Magnus Carlsen of Norway has undeniably been the best player on the planet for a decade now, his World Champion tag and World number one rating leaving no ambiguity about it. At the 44th Chess Olympiad, scheduled at Mamallapuram near Chennai, the 31-year-old is the most awaited player with every chess enthusiast eager and excited to see him in action. Carlsen recently shocked the world with his decision to not take part in the World Championship to defend his title. In an exclusive chat with DH, Carlsen talks about his fond Chennai connection, shares his take on his team's chances, the tough opponents and the Indian players. Excerpts.
World Champion and the highest rated player in the World, why did you decide not to play the World Championship?
For me it was very simple decision. I was not motivated to play the World Championship, in fact I haven’t been motivated for a while.
Playing in Chennai again at the Olympiad, does it excite you?
It is going to be awesome to be back in Chennai, it has been nine years after one of the greatest experiences of my career - winning the World Champion title against Viswanathan Anand in 2013, and I would love to revisit that memory. Also in terms of another angle, it is good to visit Chennai where some of the best players in the world these days come from. Tamil Nadu or say Chennai is one of the hottest hubs of chess in the world now. So just to be there and be a part of chess celebration like the Olympiad in itself is going to be delightful.
How would you evaluate your team’s chances?
I think our chances are better than ever before. We have the strongest team that we have never had and and we would be in contention to win a medal. This time around I am really, really excited about that prospect.
Which teams would you categorise as tough teams here?
The American team is justifiably a clear cut favourite and apart from that there are many strong teams. Poland is fairly good, India is obviously very strong, in fact both the Indian teams are formidable. I am impressed very much with the second team of India which has many of the best young players in the world. I definitely think that they have a chance to be among the medal winners.
Taking about youngsters, who impresses you?
Alireza Firouza (Iranian-French GM) is an amazing talent. In terms of players of India, D Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa. I personally like Gukesh and I am really very impressed. He plays chess in a way I really appreciate. In fact the current Indian crop of youngsters is very impressive. I see 2 or 3 players in world top 10 soon.
Has Norway become a chess crazy nation after being an indifferent one?
I would say chess has been very good in Norway for the last 10 years. Young people as well as adults, the numbers have been significantly increasing and to see the development is a delight.
How much time do you devote to chess practice?
It depends. If it is vacation time, I will only spend some time each day checking out the games played. Other days I spend hours depending on my emotions. I am not really a poster boy to advocate 9 to 5 type of a guy to do chess. My preparation is based on my intention.
What about mental and physical fitness?
Till about 5 to 6 years ago I was very much into Yoga. I haven’t been practising for some time now. In terms of physical fitness, I like to work out, play a lot of physical sports, not necessary to give me better result in chess but because I like it.
Your equation with Anand has been both personal and professional unlike most WC finalists?
It has been a long and interesting association as we have sort of met at different stages of our careers. At the start of my career Anand was at the peak and he used to beat me all the time. I worked with him for his WC in 2007, 2008 and 2010. I learnt a lot with this association with him and am very grateful for that and over the years, I gained advantage and have good scores against him. On a personal note, as a person, he is always a delight, of course
What advice will you give to youngsters getting into chess?
There are many things I could suggest but there is just one important thing I would say: chess is lot of fun, enjoy it!