Magnus Carlsen’s decision to abdicate the world crown he had held for a decade is looking like an inspired choice as the Norwegian, 32, has hit a rich vein of form in the past two weeks.
Maximum tournament scores are rare, but Carlsen achieved 11/11 in chess.com’s Titled Tuesday, only the second time this has been done in the notoriously competitive event, then a few days later notched up 9/9 against stronger opposition at the Zagreb Rapid and Blitz, part of the St Louis-organised Grand Tour. Carlsen said: “That achievement feels sweeter than almost any tournament win because it’s something I’ve never done before and won’t do again.”
