16th World Champion, 2013 - present
Magnus is a Norwegian GM born on November 30th, 1990, reigning World Chess Champion and the No. 1 ranked player in the world. His peak rating in December 2013 is 2872, the highest in history.
He won the title by defeating Vishy Anand in the World Chess Championship 2013 in Chennai, India, from 9 to 22 November, 2013. Carlsen won the match 6½–3½ by winning games five, six and nine, no losses and drawing the remainder.
He also won the Chess Oscars for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. His style has evolved from attacking (at a younger age) into positional mastery and endgame prowess. He also plays a wide variety of openings, making it hard on anyone to prepare against him.