How Carlsen thinks: an interview

by Johannes Fischer
6/19/2019 – On May 22, 2019, before the Lindores Abbey Tournament and Norway Chess, Energi Danmark invited Magnus Carlsen to come to Copenhagen, Denmark, to play a two-game exhibition match against 14-year old Danish IM Jonas Suhl Bjerre and a simul against 24 opponents. Carlsen won the match 2-0 and the simul 24-0 but between simul and match he still found time for an interview in which he talked about his development, how he got better, strategy, planning, and the way he thinks. | Photo: Screenshot from the interview | Energi Danmark
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.

An interview with Magnus Carlsen

Throughout the interview with host Peter Lund Madsen the World Champion comes across as focused, articulate, and intent to share his views and thoughts on chess, motivation, learning, pattern recognition, memory, and a number of other topics.

Carlsen also gives insight into his thought and decision processes during games, showing surprising skepticism towards traditional ideas about planning and strategy.

The interview

The simul

In the simul Carlsen did not have much trouble and won all 24 games.

 
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1.e41,184,21554%2421---
1.d4958,93255%2434---
1.Nf3286,32756%2441---
1.c4184,72256%2443---
1.g319,88456%2427---
1.b314,59854%2428---
1.f45,95348%2377---
1.Nc33,90650%2384---
1.b41,79048%2378---
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1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
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1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
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The match against Jonas Suhl Bjerre

Jonas Suhl Bjerre was born June 26, 2004, is an International Master and Denmark's greatest talent. In 2017 he won the European Junior Championship U14 and he currently (June 2019) has a rating of 2503. With this rating he is number nine in Denmark and one of the world's best players of his age but in the match against Carlsen he was, of course, the underdog – like any other player on earth. Bjerre indeed lost the match 0-2 but played focused and made Carlsen fight.

Game 1

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.c3 d6 7.d4 Bd7 8.Re1 Nge7 9.d5 Nb8 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.c4 h6 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Rb1 f5 14.b4 Nf6 15.Nd2 c6 16.Bb2 Rc8 17.Qb3 cxd5 18.cxd5 b5 19.a4 Qb6 Black eyes the weakness on f2 and gets ready to seize the initiative. 20.axb5 axb5 21.Ra1 Better was 21.Rbd1 After the text-move White quickly collapses. 21...fxe4 22.Ndxe4 Nxe4 23.Nxe4 Rc4 Threatening White's pawn on d5 and threatening to win a piece with 24...Rxe4 - White cannot take the rook because he is mated after 25.Rxe4 Qxf2+ 26.Kh1 Qf1+ 27.Rxf1 Rxf1#. 24.Qg3 White panics and loses quickly. The engines recommend the cold-blooded defense 24.Kh1 with only a slight advantage for Black. 24...Rf4 25.Qd3 Rcxe4! An uncomplicated combination that gives Black a winning position. 26.Rxe4 Qxf2+ 27.Kh1 Qxb2 28.Rxf4 exf4 29.Re1 Nf5 30.Qxb5 Ne3 31.Qe2 Qxb4 32.Rc1 Qe4 33.Qf3 Qxf3 34.gxf3 Be5 35.Rc8+ Kf7 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Bjerre,J2494Carlsen,M28610–12019C76Energi Danmark Rapid1

Game 2

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,184,21554%2421---
1.d4958,93255%2434---
1.Nf3286,32756%2441---
1.c4184,72256%2443---
1.g319,88456%2427---
1.b314,59854%2428---
1.f45,95348%2377---
1.Nc33,90650%2384---
1.b41,79048%2378---
1.a31,25054%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.a4 Nf6 5.d3 g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Re1 Nc6 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Nc4 a6 10.Bxc6 Bxc6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Nfxe5 Rc8 13.Nxc6 Rxc6 14.a5 Nd5 15.Bd2 Re8 16.Qf3 e5 17.Re2 Rce6 18.Rae1 Qd7 19.g3 Qc6 20.Qg2 h6 21.h3 Kh7 22.Kh2 Qd7 23.Kg1 Carlsen's last moves seem to indicate that he was looking for a plan how to put Black under pressure. Qc6 24.Bc3 After a few waiting moves White gets active and invites Black to an endgame knight vs bishop. Nxc3?! 24...f6 keeps more options open - White still has to show how he wants to win. 25.bxc3 Qxg2+ 26.Kxg2 e4 27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.dxe4 Bxc3 29.Re3 Bd4 30.Re2 Kg7 31.f4 Bc3 32.Kf3 Rd8 33.Re3 Black is suddenly in trouble: his pawn on b7 is weak and White's pawn majority in the center can become nasty. Bf6 34.e5 Be7 35.Rb3 Rd4 36.Ne3 Rd7 37.c3 Bd8 38.Nc4 Kf8 39.Ke4 Ke7 40.g4 f6 41.Nb6 Bxb6 42.Rxb6 fxe5 43.Rxg6 exf4 44.Rg7+ Ke6 45.Rxd7 Kxd7 46.h4 b5 47.axb6 a5 48.b7 Kc7 49.b8Q+ Kxb8 50.g5 hxg5 51.hxg5 a4 52.g6 a3 53.g7 a2 54.g8Q+ 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2861Bjerre,J24941–02019B52Energi Danmark Rapid2

Energi Denmark...

Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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