When did the Magnus Carlsen era begin?
Good question. When did the Magnus Carlsen era begin? In 2004 when he became a grandmaster at the age of 13? In 2010 when he first topped the world rankings? Or in 2013 when he defeated Vishy Anand to become World Champion?If we turn the clock back exactly 10 years, it’s not hard to remember the feelings of excitement and anticipation we all had about Magnus’s ultimate breakthrough. Vishy Anand was still World Champion, having defended his title successfully earlier in the year against Boris Gelfand in Moscow, but his next Challenger would be the winner of the Candidates tournament in London in March 2013. And few doubted that Magnus Carlsen was ready to take the final two hurdles to the highest title. Magnus’s big test before the Candidates was the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’ that he had already won twice. Just like we are now looking forward to the 85th anniversary tournament, we were then eagerly awaiting the 75th edition. An edition that didn’t disappoint175
