Magnus Carlsen doesn’t mince words.
Carlsen, being Carlsen, has never shied away from offering direct, sometimes provocative opinions about his fellow world champions.
And honestly? When you’ve dominated chess the way Carlsen has, people tend to listen when you have something to say.
Few voices carry the weight that he does, and his extensive accomplishments back up whatever claim he makes.
Fortunately for us, Carlsen has plenty of opinions to share!
Garry Kasparov -“The Greatest Player There’s Ever Been”
In Carlsen’s view, Garry Kasparov stands alone as the G.O.A.T.!
Carlsen on Kasparov‘s playing style:
“My favorite player of all time is sort of the young Kasparov before he became world champion,”
explaining,
“he played with a style that was so unique and so dynamic that I know that I could never replicate it.“
Kasparov once served as Carlsen’s part-time coach, stating,
“Thanks to him, I began to understand a whole class of positions better… He shared his methods of working on the opening with me, and I’m grateful to him,”
Carlsen said.
In 2024, Carlsen received a FIDE award recognizing him as the “Best Male Player” of the last 100 years.
But instead of soaking up the glory, Carlsen said, “Thanks, but Garry’s still better.”
Bobby Fischer- “The Dream Opponent”
When asked whom he would most like to face from chess history, Carlsen’s answer was:
“Probably Bobby Fischer at his best. Because the precision and energy that he played with is just unmatched in the history of chess.”
But when pressed about whether he could beat Fischer, Carlsen didn’t blink:
“Fischer would be more difficult, but I think I could beat him too.”
Carlsen on Fischer’s all-consuming passion:
“It’s easy to get obsessed with chess. That’s what happened with Fischer and Paul Morphy. I don’t have that same obsession,”
Viswanathan Anand – “The Natural Genius”
Carlsen’s comments on Anand are generally positive, built on a foundation of immense respect.
During a 2008 training camp with Anand, a young Carlsen got a reality check:
“Something just switched on with him, and he was just so focused… he was crushing me. He had a massive plus score in our games.“
Even years later, in 2019, Carlsen was still singing Anand’s praises:
“I have a huge amount of respect for what Anand has done for chess and what he is still doing.“
In 2024 however, Carlsen might have taken a subtle jab at the Indian world champion during the World Rapid and Blitz Championship.
After being penalized over a dress code, he claimed the “grownups” could have better managed a situation Anand oversaw.
Mikhail Tal – “The Ultimate Entertainer”
When it comes to entertainment value, Carlsen’s clear favorite is Mikhail Tal.
But Carlsen is pretty confident about how a match between them would go:
“I think I would beat Tal pretty easily.”
Ouch! Carlsen, however, recognizes Tal’s genius and acknowledges his unique place in chess history.
He notes,
“he’d sacrifice pieces left and right, and somehow it always worked out.”
Anatoly Karpov – “The Positional Master”
Carlsen describes Karpov as having “that Fischer and Capablanca-like quality of making chess look simple”.
Their only documented encounter occurred in 2004 when a 13-year-old Carlsen defeated Karpov in a blitz game in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Kasparov described Carlsen as a “combination of Karpov [and] Fischer“. Karpov acknowledged the similarity, suggesting in 2016,
“Perhaps he studied my games. He can convert a minimal advantage into a real one“.
José Raúl Capablanca – ”The Pure Genius”
In Carlsen’s assessment, Capablanca represents the purest form of chess genius.
“He’s somebody who came out of nowhere and just played very clear, simple, and yet brilliant chess, and that is something that I would characterise as genius-like.”
In many ways, Capablanca and Carlsen are similar.
Both players share that ability to win positions that others might draw and find the right move through intuition rather than calculation.
Vladimir Kramnik- “The Influential Thinker”
In his younger years, Carlsen looked up to Kramnik, describing him as “extremely gifted.”
However, as he developed, Carlsen’s perception changed. During a 2014 interview, Carlsen said, “Kramnik thinks he knows everything.”
“It’s very impressive how Kramnik reels out variations… but if you look a little deeper, it’s often nonsense.”
He added,
“The biggest difference between him and me is that he makes a lot more mistakes. Often he seems to think he’s in the right, but I’m actually right.”
Carlsen also characterized Kramnik as supremely self-confident and arrogant:
“He thinks he can beat everyone, a bit like me,” Carlsen stated, but “When he’s under pressure himself, he’s nowhere near as good.“
More recently, Carlsen also questioned Kramnik’s method of finding online cheaters:
“I’ve seen some Kramnik stuff pop up here and there, and I don’t think he has a full grasp on statistics,”.
He added, “Yeah, I think like his methods are probably not great.“
However, he did concede that Kramnik was “probably not wrong about everything.”
Ding Liren – “The Struggling Champion”
Carlsen’s respect for Ding is evident, especially before becoming the world champion.
He had previously held a training camp with Ding and noted that it quickly became clear Ding “calculates a lot better than I do,” but “I’m better at tactics”.
When asked in 2017 why he chose Ding Liren as an opponent for the Champions Showdown, Carlsen simply stated, “He’s a very good player. That’s it”.
When the 2024 World Championship rolled around, Carlsen’s commentary was brutal:
“Doesn’t look like a game between the two World Championship contenders… maybe the second round or third round of an open tournament.”
He described Ding as being in a “wretched rut“, stating,
“You can sense when Ding plays that he is lacking confidence. He’s apprehensive in his play.”
Just like we all wondered what happened to Ding Liren to cause his fall, Carlsen also commented on Ding’s form.
He has also said, “I wish him well. I hope he gets better.
Gukesh Dommaraju – “The Worthy Champion”
Carlsen’s comments about Gukesh are a mix of high praise and sharp critique.
After Gukesh won the World Championship, Carlsen made an important distinction:
“Is he the best player in the world? Remains to be seen! But is he a worthy world champion? By what they measure that by, I think he certainly is!”
Carlsen has also been critical of certain aspects of Gukesh’s play: “If you play like the way that he played today, it is very easy for the opponent to play near perfectly and win.”
When Carlsen had lost to Gukesh, his response was characteristically analytical:
“What he does well is that he really fights very, very well. He was there to take his chance.“
Carlsen’s latest assessment of Gukesh after Norway 2025:
“He showed in this tournament that he’s on track, he’s doing fantastic, but he’s maybe not way ahead of track, as we may have thought.”
What Does This All Mean
Look, Carlsen’s opinions aren’t just hot takes from an average observer. They’re insights from someone who’s been at the top.
Yes, they can be spiteful sometimes, but his comments are often from an analytical standpoint.
He’ll praise Kasparov as the greatest ever, then in the same breath say he could beat Fischer.
He’ll call Kramnik gifted and then tear apart his analysis.
In a world full of polite chess commentary, Carlsen often gives us his unfiltered thoughts. And sometimes, that’s what we need to hear.
join the conversation