"Young Magnus Was Crazy Good" - Said Every Experienced GM He Dismantled (Maybe)

Imagine dedicating most of your life to chess as a chess professional. You are armed with decades of experience, with accolades in your home country (As National Champion) and have played against the greats like Misha Tal, Morozevich, Kasparov, etc. As an aside, you hold the very first GM title in your nation.

So you are no stranger to talent. And you are no stranger to playing the greats. Ok, Perhaps you are not part of the world's top 10 but at this point, nothing should really faze you.

Now here comes another wunderkind hailing from Norway. A youngster who got his Grandmaster Title at age 12, from a country that's not necessarily popular for chess. The GMs from Russia compare him to a young Karpov. Smyslov compared him to Tal.

(As an aside, Kasparov in 2021 compared him to a combination of Karpov and Fischer. Goodness)

The year is 2004, the tournament is the Aeroflot Open in Russia. It is round 2 of the event, and across from you is the said new supertalent...all 13 years young and very grandmasterly.

They say he isn't quite Tal or Kasparov, and he plays technical positions with masterful precision. Is this kid truly meant to be one of the greats or is it all hype? Let's find out!

https://youtu.be/xD8a-flbtRM