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Play Magnus in partnership with Die Zeit, the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski and ChessBase present a live simultaneous exhibition by World Champion Magnus Carlsen against twelve lucky amateur players.
This will be a clock simul, meaning each player has just 30 minutes for the entire game as does Magnus — 30 minutes to complete all ten games!
Live commentary by IM Lawrence Trent
Master Class Vol.8: Magnus Carlsen
Scarcely any world champion has managed to captivate chess lovers to the extent Carlsen has. The enormously talented Norwegian hasn't been systematically trained within the structures of a major chess-playing nation such as Russia, the Ukraine or China.
The event will take place in a hall with 300 spectators and will feature live commentary on the simul games by IM Lawrence Trent. On Wednesday, Magnus visited the ChessBase offices along with most of the players in the simul, who received some tips and opening advice from GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Trent.
Magnus Carlsen and Lawrence Trent in ChessBase HQ | Photo: Pascal Simon
The Hotel Atlantic Kempinski is a luxury five star hotel originally opened in 1909. Located near the banks of the Alster lake, the hotel provided the setting for parts of the 1997 James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.
Magnus' opponents come from as far away as Malaysia, and range in age from 9 to 37 years old:
I started to play chess when I was 6 years old. My grandfather introduced me to the game of chess. I used to play with my dad as well. Later on, when I was 7, I attended chess lessons at the Children ́s Club. I used to play in various competitions for school children and which is where I was chosen by a teacher who led me to my first Championship of Slovakia in 2014 when I was 11. Since then I regularly attend the Youth Championship of Slovakia. I have been a member of the chess club SLAVIA UPJS Košice for the past 5 years and have played in a Slovak Chess league for 5 years. I have a 12-year-old sister called Lenka, and a 7-year-old brother, Tomas. We live in the suburb of Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia. I also admire Garry Kasparov, and have collected all the books he has written about chess.
My name is Quirine Naber and I’m 19 years old from The Netherlands. I’m currently studying construction engineering at the HAN University of Applied Sciences.
I’ve been playing chess since I was 5 years old. My two brothers played at a chess club. My mother wanted to go grocery shopping with me and my sister, so the plan was to drop my brothers at the chess club on the way to the supermarket. However, my sister and I became very curious about the chess club and went inside with my brothers. Unfortunately for my mother she had to do the grocery shopping on her own, since we both stayed at the club with my brothers.
Although I was introduced to chess at a very young age, I only played it for fun once a week at the chess club. I play the Dutch Youth Championships Girls every year, and at the age of 9 I was Dutch Rapid Champion of my age category. It was only one year ago, when I played in the amateurs group of Tata Steel Chess nine round events, that I became very motivated to become better at chess. I downloaded the Play Magnus app and played every day. I also played a lot online to improve my chess.
I am from Austria, 32 years of age, and a psychology student finishing my Master's degree at the University of Innsbruck. I am also mother to a 22 month old little girl. I volunteer at a crisis hotline for the Red Cross and work part time as an accountant at an advertising company.
My story with chess is a funny one. I learned how to play when I was 11. The problem was, I learned from a friend and she got some of the rules mixed up and so for years and years I thought this was how you play chess. One fateful day I was challenged by an adult and realised I got it all wrong and was so embarrassed that I let chess go for a very long time. Also, I had nobody who would teach me the right way and we didn't have any internet when I was younger. My family owns a farm and so my parents and siblings are not too into intellectual stuff anyway. And so the years went on and I was still interested but was somewhat resigned to the fact that I might never learn and had nobody to play against. Until I got my smartphone last year and oh wow! I suddenly realised that there were all these possibilities such as internet tutorials, chess sites, apps, youtube videos, books and more! It was as if a whole new world opened up for me that I hadn’t previously realised existed and so I downloaded some apps and started playing. I liked the Play Magnus App the best and soon got addicted to it. I also got the motivation to become a better player, and began to purchase some books on chess fundamentals. I have learned a lot this past year. When I started I could barely beat Magnus 6 years and now Magnus 8 years is not so scary anymore. It's not much but it means a lot to me. So to round up, I love chess, I love everything about it and I am sorry that it took me so long to find it.
I'm 28 years old, and was born in Malaysia. I'm currently working in Singapore as a project and validation engineer in the pharmaceutical industry.
Chess is something I have enjoyed since I was young and I have been playing competitively (national and state level) in Malaysia since I was a child before I moved to Singapore for my studies. Since then, I have started drifting off from playing chess competitively but only for leisure due to other commitments, more so now when my job is getting more challenging.
During my free time, I enjoy following top grandmasters playing and competing in high stakes tournaments and I take pleasure in seeing how top grandmasters like Magnus out play equally skillful grandmasters from an equal position, which is something unfathomable to me.Never would I imagine getting an opportunity to play the world champion especially when I only touched the Play Magnus app for leisure when I have the time (just to make myself sharp once in a while before my weekly sparring with kids in Singapore)
Truly, chess is something I really enjoy doing. I truly look forward to play against Magnus even though I know my chances to win are slim. It would be a great once in a lifetime experience.
I’m a 33 year old man from Norway. I’m a member of the Norwegian parliament and I got reelection after the election this fall. I’m the leader of the Standing committee on Labour and Social Affairs. I’m represent the Progress Party and my party has been in the government since 2013 together with the Conservative party.
When I’m not at work I love to travel around the world. And I spend most of my time on plain with playing Play Magnus, that’s the best way to relax.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov prepares some of the players to face Magnus | Photo: Nadja Wittmann
My name is Arthur Andre Soedermann and I was born in 1983 in Bergen, the second biggest city in Norway. I live in Bergen with my wife and our two kids, Mille Marie and Isak Arthur. I work as an engineer in Aker Solutions outside of Bergen. In my spare time, the thing enjoy the most is spending time with my family, being active with my kids, playing with them, teaching them about life and seeing them smile. I am one of the coaches on both there football teams. I like to try and stay active myself and love football and long distance running. To my wife’s annoyance I’m a big sports idiot. I try moderate myself, but the TV somehow seems always end up showing sport if I’m the one with the remote.
I was introduced to chess as a young boy by my father, we used play different games together during the weekends, chess was one of them. I was actually part of a chess club for a short period. But the interest for other sports took over and chess was left behind. Now a days I like watch Magnus when his games are shown on TV and I’m a big fan. My own playing is restricted to playing on the Magnus Carlsen app and with my children, trying to get them intrigued by the game. I find it relaxing to play a game of chess, even though my competitiveness is very big and I hate to lose. It’s going to be an honour to meet and play against the greatest chess player in the world, something that’s definitely going to boost the interest of chess with the kids.
Nikolai Nitsche is almost 9 years old and rated 1538. He is the Under Eight German Champion and finished 6th in the last Under Ten Championship. He is trained by his older brother Raphael, a very successful software expert, and by GMs Michael Richter and Arthur Jussupow. His father Thomas wrote the first and most successful German chess computer program, Mephisto.
Jakob Weihrauch is 12 and rated 2050. He just played a fantastic tournament in Hoogeveen. He was also part of the German delegation for the European Youth Championship and plays for the Hamburger Chess Club HSK.
Arthur Krüger is 10 years old and rated around 1200. An avid chess player, he looks forward to his next game: against the World Chess Champion.
I’m 17 years old and play chess since I’m 12. Chess is my hobby and already the most important part in my life. Every free second I think about and play chess. My goal is to become a grandmaster as soon as possible (latest within the next 4 years). My biggest dream and vision is to become the world chess champion sometimes. At the moment I looking after some possibilities to get a very good teacher, grandmaster or coach so that my development get’s a bit faster. Parallel to my school time at the moment I’m teaching chess for children between 7-10 years old as 1:1 teaching.
Simul players entertained in the ChessBase offices | Photo: Nadja Wittmann
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