Carlsen on Reddit: "I always kept a very positive mindset"
Just like Hikaru Nakamura last month, on Wednesday Magnus Carlsen did an "AMA" (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, the social news and entertainment website where registered users submit content in the form of links or text posts. Again the result was a interesting "interview" with the world number one and World Champion, who wasn't too shy to present his sense of humor! Below is a selection of questions and answers; you can read the full Reddit AMA here.
Update: Carlsen also made a video, together with his manager Espen Agdestein, in which they comment on the first six rounds of the FIDE Candidates' Tournament. It was posted a day after the Reddit interview:
cbarr81
Do you ever log onto sites like Chess.com, as an anonymous player, and just crush people for fun?
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Magnus Carlsen
Once in a while I've used some of my friends accounts and won a couple of games... or a lot... (...) You'll be amazed at the people i've lost to while playing online...
Sonata2
Hi Magnus! Even though you were International Master and Grandmaster early on, did you ever feel like you have plateaued with your game, that you did not think you could get better, or did you always know that you could be the best player ever? And if you did think you could not get better, how did you get better?
Magnus Carlsen
Times when I was struggling, I always kept a very positive mindset. I thought that things would turnaround in the next game, or the next tournament. Eventually it did.
As for plateaued, I still feel that I have plenty to learn. It's just about translating more knowledge into better play and better results.
kalebreath
What is your favorite chess game of all time?
Magnus Carlsen
Anand - Kamsky Candidates Match 1994
Reffen
do you ever struggle playing yourself age 23 in the Play Magnus app? I personally pride myself in beating you at 8 years old.
Magnus Carlsen
I always struggle playing against Magnus 23. When playing younger "Magnuses" I'm occasionally successful.
Alijas
How many beers would you need to drink for a Master to be able to beat you?
Magnus Carlsen
There is no answer to this question... even extremely intoxicated my chess strength and knowledge is still in my bones.
blackberry_throw
I noticed on your Twitter account that you are closely following the 2014 Candidates tournament. Are there any games or positions that have struck you as particularly interesting or beautiful?
Magnus Carlsen
I was impressed by Anand's win against Aronian in the first round. It's not often that you beat the number 2 player in the world purely by technique.
perrii
Hi! What do you think of Nakamura joking with calling you Sauron on Twitter?
Magnus Carlsen
I've never actually watched Lord of the Rings... if I had, and Nakamura had been a better chess player, I might have been more insulted.
pranjie
What do you think made you the strongest man in the world?
Magnus Carlsen
Raisins.
Magnus Carlsen
My coach Peter Heine told me that he saw me play as a ten year-old, and gained the impression of someone who knew a lot of theory but couldn't play that well on his own. So, it has been a long process and gradually I have learned more and more about the game.
[Username hidden for explicit language]
I've always wondered; now that you are the best in the world. How can coaches help you get better? Or don't they at all? Is it just up to yourself now to improve?
Ignorer brukernavnet mitt, hehe!
Magnus Carlsen
Most of all it is up to myself to improve because even the best coaches don't fully understand what's going on in my mind - haha
kalebreath
What's your favorite chess book? Favorite non-chess book?
Magnus Carlsen
Chess book: Kramnik: My Life & Games made a strong impression on my as a child
Non-chess book: close race between several Donald Duck comics (seriously).
BetelgeuseSC
How has your life changed since winning the World Championship? Has it become more difficult to stay motivated?
Magnus Carlsen
My approach to tournaments has not changed that much, even before the World Championship I was the best player in the world, so in that sense it's the same and I am the one to beat. I have the confidence that I can always do well.
sigtot
What is your favorite meal, and what do you eat before a match?
Magnus Carlsen
I don't have a favorite meal, but before the match I would usually eat an omelette or a some yogurt with fruit.
TheZenDom
Hello Magnus,
What are your thoughts on the ongoing Candidates 2014? Does Vishy winning make it easier for you or do you have another favourite in the tournament? I ask because judging from your tweets, you don't really hold Anand in the highest regard :)
What is your response to the general idea that you are too much of a grinder? A great many number of people have said that you specialize in squeezing out dry positions rather than playing attacking chess. Many GMs have called your style of chess as its death in some aspects.
Magnus Carlsen
No, it didn't have anything to do with Anand, I'm very impressed by his level of preparation and general play both tactically and technically so far in the Candidates.
I think it's an important trait of a good player to be able to have the same level of focus and creativity in simple positions as well as more complicated ones and thus create chances at any point in the game. I don't think making few mistakes and playing very accurately for a long time should be a negative.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ChessVibes.com, Peter is responsible for most of the chess news and tournament reports. Often visiting top events, he also provides photos and videos for the site. He's a 1.e4 player himself, likes Thai food and the Stones.
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Comments
Tarjei
1 week 19 hours ago
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That's Espen, not Simen in the video.
Peter Doggers
1 week 18 hours ago
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Obviously. I consider that a typo. :-) Corrected.
David R.
1 week 19 hours ago
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Same intellectual level as Nakamura.. I'll be rooting for Aronian or Kramnik as I prefer an all round intelligent and cultured person to be the king of chess.
John Nugent Hopkins
1 week 9 hours ago
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David, if you want to root for an all round intelligent and cultured person to be the king of Chess, Anand would be at the top of your list. Aronian, Svidler, and Rustam are also very good candidates. Magnus himself is a good candidate to be fair to him. I do not, however, know personally how all-round intelligent Vlady is, though he might be one of the greatest intuitive chess players of all time (greatest-according to the Super GM himself from St. Petersburg)
Michael Lubin
1 week 7 hours ago
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Kramnik is super-intelligent...just listen to any of his interviews.
John Nugent Hopkins
1 week 3 hours ago
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He very well could be.
But normally I would state a direct unequivocal correlation between chess ability and intelligent even though GM Dr. John Nunn said that getting a GM title is tougher than getting a Phd.
I have seen seen Vlady speak intelligently about quantum physics, human genome research or anything else other than chess. I know Anand can.
John Nugent Hopkins
1 week 3 hours ago
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I meant that I would NOT assume a direct correlation based on my personal experience with people.
Anonymous
1 week 3 hours ago
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--deleted---
http://www.chessvibes.com/terms
Anonymous
1 week 7 hours ago
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Funny, I prefer the best chess player to be the King of Chess.
John Nugent Hopkins
1 week 3 hours ago
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Yes, it is funny. That is why you are ANONYMOUS.
The argument is about all round intelligent and classy player and not the best player in the world which is undoubtedly World Champion Magnus Carlsen after November.
Anonymous
1 week 3 hours ago
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And why it it that I'm "ANONYMOUS" again?
Anonymous
6 days 10 hours ago
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Carlsen is not the best chess player. Nakamura is world #1 in blitz and rapid, which makes 2-1 for Naka.
Tarjei
6 days 9 hours ago
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"Carlsen is not the best chess player. Nakamura is world #1 in blitz and rapid, which makes 2-1 for Naka."
Actually, after his 8,5/9 in Brazil, Carlsen is #1 in rapid again. 2-1 for Carlsen.
Greco
1 week 3 hours ago
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Hahahahahah
Oh Magnus the pain you have given them....now its all round intelligent and cultured...next will be who smells better....etc.
RS
1 week 19 hours ago
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I wonder what CV.com's Carlsen haters would have asked him.
My question do you think you are lucky winning last year's candidates? Kramnik played better chess but lost out due to a ridiculous tie-break rule. ( BTW I am no Carlsen hater)
Anonymous
1 week 18 hours ago
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False premise. Every computer analysis shows that overall throughout the last Candidates Magnus played more accurately than Vlad.
RS
1 week 7 hours ago
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Every expert on chess such as Vishy Anand and other strong GMs are of the opinion that Kramnik played better chess.
Since this game is played by humans hence human analysis and opinion is more relevant to arrive at an conclusion.
Anonymous
1 week 6 hours ago
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An equally false premise. You have zero support for "every" and zero support for even "most." Better is an objective standard and there is an objective measure, which was cited.
Mohit Sharma
1 week 19 hours ago
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Great to see the video comments on candidates tournament. Thanks to Carlsen and his team.
Anonymous
1 week 18 hours ago
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"I've never actually watched Lord of the Rings"
Rather sad. First and foremost, one READS Lord of the Rings.
Anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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I don't think you can expect that from someone who's still stuck with donald duck
Klapaucius
5 days 20 hours ago
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I guess Carlsen speaks about Carl Barks` DD stories from the 40`s and 50`s, which is highly regarded all over Scandinavia and has been reprinted many times since then. Several internationally acclaimed writers have pointed to Barks` stories as being an inspiration for them, and in Norway headhunting agencies have actually been running ads in the DD magazine because it is read by a lot of highly educated, intelligent adults. Barks` DD stories are well written on a scale commanded by commercial restraints.
LOTR is a commercial work (without the same restrictions) on a grander scale, which is built on or at least heavily inspired by sources very well known in the Fennoscandian countries.
You anonymouses brag about reading a book that many millions have read, but did you actually understand it? Did you get any references? If not, what are you bragging about?
When I read it, I had read Edda, Snorri-Edda, Volsunga saga, Kalevala etc. before, so I could see where Tolkien took the building blocks for his work. I liked LOTR, but I still prefer the older, more original works, and I suspect that is true for a larger portion of readers in Scandinavia than elsewhere.
TL,DR; Taste is personal, and reading LOTR really isn`t a reason to brag.
Anonymous
1 week 3 hours ago
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--deleted---
http://www.chessvibes.com/terms
Anonymous
1 week 3 hours ago
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I trust it hasn't escaped your notice that Carlsen is Norwegian and that English is a second language for him. It may very well be that LoTR is not the literary phenomenon in Norway that it is in the English speaking world.
Anonymous
1 week 3 hours ago
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Carlsen is a young man. He maybe doesn't know about Tolkien, or maybe doesn't care ...
Also it's not the subject !!! We know now that Nakamura made a powerfull ennemy ! Just out of arrogance and envy ... pretty sad indeed
Coco Loco
1 week 18 hours ago
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My first thought too! :)
Second thought was "Wow, this really is a different generation of chess player": favorite game - Anand 20 years ago, favorite book - Kramnik's bio from 14 years ago!
Septimus
1 week 17 hours ago
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Now Kramnik is going to come out and say, "he's not that good, he beat me because "...
anonymous
1 week 17 hours ago
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I think Thomas is having a coffee and biscuit, so I'd like to step in for him and condemn this meaningless content-free Carlsen hype and say that if Shirov had given the same interview, nobody would care. "before the World Championship I was the best player in the world, so in that sense it's the same and I am the one to beat" and this is obviously very arrogant, Kramnik was better.
Also, the app is not really Magnus but a weak version of Houdini and should state that in bold block capitals stamped on the board.
Anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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What is arrogant about a simple proven fact which is not open to ANY debate???
- Carlsen then simply was the very best player by a significant ELO margin (in fact the most significant gap in chess history since Fischer's and Kasparov's peaks).
- Carlsen added the ECC title to that after a convincing match win against Anand (even Anand himself conceded that).
Anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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WCC titel of course
Anonymous
1 week 7 hours ago
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You sir are missing the obvious fact that the rating system is worthless junk and ratings are just meaningless tripe - when they don't support the desired conclusion that is.
HowDoesTheHorsieMove
1 week 10 hours ago
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"Also, the app is not really Magnus but a weak version of Houdini..."
Play Magnus is instead a strong version of Glaurung, which was a predecessor of Stockfish.
Anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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OK. RIght. Long-time world number one by a huge margin, with far and away the best major tournament performances (and world champion) is NOT the best player.
Anon
1 week 11 hours ago
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Well, does anyone remember the times when "long-time" was measured in decades?
You may ask Mr. Kasparov how long he was #1...
Mountebank
1 week 9 hours ago
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I assume you mean when he was 23 years old?
Anon
6 days 22 hours ago
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No, absolutely not. This is completely irrelevant. Of course Carlsen became earlier #1 than Kasparov. But most kids today become earlier GM than back in the times. What matters is, that today you shoot a "best of all times" easily from the hip after comparably ridiculous short times. Yes, Carlsen is almost 3 years #1 now. But still, let's see how it continues. Will he be top2 for 22 years? top1 for 19 years?
anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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A capital "A" clearly does not represent "Aptitude for detecting irony"
Anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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and irony not visible to anyone but the one claiming it just doesn't work :-)
anonymous
1 week 16 hours ago
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"the app is not really Magnus but a weak version of Houdini and should state that in bold block capitals stamped on the board."
Does that look like a serious statement to you? (facepalm)
nakafan
1 week 16 hours ago
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although i generally root for carlsen, his comments leave me w the impression tht he does in fact feel some fear of naka. only someone who feels somewhat threatened would be so explicit in his slights against naka, now and many before like their last event where he made sure to add that naka doesnt get many chances to win against him. when a man is confident he is the better man he is usually speaks respectfully of his challengers and peers. nonetheless i respect that carlsen is brave and strong enough to back his talk.
naka may not have beaten him yet but in their last four encounters he posed magnus serious problems and carlsen had to defend which he is un used to. naka has beaten anand and kramnik and i think both he and magnus know the time is coming soon where naka will start to even their score.
Anonymous
1 week 15 hours ago
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"even their score"
That's a long long way from the opening bit of your sentence. Also, it is more logical to believe the answer about Naka is imposed by a question instead of some illusional fear.
But OK, feed your little hopes.
NotthefakeDirk
1 week 13 hours ago
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I am in agreement. There is no ignoring their record but if you look at the games themselves, nakamura has been poking and prodding carlsen, turning the cube and applying various algorithms if you will, searching and finding some areas that can be exploited. Any objective person will admit that Nakamura blew Carlsen off the board in zurich and if not for basically finding the only way to lose at move 36, would have finally gotten his prize. It is only a matter of time for him. That being said Carlsen is still the stronger player and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I would sacrifice a small goat to see them play a match though.Perhaps in the next 5-10 years we will get our wish.
Anonymous
1 week 8 hours ago
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Make it a medium goat at least.
Vitecasse
6 days 23 hours ago
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Nice one! Meeeeehhhh!
Anonymous
3 days 22 hours ago
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NotthefakeDirk shut up you pathetic cunt.
Klapaucius
5 days 20 hours ago
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As a member on Reddit, I read these questions and answers there. Anyone actually wanting to understand what was going on should do the same, to get the "joking" atmosphere. Many of his answers were jokes, and I was actually thinking afterwards how this would be perceived "outside".
For example, would chessvibers get the "raisins" joke? Probably. Any others, for example the Naka joke? Obviously not. Oh well...
Klapaucius
5 days 19 hours ago
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I`ll add that during the conversation someone pointed out that Carlsen quickly received one downvote on all his answers, which spawned a secondary discussion about the identity of the downvoter. Someone immediately pointed out that Nakamura is an active member on Reddit, so maybe...;)
Niima
1 week 14 hours ago
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As usual Carlsen is relaxed with interesting comments and insights. I do not remember previous world champions commenting like this about the qualification games. It is refreshing.
Henk de Jager
1 week 14 hours ago
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Which Anand-Kamsky game does he refer to? They played two matches in 1994, one for the PCA title (won by Anand), and one for the FIDE title, won by Kamsky, spanning 18 games in total. So, which of these games is Carlsen's favourite?
Dirk
1 week 14 hours ago
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-kpkDvGNgk
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