Meals turn into mentoring sessions as Magnus Carlsen takes India’s teenaged trio under wings

On Friday, after the SG Alpine Warriors had lost a game in the Global Chess League against the Viswanathan Anand-led Ganges Grandmasters, a message buzzed on the team’s WhatsApp group chat which has not only all the team players but also people from the ownership group.
It was from Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian World No 1 wanted the team to catch up for a meeting over dinner in the team hotel. The message was more than a dinner invitation. It was a step taken the team’s enigmatic superstar to put the rest of the team, particularly the three young teenage prodigies — Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa — into their comfort zone in a franchise-based mixed-team environment, that not many of them had played in before. It was Carlsen’s way of breaking the ice.
Gukesh, talking to The Indian Express just before the start of the GCL, had spoken of how both Carlsen and he were in the Norway Chess tournament when the draft for the league was happening. Despite learning that Carlsen was drafted in the same team as him, the 17-year-old Gukesh had said he never approached the World No 1 to talk about it. The Norwegian had been too focussed — or, in the zone — at the event.
“That Magnus (at Norway Chess) is completely different than this Magnus that we have come to know now. He’s a complete team player. The players feel so comfortable around him. He’s made sure of that. Magnus away from these youngsters and with these three… I see the different two sides of the man,” said Vishal Sareen, who is the team manager of the SG Alpine Warriors.
Before this, India’s teenage GMs have had some exposure to the maverick superstar of the sport. In particular, Praggnanandhaa (along with Raunak Sadhwani) went to a training camp hosted Carlsen’s club, the Offerspill Chess Club, earlier this year. But the unique format of the GCL has given the Indian trio of Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and Arjun, who are all in the top 100 of the FIDE classical chess rankings, an opportunity to see Carlsen as something other than an imposing presence across the board.
“There is an enigma that comes with him. And there must have been stories that these teenagers had heard about him. They may have played against him online and maybe once in a while over the board. But Magnus is a great influence to have around. The three Indians get very immersed in conversation when Magnus is at the table. They inevitably start analysing chess. He’s discussing a lot of chess with them, and he’s happy doing that. He has taken charge and starts conversations about a position and they keep going deeper, deeper and deeper into it,” added Sareen.
On Friday, the Magnus Carlsen-led SG Alpine Warriors lost their game in the Global Chess League against the Viswanathan Anand-led Ganges Grandmasters. (PHOTO: GCL)
Sareen points out instances of how Carlsen has gone out of his way to be approachable.
The first team lunch that the SG Alpine Warriors had after Carlsen landed in Dubai stretched on for over three hours. Reason? The players got engrossed in talking shop.
“We were at a Chinese restaurant in the team hotel. We started eating at 1:30 pm. The first 30 minutes, everyone was slightly shy. Then suddenly, one of the boys whipped out a cellphone and showed Carlsen a position. Then the conversation started. And it did not end,” said Sareen.
That afternoon, although everyone had finished lunch 3 pm, they were still at the table for 90 more minutes just discussing chess positions. In the middle of this, Sareen had to attend a call and excused himself. On the way out of the restaurant, he met journals and photographers waiting for Carlsen to come out.
“When I finished my call, the journals and photographers were still waiting there,” chuckled Sareen.On Saturday, after their victory over the Triveni Continental Kings, Carlsen was enjoying a round of golf, when Sareen messaged on the group chat asking players to catch up for dinner once more “to stick to the routine” they had set with the first dinner a day earlier.
In a few minutes, Carlsen replied that he was away, but would be there “as quickly as he could”.
“We had barely ordered when he was there at the table,” added Sareen.

Happy to announce that I have officially joined the #SteelArmy. I support @SGAlpineWarrior and we are #MadeOfSteel 💪
All the best to the stellar team: @irinakrush, @ArjunErigaisi, @lisiko85, @DGukesh, @rpragchess, @MagnusCarlsen ⚡#GCL #GlobalChessLeague #SGAlpineWarriors… pic.twitter.com/GXHWU0VjmS
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) June 25, 2023
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On Sunday, the team had a party and a dinner planned on a yacht with India cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal joining the players and owners.
But it would not be a stretch to assume that the three Indians might try and catch Carlsen on the yacht to pick his brains some more on chess positions.
“We plan to take a few chess boards and some chess clocks with us on the yacht,” said Sareen.