“Greatness for me is being able to do something over a long time while constantly improving yourself, and being the best”

With the ‘Only See Great’ campaign, PUMA explores the career path of its brand ambassadors, as they talk about their own paths and how they strive for greatness, listen to their hearts, and find a vision that no one else can see.

In the interview, Carlsen talks about his extraordinary performances, winning his first Grandmaster title at 13 years old, and how the journey to success and a balanced mix of physical training and a healthy lifestyle gave him the energy to succeed.

“I have never been motivated for specific goals in my chess career. I just always wanted to learn to be better each time that I play and now I do have a goal of being the first player to reach that 2900 rating threshold in chess, but what’s more important to me is the journey that would possibly get me there. It’s being able to do all the right things to give myself a chance to do that. I care about this a lot in my day-to-day life.”

While many titles followed, Carsten, an avid sport fan, says his biggest motivation is the competition: “I love sports and that’s how I train. I do football, I started to play padel recently, I also do some exercises with a personal trainer but I always try to make it as a competition.  That is what motivates me.”

About the longest chess game in the World Championship in Dubai, Carstens says: “What was most memorable for me personally, during the last 1h of play, is that I was very calm. I was not stressed, even though there was only little time on the clock, and what I felt after I made the last move was just deep satisfaction of having pulled through and having done things the right way at the end.

The idea for PUMA’s “Only See Great” campaign was inspired by cultural icon, entrepreneur and philanthropist Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter who first said: “I only see great. I don’t see good. I don’t see compromise. We should always strive to make something great, something that will last.”