世界上最傲慢的西洋棋選手：英語精讀講義

Too weak too slow.

「太弱了，太慢了。」

Magnus Carlsen is talented,

馬格努斯·卡爾森（Magnus Carlsen）很有天賦，

confident,

非常自信，

and arrogant,

又很傲慢，

and he knows it.

而且他自己也知道。

The thing is I'm so arrogant that even when he was mating me, 講解

「問題是我太傲慢了，以至於他將死我時，

I didn't realize it.

我都沒意識到。」

When asked who his greatest rival in chess was,

當被問到在西洋棋中他最大的對手是誰時，

he said,

他說道，

"No one."

「沒有別人。」

Writing on X,

他在 X 上寫道，

"What am I supposed to do? 語氣意圖

「我該怎麼說？

Make stuff up?" 片語動詞

胡編亂造嗎？」

By the way, 表達脈絡

順帶一提，

let's connect on X.

讓我們在 X 上互相追蹤吧。

I'm @NewsThink,

我是 @NewsThink，

link in description.

連結在簡介裡。

He did list his second greatest rival as American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

他的確把他的第二大對手列為了美國西洋棋特級大師中村光（Hikaru Nakamura）。

We're simply better at chess than the others.

「我們下棋就是比別人好。

And so we can make good moves more quickly.

所以我們能更快地走出好棋。

So,

因此，

they need to spend time

他們需要花時間。」

Carlsen is so confident in his abilities that

卡爾森對自己的能力充滿自信，以至於

with time ticking away at a world championship event, 片語動詞

在世界錦標賽上時間所剩無幾時，

he literally took a sip of water. 片語搭配

他竟然喝了一小口水。

And then he spent more time adjusting his chess pieces.

然後他又花了更多時間調整他的棋子。

But beneath the bravado lies a child prodigy. 講解

但在這種虛張聲勢之下，隱藏著一個神童。

By the age of two,

兩歲時，

he completed a 50-piece jigsaw puzzle.

他就能拼出一個 50 塊的拼圖。

When he was four,

四歲時，

he had memorized the names of most of his native Norway's 356 municipalities.

他就記住了祖國挪威 356 個市鎮中大部分的名字。

By eight,

到了八歲，

chess had become his life.

西洋棋就成了他的生活。

Initially,

最初，

he really just wanted to beat his oldest sister,

他真的只是想打敗他的大姊，

and then he was hooked, 慣用語

然後他就著迷了，

devouring chess strategy books in his dad's library. 慣用語

如飢似渴地閱讀他父親書房裡的西洋棋策略書。

It took him only a year to beat his dad Henrik for the first time. 文法

他只花了一年時間就第一次打敗了他的父親亨里克（Henrik）。

He credits skiing as his secret weapon to winning in chess,

他將滑雪視為自己在西洋棋中獲勝的秘密武器，

helping him mentally reset. 片語搭配

幫助他在心理上重置。

You went in the morning for skiing?

「你早上去了滑雪？」

Yeah, I went for skiing. 文法

「是的，我去滑雪了。

Frankly, I mean, I don't think I would have won today 文法

坦白說，我的意思是，我認為我今天不會贏

if I hadn't done that because

如果我沒這麼做的話，因為

I was just so,

我實在是太，

you know, sick of the hotels 片語搭配

你知道的，厭倦了飯店

and their terrible air everywhere.

還有到處都是糟糕的空氣。」

Apart from skiing, 表達脈絡

除了滑雪，

soccer and yoga help him keep in peak physical and mental shape 片語搭配

足球和瑜珈也幫助他保持身體和心理的最佳狀態，

to handle the rigorous demands of chess tournaments. 片語搭配

以應對西洋棋比賽的嚴苛要求。

He says most chess games hinge on the final hours, 片語動詞

他說大多數西洋棋比賽取決於最後幾個小時，

where mistakes are made due to fatigue.

那時往往會因為疲勞而犯錯。

The number of moves in chess is greater than the number of atoms in the universe. 文法

西洋棋中的步數比宇宙中原子的數量還要多。

I know what to do.

「我知道該怎麼做。

I don't have to figure it out.

我不需要再去想。」

He's been called the Mozart of chess. 文化背景

他被稱為西洋棋界的莫札特。

Much like the composer's inexplicable genius,

就像這位作曲家難以解釋的天賦一樣，

Carlsen's skills seem otherworldly.

卡爾森的棋藝似乎也超乎尋常。

In 2004,

在 2004 年，

when Carlsen was just 13,

當卡爾森只有 13 歲時，

he stunned the world by beating former champion Anatoly Karpov at a tournament in Reykjavik. 慣用語

他在雷克雅維克的一場比賽中擊敗了前世界冠軍阿納托利·卡爾波夫（Anatoly Karpov），震驚了世界。

The following day,

第二天，

Carlsen came close to beating the number one ranked player, 片語搭配

卡爾森差點擊敗了排名第一的棋手，

Garry Kasparov.

加里·卡斯帕羅夫（Garry Kasparov）。

Kasparov barely managed to escape with a draw in the first game 片語搭配

卡斯帕羅夫在第一盤棋中勉強逃脫，以平局收場，

and then won the second.

然後贏得了第二盤。

The match had a profound effect on Carlsen, 片語搭配

這場比賽對卡爾森產生了深遠的影響，

who a month later became a grandmaster, 文化背景

一個月後他成為了特級大師，

the highest title awarded to chess players by the International Chess Federation.

這是國際棋聯授予西洋棋棋手的最高頭銜。

Kasparov briefly became his coach a few years down the road. 慣用語

幾年後，卡斯帕羅夫曾短暫擔任過他的教練。

Paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for training was a good investment

花幾十萬美元用於訓練是一項很好的投資，

because Carlsen reached world number one at the age of 19.

因為卡爾森在 19 歲時就達到了世界第一。

He has been ranked number one non-stop since 2011. 文法

自 2011 年以來，他一直穩居世界第一。

The International Chess Federation recognizes him

國際棋聯認可他

as arguably the best player in the history of chess. 用詞

可以說是西洋棋史上最偉大的棋手。

He has a peak ELO rating of 2882, 文化背景

他的 ELO 最高等級分達到了 2882 分，

the highest ever recorded in the system

這是該系統中記錄的歷史最高分，

used in competitive chess to rate how good you are

該系統用於在競技西洋棋中評估你的水準

based on tournament results.

基於錦標賽的成績。

Chess.com lists him as the second greatest player of all time,

Chess.com 將他列為有史以來第二偉大的棋手，

behind Garry Kasparov.

僅次於加里·卡斯帕羅夫。

Do you agree?

你同意嗎？

Let me know in the comments.

在留言區告訴我。

Even those who aren't avid followers of the game

即使是那些不太關注這項運動的人

recognize Carlsen's name.

也知道卡爾森的名字。

He's achieved celebrity status.

他已經獲得了明星般的地位。

Oh, that was quick.

「哦，太快了。」

Oh, that was...

「哦，那是……」

One of Carlsen's biggest assets is his remarkable memory.

卡爾森最大的優勢之一是他驚人的記憶力。

60 Minutes once produced a segment in which he played 10 opponents

《60分鐘》曾經製作過一個片段，在片段中他同時與 10 個對手下棋，

at the same time while not looking at the chessboards.

而且是在不看棋盤的情況下。

He had to memorize the positions on all the boards

他必須記住所有棋盤上的位置，

and keep track of them in his mind as they changed. 片語搭配

並在它們改變時在腦海中追蹤它們。

He won all 10 games.

他贏了這 10 場比賽。

A good memory is a tremendous asset in chess, 用詞

在西洋棋中，好記性是一項巨大的優勢，

as it lets you navigate the early game with confidence,

因為它能讓你充滿信心地應對開局，

recalling countless opening strategies.

回憶起無數的開局策略。

It's like having a playbook in your mind, 慣用語

這就像在腦海中有一本戰術手冊，

ready to deploy any game plan on the spot. 慣用語

隨時可以立即採用任何作戰策略。

But perhaps his biggest strength is his versatility.

但也許他最大的優勢是他的全面性。

Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand said,

特級大師維斯瓦納坦·阿南德（Viswanathan Anand）說，

"He can be tactical, 文化背景

「他可以打戰術，

he can be positional,

也可以打陣地戰，

he can be many things."

他可以精通許多方面。」

Kind of like a dancer who can gracefully glide from ballet 表達脈絡

有點像一個舞者，可以優雅地從芭蕾舞

to the spirited moves of salsa.

滑行到充滿活力的薩爾薩舞步。

He defeated Anand to become the world chess champion

他擊敗了阿南德，成為世界西洋棋冠軍，

for the first time in 2013.

這是 2013 年他的第一次奪冠。

Unbelievable.

「難以置信。」

Magnus Carlsen,

「馬格努斯·卡爾森，

champion of the world.

世界冠軍。」

This signaled the rise of a new era of players 表達脈絡

這標誌著新一代棋手的崛起，

who grew up in the age of online chess.

他們在線上西洋棋時代成長起來。

Although Carlsen has benefited from competing against players online 文法

儘管卡爾森從與線上玩家競爭中受益，

and getting access to instant game analysis,

並獲得了即時比賽分析的管道，

advantages legends like Bobby Fischer never had,

這些是像波比·費雪（Bobby Fischer）這樣的傳奇人物從未有過的優勢，

he's been pretty clear that computers themselves

但他很清楚地表示，電腦本身

are boring to play against.

作為對手來說很無聊。

He refused to play the chess engine Mittens, 文化背景

他拒絕與西洋棋引擎 Mittens 對弈，

calling it a soulless computer.

稱其為沒有靈魂的電腦。

Yet, the might of machines is undeniable. 用詞

然而，機器的威力是不可否認的。

Kasparov famously lost against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue 文化背景

卡斯帕羅夫曾輸給IBM的超級電腦深藍（Deep Blue），

in a series of matches in 1997.

在1997年那場著名的系列對局中。

In the final game,

在最後一場比賽中，

he was crushed in just over an hour.

他僅用了一個多小時就被徹底擊敗。

So, while computers stand as formidable opponents 表達脈絡

所以，儘管電腦作為強大的對手存在於

in the realm of chess,

西洋棋領域，

does any human stand a chance against 慣用語

但有沒有人類能有機會對抗

the might of Magnus Carlsen?

馬格努斯·卡爾森的實力呢？

Chess players are believed to peak 文法

西洋棋棋手通常被認為在

between 35 and 45 years old.

35到45歲之間達到巔峰。

Carlsen is 32 going on 33 慣用語

卡爾森32歲，即將33歲，

at the time of this video.

在製作本影片時。

It's hard to believe he may not have reached his prime. 文法

很難相信他可能還沒有達到他的巔峰。

Even harder to believe that he may be tired of playing the game. 表達脈絡

更難相信他可能厭倦了下棋。

He decided not to defend his title 片語搭配

他決定不捍衛他的頭銜

at the World Chess Championship in 2023,

在 2023 年的世界西洋棋錦標賽上，

explaining in his podcast,

他在他的 Podcast 中解釋道，

I am not motivated to play 片語搭配

「我沒有動力去打

another match.

另一場比賽了。

I feel that

我覺得

um I simply feel that

嗯，我只是覺得

I don't have a lot to gain.

我沒有太多可以得到的。

I don't particularly

我並不是特別

um I don't particularly like it.

嗯，我並不是特別喜歡它。」

For the five-time champion,

對於這位五屆冠軍來說，

it was akin to abdicating his crown. 慣用語

這無異於放棄他的王冠。

I don't rule out a return 片語動詞

「我不排除回歸的可能性，

in the future,

在未來，

but I wouldn't particularly

但我不會特別

uh count on it. 片語動詞

呃，指望它。」

He's also taken a liking to poker, 慣用語

他也喜歡上了撲克，

though he says he has no grand ambitions there.

雖然他說他在那裡沒有宏大的野心。

For someone who likes to win above everything,

對於一個把贏看得高於一切的人來說，

don't count him out of chess just yet. 片語動詞

現在還不要把他排除在西洋棋之外。

Yeah!

「耶！」

Trying to guess your opponent's next move

試圖猜測對手的下一步棋，

while plotting your best move feels like one giant logic puzzle. 表達脈絡

同時策劃自己的最佳走法，感覺就像在解一個巨大的邏輯謎題。

I've found that Brilliant's logic puzzles

我發現 Brilliant 的邏輯謎題

have improved my analytical thinking skills.

提高了我的分析思維能力。

Just taking a few minutes out of my day

只需從我的一天中抽出幾分鐘時間，

has made a huge difference for me, 片語搭配

就對我產生了巨大的影響，

and it can for you, too. 文法

這對你也一樣。

And it's free to try out. 片語動詞

而且它可以免費試用。

Brilliant is a website and app where you can learn math,

Brilliant 是一個網站和應用程式，你可以在那裡互動式地學習數學、

data science, and computer science interactively.

資料科學和電腦科學。

Whether you'd like to brush up on what you already know 講解

無論你是想複習你已經知道的知識，

or dive into more advanced topics, 片語動詞

還是深入探討更高級的主題，

there's something for everyone.

每個人都能在這裡找到適合自己的東西。

You can try out Brilliant for free for 30 days

你可以免費試用 Brilliant 30 天，

using my custom link in the description.

使用我在簡介中的專屬連結。

brilliant.org/newsthink.

brilliant.org/newsthink。

The first 200 people who sign up via my link 片語動詞

前 200 名透過我的連結註冊的人

will get 20% off their premium subscription,

將獲得高級訂閱的八折優惠，

unlocking all of Brilliant's courses. 文法

解鎖所有的 Brilliant 課程。

Thanks for watching.

感謝觀看。

For NewsThink,

這裡是 NewsThink，

I'm Cindy Pom.

我是 Cindy Pom。