Magnus Carlsen Biography

Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess player who became World Champion in November of 2013, just days shy of his 23rd birthday. Largely self-taught, Carlsen began playing competitive chess in 2000, and by 2004 he was a 13 year-old Grandmaster, the youngest at the time. He quit school to play chess and, a month after his 19th birthday, Carlsen was ranked number one in the world — the youngest ever. Known for a casual style, Carlsen seems to rely on intuition and an incredible memory, rather than a disciplined study of computer chess games. He’s also a minor celebrity outside the world of chess, thanks to endorsement deals that include a line of fashion. In November of 2013, just before his 23rd birthday, Carlsen defeated India’s Viswanathan Anand to become World Champion.