Magnus Carlsen is impressed by the ‘chess revolution’ in India that has seen the emergence of a host of Grandmasters from the country with D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa two of their brightest stars.
Recently, 17-year-old Gukesh became the youngest Candidates Chess winner in history and was given a hero’s welcome after his arrival from Canada. Last year, Praggnanandhaa played out an epic FIDE World Cup final with Carlsen that stretched to three days forcing a tiebreak.
At the recent Rapid and Blitz tournament in Poland, the 33-year-old Carlsen, a five-time world champion, was the oldest player in a field also comprising three Indians.
For Carlsen though, it’s refreshing being the oldest player.
“I found it very refreshing to be the oldest player. I have been the second oldest player at tournaments before — maybe even the oldest one,” Carlsen told The Indian Express in an interview.
He feels that at the youth level, India is a dominant force.
“I know this is the future. I hope I will be (the oldest player in future events), because that will mean that I have continued to be good for a long time. As for the Indians, it’s happened for years now that I expect to face Indians in every super tournament there is. If you see at the youth levels, Indians are absolutely dominating. Also in terms of sheer numbers of youth players, there is no match. I’m thoroughly impressed by the chess revolution that has happened in India. All the kids that I am facing are great kids as well. I’m really happy for Indian chess and I will try and fight the kids as long as I can (smiles),” Carlsen said.
From facing the legendary Viswanathan Anand to competing with Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, Carlsen has tested himself against the best India has offered, and he feels that a majority of chess players from the country have ‘supreme calculation skills’.
“I feel like most of the Indian players have been taught in the same way in the sense that most players have supreme calculation skills,” he said. “First look at Anand, who has incredible knowledge about the game. But the first thing you noticed about him and the first thing you noticed about Gukesh in particular besides the other kids is (that they’re calculation based). The other kids who are coached by RB Ramesh are also very calculation-based. I’m not sure if other coaches in India are so calculation based, but I think that’s a key characteristic that combines the generations of Indian players that I have played.”
“What I do know is that the current generation of Indians is certainly the strongest and most dangerous. I mean this generation as a whole,” he added.
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