As the biggest star in chess today and one of the greatest to have ever played the game, Magnus Carlsen carries a heavy burden on his shoulders. Not only does he carry the burden of expecations, with the Norwegian Grandmaster expected to win every single time due to his stature, he also immense influence on followers of the sport across all ages, including and especially young children.

Carlsen uses star power to spread awareness

It is therefore significant when the 35-year-old spreads awareness on allowing young children to be granted the freedom to pursue their hobbies. Carlsen also urged parents to be open-minded in allowing their children to pursue hobbies such as chess regardless of gender and not exhibit different attitudes towards their sons and their daughters.

“There’s this culture in society where it’s more acceptable for boys to be obsessed with certain hobbies at a certain age, and it’s very important for parents and support systems to also encourage young girls to do those things… think you lose a lot of talent because of this mentality,” Carlsen was quoted by Chess.com as saying.

Carlsen’s comment also carries weight due to the gender imbalance that exists in chess in this day an age. Icons like Hungarian GM Judit Polgar, the greatest female player of all time and the only woman to be ranked in the world top-10 and rated above 2700, are an exception after all, with only three female players having ever been ranked inside the top-100. Chess, additionally, has had over 2,100 Grandmasters till date and only 44 of them are women.

The disparity between the two genders in chess has been a major talking point over the years, and some believe it is due to lack of encouragement for young girls to take up chess either as a hobby or as a profession.

Carlsen’s recent comment, however, might end up having a positive effect on that front and increase female participation in the sport in the years to come.