ChessBase is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it.
The prize is given every year to “a person or institution that has achieved distinction in society.” The recipient has been deemed to have distinguished him- or herself within Norway and also to have improved Norway’s international reputation. Carlsen has certainly qualified in both categories. As a chess prodigy he started putting Norway on the international chess map as a child, and last year, at the age of 19, he became the youngest person ever to top the world chess rankings. He became a chess Grand Master at the age of 13.
