Why Magnus Carlsen Feels Like Quitting Classical Chess

Nothing looks more docile in high-level sports than chess players sitting across a board and yet, inside their own minds, they are severely competitive. Chess is entirely of the mind and therefore felt more intensely. The body is not involved beyond the moving of pieces and hence there is no outlet for the release of aggression. You had the rare occasion of a breach when Magnus Carlsen, considered the best player in the world in the classical format, banged the table after losing to D Gukesh, the world champion during a tournament in Norway.

Gukesh holds the crown because Carlsen stopped competing in the World Championship after remaining unbeaten for a decade. He just did not feel motivated to retain the title. After the loss to Gukesh, Carlsen said in an interview that maybe he should think of giving up classical chess entirely at a competitive level because it was no longer enjoyable. This, despite an entire litany of chess grandmasters still thinking he is the greatest of all times.

Much of it has to do with age. He was once asked whether he was past his peak. The answer was an insight into how chess champions evolve. Carlsen is 34 years old. He said that his brain would have peaked in his late teens but what makes up for the subsequent diminishment is experience, and when the scales balance out, the player becomes most adept even if there are better brains around. But then age eventually gets to a point where experience can do no more.

Gukesh, on the other hand, is at that age when Carlsen says the brain would be at its best. He lacks in experience but has not just the mind but also the ambition of youth. In the game against Carlsen, Gukesh was losing until the end but fought fought hard and got Carlsen to make a blunder that took the game away. A younger version of Carlsen would not have allowed such opportunities to Gukesh. Time sends its signals for when one has to call it a day.

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