Aggression, Attack, Positive Play Options Left for World Chess Champion Vishy Anand versus Magnus Carlsen?

All India Chess Federation Press Release November 20, 2013: Game nine is set to define the Viswanathan Anand - Magnus Carlsen World Chess Championship Match 2013 in Chennai. The score reads 5-3 in favour of the Norwegian World No. 1. 

Eight games have been played so far. Four games are left to be played. Viswanathan Anand needs to draw level to force a tiebreak, unless of course, either of the two reach the magical score of 6.5 and take the title in the classical time-control games.

Aggression, attack, positive play are the options left for the World Chess Champion according to the experts. Anand will be expected to play sharp and also hopefully for the Indians, reduce the deficit. Anand has scored 3.5/4 in a world championship match at Tehran 2000. He will need to repeat that to keep the title.

Carlsen who is enjoying a double point lead is sitting pretty. People in Norway are expecting a new world chess champion soon enough. 

Indian fans, scribes and even people from the chess fraternity are nervous about what Anand is doing in the match. Two games down, he quietly takes two easy games.

Great champions keep a cool at difficult moments. Anand belongs to that genius category. While watching a cricket match, with the required run rate huge, a champion called M.S. Dhoni walks in and blocks the first ball. Then he goes for the calculated assault. That is what Anand will be doing. Risking himself in game seven and eight would have spoilt his chance as he is still thinking about game five and six in the back of his mind. Now, he will be “trying” from game nine.

Prize fund: The winner will receive Rs.8.40 crores and the loser will get Rs.5.60 crores. The entire prize fund is sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Government who have offered a budget of Rs.29 crores.

The winner will keep the title until next year. The loser will play in the Candidates Tournament at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia along with seven others from Feb-Mar 2014. The winner of this Candidates tournament will play the winner of the Anand versus Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013.

If Magnus Carlsen wins the World Chess Championship 2013, he will become the 20th player in chess history of world chess championships since 1886 to do so. Anand, who should be hoping to make a big turnaround in the match, will win it for the sixth time if he does so. 

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Award-Winning Documentary 'Algorithms' Screening in Chennai at Anand - Carlsen World Chess Match 2013

Four years in the making, a unique documentary on young blind chess players from India made by British filmmaker Ian McDonald and an Indian team to screen at the World Chess Championship in Chennai.

A film by Ian McDonald
India | 2012 | HDV | B&W | 96 mins
English, Hindi, Tamil, Odiya with English subtitles
produced by Geetha J.

The award-winning documentary Algorithms, directed by sports sociologist and documentarian Ian McDonald will be screened at the FIDE World Chess Championship 2013.

This one-off special screening presented by FIDE, AICF and TNSCA will be held at 4 pm on 21 Nov, 2013 at the Abbotsbury Ballroom (next to Media Centre), Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the championship. Director Ian McDonald and Geetha J, the producer of the film will be present for the screening.

Algorithms (2012 / 96mins) is a feature documentary on young blind chess players from India. Filmed over three years from just before the World Junior Blind Chess Championship in Sweden in 2009 to just after the next championship in Greece in 2011, it follows three talented boys from different parts of India and a totally blind player turned pioneer who not only aims to situate India on a global stage but also wants all blind children to play chess.

The film, which has received critical acclaim and picked up awards at film festivals all over the world, is Ian’s first feature documentary and the first ever feature documentary on blind chess. Ian, who recently joined Newcastle University, UK, as a Lecturer in Film Practice, commented:

“The response to Algorithms has been amazing wherever it has screened. Audiences have been really taken with the subject matter, but most of all, it is the compelling characters in the film that seem to have captivated people. I am really looking forward to seeing what the audience in this chess championship make of the extraordinary young blind chess players of India!”

Screening is free to all but donations are welcome as all proceeds will go towards creating a high spec “Audio Narration” to make the film accessible to the blind and visually impaired community.

Contact:
TNSCA – Press Officer R.R.Vasudevan 919840251675
AICF – Press Officer Arvind Aaron 919840053063
Algorithms – Producer Geetha J 919447744864
Information:

About the film:

In India, a group of boys dream of becoming Chess Masters, driven by a man with a vision. But this is no ordinary chess and these are no ordinary players. Algorithms is a documentary on the thriving but little known world of Blind Chess in India.

Filmed over three years from just before the World Junior Blind Chess Championship in Sweden in 2009 to just after the next championship in Greece in 2011, it follows three talented boys from different parts of India and a totally blind player turned pioneer who not only aims to situate India on a global stage but also wants all blind children to play chess.

Algorithms travels with the chess players to competitive tournaments and visits them in their home milieu where they reveal their struggles, anxieties and hopes. It moves through the algorithms of the blind chess world reminding the sighted of what it means to see. Going beyond sight and story, this observational sport doc with a difference elicits hidden realms of subjectivity. It allows for the tactile and thoughtful journey that explores foresight, sight and vision to continue long after the moving image ends.

Algorithms is the first ever feature documentary on Blind Chess.

Awards for Algorithms:

• Won the Prix du Patrimoine Culturel Immateriel at the Jean Rouch International Film Festival in Paris, Nov 2013.

• Won the prestigious Ram Bahadur Trophy for Best Film at Film South Asia 2013, Kathmandu, Nepal in Oct 2013.

The citation for the Ram Bahadur Tamang Trophy for Best Film that Algorithms received at Film South Asia:
Once in a while, a film comes along that can surprise with the elegance it evokes through simplicity. For telling a simple, moving story that delivers us, right from the outset, into the thick of the extraordinary universe of a handful of blind boys dreaming of becoming International Grand Masters in chess; for its fluid narration of the practical barriers they need to overcome and the enabling human bonds that mitigate their disability; for taking us close to a demonstration that fingers can ‘see’; for its dispassionate humour in noting the tensions of the sighted as against the restraint of the sightless players; and for magically and incrementally evoking deep emotions out of singularly non-narrative material rendered in the fluent abstraction of B&W, the Jury picked Algorithms, from India, by Ian McDonald. The Jury also felt compelled to remark on the grace and near balletic finesse of the camera-work that, throughout, hardly seemed intrusive and the seamless editing that gave the film a poetic quality.

Jury Chairman Sadanand Menon, distinguished art and film critic, India
Shahidul Alam, internationally renowned photographer and curator from Dhaka
Sapana Sakya, Public Media Director at the Center for Asian American Media, Kathmandu

• Received Special Mention in Best Documentary Category at Durban International Film Festival, S.Africa in July 2013.

• Won the Audience Prize at the RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Films, Edinburgh, UK in June 2013.

Screening History:
International Film Festival of India, Goa, India – Nov 2012
Sydney Film Festival, Australia – June 2013
International Short and Documentary Film Festival, Kerala, India – June 2013
RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Films, Edinburgh, UK – June 2013
Durban International Film Festival, S.Africa – July 2013
Film South Asia 2013, Kathmandu, Nepal – Oct 2013
International Festival of Ethnographic Films, Belgrade, Serbia – Oct 2013
NAFA Film Festival, Bilbao, Spain – Oct 2013
Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome, Italy – Oct 2013
Jean Rouch International Film Festival, Paris, France – Nov 2013
International Children’s Film Festival of India, Hyderabad, India – Nov 2013
Cinecity, the Brighton Film Festival, UK – Nov 2013

About the Director:
Dr Ian McDonald is a documentary filmmaker and sociologist based in the UK. His seemingly effortless ‘way of seeing’ has resulted in beautifully shot and carefully observed documentaries with a difference. Previous films include Inside the Kalari on martial art kalarippayattu, Brighton Bandits on a gay football team, Melancholic Constellations on the art of William Kentridge and Justin on a forgotten man and a campaign in his name.

About the Producer:
Dr Geetha J began her career as a journalist, critic and media professional based in India. Keen on yoking theory and practice, Geetha turned to filmmaking with her first film Woman With A Video Camera from Kerala. She received the Goteborg International Film Festival’s Development Fund for her first feature script that is now complete. Her experience as a producer includes several documentaries in the UK and India.

Contact for film:
Ian McDonald
0044 7828637358
ian.interventions@gmail.com, info@algorithmsthedocumentary.com
Geetha J / AkamPuram:
0091 9447744864
geetha@akampuram.net, info@akampuram.net

Website:
www.algorithmsthedocumentary.com

* Older post on Chess Magazine Black and White

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Teachers Simen Agdestein, Torbjoern Hansen on Magnus Carlsen: Curious, Restless, Ambitious Prodigy

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen's teachers Simen Agdestein and Torbjoern Ringdal Hansen on the "curious, restless and ambitious" chess prodigy from Norway:

"The first facet of Magnus which struck me was his amazing memory. He could recall almost everything that he heard, read or was shown. Which meant that I couldn't actually read out the same passage of the book more than once. By the second time, he would be telling me what was written even before I started reading. He made rapid strides in his game within a year and his incredible improvement left me quite amazed. Today he is of course a lot more confident as a player," says 34-year-old Torbjoern, who is part of Team Carlsen.

"I remember an instance when I was delivering an online lecture to the national U-20 team, Carlsen scrambled up the chair beside me, curious. I let him join me. I cannot help but admit that during the course of the entire lecture, I was actually hoping he would not be pressing all the keys. He was just restless. I can see that restlessness in him even now, restlessness to win."

While Torbjoern trained the 22-year old challenger to the world title for a year, it was under Simen's decade-long tutelage that Carlsen found his footing. "I think he could be a little nervous since it's his maiden World Championship match, at least I am", says Simen, before pausing to add, "I trained him for 10 years till he finished high school. To me, Magnus is playing chess the way we talked about when he was nine and discussed what a world No. 1 would play like in the era after Kasparov. More practical, less computer chess."

Simen, who is in Chennai to witness the match, is still recovering from a dislocated jaw which he suffered after falling over a lumber. Brother of Carlsen's manager Espen, the 46 year-old feels the match will be all about nerves. "Being well-rested before the games and handling of the nerves will hold the key."

Having had a run-in with Anand during the world junior championship in 1987, Simen only knows too well what could possibly be in store for Carlsen. "I first met Anand in Luzern in 1982. He beat Norwegian player Leif Ogaard in our match against India. He was fast. Supersonic actually. His experience, I think will be invaluable in a match of such intense pressure. Playing with white though, looks like an advantage for Magnus during the course of the match to me," says Simen.

While both Simen and Torbjoern continue to train students in the sport in Norway, they are both agreed that it would be a while before another young Carlsen walks up to them curious, restless and ambitious. -- As told to Susan Ninan/Times of India

* The Carlsen Chess Story book by Agdestein

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Mumbai Kids Crazy about Magnus Carlsen

Chess fans are having a great time watching two quite friendly chess superstars fight it out for the World Chess Championship in Chennai this November. Here's a fun video by IBN Live speaking to young chess fans from Mumbai. Yes, Magnus Carlsen's got chess fans in India as well. 






* Pyjama Girls

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Game 8 1/2-1/2, Carlsen Leads 5-3: How Dangerous will be an Injured Tiger in Game 9? (World Chess Match)

Game 8 Chennai World Chess Championship 2013 Magnus Carlsen - Viswanathan Anand 1/2-1/2: Is an injured tiger more dangerous than a tiger looking for prey? We have four games remaining to find out the answer to that! Game 8 at the Chennai World Chess Championship on Tuesday was a quick draw. That leaves Magnus Carlsen still in lead with a score of 5-3. 

Four games are still to be played in the World Chess Championship Match if Viswanathan Anand is to force a tiebreak. Wednesday is the rest day and Anand returns with White in Game 9 on Thursday.

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen now needs only three draws or 1.5 points from four games to become the next World Chess Champion. 

Photos: Official website

Game 8 - lasting just 75 minutes and 33 moves - saw Carlsen fire off his moves in only 20 minutes. The only excitement of the game was that Magnus Carlsen battled his own poison - the Berlin - that he uses as a weapon when playing with Black against 1.e4. Anand played took the same route against Carlsen in Game 8.

From Carlsen’s perspective, the draw takes the Norwegian a step closer to the title. Magnus Carlsen played 1.e4 for the first time in the Match. Quick exchanges followed and the chess board came down to pawns and Kings grid-locked in a draw. 

Speaking at the press conference, World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand said, "Given the match situation I am expected to liven things up, I will try to do it in the next game."

Dr Jana Bellin conducted the doping tests on the players after the end of Game 8 as part of the FIDE endeavour to become a part of the Olympic family. Anand side-stepped the subject of doping tests at the press conference and went straight to discussing the game of the day.  -- Rajat Khanna

* An interesting article on doping in chess).

Game 8 Moves 

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Bf4 d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7 16. Qe2 c6 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nf3 Ng7 20. Be5 Ne6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Ne5 Re8 23. Ng4 Qd8 24. Qe5 Ng7 25. Qxe8+ Nxe8 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Nxe8 Kxe8 29. f4 f5 30. Kf2 b5 31. b4 Kf7 32. h3 h6 33. h4 h5 ½-½

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Chess Photography: Ray Morris-Hill on the Art of 'Shooting' Carlsen, Anand, Judit, other Top Chess Stars

Ever wondered how you get those amazing photographs of top chess players even though the photographers have barely the first few minutes to take shots after the game starts? 

Ray Morris-Hill (Photo courtesy of Will Sowter) is a creative 'camera artist' who has wow-ed chess lovers over the last several years with his photos of top chess stars like Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Judit Polgar and others - particularly at the London Chess Classic. 

Ray Morris-Hill speaks to Chess Magazine Black and White about his favourite 'chess subjects', the art of chess photography and the fun of it all. (All photos in this article are copyright Ray Morris-Hill and may not be reproduced without permission.)

Q: What do you see - as the eye behind the camera - when you see Carlsen and Anand - their differences?

When I set out to take photographs of chess players I start work before they sit down to play. I am at the venue early, making friends with the support staff and the arbiters to determine my access, checking the backgrounds and finding the best angles. I will study my photos of the players taken at previous events, noting what they do at the board.

I like to get light into the eyes of my subject. Even better if they can look straight at me. Anand is a most gracious and modest World Chess Champion. His focus is always on the board and he rarely looks straight down the lens.

Vishy Anand 2012

Carlsen looks up once he has settled at the board but gives most photographers a distant stare. If he spots me then he will often give me a direct look. This connection comes from spending time photographing him away from the media crowds.

Magnus Carlsen 2013

Q:. Who are your - as a photographer - favourite chess players?

I have been fortunate to photograph Magnus Carlsen for the last three years and have sold more photos of him than any other player so he would have to be top of the list.

Vassily Ivanchuk and Veselin Topalov are great subjects to photograph as they both have a wide range of expressions.

Vassily Ivanchuk 2013

Veselin Topalov 2012

One of the friendliest players on the circuit is Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. I met him in London for the Grand Prix event last year and he was most engaging off the board, which undoubtedly helped to get this shot of him at the board.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2012

Judit Polgar is the most charming person. I spent forty-five minutes photographing her last year in London and she even gave me some advice to improve my own chess game.

Judit Polgar 2012

Q: What's different and special about chess photography compared to other sports?

A: Low light is a key difference and most photos of chess players are either under exposed, or not sharp because the shutter speed is too slow. There is also great pressure to get the shot in the first five minutes of play before the photographers are ushered off the stage.

On the other hand, the action is more predictable, especially when compared to a sport like football.

My approach has always been to look for strong expressive portraits of players under intense pressure. Many of my best portraits are in high contrast black and white to emphasise the dramatic context.

Magnus Carlsen 2013

Q: When did your love for chess photography start and how?

I played at the British Championships in Torquay in 2009 and took my camera to the prize giving. Malcolm Pein (Director of the London Chess Classic) spotted me and published three of my photos in Chess Magazine. That year I photographed several rounds of the London Chess Classic and found my photos were in demand around the world. Since 2010 I have been the official photographer at the Classic.

Q: Most memorable projects?

The shoot with Magnus Carlsen and Judit Polgar in the London Eye has got to be the most memorable. It was a cold November day last year but the light was amazing, wrapping around my subjects in the pod high above London. Magnus and Judit were a pleasure to photograph.

Judit Polgar and Magnus Carlsen 2012

I have enjoyed working for the Chess in Schools and Communities Charity. The junior days at the London Chess Classic attract hundreds of children and have produced some of my favourite photos.

Chessin Schools and Communities 2012 http://www.chessinschools.co.uk/

Q: Future exciting projects

The 2013 London Chess Classic www.londonchessclassic.com starts on 10 December and I am looking forward to photographing Fabiano Caruana for the first time and meeting Boris Gelfand and Peter Svidler again.

Lookout for my photos on my website www.rmhphoto.eu and follow me on Twitter @raymorrishill.

-- Zainab Raza Undulusi

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Celebrating World Chess Match: Join FREE Online Blitz Chess Tournament (with Prizes) Starting Nov 23

Read the details about the tournament and sign up here.

* The tournament will start on November 23

* This is a blitz chess tournament in honour of the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship Match. 

* It's FREE to join

RCA-Open 2013

3,500 USD in prizes 30 prizes & 18 “lucky winners” FREE entry

The basis for success in chess is to keep the right balance between learning, practice and fun. During the World Chess Championship Match, which started on November 9, you have the opportunity to learn much. 

But you need not just be a viewer!

RCA Chess Open2013This will be a 13-round Swiss tournament, played with 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move. It is open to anyone – no serial number for playchess is required (free entry).

All you have to do is download the client on to your machine, create an account and play in the event. For details, see http://www.playchess.com. Here you will find instructions on how to download the software and create an account.

The event is a human-only tournament. It is forbidden to use a computer, especially an engine, as help for finding your moves. All games will be controlled and strictly monitored for engine use.

In order to improve your competitive mood, we are offering some attractive prizes, worth approximately 3,500 USD.

Winner: ChessBase12 Mega-PackagePlace 2: USD 300 Voucher for products of RCA
Place 3: USD 250 Voucher for products of RCA
Place 4: ChessBase 12 Starter-Package
Place 5: USD 200 Voucher forproducts of RCA
Place 6: USD 150 Voucher for products ofRCA
Places 7 & 8: ChessBase Mega-Database 2014
Places 9 &10: USD 100 Voucher for products of RCA
Places 11 & 12: DeepFritz 14
Places 13 & 14: USD 75 Voucher for products ofRCA
Places 15 to 20: 6-month premium membership toplaychess.com
Places 21 to 30: 6-month standard membership toplaychess.com

Luckywins for places 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145,155, 165, 175, 185, 195 and 205: 3-month classic membership.

You can observe the above-mentioned ChessBase products (prizes) here: LINK

RCA = Remote Chess Academy, and you can check its products here: LINK

Voucher is equivalent to the money that you can spend on a purchase of RCA products

The sign-up link again: sign up here.

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Cartoon Twist: Carlsen's 'Secret' Pawn Force Revealed

We have here a special cartoon made for Chess Magazine Black and White by Andrés Guadalupe. It looks like indeed that World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen is using these tiny robots 'secretly' in his pawns and practicing a amazing art of 'futuristic chess'. Read all about Andrés Guadalupe in this earlier post with lots of cartoons on our site.

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Heinz India makes World Champion Vishy Anand Brand Ambassador for 'Complan with Memory Chargers'

Heinz India, an affiliate of H.J. Heinz Co., has announced that it is signing up World Chess Champion Vishwanathan Anand as brand ambassador for Complan with Memory Chargers. The announcement comes during the World Chess Championship that is being held in Chennai.

This association will include Anand sporting the Complan with Memory Chargers logo during all professional commitments starting with the World Chess Championship.

A Globosport Platinum Rye deal, the association signifies a partnership of excellence as one of the country's one of the leading brands, backs one of the India's iconic and trusted names in sport, said V. Mohan, Director-Corporate Affairs Heinz India. While the World Champion takes on the challenger and India watches with a bated breath, the team at Globosport Platinum Rye and Heinz India have made their winning move.

He said, "Vishwanathan Anand personifies hard work, strategic and smart thinking and a sustained quest for excellence - traits that we as a company are eager to encourage in every young Indian child."

Anand in a statement said, "I am selective about the brands I partner with. I would like to be associated with brands that I can trust personally. Heinz, over the years has commanded confidence and trust across the globe and I am delighted to be part of this globally well-trusted company."

The H.J. Heinz Company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA provides nutritious and convenient foods for families in 200 countries around the world. Heinz came to India in 1994 and over the years has built strong local products like Complan (Milk Food Drink), Glucon-D (Glucose Powder), Nycil (Prickly Heat Powder), and Sampriti Ghee apart from its iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Complan is a premium health beverage scientifically designed to maximise the growth and development potential of children within their genetic potential. It is a leading brand and nutrition expert in the "milk food drink" category. Complan with Memory Chargers is a delicious chocolate flavoured drink which helps provide key nutrients required for children's cognitive development.

* Crocin Cold Flu Max Chess Challenge to Play with Vishy Anand

* World Chess Champion Vishy Anand the dependable brand ambassador - Commercial videos

* Magnus Carlsen and G-Star new collection

* Chess World No. 1's company MagnusChess

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Anand's five-time World Chess Champion Record Speaks for Itself: Garry Kasparov in Wall Street Journal

Here are excerpts from a Wall Street Journal short interview with legendary Grandmaster Garry Kasparov:

WSJ: What do you think about the World Chess Championship? Is it the most anticipated since the Fischer Spassky game in 1972?

Gary Kasparov : This is a great match and as you mentioned one of the most anticipated games in the Google-Facebook era. My match with Karpov was also one of the great ones since the Fischer match. This match could be the turning point for the game and bring it back into the spotlight. Magnus is a great talent and I hope he wins since I have trained him some years ago. However, Vishy is too experienced and motivated for this match, so it is going to be a challenge.

WSJ: What are your views on rise of chess in India especially in the city of Chennai?

Kasparov: I don’t have much experience in India and this is probably my third visit to the country. Chennai is my first chess experience in India and I am not surprised at the growth of chess here. Having a role model like Anand who is the World Champion is bound to get people more interested in the game. Besides that, from social media, I see that there is decent infrastructure to support the growth.

WSJ: What do you think about how the World Championship has been organized this time?

Kasparov: It seems to be more than decent and I hope to see more of it today. I hope these standards are replicated in future World Championships so as to have great events in the future.

WSJ: You have been an advocate of democracy in Russia. How do you feel being in the world’s largest democracy?

Kasparov: I do understand the diversity of issues in such a large democracy such as India. Considering the diverse challenges the country has faced, the country has been doing great in its progress. I hope that Indian democracy and India move forward in the years to come.

WSJ: You also have plans to run for FIDE president next year. How do you see India and Indian chess fitting into your campaign?

Kasparov: I am concentrating on my campaign and I hope by the end of next summer I become the FIDE president. I will be obligated to visit India much more since I see India as an integral part of my plans to promote chess globally. My goal is to make chess mainstream and make it part of education. The idea is to create a nexus between education, technology, social media and chess so as to promote chess globally, this would be my idea to transform FIDE.

WSJ: Lastly, do you think Anand is one of the legends of the game?

Kasparov: He has been a five-time World Champion and that record speaks for itself. I don’t need to speak anything about it, the records do.

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Game 7 at Chennai World Chess Championship: Anand Happy to Draw, Carlsen Keeps Lead 4.5 - 2.5

Victory eluded him yet again but defending champion Viswanathan Anand said he was relieved to eke out a draw after two losses on the trot against Magnus Carlsen in the World Chess Championship, in Chennai, on Monday.

"Obviously after the last two games it's nice to break this result but I was hoping to be able to press him a little, but I could not manage," Anand said in a press conference after the seventh round game.

Carlsen, meanwhile, continued to enjoy his two-point lead after the deadlock. The Norwegian now needs just two points in the next five games to become the next world chess champion. Anand elaborated the game in perfect fashion to a packed audience, a sign that the Indian has recovered and is raring to have a go again.

"I chose a line that both of us have played quite a bit in the past. He went for this Bishop move and then we have this slow manoeuvring game. White has two plans, a break on king side or play on the flank. 'f4' was not so good as black is basically preparing to play this knight manoeuvre.

"I thought I will be able to press a little bit, it's not huge but somehow I was not able to make it happen," Anand said matter-of-factly.



Carlsen almost echoed the opinion. "Not so much more to say, we both have played this line, there are many different plans of course. But whatever you play it's usually quite slow and the game goes on. I thought I was doing more or less fine, just a little bit worse but not much. It's just going to be a bit more pleasant, but my pieces are well developed," he said.
 

Anand said he will definitely keep trying and push for a win.

"I will definitely keep trying. The last two games were unpleasant, there is no getting around that, we played a game today and we will continue to do so," noted the local hero.

Speaking about the psychological aspects related to the game, Carlsen was quite forthcoming.

"I think there are some psychological aspects. The outcome of game five influenced the next game, I think that's unavoidable, you just try to move on as quickly as possible, but it's not so easy in a match," Carlsen said.

On whether the two were following the messages for both on social media, Anand said his team would let him know if they felt he should know something.

"I follow it just a little bit, I am very thankful to those who wish for me and for those who are not, I don't read it anyway," quipped Carlsen.

Carlsen said he was quite happy with the way things turned out in game seven.

"I have the lead, I won my last game with black, so this suited me just fine," he said.

The eighth game will be played on Tuesday followed by a day's break. -- PTI/Photos: Official website



[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 g6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6 15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8 21. Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Qf3 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. c3 Ne6 29. Kc2 Ng5 30. Qf2 Ne6 31. Qf3 Ng5 32. Qf2 Ne6 1/2-1/2

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World Chess Championship Parallel Events: Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh win India Under-9 Chess Tournaments

Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship Parallel Events: A special children's chess tournament was also organised in Chennai. It was the national age-group chess qualifier tournament for kids.

Nihal Sarin of Kottayam, Kerala and Divya Deshmukh of Nagpur, Maharashtra won the National Under-9 Chess Championships that concluded at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on November 14, 2013.

Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh (Official website)

The closely fought 199-player Under-9 championship saw the top four players remaining undefeated. The top four places were taken by players from each of the four southern states, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The winners of both the Open Under-10 and Girls Under-10 sections started as second seed.

Divya Deshmukh recovered from an early loss to Chinnam Vyshnavi and won by a comfortable one point margin. Divya had previously won the National Under-7 girls’ championship and the Asian Under-8 Girls’ championship.

The top finishers will represent India in the World Under-10 Championship at Durban in South Africa in 2014.

The top standings placings (tie-break order):
Open: 1-3. Nihal Sarin (Ker), R Praggnanandhaa (TN), Dhanush Bharadwaj (Kar) 9/11 each; 4-6. Raja Rithvik (AP), Om Kharola, S Abhinesh 8.5 each.
Girls: 1 Divya Deshmukh (Mah) 9.5; 2-4. Mrudul Dehankar (Mah), Rakshitta Ravi (TN), Gunjal Chopdekar (Goa) 8.5 each.

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Viswanathan Anand aims for Turnaround after Rest Day at World Chess Match versus Magnus Carlsen

The crown slipping away from his hands, defending champion Viswanathan Anand will have to pull himself together and produce a couple of sterling efforts to come back in the World Chess Championship match against Norwegian Magnus Carlsen. (Photo: JM Mahesh/official website)

With the scores reading 4-2 in favour of Carlsen and just six games to come, the Norwegian is well on track to win his maiden world title in his first match itself.

Carlsen has clearly dictated the course of the match so far and Anand needs to do a 'Houdini' of sorts if he has to remain in the match. As things stand, Carlsen needs just 2.5 points in the next six games to prove youth's supremacy over experience.

While the championship started on a predictable course no one had expected Anand to cave in so easily. The defending champion is feeling the heat and the way the last two losses have come, they are sure to dampen the spirits.

Carlsen had started as the favourite and he is living upto that. Everyone, who understands chess, knows his style, which are long and tiring grinds where he creates complications out of nothing and then almost hypnotises opponents into making mistakes.

This has been the hallmark of the world number one and in this championship too, he has carried on in similar vein. Anand has been looking at forcing variations both as white and black but has not succeeded as Carlsen's plans have proved to be better.

One Caro Kann and two Berlin defence in the three black games have given nothing away to Anand and the Indian in fact has found very little going his way.

On the contrary, Carlsen has succeeded in creating exactly the kind of positions he wanted out of nonchalant, in fact, almost forgettable openings.

The Norwegian has presented a new style to the chess world wherein home preparation takes a backseat.

Anand, if anything, seemed stressed. Normally, the one to keep emotions in check, the local hero had a mild loss of temper during the press conference after game six.

"I mean, today was a heavy blow. I will not pretend otherwise. Nothing to be done, you just go on," he said.

A Norwegian journalist asked how he would deal with it, to which Anand answered: "Well you just do your best."

The same journalist wanted him to elaborate on his answer, to which Anand answered: "Doing your best means doing your best. I don't know why you don't understand English?"

It is never too easy to take such losses in stride and even more difficult to attend a press conference soon after such pressing defeats.

Fortunately for Anand, it's not over yet. He still has three white games and he needs to wins to equalise. The Indian ace needs to pull himself together to make a match of it.

Monday is when he will his white pieces again. If he can turn the clock back a little by winning one, then a lot can still happen. Team Anand has a lot to do on the rest day. Plan 'B' has to be initiated. -- PTI

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