Ding Liren is the new world champion but a checkmate for Magnus Carlsen is still some time away

Ding Liren becoming the World Chess Champion is historic. Not just because he has become China's first world chess champion, but also because his triumph marks the end of an era in chess. An era of Magnus Carlsen's dominance. For the last 10 years, the Norwegian looked almost unbeatable and miles ahead of his competitors.

And his run came to an end only after he decided not to defend his title in the World Chess Championship this year.

Ding Liren became champion on Sunday (April 30) after a rapid-play tie-break victory over Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in Kazakhstan's Astana.

Magnus Carlsen's decade of dominance

From winning his first World Chess Championship in 2013 to becoming triple world champion for the third time in his career in 2022, Carlsen has had a remarkable decade of dominance, setting numerous records and achieving a level of success that few players in history have matched.

Carlsen has been ranked as the world's number one chess player for over ten years. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest ever achieved by any chess player in history.

The Norwegian became the youngest ever player to be ranked world number one in the FIDE rating system in 2007, at the age of 17. In 2019, Carlsen won a total of 10 top-level tournaments, the most ever by a single player in a single season.

He had a streak of 125 consecutive classical chess games without a loss between 2018 and 2021, which is the longest unbeaten streak in classical chess history. In another unique record, Carlsen played 125 consecutive classical games without a loss, breaking the previous record of 110 games held by Sergei Tiviakov.

Carlsen also holds the record for most consecutive victories in rapid chess. He won 19 consecutive games in rapid chess between 2016 and 2017, the most consecutive victories by any player in history.

Timeline of Magnus Carlsen's chess career

2000: Magnus Carlsen starts playing chess at the age of 10.
2002: At the age of 12, Carlsen wins the Norwegian Junior Championship.
2004: Becomes an International Master at the age of 13.
2005: Carlsen becomes the youngest ever player to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, the tournament that determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
2007: The Norwegian becomes the youngest-ever player to be ranked number one in the world.
2009: Carlsen wins the Nanjing Pearl Spring Tournament, his first major international tournament victory.
2010: Carlsen wins the London Chess Classic, his first victory in the tournament.
2013: Carlsen defeats Viswanathan Anand to win the World Chess Championship.

2014: He defends his World Chess Championship title against Anand.
2016: Carlsen defends his World Chess Championship title against Sergey Karjakin in a tiebreak.
2018: He wins the World Chess Championship for the third time, defeating Fabiano Caruana.
2020: Carlsen wins the Online Chess Olympiad with the Norwegian team and the Norway Chess Tournament.
2021: Carlsen wins the Tata Steel Chess Tournament for a record eighth time.
2022: The Norwegian becomes the holder of all three world chess championship titles - in Classical, Rapid, and Blitz - for the third time in his career.
2023: The five-time world champion decides not to defend his title at the World Chess Championship.

Comparing Magnus Carlsen with other chess greats

It is difficult to compare greats of different eras. Many of his records put Carlsen miles ahead of other greats, but there are some records that even Carlsen couldn't break. For example: Russian chess great Garry Kasparov's record of being the world number one for 20 years. And it is highly unlikely that the record would ever be broken. While Carlsen's playing style is more nuanced, he has not yet matched Kasparov's record.

Similarly, another great, Bobby Fischer, who had a remarkable run in the early 70s, is regarded as the greatest ever to have played the game by many. Carlsen's playing style is more versatile and adaptable, while than Fischer had the ability to create and exploit tactical opportunities. Also, Carlsen had a much longer reign at the top than the US Grand Master.

Another Russian chess great, Anatoly Karpov, was one of the dominant players of the 1970s and 1980s. Karpov was known for his positional play and was know for playing long games and grind out victories. Carlsen, on the other hand, is known for his aggressive style of play.

The playing style of Magnus Carlsen

There is a reason Carlsen is called the Mozart of Chess. At the age of just 32, he has achieved more than most of the Grand Masters did during their long careers. And after ruling the chess world for a decade and the top-ranked player in the world for the longest time, he decided to take a break.

In addition to his impressive records, what makes Carlsen special is his innovative style of play, and analytical abilities. Carlsen is known for his aggressive style of play, and he is particularly skilled at rapid and blitz chess, which requires quick thinking and making accurate decisions under pressure.

Carlsen's playing style can be described by his willingness to take risks, combined with positional understanding and tactical acumen. The Norwegian is known for his ability to play a wide range of openings and to switch between different strategies.

Carlsen is very good at exploiting his opponents' weaknesses and patiently waiting for opportunities to arise. One other thing that gives him an advantage against his opponents is his ability to make small positional improvements in his games.