Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Magnus Carlsen on Time.com

Magnus Carlsen won the 2010 Corus Chess tournament this Sunday. He is also the current number one on the FIDE list and is even adding more points according to the Live Rating List. About a month ago he was featured in a Time.com article:

Q: Do you see chess as a game of combat or a game of art?
Combat.
A: I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style. Of course some really beautiful games feel like they are art, but that's not my goal.

Q: Do you have any explanation for why more women have not entered the super=elite fields?
A: Judit Polgar was once in the top 10, but I don't know why there aren't more. As opposed to some other people, I don't really think there are any genetic reasons.
Actually, lots of women play very aggressive chess. So I don't buy that.

Q: Chess has had prodigies, most notably Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer, who have been lost to madness. Do you fear that trying to master a game of near-infinite variation can make you insane?
A: It's too hard to predict the future, but right now I don’t see myself going mad. It's easy to get obsessed with chess. That's what happened with Fischer and Morphy. I don't have the same obsession. I love the game, and I love to compete, but I am not obsessed with the struggle.

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