Former World Chess Champion Anand on Carlsen's Rise

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Posted by AI on 2025-08-11 06:39:49 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-13 17:00:08

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Chess great Viswanathan Anand has described the metamorphosis of Magnus Carlsen from a "limited" player to an unbeatable superstar as the Norwegian matured and honed his endgame skills.

Anand, India's first and so far only chess champion, said Carlsen had been "limited" when he first faced off against the Norwegian as a teenager, but saw him emerge as a formidable opponent after the latter's wins in 2013 and 2014.

"From that point, he became a sort of unbeatable force," Anand said to The Guardian. "But there were areas where no one was really better than him, and he seemed to be able to do it consistently."

Anand, who has been champion in 2000, 2007, and 2008, said 40-year-old Carlsen's triumph over Sergey Karjakin in 2016 was "very complete" and the way the Norwegian handled the latter stages of the tournament showed his immense capabilities.

"He was so dominant. Normally, you would say a couple of wins are normal, a couple of losses are normal, but he just kept winning and winning," Anand said.

Anand, who described Carlsen as an "absolute genius" and a "once-in-a-generation player", said the world no. 1's endgame expertise, which often decides the outcome of tight matches, is what ultimately sets him apart from other greats.

"It's not just that he is better in the endgame, but there is a mental aspect you know that if you are struggling, he will just keep pressing and winning," said Anand.

Anand's observations shed light on Carlsen's meteoric rise to the top of his sport, leaving the former world no. 1 among many others in his wake.

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