Chess in India is massive, says Magnus Carlsen

Ahead of the Global Chess League, Magnus Carlsen had joked about how his team, Alpine APL Pipers, had done during his absence last year and hoped that it would not do worse this time. He should be pleased now.

Pipers have gone top of the table despite Carlsen not being at his best so far. He has won only one of his four games — against his old rival Viswanathan Anand, and that too on time — but his teammates K. Humpy and Vidit Gujrathi have been doing rather well.

The two Indians are, in fact, the best performing players in the league at the moment, both winning three of their games. “The team is doing fantastic,” Carlsen said. “Three wins out of four is great. My performance has been a bit underwhelming, but since the team is doing well. I am happy. It is nice to see good crowds here. Chess in India is massive.”