Magnus Carlsen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Magnus Carlsen |
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Carlsen in 2024
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| Full name | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen |
| Country | Norway |
| Born | 30 November 1990 Tønsberg, Norway |
| Title | Grandmaster (2004) |
| World Champion | 2013–2023 |
| FIDE rating | 2863 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2882 (May 2014) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (January 2010) |
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born November 30, 1990) is a famous Norwegian chess grandmaster. He is known as one of the greatest chess players of all time. Magnus has been the World Chess Champion five times, the World Rapid Chess Champion five times, and the World Blitz Chess Champion eight times. He has been ranked as the number one chess player in the world by FIDE rankings since July 1, 2011, which is the longest time anyone has held that spot in a row. His highest rating of 2882 is the highest ever recorded in chess history. He also holds the record for the longest time without losing a game in top-level classical chess, with 125 games.
Magnus was a chess prodigy, meaning he was incredibly talented at a young age. He became a grandmaster when he was just 13 years old. At 15, he won the Norwegian Chess Championship. He was also the youngest player ever to qualify for the Candidates Tournament in 2005. By age 19, he became the youngest person to reach the number one spot in the FIDE world rankings.
Carlsen became World Chess Champion in 2013 by beating Viswanathan Anand. He kept his title against Anand the next year. He also won both the 2014 World Rapid Championship and World Blitz Championship. This made him the first player to hold all three major chess titles at the same time. He did this again in 2019 and 2022. He defended his world title against Sergey Karjakin in 2016, Fabiano Caruana in 2018, and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021. Carlsen decided not to defend his title in 2023 because he felt he lacked motivation.
When he was younger, Carlsen was known for his attacking style. Now, he is a very flexible player. He uses many different openings to make it harder for his opponents to prepare against him. This also makes pre-game computer analysis less useful. In 2025, he joined the esports team Team Liquid.
Contents
- Early Life
- Chess Career
- 2004: Becoming a Grandmaster
- 2005: Youngest World Championship Candidate
- 2006: First Norwegian Championship Win
- 2007: Top Tournament Play
- 2008: Reaching New Heights
- 2009: World Number One
- 2010: Defending His Top Spot
- 2011: More Tournament Wins
- 2012: Breaking Rating Records
- 2013: Becoming World Champion
- 2014: Defending His Title and Triple Crown
- 2015: More Wins and Challenges
- 2016: Another Title Defense
- 2017: Strong Performances
- 2018: Another World Title Defense
- 2019: Dominant Year
- 2020: Online Chess and Unbeaten Streak Ends
- 2021: Last World Championship Title
- 2022: Stepping Down as World Champion
- 2023: Post-Championship Era
- 2024: Continued Success
- 2025: New Beginnings
- Honours and Awards
- Rating Achievements
- Playing Style
- Notable Games
- Business and Other Interests
- Personal Life
- Books and Films
- See also
Early Life
Carlsen was born in Tønsberg, Norway, on November 30, 1990. His mother, Sigrun Øen, was a chemical engineer, and his father, Henrik Albert Carlsen, was an IT consultant. His family lived in Finland and Belgium for a few years before returning to Norway in 1998.
Magnus showed he was very smart from a young age. At two years old, he could solve 50-piece jigsaw puzzles. By age four, he enjoyed building Lego sets meant for older kids. His father, who liked playing chess, taught him the game when he was five. At first, Magnus was not very interested. He has said that he started studying chess seriously because he wanted to beat his older sister.
Carlsen improved his chess skills by playing by himself. He had an amazing memory. By age five, he could remember the locations, populations, flags, and capitals of all the countries in the world. He played in his first tournament at 8 years and 7 months old.
Carlsen was coached by Grandmaster (GM) Simen Agdestein, who was Norway's top player. Agdestein introduced Carlsen to Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen, another strong player. Over one year, Carlsen's rating went from 904 to 1907. He had a big breakthrough in September 2000, scoring well against top junior players. Besides chess, which he studied for about three to four hours a day, he liked playing football and reading Donald Duck comics. He also practiced skiing until he was ten.
From late 2000 to the end of 2002, Carlsen played almost 300 rated tournament games. In October 2002, he placed sixth in the European Youth Chess Championship for players under 12. The next month, he tied for first in the World Youth Chess Championship for under-12s, finishing second to Ian Nepomniachtchi. He quickly earned three IM norms, which are steps towards becoming a grandmaster. He officially became an International Master (IM) on August 20, 2003.
After primary school, Carlsen took a year off to play in international chess tournaments. He then went back to a sports school for secondary education. During his year off, he placed joint-third in the European Under-14 Championship.
Chess Career
2004: Becoming a Grandmaster
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Carlsen became famous after winning the C group at the 2004 Corus chess tournament when he was 13. He scored 10½ out of 13 games. He earned his first GM norm there. A chess writer called him "the Mozart of chess." His win over Sipke Ernst was especially notable, where he sacrificed pieces to checkmate in just 29 moves. Carlsen's talent caught the eye of Microsoft, which became his sponsor.
He earned his second GM norm at the Moscow Aeroflot Open in February. On March 17, he beat former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a blitz chess tournament. The next day, he played against Garry Kasparov, who was the top-rated player in the world. Carlsen drew their first game but lost the second.
In April, Carlsen earned his third GM norm at the Dubai Open Chess Championship. This made him the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time, and the second-youngest in history. Carlsen also played in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004, becoming the youngest player ever to join.
In July, Carlsen tied for first place in the Norwegian Chess Championship. He played a tie-break match, but it ended in a draw, so he did not win the title that year.
2005: Youngest World Championship Candidate
Carlsen continued to impress in 2005. He beat Alexei Shirov, who was ranked 10th in the world. In June, he played a match against Viswanathan Anand, who was ranked second in the world. Anand won the match 3–1.
In the Norwegian Chess Championship, Carlsen again tied for first, this time with his coach Simen Agdestein. They played a close tie-break match, but Agdestein won the championship.
In October, Carlsen won the Arnold Eikrem Memorial tournament. At the end of 2005, Carlsen played in the Chess World Cup 2005. He finished in tenth place, becoming the youngest player ever to be an official World Championship Candidate.
2006: First Norwegian Championship Win
Carlsen played in the Corus B group and tied for first place, which qualified him for the top A group in 2007. He also shared first place at the 'Bosna' tournament in Sarajevo.
Carlsen won the 2006 Norwegian Chess Championship after beating Agdestein in a playoff. This was his first time winning the national title. He also won the Glitnir Blitz Tournament in Iceland, beating Viswanathan Anand in the semi-finals and finals. He played well at the 37th Chess Olympiad, scoring 6/8.
2007: Top Tournament Play
Carlsen played in the top group of the Corus chess tournament for the first time. He finished last but gained valuable experience. At the Linares chess tournament, he played against many top players and finished in second place.
In May and June, he played in the Candidates Tournament for the FIDE World Chess Championship 2007. He lost to Levon Aronian after a close match that went to tie-break games. In July and August, Carlsen won the Biel Grandmaster Tournament. He also played in the Arctic Chess Challenge, where he even beat his father, Henrik Carlsen.
Carlsen reached the semi-final of the Chess World Cup 2007 in December, but lost to Gata Kamsky.
2008: Reaching New Heights
In the Corus chess tournament, Carlsen shared first place with Levon Aronian. He also finished second at the Linares chess tournament, just behind World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
Carlsen won the Aerosvit chess tournament without losing a game. He also won a rapid match against Peter Leko. In the Mainz World Rapid Chess Championship, he finished second, losing to Anand in the final.
2009: World Number One
Carlsen had an amazing year in 2009. He won the Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament by a large margin, scoring 8/10 without any losses. This was one of the best tournament performances in chess history.
In November, Carlsen won the World Blitz Championship, finishing three points ahead of Anand. He then won the London Chess Classic, which pushed him to the number one spot on the FIDE rating list, passing Veselin Topalov.
Carlsen also worked with former World Champion Garry Kasparov as his personal trainer in 2009.
2010: Defending His Top Spot
Carlsen won the Corus chess tournament in January. He later split with Kasparov as his main trainer, but they remained in contact.
Carlsen shared first place in the Amber blindfold and rapid tournament. He also helped Anand prepare for the World Chess Championship 2010. Carlsen won the Bazna Kings Tournament in Romania and the Arctic Securities Chess Stars tournament in Norway.
He faced some challenges later in the year, losing games at the 39th Chess Olympiad and the Bilbao Chess Masters Final. However, he bounced back by winning the Pearl Spring chess tournament in China. In November, Carlsen decided to withdraw from the 2011 Candidates Tournament, saying he was not happy with the World Championship cycle rules. He finished the year by winning the London Chess Classic again.
2011: More Tournament Wins
Carlsen started 2011 by finishing third at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He then won the Bazna Kings tournament in Romania and the Biel Grandmaster tournament.
He also won the Grand Slam Chess Final after a tie-break against Vasyl Ivanchuk. Another victory came at the Tal Memorial in Moscow. Carlsen finished the year with a third-place finish at the London Chess Classic, but his rating reached a new personal record of 2835.
2012: Breaking Rating Records
Carlsen continued his strong play in 2012. He finished second at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He shared first place at the Tal Memorial Blitz tournament and won the main Tal Memorial event.
He finished second at the Biel Grandmaster Tournament. Carlsen won the Grand Slam Chess Final again, beating Fabiano Caruana in a tie-break. In December, Carlsen won the London Chess Classic for the third time. This win increased his rating to a new record of 2861, breaking Garry Kasparov's 13-year record of 2851.
2013: Becoming World Champion
Carlsen won the 75th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. He then played in the 2013 Candidates Tournament in London. He won the tournament on tie-break, earning the right to challenge Anand for the World Championship.
In May, he finished second at the first Norway Chess tournament. He also finished second at the Tal Memorial in June. In September, Carlsen won the Sinquefield Cup.
World Chess Champion 2013
Carlsen played against Anand for the World Chess Championship in Chennai, India, in November. Carlsen won the match 6½–3½, becoming the new World Chess Champion. He won games five, six, and nine, and drew the rest. He handled the pressure well and became the 16th undisputed World Chess Champion.
2014: Defending His Title and Triple Crown
Carlsen won the Zurich Chess Challenge in February. He also won the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Azerbaijan in April.
In June, Carlsen won the FIDE World Rapid Championship and then the World Blitz Championship. This made him the first player to hold all three FIDE titles (classical, rapid, and blitz) at the same time.
Carlsen played for Norway in the 41st Chess Olympiad. He finished second to Fabiano Caruana at the Sinquefield Cup.
World Chess Champion 2014
Carlsen faced Anand again for the World Chess Champion title in Sochi, Russia, in November. Carlsen won the match 6½–4½ after 11 games, successfully defending his World Champion title.
2015: More Wins and Challenges
In January, Carlsen won the 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He also won the 3rd Grenke Chess Classic in February and Shamkir Chess in April.
Carlsen had a tough time at the third edition of Norway Chess, finishing seventh. He later finished second at the 2015 Sinquefield Cup.
In October, Carlsen successfully defended his title in the FIDE World Rapid Championships. He briefly held the number one ranking in all three chess formats again. However, he lost his World Blitz Champion title to Alexander Grischuk.
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Carlsen won the London Chess Classic in December, which also meant he won the overall Grand Chess Tour. He then won the Qatar Masters Open.
2016: Another Title Defense
Carlsen won the 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. He also won the fourth edition of the Norway Chess Tournament in April, his first time winning this event.
He won the Leuven leg of the Grand Chess Tour in June and the Bilbao Masters Final in July. Carlsen also played for Norway in the 42nd Chess Olympiad. He won the first Chess.com Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship in October.
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World Chess Champion 2016
Carlsen faced Sergey Karjakin in the World Chess Championship in New York City in November. The 12-game match was tied 6–6. Carlsen then won the rapid tie-break games 3–1 to keep his World Champion title.
2017: Strong Performances
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Carlsen finished second at the 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. He also placed third at the 4th Grenke Chess Classic.
He had a tough time at the fifth edition of Norway Chess, finishing ninth. However, he bounced back by winning the Paris and Leuven legs of the Grand Chess Tour. His performance in the blitz part of the Leuven tournament was described as "phenomenal."
Carlsen finished second at the 5th Sinquefield Cup. He also played in the Chess World Cup 2017, which was unusual for a World Champion. He was eliminated in the third round. Carlsen won the Isle of Man Open in October, his first classical tournament win in over a year. He also won a rapid and blitz match against Ding Liren. Carlsen won the 2017 Grand Chess Tour overall. He won his third World Blitz Chess Championship in December.
2018: Another World Title Defense
Carlsen won the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship for the second time in January. He also won the 80th Tata Steel Chess Tournament for a record sixth time. In February, he won the unofficial Fischer Random Chess Championship.
He finished second at the 5th Grenke Chess Classic and won the fifth edition of Shamkir Chess. Carlsen placed second at the sixth edition of Norway Chess and second at the 51st Biel Grandmaster tournament. He tied for first at the 6th Sinquefield Cup. He defended his blitz title in December, finishing first without any losses.
World Chess Champion 2018
Carlsen faced Fabiano Caruana in the World Chess Championship in London in November. All 12 classical games were drawn. Carlsen then won the rapid tie-break games 3–0 to keep his title.
2019: Dominant Year
Carlsen won the 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament for a record seventh time in January. He then won the sixth edition of Shamkir Chess and the 6th Grenke Chess Classic in April.
In May, Carlsen won the Côte d'Ivoire Rapid & Blitz and the Lindores Abbey Chess Stars Tournament. In June, he won the seventh edition of Norway Chess and the 2019 Croatia Grand Chess Tour. This was his eighth tournament victory in a row.
He had a tougher time at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz and the 7th Sinquefield Cup, where he lost a tie-break to Ding Liren. At the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019, Carlsen extended his unbeaten streak in classical chess to 101 games.
Carlsen played in the first official FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship 2019. He reached the final but lost to Wesley So. He won the Tata Steel Rapid & Blitz in November. In December, he won the 2019 World Rapid Chess Championship and the 2019 World Blitz Chess Championship, reclaiming both titles.
2020: Online Chess and Unbeaten Streak Ends
Carlsen finished second at the 82nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. During this tournament, he broke the record for the longest unbeaten streak in classical chess, reaching 110 games.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlsen organized the Magnus Carlsen Invitational, an online rapid tournament, which he won. His unbeaten streak in classical chess ended at 125 games in October when he lost to Jan-Krzysztof Duda at the 8th Norway Chess tournament. Carlsen still won the tournament.
2021: Last World Championship Title
Carlsen finished sixth at the 83rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. He lost to a teenager for the first time in ten years. He also played in many online tournaments as part of the Champions Chess Tour 2021.
At the FIDE World Cup 2021, Carlsen won the third-place match. He then won the 9th Norway Chess tournament.
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World Chess Champion 2021
At the 2021 World Chess Championship, Carlsen defeated challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi. Game 6 was a very long game, lasting 136 moves and over 7 hours, making it the longest game in World Chess Championship history. Carlsen won games 8, 9, and 11 to keep his championship title. After the match, Carlsen said he might not play the next world championship unless Alireza Firouzja won the Candidates Tournament.
2022: Stepping Down as World Champion
In January, Carlsen won his eighth Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He also won the Norway Chess Tournament in June for the fourth time in a row.
On July 20, Carlsen announced he would not defend his World Championship title against Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 World Chess Championship. He said he preferred playing in tournaments over championship matches.
Carlsen won several online tournaments in the Champions Chess Tour 2022. He also won the World Rapid Chess Championship 2022 and the World Blitz Chess Championship 2022. This was the third time he held all three World Titles (Classical, Rapid, and Blitz) at the same time.
Sinquefield Cup Incident
In August and September, Carlsen played in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. He lost to Hans Niemann, which ended his 53-game unbeaten streak in classical chess. Carlsen then withdrew from the tournament, which was very unusual. He later accused Niemann of cheating. This led to a lawsuit, which was dismissed in June 2023. FIDE later fined Carlsen €10,000 for withdrawing from the tournament.
2023: Post-Championship Era
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In January, Carlsen lost two games in a row at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023, which had not happened since 2015. He finished third. In February, he won the Airthings Masters 2023.
Carlsen officially stopped being World Champion when Ding Liren won the World Chess Championship 2023. Carlsen said he lacked motivation for classical chess due to too much opening preparation. He did not enter the cycle for the World Chess Championship 2024.
He played in the Norway Chess tournament, where he drew many classical games but won most of the Armageddon blitz tie-breaks. Carlsen won two Grand Chess Tour events as a wildcard.
In the 2023 Chess World Cup, Carlsen reached the finals despite getting food poisoning. He won the World Cup for the first time by beating R Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaks. He also won the Julius Baer Generation Cup and his third Speed Chess Championship. Carlsen won the 2023 Champions Chess Tour finals for the third year in a row. He won his fifth World Rapid Chess Championship and seventh World Blitz Chess Championship titles, becoming the first man to defend both titles successfully at the same time.
2024: Continued Success
In February, Carlsen won the Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters competition. He also organized and won the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, a new type of chess tournament.
In September, Carlsen won his fourth Speed Chess Championship title. He also played for Team Norway at the 45th Chess Olympiad, where they placed 14th. Carlsen won the 2024 Julius Baer Generation Cup without losing a game.
On December 21, Carlsen defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the finals of the Champions Chess Tour 2024, winning the tournament for the fifth time in a row. On December 27, Carlsen withdrew from the World Rapid Chess Championship 2024 after being warned and fined for wearing jeans. He later rejoined the World Blitz Chess Championship 2024 after the dress code was relaxed. He jointly won the Blitz championship with Ian Nepomniachtchi.
2025: New Beginnings
In January 2025, Carlsen won the first Freestyle Friday weekly tournament organized by Chess.com. In February 2025, Carlsen joined the Dutch esports organization Team Liquid. He also won the Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 2025.
In April 2025, Carlsen won the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam and the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open, where he achieved a perfect score of 9/9, setting a record for the highest performance rating in a classical tournament. On June 1, Carlsen won the Norway Chess 2025 tournament.
Honours and Awards
Carlsen won the Chess Oscars from 2009 to 2013. This award was given to the best player of the year based on a worldwide poll.
The Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) named Carlsen "Name of the Year" twice, in 2009 and 2013. VG also named him "Sportsman of the Year" in 2009. He won the "Sportsman of the Year" award from another Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.
In 2011, he received the Peer Gynt Prize, a Norwegian award for people who have achieved great things. In 2013, Time magazine named Carlsen one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
In 2020, Forbes magazine said Carlsen was the highest-earning esports player in the world. Carlsen was named Player of the Year at the first Chess.com Awards in 2020, and again in 2021 and 2023. In 2024, the International Chess Federation gave Carlsen an award for being the Greatest of All Time.
Rating Achievements
In January 2006, at 15 years old, Carlsen reached an Elo rating of 2625, making him the youngest person to pass 2600. In July 2007, at 16, he passed 2700, also a record at the time.
On September 5, 2008, Carlsen briefly became number one on the unofficial live ratings list at 17 years old. His victory in the 2009 Nanjing Pearl tournament raised his FIDE rating to 2801. This made him, at 18 years old, the youngest player ever to pass 2800. Before him, only a few other top players had reached this rating.
In January 2010, Carlsen's FIDE rating was 2810, making him the number one player in the world. At 19 years old, he became the youngest ever world number one. In January 2013, Carlsen reached 2861, passing Garry Kasparov's record of 2851 from 1999. In May 2014, Carlsen reached his highest rating ever, 2882. He equaled this peak rating again in August 2019.
As of July 2025, Carlsen is also ranked number one in the FIDE rapid rating list with 2819, and number one in the FIDE blitz rating list with 2883.
Playing Style
When Carlsen was younger, he played very aggressively. His coach, Simen Agdestein, said he was "fearless" and willing to sacrifice pieces for a better position. As he got older, Carlsen realized this style was too risky against the world's best players. He changed his style to be more flexible, able to play well in all kinds of positions. He uses many different openings like 1.d4, 1.e4, and 1.c4. This makes it harder for opponents to prepare against him. He said in 2015 that the middlegame is his favorite part of the game because it's "pure chess."
Garry Kasparov, who coached Carlsen, said Carlsen's style is similar to past world champions like Anatoly Karpov and José Raúl Capablanca. Carlsen himself has said he follows in the traditions of Karpov and Bobby Fischer.
Viswanathan Anand said Carlsen has an "incredible innate sense" and can play almost any position. Kasparov also noted Carlsen's ability to correctly understand any position, which he compared to Karpov.
Vladimir Kramnik said Carlsen's "excellent physical shape" helps him play well in long games and at the end of tournaments. Levon Aronian said Carlsen's main secret is his calmness and not worrying about mistakes during a game.
Carlsen is also known for his amazing endgame skills. Chess expert Jon Speelman described the "Carlsen effect," where Carlsen's skill and reputation make opponents make mistakes. He plays calmly and methodically, making very few mistakes, which wears down his opponents.
A study that compared chess grandmaster moves to a powerful chess computer called Stockfish rated Carlsen as the best player of all time. This is because he had the highest chance of playing the same moves that Stockfish suggested.
Carlsen also plays speed chess online using different usernames. He is known for using funny openings like the Bongcloud Attack and still playing incredibly well.
Notable Games
- Carlsen vs. Kasparov, Rapid game, 2004. At just 13, Carlsen had a strong chance to win against the world's number one player.
- Carlsen vs. Veselin Topalov, Linares chess tournament, 2008. This was Carlsen's first win against a player rated over 2800.
- Carlsen vs. Boris Gelfand, Tal Memorial, 2011. Carlsen called this "one of the most interesting games I have played recently."
- Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura, London Chess Classic, 2012. Carlsen sacrificed a pawn to get a winning position.
- Carlsen vs. Viswanathan Anand, World Chess Championship 2013, Game 5. Carlsen sacrificed a pawn, leaving Black with a cramped position, leading to Anand's resignation. Carlsen considers this one of his best games.
- Carlsen vs. Wang Hao, Shamkir Chess, 2014. Carlsen sacrificed his queen to find a winning attack.
- Carlsen vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi, 2021 World Championship game 6 (2021). This 136-move game lasted 7 hours and 45 minutes, making it the longest game in World Chess Championship history.
Business and Other Interests
Carlsen has modeled for clothing brands like G-Star Raw. He was even offered a role in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness as a "chess player from the future," but he could not get a work permit in time. He has also appeared on TV shows like 60 Minutes and The Colbert Report.
Carlsen is the only active chess player with a full-time manager, Espen Agdestein. Carlsen earned a lot of money from sponsorships. In 2013, he became an ambassador for Nordic Semiconductor. In 2017, Carlsen made a special guest appearance on The Simpsons. In 2020, he signed a sponsorship deal with the gambling company Unibet. Carlsen also founded Offerspill Chess Club in 2019, which is now Norway's largest chess club.
Play Magnus
In 2013, Carlsen helped start a company called Play Magnus AS. Their first product was a mobile app called Play Magnus. This app lets users play against a chess computer that plays like Carlsen at different ages. Carlsen wanted the app to encourage more people to play chess.
In 2019, Play Magnus AS joined with chess24.com to form the Play Magnus Group. In 2020, Play Magnus Group was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In 2022, Chess.com bought Play Magnus Group, and Carlsen became a brand ambassador for Chess.com.
Take Take Take
In October 2024, Magnus Carlsen co-founded Take Take Take. This was the first app in the chess world to offer text-based commentary for fantasy chess. Take Take Take also partnered with Chess.com to organize the Champions Chess Tour Finals in December 2024.
Personal Life
As of 2016, Carlsen identifies as a social democrat and mostly eats a vegetarian diet.
Carlsen is a big football fan. His favorite club is Real Madrid CF. He even took the honorary kick-off at a Real Madrid game in 2013. He also follows the Premier League and plays fantasy football. In December 2019, he reached the number one spot in a Fantasy Premier League game, beating millions of other players.
Carlsen has been in a relationship with Ella Victoria Malone since at least February 2024. They got married in a private ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on January 4, 2025. In May 2025, Carlsen announced that he and Ella are expecting their first child.
Books and Films
- Grandmaster Zenon Franco (2020). Magnus Wins With White.
- Grandmaster Zenon Franco (2020). Magnus Wins With Black.
- Valaker, O; Carlsen, M. (2004). Lær sjakk med Magnus [Learn Chess with Magnus].
- The Prince of Chess, a film about Magnus Carlsen (2005). Directed by Øyvind Asbjørnsen.
- Opedal, Hallgeir (2011). Smarte trekk. Magnus Carlsen: Verdens beste sjakkspiller [Smart Moves. Magnus Carlsen: The World's Best Chess Player].
- Mikhalchishin, Adrian; Stetsko, Oleg. (2012). Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen.
- Crouch, Colin (2013). Magnus Force: How Carlsen Beat Kasparov's Record.
- Sivertsen, Aage G. (2015). Magnus.
- Kotronias, Vassilios & Logothetis, Sotiris (2013). Carlsen's assault on the throne.
- Butler, Brin-Jonathan (2018). The Grandmaster: Magnus Carlsen and the Match That Made Chess Great Again.
- Magnus (2016). Directed by Benjamin Ree.
See also
In Spanish: Magnus Carlsen para niños
- List of chess players by peak FIDE rating
- List of chess grandmasters
- List of world records in chess
