Carlsen and Kasparov Team Up

As if Magnus Carlsen's rise hasn't been meteoric enough, the 18-year-old Norwegian prodigy and current world #4 has been training with Garry Kasparov for the last six months. The linked report (courtesy of ChessBase) includes a translation of the original Norwegian article, plus photos of the two working together.

The goal of this training is reportedly to help Carlsen reach the world #1 ranking within the next year. The training is described as very expensive (of course), and will last for at least the next year, with the possibility of more to come.

It's been known for some time that Kasparov has taken a liking to Carlsen, believing him to be a future world champion and the world's most talented young player. There's no doubt that Kasparov will have a lot to impart on the young Carlsen, and very likely might even accelerate Carlsen's seemingly inevitable rise to the top of the chess world. When Kasparov became #1 at a young age, he held on to the title for the better part of two decades. The real question for Carlsen may not be if he'll becoming the world's top player -- he's likely to do it, and quite likely at an earlier age than his new mentor -- but how many years it'll be before someone can dethrone him.