Favourable early pairings give the world champion a good chance of setting a record streak of 111 games unbeatenThe world champion, Magnus Carlsen, starts his 2020 campaign on Saturday when he meets his arch rival Anish Giri in the opening round at Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, the traditional Dutch tournament which he has dominated ever since he won its C group aged 14. In his past eight Masters appearances there Carlsen has won seven times and placed second once.
Carlsen and Giri have had some sharp clashes on
Twitter, and a highlight of the 29-year-old Norwegian’s interview with the Guardian on Thursday was his relish in recounting how he psychologically crushed the Dutch champion when they met at Zagreb last summer.