He recently completed high school without huge success, but 19-year-old Magnus Carlsen is now already at the top of the chess world, following in the footsteps of his mentor, legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov. On New Year's Day, the mop-haired, sulky-looking Norwegian teen became the youngest player to ever top the rankings of best players published by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Now he is setting his sights on the title of world champion.

他最近剛完成高中學業，成績不算太好，但19歲的麥格努斯．卡爾森，如今已繼他的指導老師、赫赫有名的世界西洋棋冠軍卡斯帕洛夫之後，稱霸西洋棋壇。今年元旦那天，這個頭髮蓬亂如拖把、臉臭臭的挪威青少年，在國際棋聯公布的世界最佳棋士排行中奪下第一名，成為有史以來最年輕的棋王。他接下來將挑戰世界冠軍頭銜。

“It's been one of my goals for many years to become the number one player and that's about as far as you can reach in chess without winning the world championship. Obviously it's a big thing,” Carlsen said. “The downside, of course, is that you have to answer questions like this a lot,” he added, matter-of-factly.

「多年來，成為排名第一的棋士，一直是我的心願之一。而在西洋棋壇，除了贏得世界冠軍頭銜，這可以說已經到頂了。這顯然是件大事，」卡爾森說。「缺點，當然是你得回答很多這類問題。」他老實不客氣的補充說。

Initiated into chess early on by his father, as a boy Carlsen nevertheless preferred other pastimes that he explored on his own. Aged two, he could recite all car brands; as a five-year-old, he built monumental creations out of lego; then he moved on to memorizing the world's countries, their flags, capitals, and areas. But he was soon brought back to chess by the desire to beat his older sister at the game.

最早是他父親開始帶他下西洋棋，但當時還年幼的卡爾森，卻寧可自行摸索，從事其他休閒活動。2歲那年，他已經可以記住所有汽車品牌；5歲時，他用樂高堆砌出不朽的創作；接著他轉而記住世界所有國家的國旗、首都和面積。但很快的，他又回頭開始熱中西洋棋，因為他想擊敗姊姊。

He played in his first tournament at the age of eight and burst onto the chess scene when in 2004, at 13, he beat former world champion Anatoli Karpov, pushed Kasparov to a draw and became a chess grandmaster. “The Mozart of Chess” was born, as the Washington Post put it.

8歲那年，他第一次參加世界西洋棋賽，並在2004年13歲那年，擊敗前世界冠軍卡波夫、逼和卡斯帕洛夫，榮獲西洋棋大師地位。當時《華盛頓郵報》說：「『西洋棋壇的莫札特』誕生了」。

The teen quickly became a regular of the chess circuit, where he could be seen with his shirt untucked （He dresses neatly but shows a teenager's discomfort with formality.） and at times yawning and stretching during games. Despite his sluggish appearance, he climbed the chess hierarchy at dazzling speed. So much so that only a month after his nineteenth birthday, he wowed the chess universe as the youngest player to ever top the world rankings.

少年卡爾森很快成為西洋棋賽常勝軍，他下棋時襯衫有時露在褲子外頭（他衣著整潔，但像一般青少年，不喜歡太正式的穿著），有時猛打哈欠，下棋時伸伸懶腰。儘管他看來漫不經心，但他以驚人的速度在西洋棋壇一路往上竄升。正因為如此，剛過19歲生日1個月，他就成為最年輕的棋王，震驚棋壇。

Kasparov, who has coached Carlsen since 2009, was 20 years and nine months old when he made it to that milestone. “Before he is done, Carlsen will have changed our ancient game considerably.” Kasparov told Time magazine in January. The Russian player has helped the young Norwegian add a good measure of calculation and a broader repertory of openings to the extraordinary intuition that guides his quick and exact moves.

2009年以來一直在指導卡爾森的卡斯帕洛夫，是在20歲零9個月那年，創下西洋棋壇里程碑，躍登棋王寶座。「在他功成名就前，卡爾森將大幅改變這個古老的棋藝。」卡斯帕洛夫1月間告訴《時代雜誌》。在這位俄羅斯棋王協助指導下，年輕的挪威棋士卡爾森，學會更精準的計算，並使他那套非凡的直覺更開闊豐富，使他得以快速準確的下棋。

He would seem older than 19 but for his habit of giggling and his aversion to eye contact. But Carlsen also seeks to be a regular teen, spending his free time chatting on the internet and playing football, squash and tennis. School, on the other hand, is definitely not his cup of tea. “I've focussed on chess for many years, so I didn't care too much in the last few years,” he said when asked about his final exam results.

卡爾森看起來比19歲老氣，除喜歡咯咯傻笑和不願意和人四目交接之外。他也努力當個平凡的青少年，常常抽空上網聊天，踢足球，打壁球和網球。但上學絕對不是他的最愛。「多年來，我全神貫注下西洋棋，所以過去幾年來，我不太在乎學校成績。」當被問到期末考成績時他回答。

“Magnus has normally been excellent at whatever he is interested in and if he's not interested, then the results are not necessarily excellent,” his father Henrik intervened.　The benevolent figure has accompanied his son throughout his chess career, and is quick to admit he hasn't beat Magnus at the game for nine years.

「麥格努斯在任何他有興趣的事情上，通常表現十分出色；但如果碰到他不感興趣的事，成績不一定很好。」他父親亨利克插嘴說。這位仁慈的父親一路陪著兒子征戰棋壇，他很快承認，9年來他從未贏過麥格努斯。

Carlsen joins chess's 幨ite at a time of unprecedented change. He is one of a generation of players who learned the game from computers. To this day, he's not certain if he has an actual board at home. “I might have one somewhere. I'm not sure,” he says.

卡爾森在西洋棋面臨空前變革之際，躋身國際棋檀精英。他屬於和電腦學下棋的這一代棋士，至今，他還不確定家裡有沒有真正的棋盤。「可能有一個，但放在哪裡，我不確定。」他說。

Not that Carlsen lacks computational prowess, though. He often calculates 20 moves ahead and can comfortably play several games simultaneously while blindfolded simply by hearing each move in notation. Although firmly atop the chess rankings, thanks in part to his victory in London, Carlsen must now fight his way through a series of qualifying competitions in order to earn a chance to play for the world-championship title - the game's highest prize, which is contested every two or three years.

但這並不是說卡爾森缺乏精算實力。他往往能先算好20步棋，還可以蒙住眼睛，只靠記住對手報出的每一步棋，從容自在地同時下多盤棋。拜他在倫敦獲勝之賜，卡爾森雖然穩坐國際西洋棋評級第一名，他現在還必須通過一連串資格賽，以贏得拿到世界冠軍這個最高冠冕的出賽機會，這場棋賽每兩三年舉行一次。

His father says he is more concerned about “whether chess will make him a happy person.” It seems to be doing just that. “I love the game. I love to compete.” Carlsen says. Asked how long he will continue to enjoy chess and where the game will take him, Carlsen pauses to ponder the variables. “It's too difficult to predict,” he concludes. So far, at least, he's been making all the right moves.

他父親說，他更關心「下棋是否會使他成為一個快樂的人。」目前看來，似乎如此。「我喜歡下棋，也喜歡出賽。」卡爾森說。問他對西洋棋的興趣還能維持多久，及下棋最後的目標，卡爾森頓了頓，仔細思考各種變數。「很難預料。」他說。至少，到目前為止，他下的每一步棋都很正確。

Photos show Norwegian chess genius Magnus Carlsen straightening his tie in Oslo on August 31, 2009 （right） and playing several games simultaneously during a chess competition in Oslo on August 27, 2009（left）.

上右圖為挪威天才棋王卡爾森去年8月31日在奧斯陸下棋前，正在打理領帶。左圖為去年8月27日在奧斯陸一場棋賽中，他（中立者）同時和幾個人對弈。（法新社）