The latest news from the chess world are... surprizing. Just have a look at the following list:

 

 

Well, friends, believe it or not, these are the ten top players of the world, according to the latest ratinng list of FIDE. Number One is not Anand, the present Champion,  nor Kramnik or Topalov, but the Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen, who celebrates within a few weeks, on the 30th of November, his 19th birthday. And this means that he can be considered the new World Champion, even if he'll have to wait a little bit, before the official crowning ceremony.

And, if this happens in the next future, he'll also be the youngest ever World Champion. And what makes it even more amazing is that his style is extraordinarily mature, clear and quiet as if we were in front of a Capablanca or a Petrosian, just to mentions two of most rationally playing champions.

Observe his victory against the Hungarian Leko: 

Leko,Peter (2752) - Carlsen,Magnus (2801)
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (9), 14.11.2009

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7 10.h3 Nf6 11.Qf3 Qb6 12.0-0-0 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Be2 Qc5 15.Rhe1 g4N [15...Be6 16.e5 dxe5 17.Bxe5 (17.Bd3 e4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 0-0-0 20.a3 Rd5 21.Qb4 Rhd8 22.Qxc5+ Rxc5 23.Be2 Bf5 24.c3 Rd7 25.Bg4 Bxg4 1/2-1/2 Lutz,C (2640)-Polgar,J (2715)/Budapest 2003) 17...Qxe5 18.Bb5+ Qxb5 19.Nxb5 axb5 20.Qxb7 0-0 21.Rxe6 fxe6 22.Qc6 e5 23.Qxb5 Kh8 24.a3 Ne4 25.f3 Nd6 26.Qd7 Rab8 27.Qxe7 Nf5 28.Qa7 e4 29.c3 exf3 30.gxf3 Ra8 31.Qb7 Rab8 32.Qc6 Rbc8 33.Qd7 Rb8 34.a4 Ne3 35.Re1 Nc4 36.Re7 Rfd8 37.Qc7 Rdc8 38.Qa7 Ra8 39.Qd7 Nb6 40.Qb7 Rcb8 41.Qc6 Nxa4 42.Rc7 Re8 43.Qd7 Rg8 44.Kc2 Nb6 45.Qd6 Rab8 46.b3 Na8 47.Rf7 Rbd8 48.Qa6 Rc8 49.c4 Nc7 50.Qc6 Na8 51.Qb7 Rce8 52.c5 Re2+ 53.Kd1 Ree8 54.c6 Kh7 55.c7 Nxc7 56.Rxc7 Kh8 57.b4 Rb8 58.Qe4 Rge8 59.Re7 Rg8 60.Ke1 Rgf8 61.Kf2 Rb6 62.Qd3 Rbf6 63.b5 1-0 Teichmeister,S (2590)-Hernandez Molina,D (2556)/ICCF email 2006/Corr 2008; 15...0-0 16.e5 dxe5 17.Bd3 Nd7 (17...Be6 18.Bxe5 b5 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Ne4 Qe5 21.Nxf6+ Qxf6 22.Qxf6 exf6 23.f4 Rfc8 24.a3 Rc5 25.b4 Rc7 26.Kb2 Kf8 27.f5 Bd5 28.g4 Rb8 29.Be4 Bc4 30.Bd5 Rbc8 31.Bxc4 Rxc4 32.Re2 R8c6 33.Rd3 Kg7 34.Rd8 Kh7 35.Ra8 Rc3 36.Rxa6 Rxa6 37.Kxc3 Rxa3+ 38.Kd4 Rxh3 39.Kc5 Rg3 40.Kxb5 Rxg4 41.c4 Rf4 42.c5 Rxf5 43.Ka6 Rf4 44.b5 Rc4 45.b6 Ra4+ 46.Kb5 1-0 Gronkowski,D (2458)-Grabner,H (2381)/ICCF email 2003/Corr 2006) 18.h4 (18.Qe2!? f6 19.h4 gxh4 20.Bxh4 Nb6 21.f4 f5 22.Qf2 e4) 18...gxh4 19.Bxh4 Nf6 20.Bxf6 exf6 21.Nd5 f5 22.Bxf5 Bxf5 23.Qxf5 Rad8 24.Nf6+ Bxf6 25.Qxf6 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 Rc8 27.c3 Qc6 28.Qf5 Re8 29.Rd7 Qc4 30.a3 b5 31.Qf6 (31.Rd6 Qf1+ 32.Kc2 Qe2+ 33.Rd2 Qc4 34.Rd3 Kg7 35.Re3 Qe6 36.Rg3+ Kf8 37.Qd3 Ke7 38.Qe4) 31...Qf4+ 32.Qxf4 exf4 33.f3 Kg7 34.Kd1 Re5 35.Rd4 Rg5 36.Rd2 h5 37.Ke1 Kf6 38.Kf1 Re5 39.Rd4 1/2-1/2 Voss,M (2608)-Valent,P (2566)/RCCA Email 2003/Corr 2008] 16.hxg4 Bxg4 17.Qd3 Be6 18.e5 dxe5 19.Bf3 e4 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Rxe4 0-0 22.Qe3 [22.Rxe6 fxe6 23.Qb3 Rad8 24.Qxe6+ Kh8 25.Rd5 Rxd5 26.Bxd5 Bf6 27.c3 Rd8 28.Bf3-/+]22...Rac8 23.Qxc5 Rxc5 24.Bg4 Bxg4 25.Rxg4 f5 26.Rb4 b5 27.a4 Rfc8 28.c3 Rc4 29.Rxc4 Rxc4 30.axb5 axb5 31.Rd8+ Kh7 32.Rd7 Rg4 33.Bb8[33.Rxe7 Kg6 34.Bd6 Rxg2 1) 35.Re6+ Kg5 36.Re7 Bf6 37.f4+ Kg4 38.Rf7 Bd8 39.Rb7 h5 40.Rxb5 h4 41.Rb8 Bf6; 2) 35.Re2 h5 36.Kd2 Bh6+ 37.f4 Rxe2+ 38.Kxe2 Kf7 39.Be5 Ke6 40.Kf3 Bf8 41.b3 Kd5] 33...Rxg2 34.Rxe7 Kg6 35.Bg3 h5 36.Kd1 Bf6 37.Re6 Kf7 38.Re3 h4 39.Bc7 Rxf2 40.b3 Rf1+ 41.Ke2 Rc1 42.c4 bxc4 43.bxc4 Rxc4 44.Bb8 Rc2+ 45.Kf1 Kg6 46.Re2 Rc8 47.Bd6 Rc6 48.Be7 Bxe7 49.Rxe7 Rc2!-+ 50.Re3 Kg5 51.Kg1 Kg4 52.Ra3 f4 53.Ra8 Rd2 54.Ra7 Kg3 55.Rg7+ Kf3 56.Ra7 Rd1+ 57.Kh2 Ke2 58.Kh3 f3 59.Ra2+ Rd2 0-1