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"Superhuman . " This is a term that sports journalists usually abuse to describe the exploits of the great champions, but in the case of Magnus Carlsen it is the most accurate adjective. The results of the Norwegian in recent months, in which he has won overwhelmingly all the tournaments he has played, show data only comparable to those obtained by a computer, and beyond the reach of his human rivals.

At the chess summit there are two special distinctions: the title of world champion , which is held every two years, and world ranking , which follows a statistical model invented by Arpad Elo . This system, which chess implemented in 1960 to estimate the strength of the players, was also subsequently adopted by FIFA, FIBA ​​and MLB in other sports.

Carlsen was ranked number 1 in 2009 and was crowned world champion in 2013 . But both achievements became threatened just a year ago , when the Norwegian went through his first crisis . The champion conceded more draws than usual: his rivals seemed to have taken the measure , his advantage began to diminish and Magnus showed symptoms of apathy and frustration.

In particular, the American Fabiano Caruana , aspiring to the world title, approached him dangerously in the ranking on the eve of the World Cup that both had to play in London last November. It would have been a psychological blow for the champion to start defending the crown by being knocked out in a ranking he has led since he was 19 years old. Finally, the match began with Carlsen sporting an Elo score of 2,835, and Caruana 2,832 ; This microscopic difference was reflected in the result: the 12 games of the match ended in tables and Carlsen was only able to prevail in the batch of fast playoff games.

Computer science as an antidote

His victory in extremis fueled doubts about his supremacy; doubts that he himself seemed infected. When in London a journalist asked him who was his favorite player in the history of chess, Magnus replied laconically: "My favorite player is Carlsen three or four years ago . "

Peeking over the edge of the abyss was a wake-up call for Carlsen , who since the World Cup has shown a completely different face. Released from the pressure that gripped him, the Norwegian has razed his rivals as if he were an enraged berserker . But what exactly has changed in him?

The answer seems to be in AlphaZero, a system created by DeepMind, the Google subsidiary dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence. AlphaZero is not strictly a supercomputer, but a neural network that has learned to play go, shogi and chess from scratch and by itself , through a reinforcement learning algorithm. In just nine hours and without any help, this artificial intelligence became the best chess player the planet has seen, overwhelming the rest of the computer programs. In addition, free of any human conditioning and prejudice , AlphaZero developed its own style, dynamic and aggressive.

The 2,900 point barrier

The results of AlphaZero were published by the journal Science during the London match, and the first games of the monster that saw the light provoked the admiration even of someone as little given to praise as Kasparov . It is evident that Magnus has invested a lot of time in studying them thoroughly and peering into the mind of this artificial creature has transformed his game. "In essence, I have become a totally different player than I was recently in terms of style," he admitted last month. Only 13 players in history have reached an Elo score of more than 2,800. Kasparov was the first to beat this brand in 1990, setting his personal record nine years later: 2,851.

Magnus Carlsen became the fourth member of this select club when he was only 18 years old ; shortly thereafter he rose to the top of the classification, a place he has maintained for 109 uninterrupted months.

The Norwegian now has a score of 2,882 , matching his own record, and with 64 points away on his most immediate pursuer. The question in the air is, will Carlsen be the first human to cross the 2,900 line? He could do it from next week at Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis and, after 79 games without knowing defeat, it is clear that Carlsen already only competes against himself .

Your numbers

  • 109 months It leads consecutively to the front of the world rankings.
  • 2,882 points . He currently has 64 more than his immediate pursuer. Seeks to be the first player in history to reach 2,900.
  • 79 games Which leads without losing consecutively.

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