Magnus Carlsen often wins even if he is far from his best: Peter Heine Nielsen

CHENNAI: World champion Magnus Carlsen and coach Peter Heine Nielsen have been an inseparable force for about 8 years now. Their partnership has helped Magnus reach the pinnacle of the sport and the Norwegian continues to go from strength to strength even after being on top of his game for a decade now.
In a chat with TOI on Sunday, Peter spoke on his association with former World champion Viswanathan Anand, on the mindset of Magnus and more. Excerpts:
You and Jan Gustafsson have pieced together the top-50 list of players across eras. What made you go for such an exhaustive exercise in the first place?
We were debating what interesting video-series we could make, and instead of the usual route of doing openings etc --- we thought this would be an interesting distraction outside of our regular field.
Did you feel that such a list would not only get cumbersome but also lead to a lot of debate among the chess fans?
I would say we hoped so. Of course, we were (are) afraid of making obvious mistakes, but criticism is very much welcomed. While chess in itself is objective, ranking historical figures was very much is subjective and thus debatable.
You have the distinction of working with two of the greatest players --- Viswanathan Anand and now Magnus Carlsen. How different are their playing styles?
They both are quite different. Magnus, by nature, is more technical, while Vishy is more attacking. But obviously, both are so strong that they master any area of chess. They are very similar in the sense that they are intuitive and love chess to the extent that it is their joy of the game that is the driving factor.
Do you reckon Anand still has it in him to challenge the best?
He writes honestly about it in his book himself. In games, even tournaments, yes. But to challenge the title again, probably not. But he had his share already, and I am very proud of having been part of some of that journey.
Who is that one player, you feel, can challenge Magnus in the coming years for the World title?
If Magnus keeps his peak level, I think he can rule for quite a while. So, in that sense, Magnus has to compete with ‘Magnus’. (Fabiano) Caruana and Ding (Liren) looked like the obvious challengers, but the standings in the candidates say otherwise.
While Magnus has remained the undisputed king of chess for about a decade, the last two years has seen him win pretty much everything. He has already won 10 titles this year. What makes Magnus such a dominating force?
The boring answer is that he is the best. But it is the truth. He just plays better on average, and while many can win if they hit their peak, Magnus often wins even if he is far from his best --- just like in Norway a few days ago.
What according to you should be the next target for Magnus in the near future?
Keep winning! 10 tournament victories speak for itself this year, yet it does not seem that playing-wise he is reaching his full potential. So that is the aim, to even play better while keeping winning. And of course, the next WC-match is a priority, but in these COVID19 times --- it is hard to focus on with no challenger clarified yet.
If there is one area where Magnus can improve --- what would that be?
There are many. He himself speaks of dissatisfaction with his play rather often, so while being the best, it’s far from perfect. It is always possible to improve!
How has the Carlsen Chess Tour changed the landscape of the sport?
It has changed a lot, and turned necessity into something positive. It is a very interesting experiment, which due to lockdown gets tested to the full. While being a principal fan of classical chess, one has to admit that it has been very interesting matches, with excellent chess.
Not just chess, Magnus does phenomenally well in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as well. How has it helped him relax and take pressure away from chess?
Chess, especially during a tournament, takes a lot of focus, and to get away one needs things to distract. And FPL indeed is very useful. Of course, when you compete for the World Number 1 position, perhaps relaxing is not the correct word.