Yes, he will

The Carlsen consent

After a period of suspense, World champion Magnus Carlsen has agreed to defend his crown against Viswanathan Anand in Sochi from November 5.

By P. K. Ajith Kumar.

Will he, won’t he?

That was the question the chess world had been asking for a while, ever since World champion Magnus Carlsen expressed doubts about defending his crown. He had reservations about the venue, Sochi, where, FIDE had announced, the World championship match between the Norwegian and India’s Viswanathan Anand would be held from November 5 to 25.

Carlsen wasn’t happy with the venue and the prize-money of $ 3 million, which was one million less than what the last World championship in Chennai offered. Carlsen’s manager Epsen Agdestein sought a postponement of the event, citing unrest in Ukraine. FIDE, perhaps bolstered further by its president Kirsan Ilymuzhinov’s election victory against Garry Kasparov, refused. “This match has been part of the official tournament calendar since last year, and a postponement could lead to problems with the current calendar,” Ilyumzhinov said.

Carlsen’s deadline to sign the contract was August 31, which clashed with his participation at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis (US). FIDE though allowed an extension of the deadline till September 7, the final day of the Sinquefield Cup, which was also the strongest tournament in chess history.

Carlsen wasn’t exactly having a great time in Saint Louis and had to be the second best to Italian Fabiano Caruana, who played incredibly brilliant chess to win the tournament by a whopping three points (see box). On September 7, Carslen signed the contract. He also posted a photo of him signing the agreement on his Twitter account, captioning, “It has been a pleasure signing autographs for the fans in St. Louis. After the tournament I found the time for 1 more.”

That ended all the speculation. Chess followers were wondering if Carlsen would forfeit the title like Bobby Fischer — the biggest global superstar in chess before him — did or if he would arrange parallel World championships, like Garry Kasparov used to do, with someone like Levon Aronian, the World No. 2.

The world can now look forward to another battle of wits between Carlsen and Anand. Part 1 in Chennai was a big letdown, with the younger man comprehensively defeating the defending champion, who was playing in his hometown. The Indian genius could not win even a game. But, if you looked closer, you could find that the chess Anand played wasn’t as anywhere near as bad as the score-line would suggest.

More than Carlsen’s brilliance, it was Anand’s mistakes that decided the match. The genial genius got it strategically wrong too, as he did not, until it was too late, play to his strength of sharp, tactical chess; he had chosen, fatally, to take on Carslen in his own waiting game. Chess pundits, not surprisingly, were quick to write Anand off and gave little chance for him to earn the right to challenge Carlsen again.

He proved all of them wrong by winning the qualifying event, the Candidates tournament at Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) last March in some style. He was seeded fourth, behind Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov, and was the oldest in the field of eight.

In November, Carlsen could very well find Sochi, which had hosted the Winter Olympics earlier in the year, much hotter than Chennai.

Caruana cruisess past Carlsen

Apart from the Sochi World championship in November, the Sinquefield Cup was going to be the biggest event of the year in chess. The line-up was the strongest ever for a tournament. It was double-round robin featuring six of the finest players in the world: Carlsen (Elo rating 2877), Aronian (2807), Caruana (2801), Hikaru Nakamura (2787), Topalov (2772) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2768).

Carlsen, statistically the strongest player of all time, was the favourite, but he could only finish runner-up, with 5.5 points, as Caruana ran away with the title and $ 100,000.

It was a remarkable show by the Italian, who won his first seven games — that is extraordinary at this level. It would remain one of the greatest performances of all time in chess. He finished with 8.5 points, after conceding draws to Carlsen, Nakamura and Aronian in the second leg.

Source: http://www.sportstaronnet.com

Anand wins Bilbao

Viswanathan Anand took an unbeatable four-point lead over top seed Levon Aronian to ensure the title with a round to spare in the Bilbao Chess Masters Finals at the Spanish town of Bilbao on Friday.

Draws on both boards meant Anand maintained his overnight four-point lead.

On Friday, Anand comfortably drew with former World champion Ukraine’s Ruslan Ponomariov following perpetual checks in their 41-move battle in Queen’s Gambit Declined. This equal battle reached an ending involving two minor pieces each, following a series of exchanges. Anand forced the perpetual checks when in danger in losing his bishop.

On the other board, Francisco Vallejo gave nothing away to Aronian and came out with honours even against the World’s second-ranked player.

Employing Semi-Tarrasch Defence, Vallejo kept the position in balance. In the rook-and-pawn endgame that followed, Aronian tried until 59 moves to rattle an off-form Vallejo but in vain.

The results: Fifth round: Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr, 5) drew with Viswanathan Anand (11); Levon Aronian (Arm, 7) drew with Francisco Vallejo (Esp, 2).

Sixth round pairings: Aronian-Anand; Vallejo-Ponomariov.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

5 share Grand Prix lead after 2 rounds

Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.com

Thessaloniki Grand Prix round 2

Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.com

FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki 2013

FIDE is pleased to announce the fourth stage of the FIDE Grand Prix Series will be held in Thessaloniki (Greece) between the 21st of May and 4th of June 2013. The 5-star Makedonia Palace Hotel and its owner, international business investor and philanthropist Ivan Savvidi, are FIDE's sponsors for the 12-player Grand Prix Chess Tournament.

"This event could happen thanks to the active support of the well known philanthropist Ivan Savvidi. According to the wish of Mr Savvidi, an elite chess event is coming to Greece. As FIDE has its principal secretariat in Athens, we are quite happy to have such an elite event in Greece. Additionally, the Greek Chess Federation is one of the most experienced and organized chess Federations in the world and their involvement in the organization of the event will be critical to its success," said FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov.

The opening ceremony will take place at the Makedonia Palace Hotel at Thessaloniki at 6.30 p.m. on 21st of May. The games start at 14:00h local time except the last round. The prize fund to be shared by the players in Thessaloniki is 170,000 EUR, while the organizer provides further 70,000 EUR to the accumulated prize fund for the overal Grand Prix series standings.

Participants include three former World Champions Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan). GM Teimur Radjabov has withdrawn from the Thessaloniki Grand Prix for personal reasons and has been replaced by GM Etienne Bacrot from France.

There will be a systematic renewal of images, reports, as well as live commenting (English, Greek) and press-conferences with the players. Official commentators are GM Ioannis Papaioannou and GM Stelios Halkias.

Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move will be allowed from move 61 onwards.

The Grand Prix Series consists of six tournaments to be held over two years (2012-2013). 18 top players participate in 4 of these 6 tournaments. The winner and second placed player overall of the Grand Prix Series will qualify for the Candidates Tournament to be held in March 2014.

Players

Name FED Title Rating
 
Bacrot, Etienne FRA GM 2725
Caruana, Fabiano ITA GM 2774
Dominguez Perez, Leinier CUB GM 2723
Grischuk, Alexander RUS GM 2779
Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR GM 2755
Kamsky, Gata USA GM 2741
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam UZB GM 2699
Morozevich, Alexander RUS GM 2760
Nakamura, Hikaru USA GM 2775
Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR GM 2742
Svidler, Peter RUS GM 2769
Topalov, Veselin BUL GM 2793

Average: 2753

Official webpage thessaloniki2013.fide.com 

Norway Chess Update

http://norwaychess.com

Official statement by Magnus Carlsen

Official statement by Magnus Carlsen regarding the WCC in Chennai

After qualifying for the World Championship match by winning the London Candidates I have been highly motivated for, and looking forward to the World Championship match against reigning champion V. Anand.

I’m deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground. The bid from Paris clearly showed that it would be possible to have more options to choose from.

The lack of transparency, predictability and fairness is unfortunate for chess as a sport and for chess players.

My team and I will now start preparing for the match. The main thing now will be to come to an agreement with the Indian Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions before and during the match. I really hope this process will run quick and smoothly.

Lastly, I will not let the news from Baku diminish the joy and excitement derived from playing the top level Norway Chess tournament starting tomorrow.

The second half of the Alekhine Memorial in St. Petersburg

 
April 28th, 2013
The second half of the Alekhine Memorial began in St. Petersburg

The 6th round games of the Alekhine Memorial were played on April 28th in St. Petersburg. The official opening of the Russian half of the competition took place on April 26th in the Mikhailovsky Castle of the Russian Museum. Participants and guests of the tournament were welcomed by Vladimir Gusev, director of the Russian museum, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian Chess Federation Chairman Ilya Levitov, and the sponsors of the event Gennady Timchenko and Andrey Filatov.

April 27th was the only day off at the tournament. The participants of the Alekhine Memorial, representing seven countries, enjoyed an excursion in the Russian Museum. Junior chess events and many excursions were organized in the Mikhailovsky Castle. On the next day the St. George Hall of the Mikhailovsky Castle hosted games of the Round 6.

Like in Paris, the hall was tightly packed with chess enthusiasts. The games were quite entertaining but all ended in draws, so the tournament situation remained the same – the French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is in the lead. Today he had White against Boris Gelfand, but their game was quite equal all the way.

Michael Adams, who had Black against Levon Aronian, missed a real chance to catch up with the leader. The Armenian grandmaster fought very hard for a win, even sacrificed a piece, but the sacrifice turned unsound, and Aronian was on the verge of defeat. However, his English opponent returned the favor, missing a win in a mutual time trouble, and allowed Aronian to save the game. Both players are just half a point behind the leader and have decent chances to win the tournament.

With three more rounds to go, a good half of the participants have chances to succeed. The winner of the Alekhine Memorial 2013 will be determined on May 1st.

Round 6 results: Vachier-Lagrave – Gelfand, Aronian – Adams, Fressinet – Vitiugov, Kramnik – Anand, Ding Liren – Svidler – all draws.

The standings after six rounds: 1. Vachier-Lagrave – 4; 2-5. Adams, Aronian, Fressinet, and Gelfand – all 3.5; 6. Anand – 3; 7-9. Kramnik, Vitiugov, and Ding Liren – all 2.5; 10. Svidler – 1.5.

The 7th round games: Adams – Vachier-Lagrave, Anand – Fressinet, Gelfand – Ding Liren, Vitiugov – Aronian, Svidler – Kramnik.

Contact information for journalists:
press-officer of the Alekhine Memorial
Mark Glukhovsky
Official website of the event www.alekhine-memorial.com

MVL maintains Alekhine Memorial lead after 6 rounds

Standings after 6 rounds

1.	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	g	FRA	2722	*	½	½	.	.	½	.	1	½	1	4
2-5.	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2739	½	*	½	1	½	.	½	.	.	½	3½
2-5.	Fressinet, Laurent	g	FRA	2706	½	½	*	½	.	.	½	½	1	.	3½
2-5.	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2727	.	0	½	*	½	1	½	.	.	1	3½
2-5.	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2809	.	½	.	½	*	½	.	0	1	1	3½
6.	Anand, Vishy	g	IND	2783	½	.	.	0	½	*	½	1	½	.	3
7-9.	Vitiugov, Nikita	g	RUS	2712	.	½	½	½	.	½	*	.	0	½	2½
7-9.	Ding, Liren	g	CHN	2707	0	.	½	.	1	0	.	*	½	½	2½
7-9.	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2801	½	.	0	.	0	½	1	½	*	.	2½
10.	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2747	0	½	.	0	0	.	½	½	.	*	1½

World Championship Match 2013

 
World Championship Match 2013

Today FIDE Vice President, Israel Gelfer signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the All India Chess Federation in Chennai regarding the World Championship Match 2013.

Kramnik: I believe Anand definitely has his chances

Kasparov on the candidates, Kramnik on Anand-Carlsen 
Published on Friday, April 19, 2013 00:00
Written by Zaldy Dandan

FORMER world champ Gary Kasparov, who turned 50 on April13th, has weighed in on the recently held London candidates, and his comments, as usual, are very interesting:

“The tournament showed that rumors of the death of classical chess were somewhat exaggerated. It was a vivid spectacle, there was a high number of decisive games… Yes, it ended up being a wonderful tournament, but I’m not sure it was the best ever.”

His former student, Carlsen, won but according to Gary, the tournament showed Magnus’s “weaknesses in terms of the opening and his ability to play deciding games. For example, the final round was the game of [his] life, and he lost it. He got lucky that his rival [Kramnki] also succumbed.

Who did Carlsen beat in this tournament? The bottom half of the table. Against his strongest rivals he didn’t play convincingly. His style also isn’t fully developed. For instance, in the final game against Svidler he had to choose 30.Bh8! instead of 30.Bh4. That’s a different kind of chess, however, and Magnus doesn’t yet play that way. Anand is an experienced fighter and is capable of playing a strong match. Nevertheless, if Carlsen does some work and eliminates his flaws he’ll undoubtedly win, because at the moment he plays chess better than Anand. Incidentally, Kramnik also plays better than Anand.”

As for the only man who managed to beat him in a match, here’s what Gary has to say: “It’s hard to call me a big Kramnik fan, but he really did play brilliantly. That was one of the best tournaments of his career.”

Overall, Gary says, “the tournament showed who’s who.”

In an interview, former world champ Kramnik admitted that he was “a bit unlucky” in London but says Carlsen’s strengths are “overestimated”: “I believe that both Aronian and I can match his skills. Well, he has certain qualities: young age, lots of energy, a good nervous system, incredible motivation, killer instinct...but in the chess sense I don’t see why he should be a lot stronger, if at all, (than me or Levon).”

Asked about the upcoming world championship match, Kramnik says: “I believe [Anand] definitely has his chances. It is absolutely realistic. The only problem that I think Anand is facing is that he — this is just my opinion — is somewhat intimidated by Carlsen. He is playing unconfidently against him — he’s scared of him, I would say…. He should relax and not be afraid of Magnus. One can face Carlsen and actually beat him. If Anand manages to prepare himself this way, then I think the chances will be equal. If not, then his chances will be very low. 

Psychology matters a lot in world championship matches. This is probably the first plot of the match. I would say that if he manages to hold the pressure of Magnus for at least 6 games (i.e., tie at 3-3), then Anand will become a favorite in my eyes…. . In the opening Anand is clearly superior to Magnus. [Anand] is a very difficult match opponent, because he is extremely well-prepared. It is so hard to obtain a promising position against him even with white. During our match I had to take immense risks to somehow lure him out of his armor coat, but I didn’t succeed.”

Kramnik describes Carlsen as “an improved version of Karpov….. Cold-blooded, rather pragmatic, somewhat melancholic even. His chess is also swampy, laidback, choky/boa constrictor type…. His skills are remarkable.”

More here: http://www.mvariety.com

FIDE to finalize the WC details in Chennai

We are happy to inform you that Mr.Israel Gelfer, Vice President FIDE and member World Chess Championship Match committee has come to Chennai to finalize the arrangements in organizing the World Chess Championship Match 2013 between World Champion GM V.Anand and Challenger GM Magnus Carlsen.

In this connection an MOU will be signed between World Chess Federation (FIDE) and the All India Chess Federation & Tamilnadu State Chess Association today at 04.00.P.M. at hotel Raj Park, 180, T.T.K.Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 18.

Bharat Singh
Hon. Secretary
All India Chess Federation

Team Carlsen unhappy about plans to hold the championship in India

 
Carlsen ‘surprised’ by his influence 
April 19, 2013 

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who ranks as the best chess player in the world, said he was “surprised” but “quite proud” that he’d landed on an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as chosen by Time Magazine. 

The US-based magazine claims to have more than 25 million readers around the world every week, and its annual list is considered important in defining the people who have the most influence on a global scale, for better or worse. Among them, for example, is the controversial  president of North Korea Kim Jong-un, but also US President Barack Obama.

Carlsen, the 22-year-old former child chess prodigy from a western suburb of Oslo, also joins the likes of film director Steven Spielberg, rapper artist Jay-Z, the founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, and the new pope.

Time described Carlsen as a “chess wunderkind,” and former chess world champion Garry Kasparov called him “as charismatic and independent as he is talented.” Kasparov, asked by Time to write the magazine’s short profile of Carlsen, also claimed that after having “the opportunity to train Carlsen” three years ago, he believes the young Norwegian has “an intuitive style” that “conserves the mystique of chess at a time when every CPU-enhanced fan thinks the game is easy.”

Carlsen has been back in London, where he most recently won a major tournament that qualified him to face off against current world champion Vishy Anand of India, who won the title at a time when Carlsen had chosen not to compete because of disagreements over regulations. Anand himself has admitted that Carlsen is “probably the favourite” in their upcoming competition set for November.

Carlsen, his manager Espen Agdestein and Kasparov as well have recently been unhappy again about the world chess authorities’ plans to hold the championships in India, where Anand arguably would have a home turf advantage. Others feel the championship tournament should be held on neutral territory and in a country where climate, food and health issues aren’t major concerns.

This week, however, Carlsen and Agdestein seemed mostly happy that the young chess star was chosen for Time’s list. Carlsen called his inclusion an important international recognition of chess itself, and that he hoped it would further strengthen the position of chess in the world.

Agdestein told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that “Magnus is very honoured to make the list.” Now they’ll need to evaluate whether to attend the magazine’s party for all those listed as being among the most influential.

Jan Egeland, the former peace broker from Norway who made the list in 2006 when he was the UN’s undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, advised Carlsen to “go to the party and have fun” if he has the time. Egeland declined his invitation to attend at the time because of a planned trip to Africa and doesn’t regret that, but said he simply failed to make it a priority.

“I didn’t put so much weight on being on the list at that point,” Egeland told NRK on Friday. “It was afterwards that I understood that other people weighed it more heavily than I did.”

Views and News from Norway / Nina Berglund

Source: http://www.newsinenglish.no

Frozen relation between Kasparov and Anand?

 
From Russia, with love: Kasparov offers Carlsen help vs Anand
Express news service : New Delhi, Mon Apr 15 2013, 00:57 hrs 

Norwegian news website VG reported that former World Champion Garry Kasparov has offered his services to challenger Magnus Carlsen during his title bout against Viswanathan Anand this November. 

Regarded by many as the greatest chess player of all time, Kasparov turned 50 on Saturday and was in Oslo, Norway, to lecture on Russian politics and celebrate his birthday. He told reporters there that he would help the challenger if he was approached in that regard. "I will help Magnus with pleasure (for the match against Anand) if his team approaches me. I still have a very good relationship with them," he said. 

Kasparov had previously worked with Anand during the Indian's title defense against Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in Sofia, 2010. It also emerged that he had contacted Boris Gelfand, Anand's opponent last year, in an effort to help his title bid. The Israeli, however, turned down the offer, stating it was not the right thing to do, for Kasparov was privy to Anand's preparation. "For me it was unthinkable to receive help from somebody who has access to secrets of my colleagues," he had said. 

Frozen relations 

Relations between Kasparov and Anand have never been too cordial and after the final in Moscow, Anand said: "it's not a big secret that Garry and me are not the best friends anymore."

Kasparov had told VG that Carlsen would be the favourite for the event. "If Magnus will be doing his homework properly and will be psychologically prepared, he will win the title. The World Championship Match is completely different from other tournaments: you're playing against the same guy all the time. We should remember that Magnus still has weaknesses as a player and Anand is an expert in exploiting the mistakes of others. In addition the Indian is very experienced and probably he will also have an advantage of playing in his home country," he said. 

Chennai deal not done 

 Meanwhile, Chennai hosting the final in November is not a done deal. FIDE, the world chess body, has not yet made an official announcement in that regard, while the agreement will also have to be signed by both Anand and Carlsen. 

 Norwegian papers also indicated that Carlsen may object to playing in India, considering his unfamiliarity with the climate and food. Leonard Barden, writing for The Guardian, said that FIDE granting the hosting rights to Chennai without going through a bidding process indicates that the world body and Agon, who has been granted the rights to promote the Championships, may not be on the same page. If another competitive bid comes up, the process could still drag on.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

Defending against an opponent 21 years younger

 
The Carlsen effect 

Anand will defend his world chess title at home against the No.1 player, who is also 21 years younger. So who has the advantage? 

Aminul Islam
Wed, Apr 10 2013. 09 24 PM IST

When Viswanathan Anand meets 22-year-old Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the 2013 World Chess Championship, to be held in Chennai from 6-26 November, it will probably be the first time he will be up against an opponent so much younger than him.

The 43-year-old Anand’s title, as the winner of the 2012 World Chess Championship, will be challenged by the current world No.1, Carlsen, who was hailed as the “Mozart of chess” by The Washington Post in 2004 when, at age 13, he beat former world champion Anatoly Karpov, pushed another former world champion Garry Kasparov to a draw, and became a chess grandmaster.

Though the World Chess Federation (Fide) has not declared the venue for the title match in November, Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa announced in the assembly on Monday that Chennai would host the event.

So what is Anand up against?

When Fide published its monthly list in January, Carlsen, whose current Elo rating (a system to calculate the relative skills of players) is 2,872, had officially achieved the highest-ever rating since the system was introduced. His then rating of 2,861 was 10 points higher than Kasparov’s legendary record from 1999. Anand, ranked at No.6, has an Elo of 2,783 and his peak rating was 2,817 in September 2011.

When Carlsen became the world’s top-ranked player in 2010, AFP wrote in its profile: “Initiated into chess early on by his father, as a boy, Carlsen nevertheless preferred other pastimes that he explored on his own. Aged 2, he could recite all car brands; as a five-year-old, he built monumental creations out of Lego; then he moved on to memorizing the world’s countries, their flags, capitals, and areas. But he was soon brought back to chess by the desire to beat his older sister at the game.”

As a teenager, Carlsen was typically aggressive and hurried, but he grew up into an all-round performer. His game is not restricted to any specific opening favourites; rather, he plays a variety of them, which makes it difficult to prepare against him.

In a 2012 interview in New in Chess magazine, current world No.3 Vladimir Kramnik said Carlsen is successful because of his physical condition and his ability to avoid psychological lapses, which enable him to maintain a high standard of play over long games when the energy levels of others drop.

Carlsen’s endgame prowess has been described as among the greatest in history. English grandmaster Jonathan Speelman, who analysed Carlsen’s endgames from the 2012 London Classic, described his wins as the “Carlsen effect”. “Through the combined force of his skill and no less important his reputation, he drives his opponents into errors. He plays on for ever, calmly, methodically and, perhaps most importantly of all, without fear. This makes him a monster and makes many opponents wilt,” wrote Speelman in New in Chess.

“It will be an interesting clash between these two ideas as to what constitutes the best player in the world,” Carlsen told reporters in London after winning the Fide World Chess Candidates Tournament on 2 April that gave him the right to challenge Anand for the world title in seven months.

“Before he is done, Carlsen will have changed our ancient game considerably,” Kasparov told Time magazine in January 2010 when the Norwegian became the youngest top player in the world.

 Some experts have already compared the November contest to the intriguing battle between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1972.

Though Anand has struggled a bit in the last two years, it will be difficult for Carlsen to overcome him. Anand is still a master tactician and one who loves to keep himself physically fit.

Anand is one of only six players in history to break the 2,800 Elo mark. In April 2007, at the age of 37, he became world No.1 for the first time. He was at the top of the world rankings five out of six times, from April 2007 to July 2008, holding the ranking for a total of 15 months. In October 2008, he dropped out of the world top 3 rankings for the first time since July 1996. Anand regained the top ranking in November 2010 but had to concede the top spot to Carlsen in July 2011.

The Indian is aware of Carlsen’s strong and weak points and there will be huge expectations from the Chennai-born grandmaster. “There always is pressure.... It was there in the previous World Championships as well. This time, I’ll be experiencing it at home. That’s the only difference,” Anand said in an email interview.

Anand is not perturbed at losing the No.1 spot to his challenger. Instead, he says he uses the ranking as a motivational target and is sure to regain the top spot. “I would want to be the world No.1 but I think the main thing is to see the ranking as a motivational target. I’m gaining rating points and that is positive. I don’t think one should worry about rankings,” says Anand, who became the first sportsman to be awarded the second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2007.

Anand held the World Chess Championship title from 2000-02, at a time when the world title was split—for a few years from 1993, a rival organization, the Professional Chess Association, held its own world championship. In 2007, Anand became the undisputed world champion and successfully defended the title against Kramnik (2008), Veselin Topalov (2010) and Boris Gelfand (2012). Will the Norwegian be able to do what Kramnik, Topalov and Gelfand couldn’t?

Source: http://www.livemint.com

World Championship match awarded to Chennai without open bid

 
CHENNAI: Come November, Viswanathan Anand will be defending his world title against Magnus Carlsen at home. Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa had pitched in for it and the world chess federation (FIDE) awarded the game to Chennai without a bidding process. 

"The state government has decided to host the chess championship event following a request from the FIDE. The government will allocate Rs 29 crore ($5.3m) for the event," Jayalalithaa said in the assembly on Monday. 

DV Sundar, vice-president, FIDE, told reporters that this was the first time that the chess world body had offered the title round without a bid. 

"The FIDE chief Kirsan Ilyumzhinov met the Tamil Nadu chief minister last year and requested her to host the world championship title round. Unfortunately India's bid was lesser than Russia's bid and we missed the chance last year," Sundar said. 

"But Ilyumzhinov was keen to offer another opportunity to Chennai and thus FIDE decided to offer the world championship without any bid this time," Sundar said. 

The November 6-26 event will be a 12-round affair, but in case of a tie, Anand and Carlsen will play four Rapid games. If it's a tie even then, four Blitz games will follow and if the deadlock is not broken after that, the Armageddon (sudden death, where a draw is enough for black while white has to win) will determine the eventual winner. 

Last year, Chennai had lost the bid to host Anand's title match against Boris Gelfand to Moscow which upped the prize fund to $2.25m. This time the prize fund will be $2.55 million (Rs 13.6 crore), which will be divided in a 60:40 ratio between the winner and the loser. 

"We are happy that the state government has come forward for the second time to host the championship," Anand's wife Aruna told the TOI on Monday. "Anand is excited about playing in front of the home crowd. The state's backing sometimes gives you the much needed push," she added. 

This will be Anand's first World title match at home although he has played a world championship cycle match in India before. Only last week Anand had spoken of playing the title round at home. "The World chess championship is one of the biggest tournaments, and playing in Chennai will be great," he said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

$2.55 million for Anand - Carlsen WC match

 
World championship match to offer $2.55 million
Chennai, April 8, 2013 

The World Chess Championship 2013 will be held in Chennai between November 6 and 26 at Chennai and the state government will allot Rs 29 crore for the event, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Monday.

Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said the championship 2013 would be between World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, winner of the World Chess Championship 2012, and Magnus Carlsen of Noway, who had secured 2,872 points, the highest in the FIDE (Word Chess Federation) rating. 

Ms. Jayalalithaa said when the World Chess Federation president Kirsan Illyumzhinov met her in 2011, he had requested her to hold the World Chess Championship in Chennai. She also had agreed to organise the event at a cost of Rs. 20 crore. 

“However, it failed to materialise as Russia made the highest bidding for the championship. Since Tamil Nadu came forward to organise the event in 2012, The Word Chess Federation agreed to hold it in Chennai without bidding,” she said. 

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the international event would further encourage the youth to learn chess and would lead to creations of more and more champions.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

WC Anand - Carlsen in Chennai

 
Anand to defend world title in Chennai
Special Correspondent  

The World Chess Championship 2013 will be held in Chennai between November 6 and 26 at Chennai and the state government will allot Rs 29 crore for the event, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Monday. 

Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said the championship 2013 would be between World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, winner of the World Chess Championship 2012, and Magnus Carlsen of Noway, who had secured 2,872 points, the highest in the FIDE (Word Chess Federation) rating. 

Ms. Jayalalithaa said when the World Chess Federation president Kirsan Illyumzhinov met her in 2011, he had requested her to hold the World Chess Championship in Chennai. She also had agreed to organise the event at a cost of Rs. 20 crore. 

“However, it failed to materialise as Russia made the highest bidding for the championship. Since Tamil Nadu came forward to organise the event in 2012, The Word Chess Federation agreed to hold it in Chennai without bidding,” she said. 

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the international event would further encourage the youth to learn chess and would lead to creations of more and more champions. 

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Magnus Carlsen wins Candidates 2013

Magnus Carlsen won the FIDE Candidates' Tournament in London on Monday after a bizarre finish of what has become a historic event for chess. Both the Norwegian and the other leader, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, unexpectedly lost their game in the final round, and so they remained tied for first place and Carlsen won on the second tie-break rule: higher number of wins. This means that in the next title match, World Champion Viswanathan Anand will face Carlsen. On the last day Levon Aronian of Armenia beat Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan while Boris Gelfand of Israel and Alexander Grischuk of Russia drew their game.

A Hollywood blockbuster couldn’t have had a more dramatic scenario with the hero of the story going down just before the end, only to emerge as the winner after all. This is what happened in rounds 12-13 with Carlsen losing his lead to Kramnik on Friday and then recovering on Sunday, and it also happened in a thrilling final round. The Norwegian unexpectedly lost his white game against Peter Svidler, but because Vladimir Kramnik also went down against Vassily Ivanchuk, Carlsen won the tournament anyway. It was quite a fitting scenario for April 1st, except that this is what really happened!

The day started quietly with a draw between Boris Gelfand and Alexander Grischuk. Facing the Grünfeld, which he included in his own repertoire last year against Anand, Gelfand tried the 5.Bd2 variation. Grischuk was “surprised by 11.Bc4” but reacted well and about the position after 17.f4 he said: “White at maximum can get a very slight advantage but Black can get a winning position if something goes wrong for White.” Already with 18…b4 Black “more or less forced the draw”, according to the Russian. Joining the live commentary, Grischuk said: “I’m quite happy to finish my game early so that I can enjoy this!”

Then, the game between Levon Aronian and Teimour Radjabov finished in favour of the Armenian. “In general after the opening I got a big advantage and it was very difficult to play for Black,” said Aronian. Radjabov, who finally went for a proper King’s Indian – the defence with which he has had so many successes – managed to trap the white queen in the early middle game, but Aronian got two rooks for it and combined with the presence of opposite coloured bishops, his attack on the king was just too strong.

But, of course this last round was all about the other two games: Vassily Ivanchuk versus Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen versus Peter Svidler. Because Carlsen was leading on tie-break, Kramnik basically had to outperform him in the final round to emerge as the winner: he needed a win if Carlsen drew, or a draw if Carlsen lost. It all went quite differently. Kramnik, playing black, got under serious pressure right out of the opening, while Carlsen didn’t get much of an opening advantage playing white.

To keep all options open, Kramnik played the Pirc Defence, and Ivanchuk responded with simple, healthy developing moves. However, the Ukrainian (again!) needed quite some time to make his moves in this game, so even though he was building up an advantage, the Carlsen fans weren’t sure at all about the situation. Would Ivanchuk lose on time again...?

Meanwhile, Carlsen himself was using lots of time himself – too much time. After making his 27th move, the Norwegian had only 5 minutes left for 13 moves, and 2 moves later his clock was down to 1 minute and 20 seconds. It was a situation Carlsen hadn’t been in before in all previous rounds! It must have been around this time that the home page of Norway’s biggest newspaper online, vg.no, crashed (like several chess servers) due too the high number of visitors trying to follow the games.

Carlsen only barely made the time control – he made his last three moves in about nine seconds, knocking over some pieces in the process and losing precious seconds there. After the dust had cleared, he found himself in a completely lost ending. Svidler had simply played an excellent game, while Carlsen had succumbed under the pressure and the tension. “I was trying to equalize and then Magnus perhaps overestimated his position,” said Svidler.

“I was spending too much time in the middle game on reasonably good moves but also on not too difficult moves. (…) I definitely overestimated my position. Additionally, I just couldn't calculate very well today and then you have to spend a lot of time, that’s the way it is. Obviously not as much time as I did, because it became a serious liability at the end, but it's not easy. From early on there were lots of things to calculate on every move,” said Carlsen at the press conference, while Ivanchuk and Kramnik were still playing.

Source : http://london2013.fide.com.

The FINAL challenge

 
Final round pairings 

GM Carlsen Magnus 2872 - GM Svidler Peter 2747 
GM Ivanchuk Vassily 2757 - GM Kramnik Vladimir 2810 
GM Gelfand Boris 2740 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2764 
GM Aronian Levon 2809 - GM Radjabov Teimour 2793 

Official website: http://london2013.fide.com