Magnus Carlsen says others can chase World No. 1 as his chess priorities shift

Magnus Carlsen appeared more detached than dismissive while speaking about his gradual move away from classical chess, suggesting that after reigning at the top for over a decade, his interests have naturally shifted even though his supremacy remains intact.

The Norwegian icon said that having already conquered classical chess, he now finds greater satisfaction in rapid and blitz formats. At the same time, he reminded the younger generation that they must first endure the relentless demands of elite classical competition, and achieve what he has, before questioning where his priorities now lie.

Carlsen added that he now prefers a "steadier diet" of every format the game has to offer.

"So there is at least some data to suggest that the rating that I have (in classical chess) now is fairly reasonable," said Carlsen as quoted by PTI. Carlsen, who is chasing a record-extending eighth title at Norway Chess, while also reminding that despite drifting away from classical chess, he remains the benchmark the world is still chasing.

"And then, yeah, to kind of maintain that level, the times that I play classical, it's kind of up to the others to make a run... and get that first place on the world rankings," he said.

"That's for my priorities. I generally prefer faster formats, at least like a steadier diet of that, but I enjoy everything," added the Norwegian, who as recently as last year won both the World Rapid and Blitz crowns despite the rise of a fearless younger generation.

Carlsen has distanced himself from the classical World Championship cycle largely because of fading motivation, the exhausting demands of opening preparation and a growing dissatisfaction with the format.

Having dominated classical chess and held the undisputed world title for a decade, he has often said the excitement and personal meaning of defending the crown had gradually disappeared.

Even as he edges closer to Garry Kasparov's legendary 20-year reign as world No. 1 – a mark Carlsen is roughly five years away from matching – the Norwegian insisted he is not chasing records any more, recalling how his attempt to breach the mythical 2900 rating barriers ultimately fell short.

"I think the one time I talked about getting a record, it was 2900, and that didn't go very well. I'm kind of giving up that hope. So other records, I don't know, I don't play a ton of classical chess.

"But it seems that ever since the Qatar Masters in 2013, all of my performances have been in the same range kind of. Now it's about the right doses (of different formats)."

Carlsen also backed innovations aimed at making chess more entertaining, saying formats such as Armageddon tie-breakers at Norway Chess add much-needed drama and reduce the monotony of draws.

"When Germans were removed from chess (for a brief period after World War II), there was an outrage. When time was shortened from two and a half to two hours, there was outrage about that as well.

"But times are changing, and I think we want to have a balance between trying to have the best possible play, but also to allow some room for making mistakes."

He added that with modern-day preparation becoming increasingly sophisticated, two hours of thinking time per player was more than sufficient.

"Obviously, as humans, we are pretty flawed regardless of the format, but there is this feeling that considering how advanced we are now in preparation and everything, there needs to be an element of making it a little bit tougher than the very classical time controls. Two hours of thinking is a pretty long time," he said.