Added on 12/11/2025
The day Magnus Carlsen turned 35, we paid tribute to the greatest player of our time by publishing some of his best combinations in our Daily Puzzle section. We have now compiled them here so you can revisit them anytime and learn from his victories against players like Alireza and Topalov, as well as from lesser known games he played on ICC while he was growing as a player. Enjoy them!
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30 November
BLACK TO MOVE
Carlsen played this position against the French Grandmaster Jules Moussard just a few days before his birthday. He saw so deeply into it that it left even him in awe. “I’m good at chess right now!” he said when he spotted the winning plan all the way through.
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01 December
WHITE TO MOVE
When Magnus was little, he was only allowed to spend a few hours a week online, but he made the best use of that time. This is one of his earliest games on our records, from 2002, when he was 11. Can you spot the decisive combination for White?
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02 December
WHITE TO MOVE
In 2006, Magnus shared first in the Wijk aan Zee tournament, displaying some signs of the great player he was about to become. His game against Sipke Ernst is now a modern classic. Can you see the final sequence in the game?
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03 December
WHITE TO MOVE
Carlsen played this game on ICC when he was 13. In this position, his pieces are much more active, and that allows him to gain a decisive material advantage, with a simple but instructive combination.
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04 December
BLACK TO MOVE
Magnus Carlsen’s endgame technique is legendary, and this is one of the best examples. With a stunning move he achieved a decisive advantage against Jobava in the 2019 World Blitz Championship. WARNING: This is a really hard puzzle!
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05 December
WHITE TO MOVE
At the 2009 MTel Masters in Sofia, rising star Magnus Carlsen defeated former World Champion Veselin Topalov. With his last move, Black attacked two of Magnus’s pieces. But the Norwegian had seen further. Can you see what he had in mind?
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06 December
WHITE TO MOVE
This game was the sensation at the Esports World Cup final in Riyadh this summer. Alireza Firouzja made the kind of blunder that Magnus Carlsen would never miss. Can you see how he won a decisive advantage?
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07 December
BLACK TO MOVE
Another game played by Magnus Carlsen on ICC when he was 12 years old. This puzzle requires precise calculation, so pay attention to undefended pieces and other potential weaknesses.
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