The More We Know's video: Chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen Plays Against The Rest Of Norway In A Live TV Show

Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen played a game of chess against the rest of Norway in a live TV show on Thursday (May 8) which ended in a draw. The Norwegian people were represented by a man dressed in red who was later revealed to be former cross-country skiing champion Oddvar Braa. People all around the country were able to vote on moves suggested by three grand masters. In turn, the grand masters were allowed to call on help from the chess computer Houdini making it even more difficult for the world's best chess player. The 23-year-old reigning chess champion said afterwards the game had started off easily enough, but became increasingly complicated. "It was an interesting experience. The game was going rather well for me, I thought, it was positionally better, with the initiative. And then it got complicated," he said. Carlsen's talent and boyish good looks have earned him lucrative sponsorships deals and front-page coverage in his native country but his success has also resulted in chess becoming increasingly popular. Carlsen said this was reflected in Thursday's game. "You never know how people are going to vote. I know that more and more people are playing chess in Norway. More and more people have an idea of what's going on so. So I think people where thinking for themselves, not only following the grand-masters," he said. A grand-master since he was 13, he already had the highest rating in the history of the game, ahead of chess great Garry Kasparov's 1999 record, and was the world chess number one. Now he is the second youngest player to have become world champion - after Kasparov, by a few months. People watching the game, which could be seen live on VGTV, in an Oslo shopping centre liked the idea. "It's a cool concept, you can vote for each move we can take for the country," said Tarjei Grimstad Olsen. Ylva Hallingby said it was nice to see Carlsen in real life. "I think it's very interesting and fun to see how his face is in real life." "The event is great, giving the whole of Norway the opportunity to play Carlsen," said Haakon Sandbakken. The identity of his opponent was not a great surprise to Carlsen though. "His accent kind of confirmed my hunch," he said of Braa, who is also a household name in Norway. In order to promote chess playing, Carlsen has also launched an app based on his own past games to make chess more popular. Anyone who wants to find out more about his playing style can do so with the app that allows users to play him at the different levels he has achieved since the age of five. http://www.theshortpenguin.com/