THE NORWEGIAN PHENOMENON

Last month, the attention of the chess world was focused on the United States - or rather, New York. It was here that the Russian chess player Sergey Karjakin was trying to take away the chess crown from the last world champion, Magnus Carlsen.

Despite the intensity of the struggle, the duel between Carlsen and Karjakin did not cause the expected rush.

The match for the chess crown has attracted attention of the Russian and Norwegian media. Unfortunately, the US population has not shown much interest in the event. According to official reports, 6 million people in Russia and 746 thousand people in Norway watched the tie-break online.

As for the battle between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin on the chessboard, the course of events did not meet expectations. Many predicted a landslide victory of the Norwegian Phenomenon by the end of 12 games. But this did not happen. These 12 games ended with a score of 6:6. Each of the opponents won one party, and drew in the remaining 10 parties.

After winning the eighth game, the Ukrainian-born Sergey Karjakin took the lead in the score - 4.5:3.5. Frustrated with defeat, Magnus Carlsen did not show up at the press conference following the game and was fined in the amount of 10% of his remuneration. Both players reached equal scores in the 10^th round. With successive strokes, Magnus made Sergei to err and equalized the score.

Before the last round, many expected a landslide victory of Magnus Carlsen who played with whites. However, in the 12^th round, the champion deliberately played to draw. The party lasted 37 minutes, and the parties drew on the 30^th move. Thus, Magnus expected to win in the tie-break because the risk in the last round was great and any mistake could cost him the Crown. And in the tie-break players should have played 4 games and had more chances to correct the mistakes.

Psychological stability of players is important to win the tie-break in addition to their physical conditions. In all four rapid parties (time control of 25 minutes, 10 seconds per move) played in a single day, Magnus has demonstrated his great skills. The first two games were recorded at draws. In the third and fourth, Carlsen won both. Taking into account the results of 12 major parties (6:6), the Norwegian grandmaster won the match with a total score of 9:7. Thus, Magnus Carlsen retained his world title won in 2013. The champion earned €600 thousand, Sergey Karjakin - €400 thousand. The Norwegian player celebrated his championship on his own birthday.

Over 12 games, the chess world has witnessed exciting debuts but not the unexpected endings. Although Magnus had the advantage of two games, he did not risk it. Karjakin failed to demonstrate a game worthy for a world champion and stop Carlsen. Frankly, Karjakin was not interesting enough for Carlsen. Maybe that is the reason why the Norwegian player did not show the expected interesting game, which occurred last time in the match against Viswanathan Anand. Confident of his victory, Magnus throughout the match showed real composure. With the exception of the eighth game, he has constantly stuck to a comprehensive plan and won the battle. Carlsen also did not risk himself in the 12^th party, in which he played with whites and decided to win in the tie-break.

Carlsen’s championship was very important not only for himself but also to the world of chess, in general. No offense to the fans of Sergey Karjakin, but at the moment none of grand masters are so popular than Magnus. Each tournament with his participation draws attention of mass media.

In his interview with R+, Sergey Karjakin told the reasons for his defeat: “In general I am happy with my game. I thank the people who supported me. On my return to Moscow, I was told that the Russian President Vladimir Putin was also watching the game. The ending did not work. I do not regret because there still will be an opportunity to get revenge on Carlsen. I must admit that he is a strong opponent. He aimed at drawing in the 12^th party while he was playing with the whites. If I were him, I would not do so. But his decision was justified. I would rate my performance as better than good. While I failed to achieve the main goal, but I fought with dignity in all parties. I will continue training to become the champion and will return the chess crown to Russia. After relaxing with my family, I will begin to prepare for the tournament.”

Unlike Karjakin, it was not so easy to talk to Magnus Carlsen. Although his father asked not to disturb his son, Carlsen’s first interview to Azerbaijani press was to R+: «I thank everyone who supported me. The difficulties and the tense struggle is over. I have always been a perfectionist. I fought only for the title in each contest in which participated. Just thinking about the victory, and playing with Sergey Karjakin. Each new title brings a new breath. Now I need to rest. Believe me, during the competition I was not interested in any news, even the cities where I played. As if I set free from the world. In this sense, now we have to live quieter. And in 2017 will once again participate in different tournaments. I am proud that play chess. I do not know what I would do without them.”

Experts say that Magnus Carlsen era of chess will continue for at least another 4 years. No one will stop him in the coming years. There is no such strong chess player in the world for now.

Magnus Carlsen’s birthplace country, Norway, has expressed a desire to host the match for the world championship in 2018. They already prepare an official request to FIDE in this regard. Thanks to this match, Norway intends to awaken interest in chess in the country.