highly psychological game, so it probably won't take a lot to potentially place some doubts in Sindarov's mind and some confidence for Gukesh. But as it stands, there is no question that Sindarov is the favourite.
The thing about world championship matches and one of the reasons why I believe it is an extraordinarily bad way to determine the best player in the world is that you play classical which is the most egalitarian format and you don't play a ton of games as well which means that if you're not the favourite. Hypothetically, if you think that a certain match is an 80-20 before the match, the likelihood is still very high that it's going to be a one or two score match because chess is such a drawish game. And that means that Gukesh, one thing is that he has shown that his ceiling is on par or better than Sindarov. So there is no doubt about that. And the other thing is again, it's a short match. The first few games can determine a lot.
I think if Sindarov is ahead early on, it's probably very, very bad news for Gukesh. If Gukesh is ahead early on, he automatically becomes a significant favourite. Like that's how these matches work.
On Praggnanandhaa's recent performances
I don't think his approach has changed too much. I think he has a very good foundation in chess, but he plays in a very aggressive way. It's been working out really well for him recently. I'm a fan. I love watching his chess. He pushes very, very hard. He manages to put pressure on basically everybody, including myself.
I think he's still not at a point where you can say that he's distanced himself from his peers. He's not quite consistent enough for that, but he's a top, top class player for sure.
On who's his favourite player from the next generation
I think they're all exceptional. All of the kids, let's exclude others and only talk about the generation of players born between 2003 and 2006 (this includes Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdsattorov, Alireza Firouzja). They're doing incredible. Whether you're talking about somebody who's going to be a one of one from their generation, that's hard to say.
On if anything has changed his mind on not being part of the classical world championship cycle
I think if anything has changed, it's kind of the other way. I think after I became a father as well, it made it even more certain for me that I was never coming back to the classical world championship.
There are so many things that I like about chess. There are a lot of tournaments that I like. There are a lot of formats that I like. Even classical, especially faster times of classical, I like. Maybe not as a steady diet, but at least once in a while. So. to kind of justify spending a ton of time on something that I genuinely dislike [doesn't make sense]. Also, when there's no kind of competitive reason why I should, it makes zero sense.
On if he would consider potentially running chess once his playing days are finished
If somebody suggested that to me, then, you know, I would probably continue [playing]. I would probably rather return to the classical world championship than be an administrator in chess. So, yeah, it's not for me.
On why he's come back to the GCL for a third time in four years
Well, it's a really good format. I've said that from the start, that we need team formats in chess that are genuinely exciting. The lack of increments is very good. I would have preferred for there not to be the two seconds after 40 moves as well. I think that has been implemented on the request of players who are incompetent and lazy at times.
Also, the format where you have the very clear white against black. Matches are staggered, which is very good. The match is always going to be decisive, unless there are six draws.
I think there are a lot of good things about it. I also like to come to India every second year or so, because I need a year off to remind myself how crowded the tournaments are. All of that, but parts of it I really enjoy.
There's kind of no atmosphere or enthusiasm like it's in the rest of the world.
On the need for chess players to be entertainers
I think in terms of their chess styles, this current generation, I don't know if they are making conscious choices about it, but they are doing very well, for sure. And yeah, I think in that sense, chess is in very good hands with the kids.