Magnus Carlsen Net Worth, Age, Height, Wealth (Updated 2022)

Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen, simply known as Magnus Carlsen, is a top-tier chess player from Norway who has made his way to fame being rated as a chess grandmaster at the age of 13, the highest-ranked player in the world at age of 19, and the World Chess Champion at the age of 22. Gaining these prestigious titles and achievements in the chess industry has brought Carlsen’s net worth to $8 million as of 2023.

How Did Magnus Carlsen Become Rich?

On November 30, 1990, Henrik Albert Carlsen, an IT Consultant, and Sigrun Øen, a chemical engineer, gave birth to Magnus in Tønsberg Municipality, Norway. After eight years of living in Finland and Belgium, the Carlsens went back to Norway and settled in Haslum Municipality where Magnus spent his early childhood. Henrik, Carlsen’s father, introduced chess to him. Henrik was an amateur chess player, but he saw the potential in his son who was then considered gifted for his advanced intellectual skills.

As a toddler, it was evident that Carlsen can handle complex problem-solving activities like solving 50-piece of jigsaw puzzles and putting together advanced Lego pieces which are designed for children aged 10 to 14 years old. However, despite his father’s encouragement, Carlsen’s attention was caught by geography and demography. Carlsen cultivated his time memorizing details about countries, capital cities, flags, and population.

Carlsen  attention shifted back to chess when he played with his sister who constantly knocked him out. This became one of the frustrating moments in his childhood that inspired him to think and develop a strategy how to beat his sister in chess. At the age of five, Carlsen was able to develop his strategies and techniques in playing chess and reading books to develop his skills with the guidance of his father.

Three years later, Carlsen started to officially compete in a chess tournament at the age of eight when  he joined the youngest division in the Norwegian Chess Championship tournament in 1999. From 2000 to 2002, he was able to take part in almost 300 chess tournaments, and these amateur competitions helped Carlsen to develop a strong grasp in chess that placed him second in 2002’s Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) World Youth Chess Championship in the boys’ under-12 division. This competition was held in Iráklion, Greece which marked as one of the first international milestones in Carlsen’s career.

As years passed by, Carlsen continued to compete in different chess tournaments, and by 2003, he already earned three International Master (IM) norms in January, June, and July. Carrying the title, in 2004, Carlsen’s morale was even more boosted for winning his first-ever tournament at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands where he was dubbed as “Mozart of Chess”. This was given to him by American Grandmaster chess player Lubomir Kavalek.

Later Carlsen proved his formidable skills in Reykjavík, Iceland when he beat the former world champion, Anatoly Karpov, at a blitz chess tournament. Stepping up from the competition, he matched with Garry Kasparov who was the highest-ranked player in the world at a time. He won the game at first but was later defeated by Kasparov in another round.

Nonetheless, during the same year in April, Carlsen earned Grandmaster (GM) norm after ranking second at Dubai Open Chess Championship. He became the world’s youngest Grandmaster at the age of 13, and he was then the third youngest person to receive such a GM title which marked another milestone for his entire chess career. By this year as well, he was able to join FIDE World Chess Championship and was considered as the youngest contender to participate in such a world-class tournament.

In 2010, he was recognized by FIDE as the top chess player in the world at the age of 19 years old, thereby, becoming the youngest player to ever be recorded as rank 1 in the entire chess industry.  During this time, he was named “Sportsman of the Year” by the Norwegian tabloid, Verdens Gang (VG). He was also recruited by G-Star, a Dutch clothing company, to become a model for their denim collection.

During the following year, Carlsen’s FIDE rating was 2861 which surpassed Kasparov’s historical record of 2851 in 1999. Because of his outstanding performance and exceptional excellence in the industry, he was also awarded by the Norwegian government the “Peer Gynt Prize” which is only given to people who have proved their excellence and distinction in Norwegian society.

In 2013, Carlsen competed in the World Chess Championship which was held in Chennai, India which was Vishwanathan Anand’s, his opponent, hometown. They played for ten matches, but Carlsen was able to defeat Anand with a score of 3 wins and 7 draws. Carlsen brought home $1.5 million after defeating Anand.  After winning the match and getting the title of World Chess Champion, Carlsen became the second-youngest player to ever hold the title next to Kasparov.

In 2014, Carlsen defended his title from Anand in Sochi, Russia, but Anand bowed to Carlsen after beating him with a score of 3 wins, 7 draws, and 1 loss. This match gave Carlsen about $500,000. The grandmaster continued to dominate the chess arena by taking the titles in the Standard, the Rapid, and the Blitz World Championships. He became the first-ever chess player to hold these three FIDE titles simultaneously by 2019.

Following his back-to-back championships, Carlsen continued to participate in chess tournaments from 2015 to 2020. He joined the Grand Chess Tour in 2015 and 2017 where he was able to bag a total of $245,000 for winning his matches. In 2016, he was also able to win his first championship at Norway Chess Tournament, got his fifth win at Tata Steel Chess Tournament, and successfully defended his World Chess Championship against Sergey Karjakin. In 2018, he defended his World Championship title again against Fabiano Caruana and defeated his opponent which gave him a whopping $625,100.

Come 2020, the coronavirus did not stop Carlsen from earning from playing chess because he was recognized as the world’s highest-earning esports player of the year for earning $510,587 by playing in an online chess gaming website called Chess24. As the coronavirus continues to spread for an uncertain period, it is expected that Carlsen’s earnings will still shoot up.

In December of 2021 Magnus Carlsen won his fifth World Chess Championship after winning against Ian Nepomniachtchi and got $1,336,200 in prize pool money.

What Is Magnus Carlsen Net Worth?

With Carlsen’s record-breaking winnings, the grandmaster is said have an impressive net worth of $8 million, making him one of the richest chess players in the world in the present day. Just like any other athlete, Carlsen’s sources of wealth heavily rely on tournament prizes, sponsorships, endorsements, and other sources of income.

How much money Magnus Carlsen has made from World Chess Championship

2013: $1,803,800 (60% from total prize pool)

2014: $1,250,000 (60% from total prize pool)

2016: $678,500 (60% from total prize pool)

2018: $621,500 (55% from total prize pool)

2021: $1,336,200 (60% from total prize pool)

When it comes to tournament prizes, Carlsen is said to be offered a $1 million prize for each tournament he joins. Moreover, he is receiving an estimated $2 million every year from sponsorships and endorsements. In 2020, he signed a deal with Unibet, an online gambling company, valid for two years. Apart from this, he is also being sponsored by Norwegian companies Simonsen Vogt Wiig and Arctic Securities and he also models for G-Star Raw, a Dutch fashion company.

In addition, Magnus Carlsen is also an occasional actor. He appeared in various TV commercials, shows, and documentaries. Carlsen’s life was been featured in various documentaries and movies like The Prince of Chess where he first acted. His first TV series appearance is “Golden Goal” (2009) and his latest is “Dagsrevyen” (2017-2020). He also became a voice actor in “The Simpsons: The Cad and the Hat” (2017). Carlsen also started his YouTube channel in 2014 which already has over  600 thousand subscribers in 2023. All of these made and are making Carlsen’s bank grow bigger.

The most watched video on Magnus Carlsen YouTube channel with almost 8 million views

Moreover, Carlsen is also active in e-gaming being the founder of Play Magnus – Train and Play Chess with Magnus and co-founder of Play Magnus AS which are both chess video games. He is not only a pioneer of these online chess games but a player as well. In 2021, he earned $510,587 just by playing in Chess24, an online chess game and ranked as the highest-paid e-gamer of the year.

How Magnus Carlsen Spends His Money?

Carlsen’s spending is a decent balance among luxury, business, and charity.

It was said that he owns a magnificent 40-year-old six-bedroom Swiss-style house sitting in the northern woodlands with the views of Bogstadvannet lake and the Oslofjord which is believed to be worth $3 to $4 million. There he lives with his parents.

When it comes to cars, Carlsen is hitting the city with his Lamborghini and is also rumored to have his own Tesla. Outside tournaments, Carlsen also enjoys playing outdoor sports like tennis, basketball, and football. He also likes to party and travel.

On the business spectrum, he is owning online chess video games and applications where Carlsen invested a whopping $6 million. He also owns a huge flat in Oslo City, Norway which constantly bringing him a passive income.

Carlsen is also active when it comes to charity works. He participated in several charity events like those hosted by Real Madrid Foundation and Chess in School and Communities which advocates for social inclusion and positive educational outcomes, respectively. Remarkably, he was also able to showcase his generosity when he generated almost $970 for his foundation, Offerspill Chess Club, just within 24 hours. In addition, Carlsen donated a significant amount to the CDP COVID-19 Response Fund.

Interesting Facts

• Magnus Carlsen is considered a genius having an IQ of 190.
• His shortest chess match lasted only for a minute.
• For ten years, Carlsen has been sitting at the top of FIDE’s rating list.
• Magnus Carlsen is very secretive when it comes to his personal life. It was reported that he has publicly dated two women named Synn Christin Larsen and Elisabet Lorentzen Djønne. The latter, who is a criminology student, is said to be the current girlfriend of Carlsen.