Repeatedly, Norwegian TV viewers have seen Magnus Carlsen ache and squirm over the chessboard. An unstated mine, pens being thrown and obscenities being shouted have almost become a trademark for the world leader. But in the World Championship in blitz and rapid chess broadcast by news in Space Christmas, the facts could prove costly for Carlsen. Chess expert Sheila Barth Stanford thinks so. – If he shows these feelings, he also knows these feelings. There is no time for that in lightning and rapid chess. He didn’t have time to get back in, explains Stanford. She calls the facts Carlsen’s Achilles heel. – He reveals a lot about his position and how he feels. Chess players must be able to hide their feelings, and not being on top mentally can give the opponent a notch more confidence, says Stanford. RICH OF EMOTION: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: – / AFP EMOTIONAL: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: ARUN SANKAR / AFP EMOTIONAL: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: ARUN SANKAR / AFP EMOTIONAL: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: OLAF KRAAK / AFP EMOTIONAL: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP EMOTIONAL: Magnus Carlsen often shows emotion at the chessboard. Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP – Can easily become a victim news’s chess expert Torstein Bae thinks it’s funny that the players show real feelings, but points out that Carlsen must also win the psychological game if he is to go all the way to the top in the WC. – What is absolutely fundamental in space Christmas if you go on a spree, is that you have to come back. When he shows feelings, the others get more confidence in taking the rat out of him. Then there is a point in the psychological game that he is able to show that he is in control, says Bae. In the run-up to the championships in Space Christmas, Carlsen delivered uneven results and was not at his best. – An uneven player who shows how they feel can easily become a victim. We should take him, the opponents think, says Stanford. During the Blitz and Rapid Chess World Cup in 2019, opponent Alireza Firouzja filed a complaint after he thought Carlsen was disturbing him during the game: The chess experts think it is interesting to see the development from before and after the corona pandemic. During the corona period, there was a free release for feelings and reactions when chess ended up online. Stanford believes he is now seeing more players showing signs. – Online they let themselves loose more, because there they are invisible to each other. As a young person, you are taught not to show feelings online. It’s almost as if they’ve forgotten it. I think Carlsen has more expressions now than before, she says. – Nothing poker face Bae points out that many people think there is a different culture online. – Those who comment and stream that they are playing chess exaggerate when something happens and leave the chair in fright, etc. In the absence of anything else, one has to take the moves longer, and maybe that means that we now see more facial expressions, speculates Bae. During the World Blitz Chess Championship in 2015, Carlsen was so angry that he swore and punched the air after losing three of the last games: Magnus Carlsen was in good shape in the Blitz World Championship before day 2, but a series of losses and draws made it difficult for the Norwegian. In a session on chess.com on Wednesday evening, Carlsen talked about the differences between online chess and chess over the board. – I feel that I play better rapid chess online. Most likely it is because I am more used to it. There are two different ways to play, said Carlsen, and pointed out: – But in the long run, I’m not sure if it has that much to say. Bae noticed that statement. – What makes it so? He is no poker face, but I can only speculate as to the reason. It may have something to do with playing face to face that makes him play better online, says the news expert. news has been in contact with Carlsen’s father and manager, Henrik Carlsen, but he did not want to comment on the matter. You can watch the WC in blitz and rapid chess on news between 26 and 30 December.
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Predicts that Carlsen’s trademark can cause World Cup trouble
