Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is forced into a draw in a showdown against ‘the world’

BERLIN – Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen was forced into a gully Monday by much than 143,000 radical worldwide playing against him successful a single, record-setting game.

Billed arsenic “Magnus Carlsen vs. The World,” the online lucifer began April 4 connected Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website, and was the first-ever online freestyle crippled to diagnostic a satellite champion.

The mega-match ended aft Team World checked Carlsen’s king a 3rd time, a stunning result aft Chess.com had predicted Carlsen would triumph by a wide margin.

This was the 3rd “vs. The World” record-setting online game. In 1999, Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov played against much than 50,000 radical connected the Microsoft Network and won aft 4 months.

Last year, Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand won his “vs. The World” lucifer against astir 70,000 players connected Chess.com.

‘Very, precise dependable chess’

Carlsen, 34, became the world’s top-ranked subordinate successful 2010 aged 19 and has won 5 World Championships. He achieved the highest-ever chess standing of 2882 successful 2014 and has remained the undisputed satellite fig 1 for more than a decade.

“Overall, ‘the world’ has played very, precise dependable chess from the start. Maybe not going for astir enterprising options, but benignant of keeping it much successful vein with mean chess — which isn’t ever the champion strategy, but it worked retired good this time,” Carlsen said successful a connection Friday arsenic Monday’s gully seemed imminent.

Because it was a freestyle match, the bishops, knights, rooks, queen and king were randomly shuffled astir the committee portion the pawns remained successful their accustomed spots. Freestyle chess is fashionable due to the fact that it allows players to beryllium much originative and debar memorization.

‘We made history’

Team World voted connected each determination and each broadside had 24 hours to marque their play. Carlsen played the achromatic pieces.

The satellite won connected determination 32 aft checking Carlsen's king 3 times successful the country of the committee wherever it could not escape. The regularisation is called "threefold repetition," meaning each of the pieces connected the committee are successful the nonstop aforesaid presumption 3 times to punctual a draw.

In the Chess.com virtual chat, players appeared divided connected whether to unit the gully — and assertion the glory — oregon to support playing against Carlsen, adjacent if it yet meant a loss.

“Don’t Draw! Let’s support playing Magnus,” 1 idiosyncratic wrote. “This is an accidental that won’t travel on again. I’d alternatively play the Master each the mode to the extremity and spot if we tin conflict it retired different 20 oregon 30 moves! Let’s person immoderate FUN!!!”

Another added: “Thanks Magnus for specified a large game. We made history.”

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