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Five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen — but legendary Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand has now shared a surprising perspective on the Norwegian’s early years. According to Anand, Carlsen was once “quite a limited player,” excelling in a specific area of chess that others often overlooked — and that mastery played a key role in his rise to dominance.
Anand’s rare insight into Carlsen’s early style
Speaking on Prakhar Gupta’s podcast, Anand opened up about what made Carlsen such a formidable force during the early stages of his career. While recalling the years when Carlsen dethroned him as World Champion in 2013 and successfully defended the title in 2014, Anand noted that the Norwegian’s brilliance lay in highly technical and endgame situations.
“As for Magnus, he used to be quite a limited player, very, very good in that specific area,” Anand explained. “He limited himself to areas where no one else was focusing, like the endgame and dry technical positions.”
Viswanathan Anand admitted that these “dry” scenarios — which most players assumed would fizzle into draws — became Magnus Carlsen’s hunting grounds. The reigning champion at the time, Anand experienced firsthand how Carlsen could dismantle opponents in situations they thought were safe.
Turning ‘paint-drying’ positions into victory
Anand’s description painted a clear picture of Carlsen’s unique mindset: he saw opportunity where others saw monotony.
“He saw potential where others saw paint drying and he was able to lure a lot of unsuspecting chess players to their doom over and over again,” Viswanathan Anand said. “He was cashing in those points before people learned the hard way to take those positions seriously and start working on them.”
The Indian legend emphasized that in positions where many competitors relaxed, Magnus Carlsen remained razor-sharp. His precision in these seemingly harmless endgames forced opponents into mistakes they didn’t anticipate.
The endgame master’s psychological edge
Anand highlighted another subtle factor in Carlsen’s dominance — his ability to exploit lapses in focus.
“Dry positions, where it seems you’re just on the way to making a draw… he understood that you still need to be precise. When people relax, they stop being precise; they go through the motions but aren’t paying attention anymore.”
This psychological edge, combined with his technical mastery, made Carlsen nearly impossible to beat during his peak years.
A legacy built on precision
While Magnus Carlsen’s game has evolved over the years into a more well-rounded style, Viswanathan Anand’s remarks reveal how a deep focus on one underappreciated area of chess laid the foundation for his legendary career. By dominating the endgame and technical positions, Carlsen changed the way top-level chess players approach scenarios that once seemed destined for draws.
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