As long as you are young...
The first game of Magnus Carlsen in the Mega Database, which means the first game that reached the rest of the world, was played by the then nine-year-old Norwegian against a German FM. As luck would have it, I recently had a chat with that FM — Ingo Cordts — on the train from Darmstadt to Cologne and heard the story behind this special game, played in Bad Wiessee in Bavaria almost twenty years ago.
In the year 2000, the Norwegians arrived as a team around their trainer GM Simen Agdestein. Among them was a little Norwegian boy and his father. Magnus Carlsen won in his first international appearance in round one and in the second round came up against an experienced player from Germany. It was October 29, 2000, to be precise, and Ingo Cordts recalls that, at the time, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Since his opponent was a small child, he remembers he did not act very aggressively. After his seventh move, however, it was already clear that he was playing against a serious opponent.

A chat on the train...

...with Ingo Cordts
Magnus' knight retreat to c3 was the sign of a player with more than rudimentary opening knowledge. In fact, an interesting fight began over Carlsen's d5-pawn, which Cordts had sacrificed. Magnus spent a lot of time in the opening and after a rollicking back and forth tussle, the nine-year-old Carlsen lost the overview and neglected his weakened king position.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 5.Nb3 d5 6.cxd5 Qxd5 7.Qxd5 Nxd5 8.e4 Nb4 9.Na3 a6 10.Be3 N8c6 11.Be2 Be6 12.0-0 Be7 13.Bc4 Bxc4 14.Nxc4 Nc2 15.Rad1 Nxe3 16.Nxe3 Rd8 17.Rxd8+ Nxd8 18.Rd1 Nc6 5.Nc2 d5 6.cxd5 Qxd5 7.Qxd5 Nxd5 8.e4 Nb4 5...d5!? 5...Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 0-0 8.N1c3 Na6 9.g3 Nc5 10.Bg2 a6 11.Nd6 Qa5 12.0-0 Rb8 13.Rfd1 b5 14.cxb5 axb5 15.Qg5 Na4 16.Nf5 Ne8 17.Nh6+ Kh8 18.Qe7 6.cxd5 Bc5 6...Qa5+ 7.N5c3 b5 8.Nd2 b4 9.Nb3 Qd8 10.Nb1 Qxd5 11.Qxd5 Nxd5 12.e4 Nc7 7.N5c3 0-0 8.e3 8.g3 Qb6 8...Re8 9.e3 Bg4 10.Be2 Bh3!? 11.Rg1 11.g4 8.a3 a5 9.e3 e4 10.Nd2 Qe7 11.d6 Bxd6 12.Ndxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Rd8 14.Nxd6 Rxd6 15.Qc2 Nc6 16.Bd3?! 16.Be2 16...Nd4 17.Bxh7+ Kf8 18.Qe4 Nb3 19.Qxe7+ Kxe7 8...e4 9.h3 9.Nd2 Bf5 10.Nb3 Bd6 11.Be2 a6 12.Nd4 Bg6 13.g4 h6 14.h4 Nbd7 15.Bd2 Ne5 9.a3 Re8 10.Nd2 Bf5 11.b4 Bf8 12.Nc4 Nbd7 13.Bb2 Nb6 14.Nxb6 Qxb6 15.Be2 a5 16.b5 Rad8 17.0-0 Nd7 9.Be2 Qe7 10.Nd2 Rd8 11.a3 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Rxd5 13.Qc2 Bf5 14.b4 Bb6 15.Bb2 Nc6 16.0-0 Qg5 17.Kh1 17.Nc4 Bc7 18.Rad1 Rad8 19.Rxd5 Rxd5 20.Rd1 17...Rd6 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 18...Qg6∞ 19.Qxe4 Rd2 20.b5?! 20.Ba6! 9...Re8 10.g4?!N Re5?! 11.Bc4 11.a3!? Nxd5? 12.Bc4 Be6 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.Nc3+- 11...Nbd7 12.Qb3?! 12.b3!? 12...Ne8 12...Nb6 13.Nd2 Nfxd5 14.Nxd5 Nxc4 15.Qxc4 Rxd5 16.0-0 16.Qxe4 f5!? 16...f5!? 13.Nd2 Nd6 14.Be2 Qh4 14...b5!? 15.a3 15.Nxb5 Rb8 15...Qh4 15.Nc4 Nxc4 15...b5!? 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qxc4 b5 16...a6!? 17.b4 17.Nxe4 b5= 17...b5 17.Qxb5 Rb8 18.Qa4 18.Qc6 18...Nf6 18...f5!? 19.Qc6 Nd7 19...Bb6 20.Qd6 Nd7 21.Bd2 Bc5 22.Qc6 Qd8 20.d6 20.a3 20...Re6! 21.Nxe4? 21.Nb5 21...Bb7 22.Qxd7 Bxe4 23.Rh2 23.Rg1 Bb4+ 24.Kf1 Qxh3+ 23...Bxd6 24.Bc4 Rd8 25.Qxa7 Bxh2 26.Bxe6 fxe6 27.Qa6 Bf3 28.Bd2 Qxh3 29.Qxe6+ Kh8 30.Qe7 Bc7! 0–1
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Carlsen,M | - | Cordts,I | 2222 | 0–1 | 2000 | A31 | Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 4th | 2 |
Carlsen,M | - | Cordts,I | 2222 | 0–1 | 2000 | A31 | Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 4th | 2 |
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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.
Of course, Ingo follows the career of the World Champion with interest and can only praise the chess star from Norway ("a fair sportsman"). Magnus has given a lot to the chess world, says Cordts. He also hopes that he does not stop prematurely, as his sister Ellen once suggested in an interview that he might. In 2000, Magnus ultimately scored fifty percent in Bad Wiessee after winning the final round. Cordts came in a half point better at 5 out of 9.

The game score of Magnus Carlsen