Magnus Carlsen (1990) became World Chess Champion in 2013 by defeating Viswanathan Anand in a match with 6.5-3.5. In 2014 Carlsen defended his title by beating the Indian again: 6.5-4.5. In the same year the Norwegian claimed both the World Blitz and the World Rapid titles, which made him the first player in history simultaneously holding the world title in three different disciplines. However, this was certainly not the first milestone in Carlsen’s career. On January 2010 Carlsen became the youngest ever chess player to claim the first spot in the World Rankings and in January 2013 he broke Garry Kasparov’s rating record. Furthermore, the G-Star Raw model has won 23 super-tournaments already. His latest victories were in the Tata Steel Chess and the Grenke Chess Classic tournaments in 2015.

Garry Kasparov, who coached Carlsen in the past and was his advisor for the match with Anand in 2014, said in 2013 that ‘Carlsen is a combination of Karpov and Fischer. He gets his positions, then never lets go of that bulldog bite. Exhausting for opponents’. Another ex-World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, praised Carlsen for his ‘excellent physical shape’, which enables him to play long games. Carlsen’s fabulous endgame technique and his ability to maximize his opponents’ chances to commit inaccuracies are without doubt key reasons for his success. Or, as he puts it: ‘I am trying to beat the guy sitting across from me and trying to choose the moves that are most unpleasant for him and his style’.

Have you always wanted to play chess like a World Champion? This training app gives you the opportunity to make the same winning moves as Carlsen did in his games. One hundred training exercises are offered here, from positions which Carlsen turned in his favour. The puzzles start at a moderate level and gradually get more difficult. Can you be as good as the current World #1?