'The Mozart of Chess' takes to US TV

An American TV show has asked the number one chess player in the world about his methods, moves and motivation. Norway's Magnus Carlsen was profiled in the popular 60 Minutes slot on CBS News and told host Bob Simon that he especially enjoys making his opponent suffer in each game.

Entitled Magnus Carlsen: The Mozart of Chess, the programme provided a fascinating insight into the mind of the world number one. Carlsen was destined to be a chess superstar from the age of 13, which he drew with Garry Kasparov, the Russian who many consider the best player ever.

In the documentary, Carlsen revealed that not only did he almost win the game, despite getting flustered in a round of speed chess – "When I actually got to a winning position, I had little time, I was nervous and I couldn't finish him off" – he was actually treated to ice cream for his efforts by his parents.

The programme was promoted by a 60 Minutes webcast, 60 Minutes Overtime, profiling Mike Wallace's 1972 report on Bobby Fischer, America's greatest chess grandmaster, who died in 2008.

60 Minutes host Bob Simon showed genuine respect for Carlsen. Referring to his nickname, he asked: "You could not understand what Mozart did when he did it – it came from another world."

But Carlsen replied: "Was Mozart ever asked how he does this? I would be very impressed if he had a good answer to that. Because I think he would say – it just comes naturally to me, this is what I do."