World Chess Championship 2013 Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen at Chennai Hyatt Regency: gm interview
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Showing posts with label gm interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gm interview. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2013

Anand - Carlsen Match will become Exciting Soon, Even Heavyweight Boxing Starts Slow: Kasparov

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Monday, November 11, 2013
Chennai World Chess Championship Chennai 2013 GM Interview: Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov has said the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Match will witness a close finish. 

Speaking to journalists at the Hyatt Regency, the former world chess champion said, "I am amazed by the publicity for the match and reminds me of my match with Anatoly Karpov and the Spassky-Fischer game. I hope Anand vs Carlsen match will be the revival of chess, it shows the importance of the title and is an amazing clash of generations."

Garry Kasparov reached Chennai with his wife Daria as a "chess tourist" and said even though he felt the 22-year-old Norwegian challenger has a slight edge, the experience of the 43-year-old defending champion Viswanathan Anand could come into play.

Kasparov said, "I have a very good relation with Carlsen and his team but my talk will be limited to wishing him good luck. I cannot hide the fact that my sympathies are with Carlsen, not because we have worked before but because I believe that the future belongs to the younger generation and Carlsen is half of Vishy's age."

"Having said that, World Championship is a highly unpredictable event and Vishy has plenty of experience and is on his home turf. The match will be very close and I would not share the optimism of many commentators saying Carlsen will have an easy job. There is no easy walk to World Championship."

Kasparov said, he didn't make much of the two draws so far. He said, the match would become exciting later on. "I wasn't critical because there is too much at stake. When you look at heavyweight boxing it very often starts slow." 

"It could be dramatic but normally they find to find a weakness but eventually it gets faster. Nobody wants to make a mistake or give the opponent an early lead. The match will become exciting," said Kasparov. (B&W With inputs from PTI)

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Garry Kasparov Comments on Carlsen - Anand World Chess Championship Game 1

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Sunday, November 10, 2013
Here are the comments by chess legend Garry Kasparov on Game one at the Carlsen - Anand World Chess Championship 2013 in Chennai. These comments are via Kasparov's twitter account @Kasparov63. 



- Hello from Goa! Great event today at #THiNK2013. Looks like half of those in attendance were tweeting about. I will share some in a moment.
- First, a few brief comments on today's Carlsen-Anand game. Brief comments are fitting for such a brief game.

- I imagine Anand's 2..g6 was a surprise for Magnus, and 4..c6 as well. Then White has a big choice: to play c4 & sacrifice a pawn, or not.

- Sacrificing the pawn with c4 would not be a typical position for Magnus but Anand (& his second Leko) know those positions well.

- But without c4 by White Black gets a very solid position, even if he plays the Nbd2 I'd prefer to Carlsen's Nc3. Little danger for Black.

- I remember Anand played this in his 1994 NYC candidates match against Romanishin, who played c4 & drew one & lost one. Can be quite sharp.

- First games of big matches are often tentative. Both get a half point but it's great to start any event with an easy draw with black!

- Anand & I drew first 8 games of our 1995 world championship match. But then, boom! Next 4/5 were decisive & the match was basically over.


- So do not get too depressed with a slow start. Of my 7 world championship matches, 5 started with draw in first game.

The links to comments by Garry Kasparov are also in interviews with
BELIEVE MAGNUS: Chess legend Garry Kasparov (left) keeps Magnus Carlsen as the favorite in the World Chess Match
PHOTO: Junge, Heiko / NTB Scanpix

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Main Anand - Carlsen Chennai World Chess Match Battle will be in Middlegame: says GM Elizbar Ubilava

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Friday, November 8, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview: Grandmaster Elizbar Ubilava worked withViswanathan Anand for nine years between 1994 and 2005. The 63-year-old Spanish grandmaster of Georgian origin spoke to Times of India about the Anand - Carlsen Chennai World Chess Championship: 

On the favourite
It's natural that Carlsen has been deemed the favourite, being the No. 1 player in the world. But World Championship is a different event demanding specific skills. Ranking spots won't matter much here. Anand has not only the experience of playing many such matches but also special skill to motivate himself. His tournament record of late has suffered a bit. But that's perfectly understandable. For his age, it's quite difficult to recover and be in your best condition tournament after tournament. But for these matches, Anand can motivate himself, he can play strong and show he is the best.

Match expectations
Everybody is expecting a great battle, at least interesting games. I'm not expecting a theoretical battle between Anand and Carlsen. Carlsen is a master of avoiding set lines on the board, special preparation, especially the computer preparation (of opposition). The main weight of battle will be in the middle-game. Vishy doesn't like long games. He prefers to rest and be ready for the next game if it looks like a draw. But Carlsen fights on and I'm sure Anand is prepared for that.

Why is Carlsen dangerousHe is amazingly strong mentally. When asked which facet of chess brings him joy, he had said the suffering of the opponent! Bobby Fischer had spoken on similar lines. His level of resistance in inferior positions is quite high too. I feel Carlsen has not showed his real strength. I have not seen a talent like him, at least in this generation. You look at the history of chess - Alekhine, Capablanca, Fischer, Karpov, Anand - Carlsen represents the first line of chess champions.

Crucial factors in the match
How they react to situations during the championship. Can they surprise their opponent in his preferred opening variation? Once that happens, you not only get the psychological advantage but also more time on the clock because you keep your opponent busy: thinking and guessing. And in some positions, you can use this clock advantage decisively.

Mental toughnessWill their minds be fresh enough? Not only to memorise the prepared lines with precision but also to bring in new ideas to the table. It's not easy to remember everything that you have learnt or seen. Remember Anand himself confessed that he missed a move sequence during his first game defeat to Topalov in 2010. Some of Anand's team members have the experience of handling World Championship matches. But that won't necessarily result in creation of fresh ideas. Sometimes, even less experienced youngsters can come up with good ideas. I remember a 17-year-old helping Karpov with ideas during his World Championship battle with Kasparov.

On the battle of characters
It's not just about the chess, it's about the person - his fighting spirit, his character. During the match both players will face their set of problems. But you have to come back (on the board) and play with your concepts. The computer preparation, home preparation will help only to a certain extent. There is also this challenge of bridging the gap between preparation and memory.

Carlsen-Anand historyThis is an important point. But it works both ways. Both players are aware of a lot of things about each other besides preparation level and habits. Kramnik helped Kasparov during his match with Anand in 1995 and it became important when he went on to dethrone the legend five years later. Even Vishy can use his knowledge about Carlsen but I guess their association helps Carlsen more than Anand.


* More GM opinions on Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013

Anand has Better Temperament and Experience, but Chess Rating Gap is Huge: GM Dibyendu Barua

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Monday, September 9, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview: India's second Grandmaster, Dibyendu Barua, has said he feels World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand will have the advantage of a better temperament and match experience when he defends his title against Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen in Chennai in November.

Barua said the only factor that 
might bother the world chess champion would be the relatively “big” difference in ratings. Rarely has a World Chess Championship title match seen such a big difference in rating points between the two players. It is a difference of 87 points going by the current rating of Anand (2775) and Carlsen (2862). "A difference of 10 rating points is considered big at this level. This may be a cause of concern for Anand and may weigh on him psychologically that his challenger is ahead of him in terms of rating," Barua, who is also a vice-president of the All India Chess Federation, said.

“The Chess World No. 1, who at one point reached 2872, looks more formidable than even the legendary Russian World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov. Many expect him to reach 2900 very soon. Anand is a bit off-colour these days and appears to be struggling in his recent performances,” Barua said.

“There may be a couple of factors bothering Anand but one must remember that there are many strong points that will keep Anand ahead on his home turf. His temperament is outstanding and he has the experience of winning the title five times,” Barua said.

“Anand is very meticulous in his preparation and is a much transformed player when he is playing for the title. It will be interesting to see how Carlsen, who is playing in the World championship clash for the first time, tackles the intense pressure of the 12-game format,” he said.


Barua said the first couple of games would be crucial. “Anand cannot afford to let his young opponent any allowance and should take charge right from the beginning. Carlsen who is diligent does not believe in any spectacular opening. But he prefers to take the game in the comfort zone where he is unflinching in his attack,” Barua, who will be at the venue to see Anand defend his title, said. -- Agencies

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Anand would be Under Pressure from Home Chess Fans: Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay

Posted by World Chess Championship 2013 News Blog Sunday, September 8, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview: Mumbai, September 8: With the buzz surrounding the contest between five-time champion Viswanathan Anand and world number one Magnus Carlsen, chess Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay said it would have been favourable for the Indian if the match was not scheduled in Chennai. 

"The match being held at Chennai, I am not sure if that will have a good effect. Anand would be under a lot of pressure. I think this is not favourable for Anand," Thipsay said at the Sports Journalists' Association of Mumbai awards on Sunday.

The match is slated between November 7 and 26 in Chennai. Analysing the players, Thipsay said that Anand has struggled in the past against players who take risks.

"The only problem with him is the players who are very erratic and players who play positions, which are not known to them. There are players who are natural gamblers and they play variations without knowing what will happen. Anand has always been bad against such street fighters. If he is able to study the style of a player, he can beat anybody," he said.

He said if the 43-year-old Anand doesn't make it a matter of prestige against his 22-year-old opponent then he is likely to succeed.

"Overall it's a match between a master of the game and one of the best street fighters. Carlsen plays very similar to one his first coaches, Grand
master Simen Agdestein. He gets into positions which are not known to him and not known to the opponent either. The positions which are not ambitious and he doesn't know what will happen," he said.
 

"He is going to fight it out over the board. That is the sort of thing which is dangerous because probably he doesn't have anything to lose since he has several years more. If Anand doesn't make it a matter of prestige, Anand will prevail." (Left photo: Pravin Thipsay)

The chess ace also pointed out that Anand is an attacking player and his weak point has been the defense.

"Anand's drawback has been the defense. He is an attacking player. His attack is based on the sound position of style. Only after he gets into a better position, he goes for the attack," Thipsay said.

He said the match would be a tough one but felt it would be a one-sided contest.

"I feel the match will be one-sided. Either the master wins easily or the street fighter wins easily. There is no scope for any unclear thing, because it is such a divergent style. It is going to be a tough match. I am very anxious and also I don't know what the result of the match will be," he said.

Dronacharya award winner Raghunandan Gokhale said it is difficult to predict what will happen but said the sport would benefit from it.

"Both are very talented. The match will sparkle interest everywhere. Chess will benefit after this match, whether Anand wins it or Carlsen," Gokhale said. --PTI