Carlsen: 'This victory is a milestone for my career'
05.08.2007 – The first time he played in Biel he came in sixth. "I will never finish last againe here," the 14-year-old vowed. Last year he was second, and promised to come back for victory. Which is exactly what Magnus Carlsen delivered last week, winning his first high-level category 18 tournament. A few hours before his departure he gave Olivier Breisacher this informative interview.
This victory is a milestone for my career. Biel is a perfect fit for me.
Magnus Carlsen finishes ahead of Alexander Onischuk (left) and Jannick
Pelletier (right)
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Interview with Magnus Carlsen by Olivier Breisacher
Magnus Carlsen played his first high-level grandmaster tournament in Biel
in 2005 (category 16). He was 14 years old, he finished sixth. As he was leaving
Biel, he said, “I will never finish last again here.” In 2006, he
climbed to second place, adding, “If I come back in 2007, it has to be
for a victory.” Carlsen has just accomplished what he had predicted: on
August 2, he won his first high-level tournament, in the 18 category. A
few hours after his tiebreaker victory over Alexander Onischuk and before flying
home to Norway, the youngest victor in the history of the Biel Grandmaster tournament
talked about his Swiss itinerary and other current events.
Olivier Breisacher: Magnus Carlsen, what does this
victory mean to you?
Magnus Carlsen: I won this tournament in category 18, which
is the most important success in my career. I will remember it as a special
moment. I finished second at the Morelia/Linares tournament last March, but
a first place is something else.
Biel seems to be a good fit for you.
Yes, I feel good here. The playing conditions are good, and so is the atmosphere.
I also like the fact that the tournament takes place in the same hall as the
Opens.
You won after five tie-break games against Alexander Onischuk, with
a final “Armageddon” blitz that was favorable to you. What do
you think of the “tie-break” to decide between winners who have
equal points, rather than relying on “Sonnenborn-Berger”?
Tiebreak game Alexander Onischuk vs Magnus Carlsen
It is a very interesting idea that could be replicated in other places. Of
course, weariness can be a decisive factor. However, it gives a clear winner
in a tournament and that is very important. Chance plays a lesser role than
with the Sonnenborn-Berger point system.
Magnus won the tiebreak in the final Armageddon blitz
In this tournament, you were in the lead for a long time.
I was lucky against Motylev, and I played well against
Onischuk. With 4.5 points in 6 games, I was almost certain of winning the
tournament.
You unexpectedly lost twice, against Yannick Pelletier and Loek van Wely.
Two disastrous games! I do not want to remember all the miscalculations I made.
Later, I even wondered how I could have played so badly. Against
Pelletier, it was not a bad idea to sacrifice with 16.Bxh7. But with my
move on 21.Ne4 I made a deadly mistake.
What about your best games?
It is difficult to choose between my victories against Onischuk or Radjabov.
It was the first time I beat
Radjabov in classical games, after four draws, including two in Biel last
year. Every time, it felt as if my position was at least as good as his. This
time it worked.
Since your last visit to Biel in 2006, you have been invited to the most
prestigious tournaments in the international circuit.
I have been through ups and downs, but I also noticed that I could resist
quite well against top players, if not as well as them. I still need to gain
stability and improve my opening repertoire, which is not as good as what my
direct opponents can produce. It will come with time. However, I am very satisfied
with my results.
Last June, at the Elista tournament in Russia, you were the youngest
competitor in history for a world title. You failed of becoming the youngest
finalist of a world championship tournament.
I am not too disappointed. I had nothing to lose against Levon Aronian. In
any case, I will have other opportunities in my career. Needless to say, I am
thinking of the world title, but I will be better prepared in a few years to
reach this goal.
What is your plan?
I will enjoy my vacation for a while, and then I will go back to school. Later,
I will participate in the European Club Cup (with Baden-Baden), a blindfold
chess tournament in Bilbao, the Tal Memorial in Moscow, and the World Cup in
Khanty-Mansiysk.
Magnus with his two colleagues in Biel
You took part in the Biel Festival without the presence of the your father.
Two friends who were part of the Open accompanied you. It seemed to have worked
well.
Last year at the Olympiads, my father was not present either. Everything went
well in Biel. I had his moral support anyway.
How do you handle being a celebrity at 16?
It is not very important to me. Actually, I do not understand why some people
absolutely want to know me, just because I am well known. I had a few problems
with that when I became a grandmaster at 13. It is a little easier now. In any
case, chess is not very popular in Norway. I take the bus to school every day,
and someone recognizes me only every couple of weeks.
How is school going, in spite of your long absences for chess competitions?
Magnus with his friend and colleague Anders Hagen
Anders was playing in the Open
It is going well. I am in a special curriculum for young athletes of my region.
Given the fact that so many disciplines are represented, we almost never attend
classes together.
Do you plan to attend university later?
My parents would like me to, but I am not sure. I would like to dedicate myself
to chess.
You never took classes in a chess school. According to many experts,
this is a disadvantage.
I do not think so. In a chess school, you have to study chess, even if you
do not want to. For me, chess was always spontaneous; I have always felt the
need to work on my own, which is much more valuable to me. I have learned a
lot by myself, nobody has ever forced me. I studied with books, then with a
computer. I was also trained by Simen Adgestein.
Your fees and prizes are going up in tournaments. What is your relationship
to money?
To be honest, I do not know what to do with it. A company has been created
for practical reasons. I am not a spender; I do not have big needs. I do not
go shopping to buy clothes, and my cell phone bills are ridiculously low, as
opposed to my friends.
What kind of teenager are you?
I am quiet. I can be ironic and self-derisive.
Do you dream of chess in your sleep?
Rarely. When I do, however, nightmares wake me up with a jolt. I see myself
make a stupid mistake, or I see my opponents cheat so that they can beat me!
Biel, August 3rd 2007. © Biel International Chess
Festival.
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