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Chess genius Carlsen in crisis after fourth loss

Norwegian chess champion Magnus Carlsen is facing the first serious crisis in his career, after losing no fewer than four matches at the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger.

Chess genius Carlsen in crisis after fourth loss
Magnus Carlsen plays against Jon Ludwig Hammer at Scandic Hotel Forus. Photo: Carina Johansen/NTB scanpix
After losing his final match on Thursday, Carlsen pushed away a microphone shoved in his face by a reporter for Norway’s state broadcaster NRK
 
“You can imagine,” the 24-year-old former prodigy answered curtly when the reporter asked him how he was feeling. “It is not very good.” 
 
The final loss, to fellow Norwegian Jon Ludvig Hammer, historically a weaker player, ends a disastrous tournament which has seen the world chess champion undergo a sudden and surprising loss of form.
 
During the Norway Chess 2015 tournament, Carlsen has been vanquished by both Italian-American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, the Bulgarian Veselin Topalov, and his old rival India's Anand Viswanathan, sending the once unassailable genius tumbling down the chess rankings. 
 
“It’s just the same frustration as in previous matches,” Carlsen told TV2 after his defeat by Hammer. “I see nothing. I ignore tactical stuff all the time. Several times I move, and I see immediately afterwards that it is bad and that it has consequences.” 
 
“The best thing for Carlsen now would be to just go on holiday and not attempt an immediate comeback,” Yasser Seirawan, the US chess grandmaster told NRK. “He should just relax completely.” 
 
Carlsen’s manager Espen Agdestein said that the press should be respect Carlsen's need for space.  
 
“First and foremost, I would say that Magnus has been incredibly good in giving time for the media throughout the tournament. Sometimes he has to say ‘stop’, and we should respect that,” he told NRK. 
 
Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess 2015 tournament, held in Stavanger, with a draw against India’s Viswanathan Anand who in 2013 and 2014 challenged Carlsen for the title of World Champion. 
 
Carlsen in 2004 became the second youngest chess grandmaster in history, at just 13 years old. 
 
According to 2700Chess, a live rankings site, Carlsen’s lead in the rankings on his old rival Anand has now shrunk to just 37 points, after he dropped 22.7 points over the tournament. 
 
Carlsen’s rating peaked in May 2014 with 2882 points. 
 
 
 

CHESS

Spanish chessboard maker sees surge in demand thanks to The Queen’s Gambit

Barcelona-based Rechapados Ferrer has been inundated with orders since supplying products to the Netflix series.

Spanish chessboard maker sees surge in demand thanks to The Queen's Gambit
Rechapados Ferrer is the latest firm to find itself impacted by a renewed interest in Chess. Photo: AFP

The company, founded in the 1950s, usually produces only about 20,000 chessboards a year from its factory in La Garriga, near Barcelona.

But since supplying its products to the successful Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, it has received a wave of orders in the past months.

The mini series, an adaptation of a novel by Walter Tevis, has fuelled interest in the game of chess. Since it debuted last autumn, Rechapados Ferrer has received orders for 40,000 boards.

READ ALSO: French series 'Lupin' tops 'Queen's Gambit' views on Netflix

“When the Netflix series came out, it all just went crazy and drove sales of chessboards through the roof,” David Ferrer, who runs the family business, told The Guardian.

It's not the only company to have seen a surge in demand. Ebay also noted a 215% rise in sales of chess boards and accessories since October.

In February last year, the Spanish crisp-maker Bonilla saw a huge increase in online sales after its distinctive tins were featured in Oscar-winning film 'Parasite'.

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