The Norwegian Chess Grand Master and Five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen turned 32 years old today! Magnus Carlsen has held the No. 1 position in the FIDE world chess rankings since 1 July 2011 and trails only Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at the elite level in classical chess.
The global chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, has a natural ability to put people at ease. Flight delays had caused me to arrive an hour late, but there he is at the top of his Oslo home’s steps, holding open the door and saying, “It’s all right, I understand.” Despite this, he is perhaps the best player in the game, surrounded by screaming fans wherever he goes and in such high commercial demand that his black cotton jacket serves as a walking advertisement.
A legal firm’s logo is on one breast, an investment bank’s logo is on another, an electrical company’s logo is on one arm, and a big Oslo newspaper’s logo is on the other – just some of the deals that make him around £1 million a year.
Magnus Carlsen’s home is an odd mix of styles. The substantial, gently sloping hardwood roof and well-supported eaves indicate a conventional Swiss-style chalet from a distance. Despite its massive concrete walls, the house was erected only 40 years ago by a Norwegian entrepreneur in the concrete sector. It is located in Holmenkollen, west of Oslo, and overlooks the less opulent east.
He appears to be unaware of his surroundings as he walks down the hall. He’s just led me to the sitting/dining room. The walls are beige in colour. We’re sitting on a bright red sofa, with two empty picture hooks behind us. When I inquire about the colour clash and whether an artwork has gone missing, he glances around the room as if he is seeing it for the first time. “I bought this house a year ago, and the majority of what you see was left behind by the previous owner,” explains Magnus Carlsen.
The view of the Nordmarka, with Bogstadvannet lake on one side and the Oslofjord, which connects to the sea on the other, drew Magnus Carlsen in. Oslo’s famous ski-jumping slope and the national cross-country biathlon arena are also a short drive away. Carlsen doesn’t fly often. As a Real Madrid supporter, his favourite pastime when not moving chess pieces is football with friends. And, while he still has a flat in the city centre, this is his home. It has six bedrooms, so it can accommodate both his parents and his three sisters.
Carlsen’s father had in mind the furniture on the patio when he said “vulgar and cheap”: an Ikea-style sofa, dining table, and chairs. A BBQ grill is the only item that stands out. Carlsen, on the other hand, dismisses it, saying, “It is my father that uses it.”
He is attempting to get me to eat fish, but I am accustomed to a vegetarian diet because my sisters are vegetarian, with only one eating fish.” Only when we glance at the view does he become animated. Then he can’t decide whether to look at the lake to his left or the Oslofjord to his right.
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