Magnus Carlsen is fast establishing his name among the greatest chess players of all time. He defeated Vishwanathan Anand in 2013 to win the world title and then successfully defended it when he faced him again in 2014. His all-time ranking has reached such a high level that comparisons with Garry Kasparov and Gary Karpov are now being commonly made.
But if you thought that the magnificent brain of Carlsen can only be used in beating his competitors in chess, then you would be grossly wrong. Apparently, the 29-year old player's brain is also adept at strategizing in football. He was once leading the English Premier League (EPL's) official Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and currently holds the no. 3 position.
In case you are wondering how big an achievement this is for the Chess World Champion, here is an eye-popping stat for you. The number of players playing this fantasy league is more than seven million. Even Magnus himself realises the value of being at the top of this fantasy league.
The Norwegian even describes himself on his Twitter account as a "Former (live) #1 Fantasy Premier League player." He even responded to people who were wondering about the genius strategy that led him to the apex position, Carlsen had a disappointingly simple answer.
"Since a lot of people are asking about my FPL strategy, mine is the not so ground-breaking one of part stats and part gut feeling." Of course, gut feeling of a champion is not something everyone can easily replicate.
Carlsen first achieved the top ranking in the Chess world when he was just 20-years old. At the age of 29, he continues to grow as a player and the possibilities of where he would end up are huge. At the moment, there is no certainty as to who will challenge him in the coming days. But that person certainly won't start as the favourite.
