Magnus Carlsen Chess Fans: The Pyjama Girls Turn Around, Believe Magnus Will be World Champion

Magnus Carlsen fans cheer for the World No. 1 at the Chennai World Chess Championship 2013 versus Viswanathan Anand. They are the 'Pyjama Girls'.

This is a photo is of the 'Pyjama Girls' thus nicknamed after their photograph went viral via Twitter during the third game of the Carlsen - Anand World Chess Match on Tuesday. 

The girls were happy enough to turn around for us! This is a photo of them at school where they often play chess. .

Amalie Pedersen (the blonde in Black) told us, "My friends and I, sat and watched Carlsen against Vishy Anand. We love Magnus Carlsen and wanted to give Carlsen our support, so we got my mom to take a picture of us and we posted it on twitter with hashtag #nrksjakk."

Amalie told us, "We are four girls of 16 years, who are studying in our first year in high school. We are all very interested in chess, and especially Magnus Carlsen. We have followed through on Carlsen's progress in chess since we were 10 years old. He is our idol. But when we play chess, it’s just for fun and as a hobby."

"Sometimes we have chess evenings together where we sit and play some chess. I think that Magnus has great chances to win the title of World Champion in chess. He is smart and I think he has planned some good moves, and he has the highest chess rating of all time," she said.

GM Nigel Short ‏was quick to tweet: Why weren't there any girls taking their clothes off when I played the World Ch? #jealous

GM Parimarjan Negi promptly tweeted back: I guess Aruna is hoping that Indian girls are not so daring :)

The girls said, "We tuned in to the World Chess Championship match first on Saturday. And, now we cannot stop watching. Magnus Carlsen has become our idol. We are interested in chess and have special interest in Carlsen."

Speaking about their town, Amalie said, "We live in a small place called Andebu. It is slightly off Tøsnberg which is Norway's oldest city. In middle school we had a chess board in the classroom that anyone could use during recess, but otherwise it's not so much chess interest here. However, we are interested in chess now with this World Chess Championship Match, so more young people could also be interested now in Norway."

Here is the VGTV video interview of the girls in Norwegian

Andebu is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andebu. The parish of Andebo was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. Andebu has large areas of woodland. -- Rajat Khanna

* Pattaya Kelappu Thala

* Get Free Simen Agdestein book on Magnus Carlsen, Parents and kids can play chess in Norway

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Game 5 at World Chess Championship: How Crucial is it Before Double White for Viswanathan Anand

World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand will look forward to another positive game with black pieces before he gets a double white against challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the 5th round of their World Championship Match 2013 in Chennai on Friday.

With the first four games ending in draws, there has been a certain replication about this world championship that has never been seen before in a match. After the next black game Anand is due to get two whites in a row as per regulations and the Indian maestro can look forward to putting more pressure in the sixth and seventh game.

If the first game showed Anand in great spirits and giving nothing away in a 16-moves draw, Carlsen bounced back with a remarkable show of preparation when Anand could do little against his Caro Kann defense in the second game.

Anand yet again showed better skills as black and pressed hard for a victory in the third game without any real success. In the fourth game Carlsen came close to winning before throwing it away in Anand’s time pressure. To sum it up both players are coming out with some very smart work with black pieces while they are still trying to figure out where to hit while they are white.

Carlsen's jump from Caro Kann to Berlin is quite suggestive for the chess buffs. The Norwegian wants to keep the Indian ace guessing. One wouldn't be surprised if he comes up with a Sicilian in the next and a French in the seventh game when he is black. Being an all round player, this could be an important part of the strategy for Carlsen who has kept Anand guessing in the first two black games.

The black pieces in chess are considered a slightly unfavourable colour in the game. Anand is obviously happy to get some forcing variations thus far and this is a cause for worry for Carlsen who has not got things to his liking as far as his first two white games are concerned.

The main worry for the Anand camp is how to break through. The team would have spent a considerable time on the Caro Kann and now they have a side variation in the Berlin defense to look deeply. If Carlsen has a third opening against 'e4' that looks like the most likely scenario as of now, then it only adds to the work pressure for team Anand. -- PTI

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Crocin Cold Flu Max Chess Challenge via Facebook: Winner gets to Play with Viswanathan Anand

GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Crocin Cold & Flu Max, a variant from the healthcare brand Crocin, provides chess players across India with an opportunity to meet their idol – five-time World Chess Champion and Padma Vibhushan Viswanathan Anand. 

The campaign has been conceptualised by Grey Digital. Consumers can participate in the Chess Challenge on Crocin’s Facebook page and stand a chance to win. Players can register on the Crocin Chess Challenge Facebook app and begin to earn points by playing against the computer. All games against the computer are timed. 

Players can also earn points by taking the quiz which has chess-based questions or inviting friends to the Chess Challenge. The pecking order of the players on the game’s leader board is constructed classifying players as Brilliant Bishops, Relentless Rooks, Knowledgeable Knights and the Chess Champion based on increasing order of their performance and points. 

While five Relentless Rooks stand to win Viswanathan Anand merchandise every day, top 10 Knowledgeable Knights will get a chance to meet the legend himself. One chess champion will be crowned from among the top 10 performers who will get to play a game of chess with Viswanathan Anand. 

Speaking about the contest, Jayant Singh, EVP-Marketing, GlaxoSmithKline India, said, “Over the years, Crocin has been trusted by millions of consumers in India to get effective relief from pain. New Crocin Cold & Flu Max not only provides effective relief from 5 signs of Cold and Flu but also helps bring back your focus. Chess is one such game that epitomizes focus and concentration. We are glad to host the ‘Chess Challenge’ with the brand ambassador for Crocin Cold & Flu Max Vishwanathan Anand. We wish him a great championship ahead!” 

Viswanathan Anand, said, “Chess is a unique game that truly tests the player’s ability to strategize and foresee. I am glad to be a part of the Crocin Cold & Flu Max ‘Chess Challenge’; the contest provides a platform for chess lovers to enjoy the game and also showcase their knowledge about the game through the quiz. What is interesting is that the game can also be enjoyed by inviting friends to join. I am looking forward to being challenged by the contest winner; it will certainly be an exciting game of chess!” 

Sudhir Nair, Sr VP & Head – Grey Digital, said, “We were sure that the championship will create good social chatter and we were tracking what people had to say through listening services. We are already seeing good traction for the game and are confident that this will play an important role in building Crocin in the digital space.” 

The Chess Challenge is supported by an extensive campaign consisting of display banners, YouTube video pre-rolls and stamp ads. The campaign duration is from November 7 to November 28, 2013. To participate, click here for access to the Crocin Facebook page.

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Grandmaster Chess Open begins in Chennai Today; to Run Parallel to the World Chess Championship 2013

There are several chess events running parallel to the Anand versus Carlsen 2013 World Chess Championship in Chennai. The Grandmaster International Chess Open will run from November 15-23 on an 11-round format with a total prize fund of $16,000. (Photo: Russian Chess Fed)

The top players among the 104 players listed to participated are: GM Popov Ivan 2652 RUS, GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2582 IND, GM Lalith Babu M.R. 2570 IND, GM Ter-Sahakyan Samvel 2568 ARM, GM Borovikov Vladislav 2558 UKR, GM Sethuraman S.P. 2553 IND, GM Strikovic Aleksa 2529 SRB, GM Venkatesh M.R. 2524 IND, GM Mirzoev Azer 2519 AZE, GM Papin Vasily 2510 RUS, IM Stopa Jacek 2510 POL, GM Babujian Levon 2510 ARM, IM Mozharov Mikhail 2508 RUS and GM Neverov Valeriy 2508 UKR.

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Chess Prodigy Magnus Carlsen's Father Advises Parents not to Pressure Kids into Doing Anything

World Chess Championship Challenger Magnus Carlsen's father, Henrik has some great advice for parents, particularly chess parents: Don't push your kids into anything. Here are excerpts from a LiveMint interview with the World No. 1's father (Photo: Photo: SaiSen/Mint)

How was Magnus as a child different from his three sisters? He wasn’t different at all as child. He was pretty much the same as his sisters. We didn’t notice anything unusual at all. For instance, I am good with numbers. So was Magnus till he turned 5, but after that, he didn’t take interest in numbers at all.

Honestly, it took us a long time to figure out that Magnus could be good at chess or be different from his sisters in any way at all. So the way we brought him up wasn’t different at all from the way we raised our other children.

But it was you who introduced Magnus to chess, isn’t it? Yes, I taught him the game when he was 5, but initially he didn’t take much interest in it. It was like that for many years, and I didn’t care. He suddenly started taking interest in chess when he was about to turn 8. And he developed that interest completely on his own. At that time, he was also interested in football, and till about 12, he played a lot of football as well.

At what point did you realize that he was a gifted chess player?When he started taking interest in chess, he could really focus on it. He wasn’t interested in anything else at all. It was only then that we realized that Magnus could focus on only one thing, unlike other children who would be interested in several things. For Magnus, it was chess and chess alone.

That was the time when we realized that he was somewhat different from other children of his age. He must have been 8 or 9 at that time.

By the time, he turned 9 or nine-and-a-half, he started beating me at chess. So, looking at his drive from within, we thought maybe Magnus wants to play chess seriously. My wife, though, wasn’t much interested in chess initially.

He quit studies quite early in his life. Was it his decision? Did you agree with him when he did that? He must have been 16 by the time he decided to quit studies. Initially, we always encouraged him to pay attention to his studies as well. There were times when we would have to ask him to stop playing chess, skip tournaments and so on, so that he could finish his homework and cope with studies. But never the other way round.

When he eventually decided to quit studies—and that was completely his own decision—we didn’t object to it because by that time it was clear to everyone that he definitely had a future in chess. Chess always came first, so we would never have to push him to train in chess.

Also, being a Norwegian helped. Because of the high standards of social security in Norway and other Scandinavian countries, children there are able to explore special things.

For somebody of Magnus’ IQ, he would have been good at many other things, not just chess. What do you think he could have become had he not taken a liking for chess? No, no, no… I don’t know about his IQ. I don’t know what he could have become had he not played chess. You should ask him what he wishes to be when he quits playing. So far, he has only played chess and has always focused on it.

Having brought up a prodigy, what is your advice to young parents?
Honestly, we never thought of Magnus as a prodigy and bringing him up wasn’t in any manner different from bringing up my other children. We treated him in the same way as the others in the family because, as I said, he never appeared to be different in any manner.

It was only when he started focusing on chess and we could see that he could switch himself off from everything else, did we realize that he turned out to be somewhat different from his sisters, or other children for that matter. Since then, he has only been doing what he loves to do: play chess. And we didn’t stop him from following his passion.

My advice to young parents is that they shouldn’t pressure their children into doing anything. They should allow the children to decide for themselves what they like. This can take time but if eventually a child can focus on something—like Magnus could focus on chess—allow him to pursue a career in what he enjoys doing.

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Anand, Carlsen Press Conference Comments on Game 4 at Chennai World Chess Championship 2013

Defending World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand on Thursday conceded that he came out of a lost position in Game 4 of the World Chess Championship match against Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The game ended in a gruelling draw in Chennai on Thursday. (Photo: Official website)

"Something went wrong in the opening. I made one illogical move after the next and then I missed something with this knight move. And then I was just basically lost," Anand said at the post-game press conference.

"I am sure he had many wins in what he played. Towards the endgame it was a little bit scary in this four rooks endgame but finally when I gave a check on a8 and then moved my rook, I was safe," Anand said.

"I was lucky twice. Just before the time control I could give a check and made my next move and reached the time control. It happened twice."

Asked whether he missed losing the pawn, Anand said: "I didn't really miss it. If I didn't play Ne2 what do I do. I was just being consistent."

Carlsen was pretty happy with the way things went for him today.

"I was doing pretty good, and then when I won the pawn I was very optimistic. He kept on finding resources and I was missing some little things. He really fought very well. It's bit of a pity to have spoiled such a good position but it was a very good fight," he said. Carlsen was all praise for Anand in his usual ways.

"He kept finding very good resources that at least I could not deal with. I didn't see any clear win. Anyways you have to do something and right before the time control I thought I might be winning but it was not the case. It's not so easy, there were many tactical possibilities. I was just trying to navigate through them," he said.

On a lot of energy going in these long games the Norwegian showed his funny side.

"It's a rest day tomorrow and we are playing a world championship match. On move 56 Anand had one minute, there is a chance that he will fall in to checkmate," explained Carlsen on why he was continuing in a level position.

Anand said something similar about Carlsen.

"Magnus too kept on finding resources when I thought it should be a draw. I was lucky that I could play last two moves quickly when down to one minute."

The match will resume on Friday after a rest day on Thursday and Carlsen will have white pieces in the fifth game. Anand will have White pieces in both the sixth and seventh games. --PTI

* World Chess Match Game 4: Thrilling Draw as Anand Finds Excellent Resources for all Magnus Threats
* Game 3 a Fighting Draw even as Carlsen "happy to survive" against Anand at World Chess Championship
* Chennai World Chess Championship Game 2 Anand - Carlsen 1/2- 1/2; Carlsen: We are both settling in
* Chennai World Chess Championship Game 1 Carlsen - Anand 1/2- 1/2

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World Chess Match Game 4: Thrilling Draw as Anand Finds Excellent Resources for all Magnus Threats

Game 4 at Chennai World Chess Championship Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen 1/2-1/2: Were it not for reigning World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand's 'Houdini' escape act with clever defence, challenger Magnus Carlsen could have scored the first win of the event.

The World Chess Champion survived the Berlin Defence with an extremely patiently played Game 4 in Chennai. Carlsen tried to push with all his might for a win while playing almost the entire game a pawn up, but it was not to be. Carlsen did not play the Caro Kann as he had done with Black in Game 2.

Photo: Official website (For all links for viewing live World Chess Championship, check our summary of live links.)

The Berlin defense became famous after Vladimir Kramnik used it to beat Garry Kasparov in the World Chess Championship Match of 2000 in London. Carlsen deviated from the more popular line of 10...Ke8 with 10...Be7. It's not a novelty, but it has particularly been played lately by Jon Ludvig Hammer - Magnus Carlsen's friend and second. Also, on the 15th move, Carlsen went Be6 instead of the more popular Bc6.

The 64 moves of Game 4 were pure gold. Anand had won a game versus Sergey Karjakin earlier this year by using the 4.d3 sideline. However, he used the main line against Carlsen in Game 4. 

Magnus Carlsen went into a long think at the 18th move to decide whether to take the a-pawn or not. Thereafter, the game became a struggle of regrouping pieces while Black had to find a way to activate his Black Rook on a8 despite being a pawn up. White managed to withstand any damage by advancing his Kingside pawn majority and keeping the pressure on Carlsen. 

The position became extremely complicated. Anand found a fantastic resource in 35.Ne4! which helped him to finally open up Black's King on the Queenside and equalise. The defending champion remained a pawn down, but as more and more material got exchanged, White came closer to a draw and finally achieved it.

Right till the end, Carlsen even tried all kinds of checkmating threats living up to his promise of playing to the end, but Anand was up to the challenge all through. The game lasted just about six hours.

Eight classical time-control games are still to be played in the 12-game World Chess Championship Match. The score is now tied at 2-2. The last two games have been deadly energy-draining fights to the bitter end. More exciting chess is surely likely after the second rest day on Thursday. -- Rajat Khanna

Game 4 moves

[Event "FWCM 2013"]

[Site "Chennai"]

[Date "2013.11.13"]

[Round "4"]

[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]

[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[ECO "C67"]

[WhiteElo "2775"]

[BlackElo "2870"]

[PlyCount "127"]

[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

[EventCountry "IND"]

[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nc3 Kc8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rd2 c5 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Ne1 Ng6 17. Nd3 b6 18. Ne2 Bxa2 19. b3 c4 20. Ndc1 cxb3 21. cxb3 Bb1 22. f4 Kb7 23. Nc3 Bf5 24. g4 Bc8 25. Nd3 h5 26. f5 Ne7 27. Nb5 hxg4 28. hxg4 Rh4 29. Nf2 Nc6 30. Rc2 a5 31. Rc4 g6 32. Rdc1 Bd7 33. e6 fxe6 34. fxe6 Be8 35. Ne4 Rxg4+ 36. Kf2 Rf4+ 37. Ke3 Rf8 38. Nd4 Nxd4 39. Rxc7+ Ka6 40. Kxd4 Rd8+ 41. Kc3 Rf3+ 42. Kb2 Re3 43. Rc8 Rdd3 44. Ra8+ Kb7 45. Rxe8 Rxe4 46. e7 Rg3 47. Rc3 Re2+ 48. Rc2 Ree3 49. Ka2 g5 50. Rd2 Re5 51. Rd7+ Kc6 52. Red8 Rge3 53. Rd6+ Kb7 54. R8d7+ Ka6 55. Rd5 Re2+ 56. Ka3 Re6 57. Rd8 g4 58. Rg5 Rxe7 59. Ra8+ Kb7 60. Rag8 a4 61. Rxg4 axb3 62. R8g7 Ka6 63. Rxe7 Rxe7 64. Kxb3 1/2-1/2

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Game 3 a Fighting Draw even as Carlsen "happy to survive" against Anand at World Chess Championship

Defending champion Viswanathan Anand on Tuesday gave his Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen a scare despite playing with black pieces even though the third game of the World Chess Championship clash ended in a long-grinding draw.

The third game turned out to be a hard fought affair lasting 51 moves after a rather sedate start that had seen the first two games ending in draws without any real excitement.

Midway into the third game today, Anand appeared to have seized the initiative with some 'spot on' manoeuvres, but the world number one Carlsen saved the situation with his counter play.

Later at the post-game conference, Carlsen conceded that he felt "scary" though he averted the danger.

The Game 3 handshake: official website

"I was worse, and then I probably made it more worse. I missed some simple things in the middle game, may be I had enough play and it was not a disaster but it was scary," Carlsen said.

After the third draw on the trot, the deadlock continues with none of the two rivals refusing to blink so far, but what happened at the Hyatt on Tuesday was probably a clear indication that a rough battle is now shaping up.

The scores stand at 1.5 points for both players and the five-time world chess champion Anand will have the advantage of playing with white pieces in the fourth game tomorrow.

Carlsen showed his intentions of a bloody battle when, contrary to the popular belief, repeated the Reti opening.

"I was expecting that Carlsen would jump from one opening to another," said Grandmaster RB Ramesh, who is a part of the live commentary team here.

As is typical of the Reti opening, the changes to several set ups is possible. Carlsen went for a position akin to the English opening that was more of a Sicilian Dragon with colours reversed.

The Middle game took a major turn when Carlsen deviated his attention to the King side by a queen sortie but Anand was alert enough.

With some 'spot on' manoeuvres, the Indian world chess champion then seized the initiative pushing the white queen to the edge of the board only to see Carlsen avert the danger with his counter play.



As the game progressed, Carlsen got back in his groove and got his counter play in the form of a thematic central break through. Thereafter, the Norwegian was pretty much at ease as the game quickly changed shape once again.

Anand knew there was sufficient play for both sides when he allowed liquidation to a position that had Bishops of opposite colours. The Indian had a small weakness on the king side that could be easily covered.

"Obviously for black what he is getting is the two Bishops, if I can role my queen side pawns down I would be better," Anand noted in the post-game chat.

Anand won a pawn in the small tactical battle that ensued but it was not enough. Carlsen was quick to launch some threats and the Indian decided to go for further liquidation by trading the last pair of rooks on the 37th move.

Carlsen accepted the exchange offer and won the pawn with his next few precise moves and after that it was a completely drawn position on the board.

However, the players continued the battle almost till the last nail. It was just the two Bishops remaining on board when the players signed the truce after 51 moves.

In the fourth game on Wednesday, Anand will get his second white in the 12-game match that has Rs 14 crore as the prize fund.

If it were tennis, it's advantage Anand for now. -- PTI

Game 3 Moves PGN

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2013.12.11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4+ Nc6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. Nc3 e5 7. Qxc4 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 h6 10. Bd2 Nd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Ne4 c6 13. Bb4 Be6 14. Qc1 Bd5 15. a4 b6 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. a5 Rab8 18. Re1 Rfc8 19. axb6 axb6 20. Qf4 Rd8 21. h4 Kh7 22. Nd2 Be5 23. Qg4 h5 24. Qh3 Be6 25. Qh1 c5 26. Ne4 Kg7 27. Ng5 b5 28. e3 dxe3 29. Rxe3 Bd4 30. Re2 c4 31. Nxe6+ fxe6 32. Be4 cxd3 33. Rd2 Qb4 34. Rad1 Bxb2 35. Qf3 Bf6 36. Rxd3 Rxd3 37. Rxd3 Rd8 38. Rxd8 Bxd8 39. Bd3 Qd4 40. Bxb5 Qf6 41. Qb7+ Be7 42. Kg2 g5 43. hxg5 Qxg5 44. Bc4 h4 45. Qc7 hxg3 46. Qxg3 e5 47. Kf3 Qxg3+ 48. fxg3 Bc5 49. Ke4 Bd4 50. Kf5 Bf2 51. Kxe5 Bxg3+ 1/2-1/2

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Andres Guadalupe's Spanish Cartoons and Chennai Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013

Chess and humour do go together. Andrés Guadalupe, a cartoonist and illustrator, has played chess ever since he can remember. He has been a club player as well and has always, always been passionate about chess. The Anand - Carlsen Chennai World Chess Championship 2013 is a special opportunity for him to explore his love for both chess and cartooning. Of course, a cartoonist always sees what mere mortals cannot!

"I've been making cartoons many years ago and not only chess, editorial cartoons, graphic humor in general, illustrations as well. Many subjects,' says Guadalupe, adding, "I'm doing chess cartoons regularly and now eventually doing a serial cartoons about the world chess championship."

"My favorite cartoons always are the last, in this case the ones about the world chess championship."

Guadalupe says, "My favorite player is Mikhail Tal. And finally my subjects apart from chess obviously, are editorial cartoons. My subjects are Everything. The life that surrounds me."

Guadalupe begins with paper first, pencil and ink, then scans and puts in the text and coloring in Photoshop.

He says, what a whole lot of us want to say all the time, "I would like that the chess was as popular as the football and other similar sports."

Don't forget to check out Andrés Guadalupe's great blog 'Ajedrez con humor'. It's in Spanish, but don't you worry, cartooning, like chess is a universal language. Also, don't forget to give Andrés Guadalupe a Like on his FB fanpage. -- Rajat Khanna

Andres Guadalupe will soon be making an exclusive cartoon for us, so stay tuned.

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

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)

* GM opinions on Chennai Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 

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Garry Kasparov Reaches Chennai as 'Chess Tourist'

Chennai Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 Media Update: LiveMint has reported that legendary World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov has reached Chennai Monday evening without any welcome from the organisers of the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship. Kasparov has himself said that he is in Chennai as a "chess tourist". The legendary Grandmaster is accompanied by his wife Daria. 

Arundhati Ramanathan writes, "The 50-year-old legend did not get any attention from the organizers of the world championship match underway in Chennai when he arrived in the city on Monday for a two-day visit to cheer for Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian challenger to Viswanathan Anand’s world title. On Monday, Kasparov checked into Chennai’s Hyatt Regency hotel, where the match is being played, at around 5.20 pm, accompanied by his wife. No one except some hotel officials received him."

Legendary 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov with wife Daria at Hotel Hyatt Regency in Chennai on Monday evening. -- Photo: PTI

In India, Fide vice-president DV Sundar is quoted as saying, Kasparov has come on his own, not at the invitation of the world chess federation, “Who are we to welcome or not welcome him?” he asked.

Kasparov will not be allowed to address the media at the venue of the world chess championship match, a key official said.

“I have been advised by the Indian chess federation that he should not be allowed to enter the media centre (from where Fide officials and the two players have been addressing press conferences),” Arvind Aaron, press officer for the Chennai 2013 world title match, said on Monday.

“In my view, this is a PR (public relations) disaster for the Indian chess federation,” said an Indian Grandmaster, asking not to be named. “In the light of Kasparov’s plans to contest the Fide elections next year, the Indian chess federation got swayed by the political implications of his visit. But this isn’t any way to treat a player of his stature.”

“I am here as a chess tourist,” Kasparov said arriving at the hotel. “It’s a free country.”

When told that the organizers refuse to take note of his visit to Chennai, he said Fide was “concerned” that he could get a lot of media attention in India and that the Indian chess federation wasn’t backing him as Fide president.

The organizers should only make sure that nothing untoward happens during the visit that could “portray (him) in bad light,” Kasparov added.

It isn’t immediately known if the Tamil Nadu government, which is the principal sponsor of the world championship, endorses the Indian chess federation’s stand on Kasparov. Officials in the sports department said on Monday that they had not been briefed on the matter.

Kasparov, who retired from competitive chess is 2005, remains one of the most haloed players ever, having been the world champion for some 15 years till 2000. A part of his reign, though, was disputed because of his rift with Fide. He lost his title to fellow Russian Vladimir Kramnik, whom he tutored for a long time.

Though they passed up the opportunity to pay their respect to Kasparov, the organizers are bracing for a huge turnout of fans at Hyatt Regency hotel on Tuesday when the former world champion turns up to watch Carlsen play Anand in the third of their 12-game match.

Kasparov, who has inspired generations of players, still remains one of the most recalled chess icons anywhere in the world.

A human rights activist who takes interest in Russian politics, Kasparov has announced that he will contest for the president’s post in the Fide election next year. “Unlike with (Vladimir) Putin, at least we can be sure that the votes will be counted,” Kasparov said on Monday, when asked about his chances of winning.

Addressing the media last week, current president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov described Kasparov as a “worthy contestant”, even as he reiterated that he will contest again because heads of national chess federations want him to carry on.

Ilyumzhinov has led Fide since November 2005, having funded the sport since the early 1990s. He committed to bring in at least $10 million for tournaments and for promotion of chess if he is voted to lead the federation for another term.

Like another world chess champion Bobby Fischer before him, Kasparov has repeatedly rebelled against Fide, demanding more money for winning world championships and better television coverage of chess. In 1993, he broke out and founded the Professional Chess Association (PCA) to launch a rival world championship. 

The PCA collapsed after holding two world championships—in 1993 and 1995—after one of its key sponsors, chip maker Intel Corp., backed out. But the world championship remained divided for many years until Kramnik won a reunification match in 2006.

Asked why he wanted to contest the Fide election, Kasparov said the current leadership had “missed a lot of opportunities” and that he could bring about meaningful changes, but quickly added that he was in Chennai only to watch the match and wish Carlsen luck.

“I can guarantee that in the next 48 hours, I won’t be campaigning,” he said.

-- Arundhati Ramanathan/LiveMint

* All Garry Kasparov-related reports 

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Chennai World Chess Championship 2013 vs Anand: Will Garry Kasparov help Magnus Carlsen?

The 13th World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov (50), is reaching Chennai, the venue of the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Champion, on Monday. Kasparov has already tweeted his schedule. The big question everyone wants to know is: Will Garry Kasparov help Magnus Carlsen?

The legendary Russian chess player has already declared his support for the young prodigy from Norway. Kasparov tutored Carlsen for a brief period earlier in the latter's career.

Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen in 2009. Photo (c) Chessbase

VG Nett - the online edition of Norway's most-read tabloid newspaper - quotes Magnus Carlsen's manager, Espen Agdestein as saying the Russian chess legend might have some role to play in the World Chess Championship. 

Agdestein was quoted as saying, "There is a possibility. We have been in contact, but I cannot say specifically whether there will be a co-operation or not." 

Agdestein said Kasparov has vast experience in World Chess Championships and his experience is valuable, so it would be silly not to take advantage of it. 

VG Nett continues with fantastic coverage of the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship and it's a pity we didn't enlist for Norwegian classes a few months back.  

Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen said at the post-game press conference, after Game 2 on Sunday, he would like to relax on the first rest day of the World Championship. News reports had said Magnus Carlsen would be spending World Championship rest days at Fisherman's Cove - a resort about an hour's drive from Chennai. 

However, VG Nett stated on Sunday, Magnus Carlsen would stay on at the Hyatt Regency for the first rest day of the Chennai World Chess Championship. 

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Chennai World Chess Championship Game 2 Anand - Carlsen 1/2- 1/2; Carlsen: We are both settling in

Chennai World Chess Championship Game 2: Both Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen admitted today at the press conference that they were meeting their toughest opponent yet. In an atmosphere of friendly humour with two games of the World Chess Championship behind them, both the defending champion and challenger hoped to spend the first rest day of the match watching football and relaxing!

In reply to a question put both to Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand as to whether they found the other as the toughest opponent yet, both replied 'yes'. 

Carlsen said, "He has been world champion for many years now and obviously he has beaten my other opponents, surely he is the toughest opponent." 

Anand was equal in his praise for Carlsen while replying to a similar question. "Magnus' results in the last few years speak for themselves. Definitely he is the toughest," Anand said.

Photo and Press conference video via official website. 

At the start of the press conference, defending champion Viswanathan Anand offered an apology of sorts after he played out a draw with white pieces in the second game of World Chess Championship clash against Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

"Today it's my turn to tender a slight apology," said Anand.

"The position we got after move 12 is a very sharp one. I have studied it in the past, it's very very complicated and I had not really expected it. That's clear," he said at the post-game conference at the Hyatt Regencey hotel.

The opening move of the second game today was a big success for Carlsen and it was a great pull back by the Norwegian after Anand had got an easy draw as black in the first game yesterday.

"I will not talk too much about the opening move. I think the critical point was on move 18 when Vishy could have tried but black seemed to be doing fine," world number one Carlsen said. 

Anand said things might have become risky for him after Carlsen's opening came as a slight surprise coming in the form of a Caro Kann defense.

"I had to decide whether to fly blind because it's clear that he would have been into more details. I decided to go for a slightly solid line, a slightly prudent decision today, essentially after the queen exchange there is nothing much happening," said the five-time champion Anand.

Anand, however, said the battle royale that has thus far produced just 41 moves in the two games would only get better.

"We both have a little information now as to what the other person is trying, I am sure it will get interesting," the local hero said.

Asked about the preparation for this game's opening move, Anand said, "I was trying to recollect all sharp variations around move 13-15, trying to figure out what he might be aiming for before he took the path to equality.

In reply to another question, Carlsen said his start at the Chennai World Chess Championship was similar to his start at the London Chess Candidates where he started with draws. 

Carlsen said, "I did not know what to expect really. I feel it is a little bit similar to my start in the Candidates Tournament where I got an easy draw as black in the first and conceded an easy draw with white in the second game. Then things really took off," he said adding, "like Vishy said, we are both settling in." -- Agencies 

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