‘If Sindarov is ahead early, bad news for Gukesh’: Magnus Carlsen on World C’ship clash

Magnus Carlsen returned to the Global Chess League after a one-year hiatus, and he has looked every bit the player who can lead Alpine APL Pipers to a successful title defence. With the league’s fourth season underway in Bengaluru, the Norwegian has been in fine form, yet his presence has meant more than just results. His team sits at the top of the standings, and Carlsen, despite calling his own performances “a little bit underwhelming,” remains the centre of attention.

With the D Gukesh versus Javokhir Sindarov World Championship match right around the corner, Carlsen shared his thoughts on the game, the upcoming title clash, and what the future holds for him. In a free-flowing interaction during the GCL, he opened up about his motivations, his future in chess, Praggnanandhaa’s recent performances, the rise of AI, and much more.

Excerpts:

Q: How difficult will it be for Gukesh to defend his title against Sindarov?

Magnus Carlsen: 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’s 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. Obviously, as it stands, there’s no question that Sindarov is the favourite.

Q: After the first few games, will current form at World Championships not be a factor?

Magnus Carlsen: Well, the thing about World Championship matches, and one of the reasons why I believe it’s 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. That means that if you’re not the favourite, let’s say, if you think that a certain match is 80-20 before the match, the likelihood is still very high that it’s going to be a 1 or 2 score match, because chess is such a drawish game. And that means that Gukesh has shown that his ceiling is on par or better than Sindarov. There is no doubt about that. The other thing is, again, it’s a short match, and 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. That’s how these matches work.

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Magnus Carlsen during the Global Chess League. (GCL)

Q: After Gukesh won last time, you said you’re not part of the circus anymore. Has anything changed in these two years?

Magnus Carlsen: I think if anything has changed, it’s kind of the other way. I think after I became a father, 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 types of classical, I like. Maybe not as a steady diet, but at least once in a while. To kind of justify spending a ton of time on something that I genuinely dislike, when there’s no competitive reason why I should, it makes zero sense.

Q: You hinted you’re not sure about the future. Are you done with chess, or do you still see a long playing career?

Magnus Carlsen: I’m just saying it’s not going to be forever. Honestly, at the moment, I’m taking a few years at a time, but we’ll see. It’s hard to imagine me completely stepping away from competitive chess as long as I’m pretty good at it, mostly because I like playing. But as a full-time pursuit, I think that’s kind of more what I was looking for.

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Q: What was the biggest motivation behind coming to India and playing in the GCL?

Magnus Carlsen: 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 black-and-white format is very good. I would have preferred for there not to be the two seconds after 40 moves as well. 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 is a six draw. 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.

Q: Anish Giri recently said you like to take ground, and he doesn’t like to give any. A word on your rivalry?

Magnus Carlsen: Well, I haven’t heard of that rivalry, so… I don’t know. No, I mean, we’re teammates, but I haven’t really engaged with him or anybody else on social media for a very long time. That’s kind of in the past. I think we have different goals in chess. His main focus has always been the classical world championship, and that’s not for me, and he’s done very well at that. But in terms of rivalry, no.

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Q: Your thoughts on Praggnanandhaa’s recent play. Have you noticed any change?

Magnus Carlsen: No, I don’t think his approach has changed too much. He has a very good foundation in chess, but he plays in a very aggressive way, and it’s been working out pretty well for him recently. I’m a fan. I love watching his chess. He pushes very, very hard, and he manages to put pressure on basically everybody, including myself. I think he’s still not at a point where he can say that he’s distanced himself from his peers. He’s not quite consistent enough for that, but he’s a tough, tough class player.

Q: With AI and chess, do you think the game will eventually be completely solved?

Magnus Carlsen: I’m not a computer expert, so I don’t know if it’s going to be solved. Chess is semi-solved in the sense that we are pretty sure that it’s a draw and it’s a draw in a ton of ways. The margin is quite big. AI and computers in general have made the game a lot more accessible. You’re now able to follow it, see the score. You’re able to improve a lot faster. Specifically, I think for the pros, after an initial period of excitement, it’s made it even more accessible.

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Q: Does Alireza Firouzja still excite you the most among the youngsters?

Magnus Carlsen: He’s not having the best turn of the year. For me, it’s fun to play all the youngsters, to be honest. It’s always a hoot.

Q: Magnus, you spoke about the need for players to look at themselves as entertainers. How does the current generation face it?

Magnus Carlsen: I think in terms of their chess styles, this is the current generation. I don’t know if they’re making conscious choices about it, but they’re doing very well. For sure. And I think in that sense, chess is in very good hands.

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Q: Would running chess interest you once you step away?

Magnus Carlsen: I think if somebody suggested that to me, I would probably rather return to the classical world championship than be an administrator. So, yeah, it’s not for me.

Magnus Carlsen and Javokhir Sindarov during the Global Chess League. (GCL)

Q: How has life been as a father?

Magnus Carlsen: Yeah, I love it. My son is the greatest human being alive. It’s fantastic. It’s a joy every day. It’s a little bit sad to be away from him now, but I also have to provide for my family.

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Q: Erling Haaland has invested in your chess, and Gerard Pique has invested in a GCL team. How do you like this football-chess crossover?

Magnus Carlsen: I think it’s great. A lot of celebrities, not only in football, have an interest in chess, and it speaks to how chess has become part of popular culture a lot more in the last five seasons.

Q: India or the US, who is the team to beat at the Olympiad?

Magnus Carlsen: I think they’re all incredible, but considering what happened last time, I think India is the best team to beat.

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(The writer is in Bengaluru at the invitation of Global Chess League)