Magnus Carlsen became a chess Grandmaster at age 13. He beat out legends like Russia’s Garry Kasparov and America’s Bobby Fischer last month to be named the International Chess Federation’s greatest ever. Norway’s wizard of chess is a household name. Now Carlsen is launching a spectator app for chess enthusiasts called Take Take Take.
At age 33, Carlsen’s focus is shifting. He admits that his mind moves slower than it used to. “I am in a different stage in my career,” he says. “I am not as ambitious when it comes to professional chess. I still want to play, but I don’t necessarily have that hunger. I play for the love of the game.”
Carlsen is eager to encourage more ways to interact with chess. He launched Take Take Take, an app for mobile phones, on Friday. He declares in a promotional video, “[Chess is] not just a game. It’s a sport.”
The app allows users to follow individual players, games, and pieces. It has filters that explain different elements of each game. Commentators describe matches in an accessible way. Carlsen believes this feature is missing from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. The app also allows for users to watch, learn, and replay critical moments of games.
Mats Andre Kristiansen is the chief executive of Carlsen’s company, Fantasy Chess. Take Take Take was launched as a free app in a bid to build the user base. Kristiansen says monetizing the app will come later, “maybe with advertisements or deeper analysis.”
Carlsen is no rookie when it comes to chess apps. He started the Play Magnus game in 2014. It gave online users the chance to compete against a chess engine modeled on his own gameplay. The company ballooned into a suite of applications. Chess.com is the world’s largest chess website. It bought Play Magnus for around $80 million in 2022.
Chess has been cresting a wave of popularity. Arguably, Carlsen himself kicked off the surge.
He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. He won the first of his five World Championships in 2013. In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882. (A chess rating is a number that estimates a player’s strength compared to other players.) Carlsen has remained the world’s number one player for the last 13 years.
In 2022, Carlsen refused to play against Hans Niemann, an American Grandmaster. Carlsen’s move created a rare edge in the usually sedate world of chess. Niemann had admitted to using technology to cheat in online games in the past. There is no evidence Niemann ever cheated in live games. But the feud between the pair propelled the game even further into the spotlight.
The accessibility of chess engines that can beat any human means cheating has never been easier. However, players can still use these engines to shortcut thousands of hours of book-bound research. They can hone skills without human opponents.
“I think the games today are of higher quality because preparation is becoming deeper and deeper, and artificial intelligence is helping us play,” says Carlsen. “It is reshaping the way we evaluate the games.”
