Norway’s Magnus Carlsen sees the Armenian world No 3, Levon Aronian, as his most dangerous opponent at London-hosted Chess Candidates Tournament, The Guardian reported.

"He has supreme confidence and belief in himself, is very well prepared, can evaluate non-standard positions very well and never backs down," says Carlsen in a tribute to a fellow chess optimist.

Asked if Carlsen would be disappointed if he failed to make it through to the world championship match, the chess player said, "It would depend on the performance. If I score plus four and Aronian scores plus six, I will probably have had a quite good tournament and there's not much I can do. If I feel I haven't been able to show my best, then I will be disappointed. But life goes on, and whether I win or lose I will still be 22 with most of my career ahead of me."

Aronian will face off against Carlsen in the first round, due March 15. The tournament will run from March 15 to April 1.