Magnus Carlsen is perhaps the greatest chess player. Filling in the shoes of a giant like him is no easy feat.
And if you ask who can be the next Magnus Carlsen, the answer would be… no one. Okay, maybe his clone. Or something like MagnusAI.
The point is making a copy of almost any human is hard. And replicating a genius is perhaps the hardest.
Instead, let’s reframe the question to – Who could be as dominant a player as Magnus Carlsen in the coming years?
Okay, now there are a few contenders. Some which come to mind instantly are Alireza Firoujza, Abdusattorov Nordirbek, and the Indian talents including the likes of Gukesh D, Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa.
Each of them makes a serious case for why they could become the next greatest player.
Before we make an argument for them, let’s understand what makes the Norwegian Grandmaster so special.
Magnus made his argument:
- Unbeaten as a world champion in 5 tries
- World no.1 for 11 consecutive years
- Has the highest chess rating of all time (Peak elo 2882)
Plus, he dominated the opposition in an era where chess engines have leveled the playing field.
I would also add that Magnus is not just a Classical World Champion but has also been the World Rapid and Blitz Champion a number of times.
Time and time again, he proves why he’s the undisputed best player.
So who could become as dominant as Magnus?
The Upcoming Stars
Before the 2022 Candidates, Magnus had made it clear that he would only defend his World Championship title if Alireza Firoujza became the Challenger.
Alas, that didn’t happen. But it definitely hints at who Magnus thinks is a worthy opponent(and successor).
Then during the World Rapid Championship in 2021, Magnus was leading the field by half a point. He was on course to win the tournament, until he faced Abdusattorov Nordirbek.
The Uzbek Grandmaster defeated Magnus and went on to become the World Rapid Champion. He definitely looks promising.
And who can forget the young talents coming from India? Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh have all shown they can beat anyone on their day
Not only are these youngsters extremely talented and hardworking, but they also have a great mentor, who was once the no.1 player and a world champion himself – GM Viswanathan Anand!
So those will be the predictions.
However, there are too many factors that go behind becoming one of the greatest players of all time. Only time will tell who will rise to the top.
Who do you think will become the greatest? Share with us in the comments.
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- We are thrilled to share some wonderful news with you! Recently Dainik Bhaskar (one of leading Hindi newspapers) has mentioned Victorious Chess Academy as one among the top most chess academies.
- One of our brightest students, Bhavanya Panchumathi from Kuwait recently did something illustrious in the chess world.
- Victorious Chess Academy conducted its 21st Internal Tournament on 31st October 2021.
Not only the students but also their parents actively participated in the tournament. - Congratulations to dear Gargi Sane ma’am for achieving the respectable title of National Instructor (NI) from World Chess Federation – FIDE
- One of our brightest students, Sharvari Saharkar from the UK, has won the British Junior Chess Championship which happened on 13th and 14th of November. She stood first in the category of Under 8 Girls Rapid.
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