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“He is Very Unpredictable”- Russian Grandmaster on Being Bested by Magnus Carlsen at Fantasy Soccer Game

Published 03/15/2022, 1:02 PM EDT

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The majority of people in the world know Magnus Carlsen as the number one chess Grand Master. However, are you aware of the chess genius’ footballing skills? Not a striker or a defender, but the world chess champion has some extraordinary skills when it comes to managing a football team.

Currently, Magnus Carlsen is amongst the top Fantasy Premier League players in the world. In fact, in the 2019 season of the FPL, he finished in the top 10 amongst millions of players. Some would say his stats in the FPL are as impressive as his chess career. But is that true? His chess counterpart has his say.

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Andrey Esipenko believes Magnus Carlsen is unpredictable

The Norwegian Grand Master isn’t the only chess Grand Master hooked on to Fantasy Premier League. Some of his contemporary rivals are also quite fond of the virtual game. 19-year-old Russian Grand Master, Andrey Esipenko, is one of the top players in the game. Esipenko said, “At the start of the season, I was in top one thousand out of 9 million.”

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While on the question about Carlsen’s approach to the game, Esipenko added, “I think he is very unpredictable when he chooses some players. Sometimes I just cannot expect which players he will get and probably in chess as well, sometimes he makes some moves which no one can expect.”

The Russian Grand Master also recalled an after-match conversation when he and Magnus both had Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United as their captain. He said, “Magnus asked me who my captain was. And it was Bruno Fernandez from Manchester United and he said me too and it was very nice (laughingly).”

“Time To..Try My Luck in the Lottery”- Chess Grand Master Reacts After Making an Unbelievable Comeback in an Almost Lost Match

It’s more than luck

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While many would believe Carlsen’s incredible performance in the Fantasy Premier League is a lot about luck, it’s actually not. His analytical and managing skills are that of a football manager. The fact that he is so good with numbers and thinks logically is what makes him so successful in the game.

Apart from his god gifted skills, Magnus is someone who likes to win and to be at the top all the time. Even with the fast-changing game of chess, he is always at the top of his game, no matter what the format is.

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Written by:

Saurav Panwar

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Saurav Panwar is a US Sports writer at EssentiallySports. A postgraduate in Media and Communication Studies, he shares a profound love for creative direction and filmmaking. Saurav is also an avid reader and a literature devotee whose fandom spreads from classics to sci-fi, non-fiction, plays, comics, and much more.
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Edited by:

Melroy Fernandes