Master Class Vol.8 - Magnus Carlsen 2nd Edition
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
A typical representative of people born between 22 November and 21 December knows that justice is on his side. When he attacks, he comes out on top. The claim of radiantly clean morality flutters around him like a cape. (And even if he is completely on the wrong track).
Jan Timman was not afraid to play on the attack more often than not, even if it meant losing the game
The symbolic image of Sagittarius is a centaur — horse below, man above — with bow and arrow readily available. Sagittarius is therefore, in a sense, a most natural being, from which it follows:
If one of the twelve signs in the zodiac invented fair play, it was him. A true Sagittarius is athletic and chess is, after all, also a sport. He does not lack ambition (everything that has to do with honour is his), he likes to win — but not at any price! The term fair play was definitely invented by a shooter.
To stay with the concept of honour, a real Sagittarius man is not too quick to give his word of honour, for that is sacred to him. If he does, however, he will keep it under all circumstances. It is the same with honesty. No one is likely to say that he finds it amusing to be lied to, and that he himself is not so fussy about the truth. And yet, no one is as disgusted by lies or cheating as a Sagittarius. What he can do least of all is playing poker.
The best chess player in the world is Sagittarius — Magnus Carlsen is a magnificent chess player, has a huge fan base, and is brutally strong in almost every variation of chess | Photo: Lennart Ootes
That perhaps explains why the world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, *30 November, who has reigned for almost ten years, has such a huge problem with potential cheating — even when he only thinks he senses it, and perhaps cannot prove it. That kind of thing makes him completely frenzied.
Three of the acknowledged fastest chess heroes were born under this sign:
The American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, *9 December, is listed on chess servers as one of the world’s best bullet players.
Hikaru Nakamura is not only one of the best classical chess players in the world — in blitz chess there is virtually no one who can hold a candle to him | Photo: Lennart Ootes
His compatriot, Grandmaster Andrew Tang, *29 November, also moves his pieces so hastily that his opponent’s hair flies. Tang also likes to whiz around the board blindfolded in Bullet, Hyperbullet and Ultrabullet. One would like to know what his brain looks like when he is processing information that fast.
US grandmaster Andrew Tang is feared as a bullet chess (one-minute thinking time) specialist. His intuition, but also his reflexes, are inhumanly fast.
Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, *11 December, World Rapid Chess Champion 2017, is known in his homeland as the “Lightning Kid” because of the awe-inspiring speed with which he observes, thinks, plans and executes. This is considered his speciality, and he has entire winning streaks in rapid chess tournaments to his name.
Vishy Anand was known for playing classical chess as fast as if it were rapid chess | Photo: Lennart Ootes
And of course they’re probably all still surpassed by Magnus Carlsen, who we know played faster than his shadow in blitz tournaments even as a young boy.
A typical Sagittarius is simply not satisfied with winning by hook or crook. He makes sure that his opponent stays alive. A little bit at least. He plays level-headedly and concentrated, and although he naturally wants to win, beating opponents is not all he wants like Aries or Scorpio, for example. That is because in some corner of his consciousness he still knows: this is sport, not war.
If a real Sagittarius is fighting with his rapier and his opponent drops his weapon, he would push it towards him with his foot and then continue fighting — instead of simply massacring him. Chivalrous and fair.
In 2011, FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimzhanov wrote an open letter to FIDE suggesting how the high draw rate could be eliminated. By now, the system he proposed has become almost unthinkable. Is it unfair to force a result? Is it fair to counteract the draw? | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Transferred to chess, you can sometimes see a Sagittarius chess opponent acknowledge with a saddened eyebrow shrug when his opponent is about to make a stupid move. He would inevitably win afterwards, and yet such a thing goes against his grain. Sporting and fair. (Although, unfortunately, one can hardly expect the chess elite to give up a targeted title for such reasons...).
But wait a minute! Both Hikaru Nakamura (whom they call 'H-Bomb' in English-speaking chess circles because of his uncompromising attacking style) and Andrew Tang are inclined to murderous attacks, which is not typical for Sagittarius. Astrologically, I would rather explain this wild fighting frenzy by the fact that both Nakamura and Tang have Jupiter, ruler of their sign, in Aries in their personal horoscope.
So what is the best way to play against a brilliant Sagittarius? The answer is simple: honestly and sincerely.
The mega-fast Sagittarius are masters of blitz chess. Enclosed is a list of particularly nice blitz successes by Sagittarius chess players.
Several Sagittarius are successful FritzTrainers. Here are a few:
Simon Williams, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Karsten Mueller, Victor Bologan and Romain Édouard
