Has Chess Superman Magnus Carlsen found his Kryptonite?
For nearly two decades, Magnus Carlsen has been chess's Superman. The world's number one seemed immune to the mistakes that destroy ordinary grandmasters. He survived lost positions, escaped tactical disasters, and squeezed victories from endgames that everyone else would have signed off as draws. His opponents didn't just have to outplay him—they had to survive him. But every Superman has a Kryptonite. And at Norway Chess 2026, Magnus Carlsen appears to have found his. The latest chapter in a shocking tournament came when India's Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa handed Carlsen a second classical defeat in the same event. Worse still, the Norwegian's downfall came in a manner that would have been unthinkable during his peak years: Carlsen marched his king into a forced mating net and collapsed under pressure. For a player famous for seeing everything, the sight was almost surreal. The Fall of the Invincible Carlsen's tournament began badly and has only grown worse. A...