Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
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Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
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Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#2I think there's a great analogy for why he cares so little about his intelligence: do you think Michael Jordan sat around admiring his build, his height, etc? In a competitive environment, it's best to accept that some of your abilities are fixed, so you can focus on training what can be bettered.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#3Sometimes you wonder.
I was not particularly interested; I was bad and soon stopped again.
I don’t know why I learnt all the countries of the world off by heart, including their capitals and populations. Chess was probably just another pastime.
I’m not a disciplined thinker. Organisation is not my thing; I am chaotic and tend to be lazy. My trainer recognised that and as a rule allowed me to practise whatever I felt like at the time.
When I was 13, my parents took me out of school for a year. They travelled around the world with me and my sisters, and on the way they taught us. That was fantastic, much more effective than sitting in school.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#4I think there's a great analogy for why he cares so little about his intelligence: do you think Michael Jordan sat around admiring his build, his height, etc? In a competitive environment, it's best to accept that some of your abilities are fixed, so you can focus on training what can be bettered.
That's not a good analogy. For all I know after a day's training Jordan sat around admiring his build and height.
I think reverse Dunning-Kruger is much more likely in Magnus's case.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#5Interesting how he says that extremely high IQ may even be a disadvantage:
And that’s precisely what would be terrible. Of course it is important for a chess player to be able to concentrate well, but being too intelligent can also be a burden. It can get in your way. I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. At the age of 15, Nunn started studying mathematics in Oxford; he was the youngest student in the last 500 years, and at 23 he did a PhD in algebraic topology. He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess... Right. I am a totally normal guy. My father is considerably more intelligent than I am.
And that his big shtick is his focus, intuition, and domain expertise - not his IQ:
No. In terms of our playing skills we are not that far apart. There are many things I am better at than he is. And vice versa. Kasparov can calculate more alternatives, whereas my intuition is better. I immediately know how to rate a situation and what plan is necessary. I am clearly superior to him in that respect.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#6I'd love to see Carlsen play a modern game like Hearthstone or Magic. Even just to hear his thoughts on them.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#7The brevity and bluntness in his responses is pretty amusing. I'm surprised he so candidly rates his own abilities and the abilities of his peers - I feel like many people would dodge those questions in public interviews.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#8I think there's a great analogy for why he cares so little about his intelligence: do you think Michael Jordan sat around admiring his build, his height, etc? In a competitive environment, it's best to accept that some of your abilities are fixed, so you can focus on training what can be bettered.
That's not a good analogy. For all I know after a day's training Jordan sat around admiring his build and height. I think reverse Dunning-Kruger is much more likely in Magnus's case.
Actually I think what you're referencing is still Dunning-Kruger: "Conversely, highly skilled individuals tend to underestimate their relative competence, erroneously assuming that tasks which are easy for them are also easy for others." (from wiki)
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#9I'd love to see Carlsen play a modern game like Hearthstone or Magic. Even just to hear his thoughts on them.
I would guess that he'd feel like there is too much chance. The issue with a game like Magic is that you can play perfectly and still lose. And I say this as someone who loves the game.
EDIT: I read further and it seems like he enjoys poker. So I guess it's possible that he'd enjoy MTG.
Re: Magnus Carlsen – “I am chaotic and lazy” (2010)
#10I'd love to see Carlsen play a modern game like Hearthstone or Magic. Even just to hear his thoughts on them.
I would guess that he'd feel like there is too much chance. The issue with a game like Magic is that you can play perfectly and still lose. And I say this as someone who loves the game. EDIT: I read further and it seems like he enjoys poker. So I guess it's possible that he'd enjoy MTG.
I suspect you're right. But for people who can't dedicate all their time to a game, the randomness in some games (like poker and MTG) can level the playing field. It allows a lesser player to win from time to time, but good players will win more often.
To me, this is more "fun". With chess, it's just brutal. Unless both players are evenly matched, it's a steamrolling. No fun for either player. At the top tiers though, I can see it being very interesting. But then again, I find watching top players play Hearthstone to also be very interesting. Especially when you consider the meta-strategizing of picking certain cards for their decks.