Magnus Carlsen on TIME 100 list

We are not sure which of the 100 will appear on the title page April 29 / May 6 double issue of TIME (but are rooting for Malala, above, who was written up by Chelsea Clinton). You will find some of the title page candidates at the TIME 100 web site.

The TIME 100 list, now in its tenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. As TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel has said: “The TIME 100 is not a list of the most powerful people in the world, it’s not a list of the smartest people in the world, it’s a list of the most influential people in the world. They’re scientists, they’re thinkers, they’re philosophers, they’re leaders, they’re icons, they’re artists, they’re visionaries. People who are using their ideas, their visions, their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people.”

Guess who wrote up Magnus Carlsen's 2013 nomination text. It was none other than Garry Kasparov, who incidentally made the 2007 TIME 100 list, for his political activities, and after his chess career had ended. Garry writes under the title "Magnus Carlsen – Chess wunderkind, 22":

Chess history is best viewed through the game’s evolution: the Romantic Era of the 19th century, the Hypermodernism of the early 20th, the post–World War II dominance of the Soviet School. The elite chess players of today are of no school. They hail from all over the world, as illustrated by current world champion Viswanathan Anand of India and young Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, who is due to challenge Anand for the championship this year. I had the opportunity to train Carlsen in 2009, and his intuitive style conserves the mystique of chess at a time when every CPU-enhanced fan thinks the game is easy. Carlsen is as charismatic and independent as he is talented. If he can rekindle the world’s fascination with the royal game, we will soon be living in the Carlsen Era. [Source: TIME 100]

"I'm surprised and deeply honored," said Magnus Carlsen. "Inclusion in 2013 TIME 100 is a recognition of chess, and I hope this will further strengthen the position and development of chess worldwide. Now I look forward to the party in New York on April 23rd."

This year's nominees include Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Gabrielle Giffords, Joe Biden, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Wayne LaPierre, Aung San Suu Kyi, Malala Yousafzai, Pope Francis, Kate Middleton, Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lawrence, Li Na and Lebron James.