Showing posts with label aicf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aicf. Show all posts
Friday, November 8, 2013
Anand, Carlsen Chennai World Chess Championship 2013 Official Match Promotional Video
Friday, November 8, 2013
Not even 100 tickets for first game sold until Friday, while 6,000-odd people attended Thursday inauguration ceremony, writes Arundhati Ramanathan in Live Mint.
Chennai: When World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand and his Norwegian Challenger Magnus Carlsen face each other in the opening game of their much-hyped 12-game world chess championship match on Saturday, they will be playing before a packed audience.
But very few among the spectators would have bought their tickets—although the cerebral sport is more popular in Tamil Nadu than nearly anywhere else in India.
The 435 square metre hall on the ground floor of Hyatt Regency Hotel in central Chennai, where the match is going to be played, can seat as many as 350 people.
But not even 100 tickets for the first game had been sold until Friday—a far cry from the 6,000-odd people who turned up for the inauguration ceremony on Thursday. Then again, most of them were schoolchildren, ferried to the venue at the insistence of the state government—the principal sponsor of the event.
To be sure, chess is not a spectator sport and the pricing of tickets is steep: Rs.2,000 each for every game, going up to Rs.26,000 for a premium seat for all 12 games, compared with Rs.500 for a season pass for the just-concluded cricket Test match—Sachin Tendulkar’s penultimate—between India and the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Conversely, the Eden Test was sold out, though the stands weren’t full.
“Steep, is it?” said Bharat Singh Chauhan, chief executive officer of the All India Chess Federation (AICF), referring to the ticket prices. “But for such matches in Europe, people pay up to €200 (or around Rs.16,800, a game).”
Organizers had to give away most of the tickets to government officials, sponsors and chess play ers—both local and foreign—he added.
The organizing committee decided to keep the ticket prices high because the venue cannot hold too many people and a lot of chess players from India and abroad were expected to gatecrash the event, said another AICF official, asking not be named.
However, those who cannot afford tickets but want some of the atmosphere of the venue, can go to the hotel and watch the games on giant screens installed outside the playing hall, he added.
In fact, people don’t need to step out of their homes at all to watch Anand and Carlsen play, state-run Doordarshan will telecast the games live, and the organizers will be streaming them live on the Internet at chennai2013.fide.com.
For some chess aficionados, however, Anand playing at home is too big a sporting event to miss.
Vijay Narayanan, a former chess player and an automobile engineer who now works in Chandigarh, is visiting his hometown specially to watch his childhood hero Anand defend his title against the world’s highest-ranked chess player.
“Anand can’t lose in Chennai,” said Narayanan, who may stay on till the end of the event if the local hero wins.
There should have been many more spectators such as Narayanan, considering India is home to no less than 35,221 internationally rated chess players—more than any other country. A large number
of them are from Tamil Nadu, where the sport has been included in the compulsory curriculum of state-run schools.
Even so, the popularity of chess in India remains confined largely among active and former players, having failed to permeate to the masses, even in Tamil Nadu.
* Sachin Tendulkar posts
But very few among the spectators would have bought their tickets—although the cerebral sport is more popular in Tamil Nadu than nearly anywhere else in India.
Tickets for the match aren’t selling, said an official in the organizing committee, asking not to be named.
The 435 square metre hall on the ground floor of Hyatt Regency Hotel in central Chennai, where the match is going to be played, can seat as many as 350 people.
But not even 100 tickets for the first game had been sold until Friday—a far cry from the 6,000-odd people who turned up for the inauguration ceremony on Thursday. Then again, most of them were schoolchildren, ferried to the venue at the insistence of the state government—the principal sponsor of the event.
To be sure, chess is not a spectator sport and the pricing of tickets is steep: Rs.2,000 each for every game, going up to Rs.26,000 for a premium seat for all 12 games, compared with Rs.500 for a season pass for the just-concluded cricket Test match—Sachin Tendulkar’s penultimate—between India and the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Conversely, the Eden Test was sold out, though the stands weren’t full.
“Steep, is it?” said Bharat Singh Chauhan, chief executive officer of the All India Chess Federation (AICF), referring to the ticket prices. “But for such matches in Europe, people pay up to €200 (or around Rs.16,800, a game).”
Organizers had to give away most of the tickets to government officials, sponsors and chess play ers—both local and foreign—he added.
The organizing committee decided to keep the ticket prices high because the venue cannot hold too many people and a lot of chess players from India and abroad were expected to gatecrash the event, said another AICF official, asking not be named.
However, those who cannot afford tickets but want some of the atmosphere of the venue, can go to the hotel and watch the games on giant screens installed outside the playing hall, he added.
In fact, people don’t need to step out of their homes at all to watch Anand and Carlsen play, state-run Doordarshan will telecast the games live, and the organizers will be streaming them live on the Internet at chennai2013.fide.com.
For some chess aficionados, however, Anand playing at home is too big a sporting event to miss.
Vijay Narayanan, a former chess player and an automobile engineer who now works in Chandigarh, is visiting his hometown specially to watch his childhood hero Anand defend his title against the world’s highest-ranked chess player.
“Anand can’t lose in Chennai,” said Narayanan, who may stay on till the end of the event if the local hero wins.
There should have been many more spectators such as Narayanan, considering India is home to no less than 35,221 internationally rated chess players—more than any other country. A large number
of them are from Tamil Nadu, where the sport has been included in the compulsory curriculum of state-run schools.
Of the 34 Grandmasters in India currently, 12 are from Tamil Nadu.
The popularity of chess in Tamil Nadu can be traced back to the 1960s, when Manuel Aaron became India’s first International Master and the national champion. The sport grew in popularity after Anand won the world junior championship in 1987 and became the first Indian to secure the Grandmaster title the next year, said K. Murali Mohan, a former general secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association.
The popularity of chess in Tamil Nadu can be traced back to the 1960s, when Manuel Aaron became India’s first International Master and the national champion. The sport grew in popularity after Anand won the world junior championship in 1987 and became the first Indian to secure the Grandmaster title the next year, said K. Murali Mohan, a former general secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association.
Even so, the popularity of chess in India remains confined largely among active and former players, having failed to permeate to the masses, even in Tamil Nadu.
* Sachin Tendulkar posts
Monday, November 4, 2013
Nothing Special about Pop-Star Welcome to Magnus Carlsen... Special is: It's Happening in Chennai!
Monday, November 4, 2013
There's nothing special about World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen receiving a pop-star welcome from a huge crowd of fans and journalists on reaching Chennai this evening!
We're used to that on a daily basis for our movie and cricket stars at airports around the country. Fans of celebrities function as part of the paparazzi in India by self declaration.
What's special is that this huge welcome has taken place in Chennai - where chess is a religion and Viswanathan Anand the reigning deity!
Namaste! This is India: Forever welcoming, with great hospitality. Meanwhile, the report on Magnus Carlsen reaching Chennai:
What's special is that this huge welcome has taken place in Chennai - where chess is a religion and Viswanathan Anand the reigning deity!
Namaste! This is India: Forever welcoming, with great hospitality. Meanwhile, the report on Magnus Carlsen reaching Chennai:
World Chess Championship Challenger Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen from Norway arrives in Chennai on Monday. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan/The Hindu
World number one and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway arrived here tonight to a grand welcome by FIDE and All India Chess Federation officials for the much-awaited November 9-28 World Chess Championship against Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.
Carlsen, who faces defending and five-time world champion Anand in a 12-game contest, was received at Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE vice-president D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V. Hariharan.
The formal inauguration of the FIDE World Championship will be done on November 7 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The first game is scheduled for November 9. The sponsor of the tournament is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has allocated a record budget of Rs. 29 crores.
The colour for the 12 games would be known at the draw of lots which would be done by Ms. Jayalalithaa during the inauguration ceremony. The player who gets white in games 1, 3 and 5 will get white in games eight, 10 and 12. So, one player will get white in games 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11. Each player will play six white and six black games.
Although the game lasts about six hours, it can go longer as there is an increment of 30 seconds per move. The first player to reach 6.5 points wins the match. The prize fund will be about Rs 14 crores and the winner will get 60 per cent and the loser 40 per cent.
Anand, his wife Aruna and son Akhil and his team members, who will be assisting the Indian wizard, have checked in at Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the World Championship last Friday itself.
There were reports in the media that Carlsen would be staying at an undisclosed resort but Sundar said, “We do not have any official information on that and that Espen Agdestein (Carlsen’s manager), who had a meeting with us this afternoon had not informed us about Carlsen staying at a resort for couple of days. As far as we are concerned, he will be staying at Hyatt“.
Sundar said Anand and Carlsen will address a joint press conference on November 7. -- PTI
Carlsen, who faces defending and five-time world champion Anand in a 12-game contest, was received at Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE vice-president D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V. Hariharan.
The formal inauguration of the FIDE World Championship will be done on November 7 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The first game is scheduled for November 9. The sponsor of the tournament is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has allocated a record budget of Rs. 29 crores.
The colour for the 12 games would be known at the draw of lots which would be done by Ms. Jayalalithaa during the inauguration ceremony. The player who gets white in games 1, 3 and 5 will get white in games eight, 10 and 12. So, one player will get white in games 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11. Each player will play six white and six black games.
Although the game lasts about six hours, it can go longer as there is an increment of 30 seconds per move. The first player to reach 6.5 points wins the match. The prize fund will be about Rs 14 crores and the winner will get 60 per cent and the loser 40 per cent.
Anand, his wife Aruna and son Akhil and his team members, who will be assisting the Indian wizard, have checked in at Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the World Championship last Friday itself.
There were reports in the media that Carlsen would be staying at an undisclosed resort but Sundar said, “We do not have any official information on that and that Espen Agdestein (Carlsen’s manager), who had a meeting with us this afternoon had not informed us about Carlsen staying at a resort for couple of days. As far as we are concerned, he will be staying at Hyatt“.
Sundar said Anand and Carlsen will address a joint press conference on November 7. -- PTI
An 11-ft.-long partition made of glass panels is coming up at the grand ball room of Hotel Hyatt Regency. In three days, the noise-free, elevated play area enclosed by this partition will see five-time world chess champion, Viswanathan Anand defend his title against the Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
Six panels of laminated acoustic material, each six feet wide, have already arrived at the hotel. “The glass is not only toughened but also laminated, keeping the sensitive acoustic requirements in mind — no noise can enter this area. The audience can watch the moves from outside the partition,” said D. Rajan, project manager, Buildcraft Interiors, who is in charge of the construction. An elevated, carpeted false floor will also be placed where the games will be played, he said.
Inside the glass partition are doors at each end that will lead the players to their refreshment rooms and service areas. “This is to prevent all distractions so that the players can focus on their game alone,” said Mr. Rajan.
In the next two days, a VIP lounge and a room from where officials will monitor the game are to be built. “Nearly 20 workers are on the job today and many more will join tomorrow. We need to finish everything by Wednesday,” Mr. Rajan said.
An audience of 400 will witness the event that will go on till November 28. The audience will be seated in sofas, boxes and chairs. “The seating arrangements are done in such a way that even those seated in the last row can see the moves being made,” said Pratiti Rajpal, marketing communications manager, Hyatt Regency.
V. Hariharan, secretary, All India Chess Federation, said the demand for tickets at http://wcc.delhichess.com, sales of which started a month ago, had been good.
The hotel is planning to entertain visitors from Carlsen’s country as well. “We plan to have Norwegian cocktails in our menu,” said Ms. Pratiti.
Magnus Carlsen, along with his parents and two sisters, is expected to arrive at the hotel on Monday by an Oman Air. The hotel has planned a traditional welcome for the 22-year-old. -- Vasudha Venugopal/The Hindu
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Chennai to become Chess City from Monday with Chess Tournaments in Parks, Stadium, Govt Secretariat
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Come Monday and you would be able to zip down from your office, catch a quick chess game with a professional player in a nearby park, and win a prize for the dinner... in Chennai that is. Chess is going to become a street-celebration this season in Chennai beginning Monday (October 28).
The Chennai Hyatt Regency is hosting the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship from November 7. The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) has planned a series of parallel chess tournaments and events. The AICF is going to take chess to the city parks, Nehru Stadium and the government offices' secretariat!
One of the Chennai venues for street chess this October-November: Anna Nagar Tower Park was built in 1968 as part of the World Trade Fair.
First up will be blitz chess tournaments for bureaucrats, journalists, the secretariat staff, veterans (above 60 years), and film artistes. There will also be a chess event for the visually challenged from October 27-31. $9000 approx will be set aside as prizes for each of these chess tournaments.
“We want to involve people from cross-sections of society and take chess to the masses,” says AICF president J.C.D. Prabhakar. He told journalists a list of professional chess players is being prepared. These chess players will take up challenges from the public at select locations across Chennai: Anna Nagar Tower, Mylapore’s Nageshwara Rao Park and T. Nagar’s Panagal Park between 4 pm and 6 pm until November 5. Everyone who beats the professional players will win prizes.
Prabhakar also said they would try and arrange for public display screens/boards at select locations across Chennai as part of the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship side events. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
“We want to involve people from cross-sections of society and take chess to the masses,” says AICF president J.C.D. Prabhakar. He told journalists a list of professional chess players is being prepared. These chess players will take up challenges from the public at select locations across Chennai: Anna Nagar Tower, Mylapore’s Nageshwara Rao Park and T. Nagar’s Panagal Park between 4 pm and 6 pm until November 5. Everyone who beats the professional players will win prizes.
Prabhakar also said they would try and arrange for public display screens/boards at select locations across Chennai as part of the Anand, Carlsen World Chess Championship side events. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 Official Website chennai2013.fide.com to be Active Soon
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
The official website chennai2013.fide.com for the World Chess Championship match Viswanathan Anand versus Magnus Carlsen 2013 could be online within 10 days, or by the latest, during the first week of October.
Sources said the World Chess match official website would offer ticket sales, profiles of the participants, complete schedules etc as is the tradition with all world championship sites along with details for visiting journalists, contests, memorabilia sales and more.
The World Chess match official website will also offer a state-of-the-art hi-tech Internet live broadcast system on a par with what was witnessed in Moscow for the Viswanathan Anand versus Boris Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012. There will be contests during the live broadcasts and daily chess events as well.
Exclusive chess material for World Chess match only on official website according to FIDE rules
According to FIDE handbook, the players are expected to co-operate reasonably with the media. General interviews with them can be arranged through the Press Officer and the team managers, but it is understood that exclusive interviews shall be arranged only after the FWCM has been concluded.
Immediately after the completion of a game both players have to take part in post game press conferences, of not more than 20 minutes duration. The players must be present at all official functions during the match including official receptions, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. All of this will be broadcast live to the worldwide audience of chess fans.
It is interesting to note that the FIDE regulations require the players to to wear suits during the playing session. Players are allowed to wear branding of their personal sponsors only if these are not in conflict with the FWCM sponsors.
Indeed, chess is becoming a media sport and it is great that the forthcoming World Chess match is going to be a showcase of not just great chess, but two handsome and stylish sports icons of our times. We cannot wait enough! -- Rajat Khanna
The official website of the Anand versus Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012 match in Moscow.
Sources said the World Chess match official website would offer ticket sales, profiles of the participants, complete schedules etc as is the tradition with all world championship sites along with details for visiting journalists, contests, memorabilia sales and more.
The World Chess match official website will also offer a state-of-the-art hi-tech Internet live broadcast system on a par with what was witnessed in Moscow for the Viswanathan Anand versus Boris Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012. There will be contests during the live broadcasts and daily chess events as well.
Exclusive chess material for World Chess match only on official website according to FIDE rules
According to FIDE handbook, the players are expected to co-operate reasonably with the media. General interviews with them can be arranged through the Press Officer and the team managers, but it is understood that exclusive interviews shall be arranged only after the FWCM has been concluded.
Sources also said some of the most entertaining and interesting chess commentators would be invited to be a part of the big celebration that the World Chess match is going to be in Chennai this November.
Immediately after the completion of a game both players have to take part in post game press conferences, of not more than 20 minutes duration. The players must be present at all official functions during the match including official receptions, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. All of this will be broadcast live to the worldwide audience of chess fans.
It is interesting to note that the FIDE regulations require the players to to wear suits during the playing session. Players are allowed to wear branding of their personal sponsors only if these are not in conflict with the FWCM sponsors.
Indeed, chess is becoming a media sport and it is great that the forthcoming World Chess match is going to be a showcase of not just great chess, but two handsome and stylish sports icons of our times. We cannot wait enough! -- Rajat Khanna
P.S. In case of a domain change, we hope to inform you soon enough.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Mr Cool of Chess: Focused Anand untouched by Carlsen Hype, Confident of Retaining World Championship Title
Sunday, August 25, 2013
While we were focused on the media and fan frenzy that greeted World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen on his recent visit to inspect the World Chess Championship venue in Chennai, Viswanathan Anand has kept his head down and continued his training "at an undisclosed location" with a secret team.
Anand's wife and manager told journalists, after venue inspection, that he is in “deep throes of training” with his seconds. "This is a preliminary inspection. We will make another visit two to three days prior to the championship,” she said.
Aruna also said Anand had been operating “out of Chennai for a reasonable length of time. He is neither looking back nor looking ahead. Specific chess problems occupy his mind now.”
Further, in an email interview to the New Indian Express, Anand has said, "We are just trying to cover as much ground as we can. Surely, the matches have taught me something. But each match for me is a new challenge. I close the chapter on the previous match and approach this as a new challenge."
Anand said, "This is not the first time that I am playing a big event in India. Dreev, New Delhi and then World Cup were all big events that went well for me. I understand the pressure. In the end, only good moves will win the match so that’s the only thing I would want to think about since that’s what I can control."
Viswanathan Anand told the Indian newspaper, he was confident of retaining his title. He said, "My team is made up of excellent people and I hope I can justify their faith and hard work they put in me." As regards his "secret of winning big matches," Anand says, "I try to just look at the game in hand. I don’t want to start analysing that now. At present, I am only thinking of Chennai 2013 and that’s what matters."
Anand respects Carlsen's talent and says, "He is a tenacious player. Lots of talent and extremely ambitious."
After a recent Times Now report stating the Anand camp was not happy with the "illness clause" in the World Chess Championship contract, both Anand and Aruna have maintained that they would not like to discuss the clause. Anand said, "The contracts have been signed, I don’t want to dwell on it. I don’t doubt Carlsen’s integrity as a sportsperson and I am sure neither party will misuse it."
Sources in the All India Chess Federation (AICF) said, "It's obvious that all concerned want the match to take place. Why effort should not be made to ensure that everyone is satisfied and all is done in the best interests of the sport? We should focus on the positives of bringing such a big event to India instead of speculating about what the contract is. After all, neither of the players have signed the contract under duress. There is no need for such discussions."
Carlsen’s Chennai visit has also gone un-noticed by the World Champion. "I am not aware of the details of his visit. I don’t follow chess news when I train. He has been at our home in Spain a few times and always enjoyed the food it seemed," Anand said.
Throughout his career, the Indian chess prodigy has come across as someone calm, quiet, extremely level-headed and forever amiable. He prefers to speak through his chess. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Saturday, August 10, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013 Venue: What FIDE, Carlsen, AICF, Anand and Everyone Said!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
The World Chess Championship 2013 venue was decided after quite a few twists and turns. There was quite a bit of uncertainty over Chennai as the venue for the eagerly-awaited World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen after the World No 1 player from Norway expressed unhappiness with the FIDE's choice of venue.
FIDE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with All India Chess Federation and Tamil Nadu State Association for holding the World Championship match in Chennai, the home city of World Champion Viswanathan Anand stating that India had been offered to host the event last year itself when Russia had outbid India for hosting the Anand - Boris Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow.
It was feared that Carlsen's might refuse to sign the contract. According to Carlsen's agent, Espen Agdestein, they were not happy that the MoU was signed without following a bidding process as described in the FIDE regulations for the World Championship match. Agdestein said there should be an open bidding process and a neutral venue for the match and that the world body should have a dialogue with both players before arriving at a final decision.
There were rumours about a preferred World Chess Championship 2013 venue being New York, Miami, St Tropez, Paris and Tromso. The Norwegian town is already hosting the 2013 World Chess Cup and the 2014 World Team Olympiad.
So, Chennai it is - the venue of the World Chess Championship 2013 match. Hopefully, no one will be disappointed and the chess world will savour excellent chess from the two of the best chess Grandmasters there ever were in the world. (P.S. Viswanathan Anand, for his part, steered clear of the controversy hinting he was open to playing anywhere.)
FIDE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with All India Chess Federation and Tamil Nadu State Association for holding the World Championship match in Chennai, the home city of World Champion Viswanathan Anand stating that India had been offered to host the event last year itself when Russia had outbid India for hosting the Anand - Boris Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow.
It was feared that Carlsen's might refuse to sign the contract. According to Carlsen's agent, Espen Agdestein, they were not happy that the MoU was signed without following a bidding process as described in the FIDE regulations for the World Championship match. Agdestein said there should be an open bidding process and a neutral venue for the match and that the world body should have a dialogue with both players before arriving at a final decision.
There were rumours about a preferred World Chess Championship 2013 venue being New York, Miami, St Tropez, Paris and Tromso. The Norwegian town is already hosting the 2013 World Chess Cup and the 2014 World Team Olympiad.
Later, Norwegian Chess Federation president Jøran Aulin-Jansson even sent an open letter as a "formal complaint" to FIDE on the selection of Chennai as the venue for the 2013 World Chess Championship match. The letter called for a "fair and transparent procedure and competition for the selection of the organiser" while emphasising that the letter was not a campaign against the organisers in Chennai.
Soon thereafter, the French Chess Federation approached FIDE to have Paris as the World Chess Championship 2013 venue. "FFE, in collaboration with the City of Paris, on behalf of a group of private companies, is a candidate for organising the World Chess Championship 2013. The presidential office of FIDE, which will meet this weekend, should address the problem of opening a tender for this match. In fact, after the Match was given to Chennai (India), Carlsen and the Norwegian Chess Federation have officially requested that the game takes place in a neutral country," stated a press release supported by Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe and French chess federation president Philippe Mouttou.
Soon thereafter, the French Chess Federation approached FIDE to have Paris as the World Chess Championship 2013 venue. "FFE, in collaboration with the City of Paris, on behalf of a group of private companies, is a candidate for organising the World Chess Championship 2013. The presidential office of FIDE, which will meet this weekend, should address the problem of opening a tender for this match. In fact, after the Match was given to Chennai (India), Carlsen and the Norwegian Chess Federation have officially requested that the game takes place in a neutral country," stated a press release supported by Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe and French chess federation president Philippe Mouttou.
Finally, FIDE went ahead and signed a contract with the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to have Chennai as the venue of the World Chess Championship 2013 match. In a press release dated ay 6, 2013, FIDE defended the choice of Chennai as venue stating, "Since the Candidates’ Tournament ended, and GM M. Carlsen became the challenger of the coming World Championship Match there have been several developments, mails exchange between all parties (Carlsen, Anand, FIDE), questions asked, and also speculations.
"FIDE would hereby like to put forward the current situation regarding this event.
Directly after the 2012 match was awarded to Moscow, FIDE agreed to grant an option to Chennai. The PB and its meeting in Armenia in January decided that FIDE and AGON, who holds the rights for organizing the whole cycle of the World Championship, were advised that India would take up its option organize the World Championship match. This was done on January 24 in Athens, where both parties agreed not to open a bidding procedure, but to grant an option to India, as requested. We should emphasize that according FIDE rules the World Championship cycle is not included in the list of events, for which FIDE is obliged to do so (like Olympiads, for instance). This has been deliberately done, because in many cases FIDE, having the priority in mind to secure the match and the cycle, was ready to give an option or even to grant the match if the proposal was attractive enough.
"Consequently three of the last matches were given to an organizer without a bidding procedure.
"On March 15th India asked to extend the option until April 10th and FIDE agreed to it because it was clear that the bid would be accepted and just needed an approval of the Tamil Nadu State Parliament, a session which took place on April 8th. One could ask why was the extension given to a date when the name of the challenger will be known already, and the simple answer is that FIDE, being convinced that the positive answer was just a matter of technicality, did not want to lose this bid for an alternative that gave no guarantee for a better result or any result at all.
"When the approval of the bid by India was published and FIDE representative was called to formalize it, on April 8th, GM Carlsen’s manager contacted FIDE and asked to have a meeting to discuss this matter before a formal move is done with India.
"Carlsen and FIDE’s representatives met in FIDE office on April 15th, when all claims were brought up by Carlsen’s representatives and were answered by FIDE. Among the points raised and answered we would like to emphasize one and this is the issue which was also raised in media – the question of neutrality. Unfortunately it has always proved difficult to find a sponsor to such a match when the name of the challenger is not known yet. Therefore most of matches in the past were organized in one of the participant’s countries. Consequently both World Champions Anand and Topalov played in their opponent’s country – a natural result of the situation.
"On that day both parties signed a paper whereby it was agreed to give Norway an option to come up with an organizer for half of the match, provided that India would accept such a solution.
"FIDE tried its hardest to convince India to split the match, but they refused India wanted to fulfill what has been approved by the government of the Tamil Nadu State and FIDE had to keep its obligations, and consequently an MoU was signed in Chennai on April 19th. One day later, the FIDE President visited France, where he got a proposal to organize the match in Paris. Mr Ilyumzhinov promised to bring the proposal before the Presidential Board. The French proposal was higher than the Chennai one, with more contributions offered. However, the Board decided (unanimously with one abstention) that FIDE must respect its obligation and thanked the French federation and the city of Paris for their proposal, hoping that there will be another opportunity to have a big event in Paris.
"FIDE has acted with full transparency during the whole process, trying its best to secure the match and standing by its obligations and reputation. FIDE will do everything to secure equal conditions for both players and also will try and still trying to increase the prize fund for the match.
FIDE wishes these two great players a successful match, and is sure that India, the homeland of Chess will bring to the world a fascinating event. Gens Una Sumus."
Magnus Carlsen smiles during a press conference in Oslo. --AP
It was feared, World No. 1 might refuse to play. However, he said he was determined. Carlsen issued a statement stating:
"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."
So, Chennai it is - the venue of the World Chess Championship 2013 match. Hopefully, no one will be disappointed and the chess world will savour excellent chess from the two of the best chess Grandmasters there ever were in the world. (P.S. Viswanathan Anand, for his part, steered clear of the controversy hinting he was open to playing anywhere.)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Magnus Carlsen to Visit India from Aug 18-22
Monday, August 5, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013 challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway is likely to visit Chennai from August 18 to 22. "Carlsen will tour New Delhi and Chennai during these days," the All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan has told The Hindu. Carlsen has never visited India before and is understood to earlier have had reservations about playing in India.
Mr. Singh told journalists that the AICF was preparing for the first-ever World Chess Championship to be held in India and would try to "make it a memorable event along with exploiting its marketing potential." Parallel to the World Chess Championship — to be held at Hyatt Regency, Chennai, from November 6 to 26 — an international Grandmaster and Women's Grandmaster chess tournaments would also be held. The AICF is also planning several other chess events leading up to the final championship.
The Anand-Carlsen match will be covered live on television and the Internet.
