Showing posts sorted by relevance for query garry kasparov. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query garry kasparov. Sort by date Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Kasparov vs Carlsen: Only Chess Encounter Analysed/Explained in Daniel King Power Play Video
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Anand vs Carlsen/Master Shifu vs Kungfu Panda: 5 Reasons to Watch Live World Chess Championship 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
A thoroughly exciting Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 awaits us in Chennai this November. Here are the top five reasons why chess fans are going to love this chess show:
- Human and computer integration at its finest: Earlier this year, Carlsen broke Garry Kasparov’s record by gaining the highest elo rating of all time—2,872 (Anand is fourth on the all-time list, with 2,817). In 2009, at the age of 19, Carlsen had became the youngest World No.1, breaking the record held by Kramnik. “He conserves the mystique of chess,” Kasparov has said about Carlsen. Carlsen has been where no chess player has before. Both Anand and Carlsen are known to have trained with computers. Lot of chess players feel, computer learning has ruined the art of chess. Before the coming generations of chess players increase their dependence on computers, this would be the moment when we witness the best integration between man and machine in chess. -- Rajat Khanna
- Master Shifu vs Kungfu Panda: The greatest excitement will come from polar opposite chess styles. World Champion Viswanathan Anand will be the senior and grounded warrior. He will stay patient and count on his learning based upon years of match experience. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will be all nervous energy, firing from all cylinders, fighting until the last drop of blood is shed beyond the limits of exhaustion. Anand will strike when the 'enemy' has withered away. Anand will be Master Shifu, watching and waiting. Carlsen will be Kungfu Panda, walking in the wake of destruction at every step. In the end, both would be the teacher and the taught. The magic of chess will overwhelm us all and a new chapter in chess history would be written.
- Sexy image of chess: A beach blitz, 2,000 girls screaming a welcome to Carlsen, sophisticated arrangements in five-star luxury of Hyatt Regency Chenna, Carlsen the model, Anand the master, host of side chess events for players of all levels including Grandmasters - both men and women... What else do you need to make chess more sexy in the Indian subcontinent?
- Sexy image of chess: A beach blitz, 2,000 girls screaming a welcome to Carlsen, sophisticated arrangements in five-star luxury of Hyatt Regency Chenna, Carlsen the model, Anand the master, host of side chess events for players of all levels including Grandmasters - both men and women... What else do you need to make chess more sexy in the Indian subcontinent?
Anand and Carlsen at London
Chess Classic 2012. Photo: Chessbase.com
- Chess goes into mainstream media: Viswanathan Anand has single-handedly inspired the mainstream media to cover chess in India. Carlsen added the jazz by taking on modeling assignments on an international platform. The image of chess as an incomprehensible activity involving two anti-social intellectuals is gone. Anand is the regular guy, devoted family man, hard working gentleman inspiring typical Indian cultural values. Carlsen brings the joy of youth and freshness of the next generation to the table. The media is going to be lapping this one up for sure.
- Technology Treat: The organisers are putting in place the best-possible high-speed Internet link for live broadcast of the entire event. Commentators and guests would include the who's who from the chess world. The World Chess Championship 2012 Anand versus Gelfand was an excellent affair in live telecast right from the opening ceremony to the closing one. The Indian organisers hope to better that. You will be getting all the best shots and best moments straight to your desk to be saved (on hard drives) as keepsakes. There will be interviews, sound bytes, video treats and press conferences. You won't miss a moment of the grand affair if you so choose.
- Human and computer integration at its finest: Earlier this year, Carlsen broke Garry Kasparov’s record by gaining the highest elo rating of all time—2,872 (Anand is fourth on the all-time list, with 2,817). In 2009, at the age of 19, Carlsen had became the youngest World No.1, breaking the record held by Kramnik. “He conserves the mystique of chess,” Kasparov has said about Carlsen. Carlsen has been where no chess player has before. Both Anand and Carlsen are known to have trained with computers. Lot of chess players feel, computer learning has ruined the art of chess. Before the coming generations of chess players increase their dependence on computers, this would be the moment when we witness the best integration between man and machine in chess. -- Rajat Khanna
Monday, September 9, 2013
Five things that make Magnus Carlsen so Sexy: A note on World Chess Championship Challenger 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Trust us, in India, not many people would seriously bother with professional chess except for those in the cities of Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai. The kind of welcome Carlsen received is reserved only for cricket players or film stars in India. Chess, as a sport, has failed to capture the imagination of the nation despite Viswanathan Anand being a name easily recognised across the country.
So, how come, the chess wonderboy, took chess back to Indian prime time television news and Page One in the print media with a single visit? What exactly makes Magnus Carlsen so hot? Here are five reasons you are bound to agree with:
That also spells hope for the vast majority of chess lovers out there who have other things to do (like earning their daily bread) while wanting to play good chess at the same time. We can't help cheering for Mr Carlsen.
Carlsen has also said, "I’ve never been much of a (chess) computer guy at least in terms of playing with computers. Actually until I was about 11, I didn’t use a computer for preparing for games at all. I was playing a bit online, was using the chess club mainly. Now, obviously, the computer is an important tool for me preparing for my games. [But] in general I get much more pleasure from playing human opponents. That’s why I never really played with computer. I just analyse when I’m on the computer, either my games or my opponents. But mostly my own."
Carlsen has also said, "I’ve never been much of a (chess) computer guy at least in terms of playing with computers. Actually until I was about 11, I didn’t use a computer for preparing for games at all. I was playing a bit online, was using the chess club mainly. Now, obviously, the computer is an important tool for me preparing for my games. [But] in general I get much more pleasure from playing human opponents. That’s why I never really played with computer. I just analyse when I’m on the computer, either my games or my opponents. But mostly my own."
About draws in chess Carlsen says, "I just think at top level tournaments you should play out the games... At top level tournaments, there’s simply no excuse for not playing out the games."
4. Carlsen's New Age Fundamentals of Fun: Carlsen has always insisted that "For me, it’s about playing as long as I’m motivated, as long as it’s fun, as long as it’s interesting."
The 22-year-old chess champion doesn't care about money despite already being in the millionaire's club with his earnings. That's exactly what all New Age gurus speak about: Do what you're good at and have fun with. Dump that materialism. The New Age concept is a rage with the youngsters giving them a new way to view both chess and life. This 'Carlsen-itis' is infectious!
5. Pure Chess Talent: There's no doubting that Magnus Carlsen has pure chess talent - part God gift and part hard work. He has also been coached by the very best, the legendary Garry Kasparov. Carlsen has already set the world record of the highest chess rating achieved by a human on the planet at 2872! That's beyond stratospheric really.
Not for nothing has Cosmopolitan already voted the Chess World No. 1 as one of the top sexiest men on the planet. Who wouldn't agree? -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
World Chess Match Game 4: Thrilling Draw as Anand Finds Excellent Resources for all Magnus Threats
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
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
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Top 7 Commentators you would Like to see at Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 in Chennai
Sunday, September 1, 2013
They're not giving out chess commentator Grandmaster titles yet, but we wondered what chess fans' popular pick would be/could be for best chess commentators at the 2013 Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship in Chennai (not in any specific order):
Of course, we've not counted so many other great Grandmasters, but we'd like to see them as special guests. This one was about taking us through the long haul of commentary at the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Friday, September 6, 2013
Chess World No. 1's Company MagnusChess hopes to make over $3 million in 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
MagnusChess - the company - hopes to register a gross turnover of between 15 and 20 million NOK (Norwegian Kroner) in 2013. That's about $2.5 million to $3.2 million. (The current currency rate is 1 Norwegian Krone equals 0.16 US Dollar.)
Since 2007, the World No. 1 chess player's company has had a turnover of 27 million NOK ($4.5 million) and a profit before tax of 15 million NOK ($2.5 million) according to Dagens Næringsliv (Norwegian for Today's Business).
Chess world's 22-year-old talented prodigy had, at the end of 2012, built up a solid equity of nearly 12 million NOK ($1.97 million), according to DN.
Chess world's 22-year-old talented prodigy had, at the end of 2012, built up a solid equity of nearly 12 million NOK ($1.97 million), according to DN.
Commonly known as DN, Dagens Næringsliv is a Norwegian tabloid specialising in business reporting and is pegged as the fourth largest newspaper in Norway.
On his part, the planet's top-rated chess player has said he does not care so very much for money. He leaves the management to his manager Espen Agdestein and father Henrik.
Carlsen told DN, "I am very grateful that I can live on something (chess) I think is so fun. Beyond that I'm not thinking so much about it."
Magnus Carlsen owns 85 percent of the company MagnusChess. The remaining 15 per cent is owned by his father Henrik. His father confirmed to DN that the recent developments were "nice" and they hoped for a revenue increase in 2013. Norwegian sponsors are sure to use the world's best chess player for endorsements and more, states DN.
Success at the forthcoming World Chess Championship could further up the earnings for MagnusChess, DN had reported, in its print edition right after Magnus Carlsen signed a new sponsorship agreement with Nordic Semiconductor last month.
DN estimates that a victory over Viswanathan Anand, at the forthcoming World Chess Championship, could fetch the World No. 1 nine million NOK ($1.48 million) in prize money, plus six million NOK ($987000) in bonuses from sponsors (including also Arctic Securities, SIMONSEN Advokatfirma, V-G) and other sources.
The company saw an increase in income from NOK 3.5 million (nearly USD $650,000) in 2009 to NOK 8.4 million (over USD $1.5 million) in 2010 due to a deal with clothing manufacturer G-star.
However, Carlsen lost about 10 million NOK ($1.85 million) when he withdrew from the qualifiers for the 2012 world chess championship in protest at the FIDE rules. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
World Chess Champion Five Times: The Anand Timeline
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Viswanathan Anand, the reigning World Chess Champion, has held the top title five times. He was crowned thus in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012). He has remained the undisputed World Champion since 2007 and was also the FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion in 2003. Here are brief write-ups on each of the five times the 'Tiger from Madras has won the World Title:
World Chess Championship 2000: Viswanathan Anand won the title for the first time after beating Spain's Alexei Shirov 3.5-0.5 in Tehran. He became the first Indian to win the title. However, Anand failed to keep his title in 2002 when he lost the semi-finals (tournament format) to Vassily Ivanchuk. The title eventually went to Ruslan Ponomariov thus making him the youngest world chess champion ever at the age of 18. Later, in 2005, Veselin Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion, 1/5 points ahead of Peter Svidler and Viswanathan Anand who both tied for second place with 8.5 points out of 14 rounds.
World Chess Championship 2010: This match was versus Veselin Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria. Anand and his team had a tough time even getting to the venue. The Frankfurt-Sofia flight on April 16 was cancelled due to the ash from volcano Eyjafjallajökull. The entire Europe was hit. Anand wanted a three-day extension, but the Bulgarian organisers refused. Anand still made it to Sofia on April 20 logging a 40-hour by-road journey! The match began a day later than scheduled.
The World Chess Championship 2010 included 12 games. The score was tied with 5.5 each after 11 games. Anand went on to win the 12th game with Black and retained his title.
World Chess Championship 2000: Viswanathan Anand won the title for the first time after beating Spain's Alexei Shirov 3.5-0.5 in Tehran. He became the first Indian to win the title. However, Anand failed to keep his title in 2002 when he lost the semi-finals (tournament format) to Vassily Ivanchuk. The title eventually went to Ruslan Ponomariov thus making him the youngest world chess champion ever at the age of 18. Later, in 2005, Veselin Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion, 1/5 points ahead of Peter Svidler and Viswanathan Anand who both tied for second place with 8.5 points out of 14 rounds.
This World Championship was hosted in New Delhi and Tehran. The first six games took place in India from November 27 to December 15. The final took place in Tehran from December 20 to December 24. World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov criticised the format of the event and took FIDE to court!
The title was, at this time split. So, both the recently-crowned Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and the previous World Champion Garry Kasparov (the World No. 1 at that time) did not take part.
World Chess Champion in 2007: Mexico City hosted a double round-robin eight-player format from September 12-30 to decide the world champion. Anand won with a score of 9 out of 14 points which included four wins and 10 draws. He remained the only unbeaten player at the event.
This World Chess Championship was unique because it was based on the tournament format instead of a match. The previous edition of the championship in 2005 had also been a round-robin event, but the title was split at that time with a Fide World Champion and a Classical World Champion. Classical champion Vladimir Kramnik refused to take part in 2005. Eventually, the 2007 tournament was to unify the title. Fide also decided that the world title from 2008 would be in match format.
In 2000, when Anand had won the FIDE World Chess Championship, the rival 'Classical' World Chess Championship title held by Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. The title was eventually unified and Anand became, in 2007, the first undisputed World Chess Champion to have won the title from a tournament format since Mikhail Botvinnik had in 1948.
Viswanathan Anand had said, in October 2007, that the double round-robin format was good and Kramnik's right to automatically challenge him was "ridiculous".
World Chess Championship 2008: The match format returned and Anand beat Kramnik in Bonn, Germany during a held from October 14–29. The rules required the first player to score 6.5 in 12 games to take the title. Anand amassed the points in 11 games which included three wins from the first six games. Two of these wins were with Black. Anand had a lead with 6–4 and required one draw from the last two games.
In 2000, when Anand had won the FIDE World Chess Championship, the rival 'Classical' World Chess Championship title held by Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. The title was eventually unified and Anand became, in 2007, the first undisputed World Chess Champion to have won the title from a tournament format since Mikhail Botvinnik had in 1948.
Viswanathan Anand had said, in October 2007, that the double round-robin format was good and Kramnik's right to automatically challenge him was "ridiculous".
World Chess Championship 2008: The match format returned and Anand beat Kramnik in Bonn, Germany during a held from October 14–29. The rules required the first player to score 6.5 in 12 games to take the title. Anand amassed the points in 11 games which included three wins from the first six games. Two of these wins were with Black. Anand had a lead with 6–4 and required one draw from the last two games.
World Chess Championship 2010: This match was versus Veselin Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria. Anand and his team had a tough time even getting to the venue. The Frankfurt-Sofia flight on April 16 was cancelled due to the ash from volcano Eyjafjallajökull. The entire Europe was hit. Anand wanted a three-day extension, but the Bulgarian organisers refused. Anand still made it to Sofia on April 20 logging a 40-hour by-road journey! The match began a day later than scheduled.
How Veselin Topalov came to be the challenger in this match is a story by itself. Fide, attempting to unify the title, announced that the World Chess Championship 2007 would be an eight-player tournament including the 2005 FIDE World Chess Champion, but not the Classical World Chess Champion. Later, a so-called 'unification match' was organised between Topalov and Kramnik (2006 World Title Event). Kramnik won and Topalov could not qualify for the 2007 World Championship. However, in June 2007, FIDE decided to announce "compensation" for Topalov in the form of privileges to Topalov allowing him to take part in the 2009 qualification cycle giving him direct entry into the Challenger's match. Topalov took on Gata Kamsky for this Challenger's match as the latter had won the Chess World Cup 2007. Thereafter, Topalov beat Kamsky and became Anand's challenger in Sofia..
World Chess Championship 2012: Viswanathan Anand defended his title next in at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. He took on Boris Gelfand who had earned the right to challenge him by winning the Candidates Matches 2011.
The match went to a tie after 12 games with six points each. Both had one win each and the other games had been drawn. Anand retained his title by winning the rapid tiebreak by 2.5–1.5. Anand had lost the 7th game, but returned to beat Gelfand in the 8th game in 17 moves – making it the shortest game in any World Chess Championship ever.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Secret of Magnus Carlsen's Chess Intuition: Hours and Hours of Trying out Things on Chess Board as a Kid
Monday, November 4, 2013
A Norwegian Winner’s Attitude
We thank Kristine Kleppo and Cappelen Damm for help with this insightful understanding of the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen's chess from the text excerpted from the book 'Norske vinnerskaller' by Arne Riise Jorstad, Bjorge Stensbøl and Anne Marte. (Release Date:10/16/13 Language: Norwegian/Book purchase)
About the publication
The book interviews 30 top Norwegian sportsperson on how they have practiced the mental skills to succeed, growing up, relationships and environments that have been important for their development, and they share thoughts about self-esteem, motivation, stress management and good performance culture.
The book interviews 30 top Norwegian sportsperson on how they have practiced the mental skills to succeed, growing up, relationships and environments that have been important for their development, and they share thoughts about self-esteem, motivation, stress management and good performance culture.
Of course, one of the interviewees is chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen. The intro to the book goes: Americans were first on the moon, but we have the all-time world no. 1 in chess, begins the section on Magnus Carlsen. It talks about how Carlsen has held the top slot in chess ratings since 2010 and gone on to become the highest-rated chess human ever. Then follows a short history of chess and, of course, the mention of the 1972 Bobby Fischer versus Boris Spassky World Chess Championship followed by mentions of Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.
"Chess is a game, but symbolises in many countries also national pride and politics," say the writers, quite rightly at that.
Photo (in the book for Magnus Carlsen interview) (C) Photographer and Cinematographer Hans Kristian Riise.
"I will be world champion because I'm going to be in my best shape ever. I'm going to be better prepared than I ever have been, in all respects: chess, practical and physical. Not least, I'm the best player. I have the best understanding of the game and the best sporting qualities at the board," explains the Norwegian prodigy.Carlsen's motivation has always been that he plays for fun.
"The main motivation factor in my career has always just been playing chess, having fun and learning more about the game," says Carlsen.
Carlsen says his motivation is to learn more about the game even when there are errors (which even if only he knows about) and he has learned a huge amount of chess over the last three years.
"The fact that there are so many new things to learn is motivation enough for me. In each case now, I think it's fun to play. It is not always as fun to prepare and stuff like that. But it's always fun to play," says Carlsen.
Here are excerpts from the main interview with Magnus Carlsen in the book:
Q: Which mental abilities are required for a winner, or what does he think is the winning mentality?
- I do not know if it is a mental trait, but optimism. It is a very important quality. It is both that you have faith in yourself in general, in the sense you always have the belief that you are the best, and that it is always up to you whether you
win or not. If you yourself are performing at top, you will come to win. I think that it is always better to be optimistic than pessimistic. For, if one is pessimistic, one sees limitations, and does not always see the opportunities. It does happen often that my optimistic assessments are wrong, but I think it is better to make this mistake than by being the other (pessimistic).
Q: In a sport like football there is talk about how important it is to play one's own game regardless of what the other team does. Does this kind of thinking transfer to chess?
I would say it is important what your opponent does. I think it is
important in chess, but not always. For I think it is a bit like that in chess as in football, if you feel you are the best player you can just hold on and play your own games. But, there is always some small adjustments you need to make in relation to your opponent.
Q: What is your greatest mental strength as a chess player?
- I do not know.(But his manager Espen Agdestein knows. He has been with the world number one planning everything right down to the last millimeter as the run up to the World Chess Championship versus Viswanathan Anand in Chennai. Espen says, Magnus will to win is very strong and his ability to withstand stress and strain.)
Q: Does Magnus Carlsen even agree?
I think it is very difficult to assess oneself. I do not think I can handle stress and pressure particularly well. But I think in a way, there are times I think I can do it. Because, if you only have a few unpleasant experiences and you succumb then you yourself might not even be sure you can handle it so well... I think it 's hard to say I can handle pressure very well.
Authors: Espen Agdestein fills happily into his impression of how Magnus Carlsen tackles pressure:
- For very many players it is so that when they lose a game, it starts to go downwards. They do not sleep at night. The tournament goes bad, the trend is negative. But Magnus is different. It is typical of him is that he is horribly irritated, and may have trouble dealing with the emotions. But he manages to turn his annoyance into greater focus for the next game, and manages to turn things around to great play after a loss instead of sliding down a negative path.
Q: Magnus Carlsen is described often as an intuitive chess player. What does he think?
The fact that I can be considered an intuitive chess player, I think, partly comes from my early experiences (as a child), where I put all those hours with myself on the chess board and tried out things. It meant that I eventually got a feel for chess, an understanding of the game. General good players use more long-term memory than short-term memory during a chess game. You use past experiences. It is the intuition that is largely based on the past experiences. So it is your experience that gives you a different impression of the new situations before you (on the chess board) and then you have to consider what impression you can use. You must be able to continuously make up your mind about which past experience that can be used. It may be that you use them exactly in the situation you are in, or if there are any nuances that are different. I think that I largely am able to make good decisions based on past experience. There are of course many who have a lot of the same knowledge that I have, but who are unable to make good decisions based on the knowledge.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Chess has become Cool: Nigel Short Summary of Anand, Carlsen Chennai World Chess Championship
Thursday, November 28, 2013
A champion of his time
Nigel Short
At Chennai, as Carlsen outplayed Anand, the dignified but staid image of the game changed.
As the dust settles on the Viswanathan Anand versus Magnus Carlsen match in Chennai — the biggest chess clash since Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky in 1972 — it is time to reflect upon its impact. The immense interest, both in India and abroad, of this most cerebral of jousts, belies the pessimist's view that chess requires Cold War rivalry to be marketable. Indians proudly cheered, and sometimes even prayed, in huge numbers, for their mighty warrior. Alas, it was always going be an unforgiving task for Anand — at almost 44, the oldest World Champion in half a century — to cling on to his crown against someone half his age and already the highest-rated player in history. Time and tide tarries for no man.
Carlsen's victory gives succour to the countless enthusiasts who feared that modern chess was becoming an ever-accelerating arms-race of computer engine analysis. It is hard to recall any World Championship match that has been so bereft of theoretical novelties, as the young Norwegian constantly sought to sidestep Anand's renowned preparation by going down less travelled paths. His simple philosophy was, in essence, "Give me an equal position that you have not studied with a computer and I will outplay you." Call it cocky, if you will, but he was right. Twice, in games five and six, he defeated Anand with the slenderest of endgame advantages, defying the expectations of even the finest experts. It simply does not do credit to Carlsen to say that Anand just blundered. He blundered — yes — but only because he was subjected to constant, nagging pressure. To use a cricketing analogy, Carlsen's style most resembles that of Glenn McGrath — unspectacular, but extraordinarily accurate and effective. Only once did Anand seek to drastically alter the course of the match — in game nine, when he was already on the verge of defeat. From the first move he sought to gain the upper hand by striving for complications. It was the correct strategy and was nearly successful, as he built up an imposing attack. Anand must have felt he had an excellent position. But first, he dithered slightly with an unnecessary rook exchange, and then spent 40 minutes looking for a forced win where none existed. Faced with a resolute, calm defence and the knowledge that the title was ebbing from him, Anand cracked first with a hideous and uncharacteristic howler.
It would be tempting to now predict a lengthy reign for Carlsen. He is well-balanced, from a good family and not in the least bit weird. He is still ridiculously young, but has already dominated the chess world for the past few years. Yet, while I consider the above prognosis to be the most plausible, the example of Vladimir Kramnik, who defeated the legendary Garry Kasparov in 2000, provides a cautionary note. The lack of motivation, bordering on apathy, combined with an unpleasant illness (arthritis), meant that the Russian's play nose-dived in the years following his scaling of the highest summit. With his health recovered, he has, arguably, only relatively recently regained the drive and form he once possessed. Indeed, after playing superbly at the London Candidates back in March, he was edged out of another World Championship match by Carlsen with the slenderest of margins — on tiebreak. Of Carlsen's most likely challengers in 2014, I would say that Kramnik, despite his ripe age (38), will give him the hardest time. Another tough opponent will be the world number two, Levon Aronian (31) from Armenia — although I would still back Carlsen to fend off either threat. Beyond that short horizon, one must look to the next generation — such as Hikaru Nakamura from America (who, on Twitter, perhaps not entirely jokingly, refers to Carlsen as "Sauron" — the evil, all-seeing eye from Lord of the Rings), Fabiano Caruana from Italy, or maybe Sergey Karjakin from Russia.
Undoubtedly the most exciting thing about the Chennai match is the palpable feeling that the dignified but slightly staid image of the game has abruptly changed. With a young, G-Star Raw model as World Champion, chess has become cool. It is suddenly reaching new audiences that had been hitherto untouched by its esoteric beauty. This was most graphically demonstrated by the Norwegian schoolgirls who famously undressed for Carlsen in a moment of patriotic fervour. More seriously, countless international media outlets, that have previously neglected chess, have this time covered the drama in Tamil Nadu.
India may be mourning the loss of a great champion but, when the tears have dried, people will remember that Anand has inspired an entire generation of chess players. The country has gone from being mediocre to being a powerhouse in a few decades, for which he can take much of the credit. As yet, no one is quite ready to step into his shoes but, given the extraordinary and increasing strength and depth of Indian chess, it is surely only a short matter of time.
At Chennai, as Carlsen outplayed Anand, the dignified but staid image of the game changed.
As the dust settles on the Viswanathan Anand versus Magnus Carlsen match in Chennai — the biggest chess clash since Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky in 1972 — it is time to reflect upon its impact. The immense interest, both in India and abroad, of this most cerebral of jousts, belies the pessimist's view that chess requires Cold War rivalry to be marketable. Indians proudly cheered, and sometimes even prayed, in huge numbers, for their mighty warrior. Alas, it was always going be an unforgiving task for Anand — at almost 44, the oldest World Champion in half a century — to cling on to his crown against someone half his age and already the highest-rated player in history. Time and tide tarries for no man.
Carlsen's victory gives succour to the countless enthusiasts who feared that modern chess was becoming an ever-accelerating arms-race of computer engine analysis. It is hard to recall any World Championship match that has been so bereft of theoretical novelties, as the young Norwegian constantly sought to sidestep Anand's renowned preparation by going down less travelled paths. His simple philosophy was, in essence, "Give me an equal position that you have not studied with a computer and I will outplay you." Call it cocky, if you will, but he was right. Twice, in games five and six, he defeated Anand with the slenderest of endgame advantages, defying the expectations of even the finest experts. It simply does not do credit to Carlsen to say that Anand just blundered. He blundered — yes — but only because he was subjected to constant, nagging pressure. To use a cricketing analogy, Carlsen's style most resembles that of Glenn McGrath — unspectacular, but extraordinarily accurate and effective. Only once did Anand seek to drastically alter the course of the match — in game nine, when he was already on the verge of defeat. From the first move he sought to gain the upper hand by striving for complications. It was the correct strategy and was nearly successful, as he built up an imposing attack. Anand must have felt he had an excellent position. But first, he dithered slightly with an unnecessary rook exchange, and then spent 40 minutes looking for a forced win where none existed. Faced with a resolute, calm defence and the knowledge that the title was ebbing from him, Anand cracked first with a hideous and uncharacteristic howler.
It would be tempting to now predict a lengthy reign for Carlsen. He is well-balanced, from a good family and not in the least bit weird. He is still ridiculously young, but has already dominated the chess world for the past few years. Yet, while I consider the above prognosis to be the most plausible, the example of Vladimir Kramnik, who defeated the legendary Garry Kasparov in 2000, provides a cautionary note. The lack of motivation, bordering on apathy, combined with an unpleasant illness (arthritis), meant that the Russian's play nose-dived in the years following his scaling of the highest summit. With his health recovered, he has, arguably, only relatively recently regained the drive and form he once possessed. Indeed, after playing superbly at the London Candidates back in March, he was edged out of another World Championship match by Carlsen with the slenderest of margins — on tiebreak. Of Carlsen's most likely challengers in 2014, I would say that Kramnik, despite his ripe age (38), will give him the hardest time. Another tough opponent will be the world number two, Levon Aronian (31) from Armenia — although I would still back Carlsen to fend off either threat. Beyond that short horizon, one must look to the next generation — such as Hikaru Nakamura from America (who, on Twitter, perhaps not entirely jokingly, refers to Carlsen as "Sauron" — the evil, all-seeing eye from Lord of the Rings), Fabiano Caruana from Italy, or maybe Sergey Karjakin from Russia.
Undoubtedly the most exciting thing about the Chennai match is the palpable feeling that the dignified but slightly staid image of the game has abruptly changed. With a young, G-Star Raw model as World Champion, chess has become cool. It is suddenly reaching new audiences that had been hitherto untouched by its esoteric beauty. This was most graphically demonstrated by the Norwegian schoolgirls who famously undressed for Carlsen in a moment of patriotic fervour. More seriously, countless international media outlets, that have previously neglected chess, have this time covered the drama in Tamil Nadu.
India may be mourning the loss of a great champion but, when the tears have dried, people will remember that Anand has inspired an entire generation of chess players. The country has gone from being mediocre to being a powerhouse in a few decades, for which he can take much of the credit. As yet, no one is quite ready to step into his shoes but, given the extraordinary and increasing strength and depth of Indian chess, it is surely only a short matter of time.
Monday, November 25, 2013
It's Official: Magnus Carlsen is World Chess Champion 2013 (... And, yes, there's an FB Status Update!)
Monday, November 25, 2013
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha gave away the prize money and trophies to the Norwegian sensation and the Indian veteran at a short ceremony that lasted about ten minutes.
Carlsen, the second youngest player after Garry Kasparov to win the coveted chess title of World Chess Champion, was awarded a gold-plated trophy, whose design was handpicked by Jayalalithaa, gold medal and an olive garland (wreath) at the private hotel where the two players had vied for the championship last week.
Of course, the World Champion has to
make it official on Facebook!
Anand, a five-time world champion whose title was wrested by the young challenger with a stupendous 6.5-3.5 score, had to settle for the runner-up prize money of Rs 6.03 crore, a silver plaque and silver medal.
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov presented the respective medals to Carlsen and Anand.
The olive wreath, presented to Carlsen, was made of olive leaves from Nilgiris in the state.
The closing ceremony had no speeches, only background announcements in Tamil and English. National anthems of both Norway and India were also played.
Jayalalithaa gave away the winner's gold trophy to Carlsen, amid loud cheers from supporters. She also honoured the 22-year-old Norwegian with an olive garland from the Nilgiri hills, while World Chess Federation president Kirsan Illyumzhinov presented him a gold medal. Magnus Carlsen earned US $1,582,732/€ 1,169,883 for his efforts. Anand, who lost the crown in his home city, was rewarded with prize money of US $964,028/€ 711,021 and a silver medal.
Carlsen became the new world chess champion after defeating Anand by 6.5-3.5 in 12 game match held between November 7 and 22. The crucial tenth game went in a draw and favoured Carlsen to claim the title.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand, who had checked out of the Presidential Suite on Saturday morning, came directly from his home and left after the ceremony.
Anand was dressed formally in tie and jacket and Carlsen had his jacket on. The venue was the same hall in which the ten games were played. Over 500 people attended the crowded ceremony which also witnessed huge security personnel both inside and outside the hotel. -- PTI/Official website
Thursday, January 16, 2014
World Chess Champion Joins America's Foundation for Chess: First Move Announces Magnus Carlsen Grants
Thursday, January 16, 2014
World Chess Champion Makes a Winning Move with America's Foundation for Chess
SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 16, 2014 -- /PRNewswire/ -- How will Magnus Carlsen top 2013, the history-making year he became World Chess Champion and holds the highest rating of all time? He's joining forces with America's Foundation for Chess (AF4C) to bring the First Move chess program into elementary school classrooms as a tool for enhancing critical and creative thinking skills.
As part of this effort, Magnus Carlsen has agreed to be Honorary Chairman for the non-profit joining a prestigious group of sponsors including Paul Tudor Jones, Silicon Valley Bank, Concur, Qualcomm, ZMD and Two Sigma. This initial grant is the first step toward raising $5M to bring the First Move program to half a million students by 2017. Optimized for second and third grade classrooms, this formal and interactive chess curriculum gives teachers a powerful tool to engage children in learning chess while providing critical skills that will benefit them for years to come.
Carlsen has seen first-hand how First Move engages students, regardless of gender or background. He also recognizes the importance of teaching chess during the school day to give every student the opportunity to learn and benefit from the centuries old game.
As Honorary Chairman, Carlsen will announce his partnership with America's Foundation for Chess tonight at a special event hosted by Silicon Valley Bank and the Churchill Club, sponsored by Innovation Norway. Magnus will play six people simultaneously while blindfolded followed by an interview with avid chess player Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Facebook investor, to talk about Magnus' rise in the chess world, the value of chess and the impact on kids.
About Magnus Carlsen: At age 23, Carlsen's already storied career makes him a dream champion for the cause. Born in 1990 in Norway, Magnus became a Grandmaster at thirteen years and four months. He was the youngest player ever to be ranked number one in the world at the age of 19. In January 2013, he achieved the highest rating in the history of chess beating Garry Kasparov's legendary record from 1999. In November 2013, he became the World Chess Champion making him the first World Champion from a Western country since Bobby Fischer in 1972. His many accolades extend beyond the chess world; but the game remains his passion, and he welcomes the chance to share it.
For more information about Magnus Carlsen, visit his website at http://magnuscarlsen.com.
About First Move: America's Foundation for Chess developed the First Move curriculum based on the belief that chess is good for kids and schools need powerful tools to engage students and teach critical thinking skills. The interactive program currently reaches over 80,000 students in 24 states and four countries, and builds coveted skills both on and beyond the chess board, including concentration and focus, self-motivation, memory-building and the ability to analyze, plan and execute.
America's Foundation for Chess encourages districts and elementary schools that are interested in First Move and the Magnus Carlsen Critical Thinking Grant to contact them at info@af4c.org or to visit http://af4c.org.
SOURCE First Move
As part of this effort, Magnus Carlsen has agreed to be Honorary Chairman for the non-profit joining a prestigious group of sponsors including Paul Tudor Jones, Silicon Valley Bank, Concur, Qualcomm, ZMD and Two Sigma. This initial grant is the first step toward raising $5M to bring the First Move program to half a million students by 2017. Optimized for second and third grade classrooms, this formal and interactive chess curriculum gives teachers a powerful tool to engage children in learning chess while providing critical skills that will benefit them for years to come.
Carlsen has seen first-hand how First Move engages students, regardless of gender or background. He also recognizes the importance of teaching chess during the school day to give every student the opportunity to learn and benefit from the centuries old game.
"I love the way chess empowers kids," said Carlsen. "I consider First Move to be the most strategic way to give kids an advantage and help them live up to their full potential."
As Honorary Chairman, Carlsen will announce his partnership with America's Foundation for Chess tonight at a special event hosted by Silicon Valley Bank and the Churchill Club, sponsored by Innovation Norway. Magnus will play six people simultaneously while blindfolded followed by an interview with avid chess player Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Facebook investor, to talk about Magnus' rise in the chess world, the value of chess and the impact on kids.
About Magnus Carlsen: At age 23, Carlsen's already storied career makes him a dream champion for the cause. Born in 1990 in Norway, Magnus became a Grandmaster at thirteen years and four months. He was the youngest player ever to be ranked number one in the world at the age of 19. In January 2013, he achieved the highest rating in the history of chess beating Garry Kasparov's legendary record from 1999. In November 2013, he became the World Chess Champion making him the first World Champion from a Western country since Bobby Fischer in 1972. His many accolades extend beyond the chess world; but the game remains his passion, and he welcomes the chance to share it.
For more information about Magnus Carlsen, visit his website at http://magnuscarlsen.com.
About First Move: America's Foundation for Chess developed the First Move curriculum based on the belief that chess is good for kids and schools need powerful tools to engage students and teach critical thinking skills. The interactive program currently reaches over 80,000 students in 24 states and four countries, and builds coveted skills both on and beyond the chess board, including concentration and focus, self-motivation, memory-building and the ability to analyze, plan and execute.
"We worked hard to develop an engaging and turnkey program that helps teachers inspire new avenues of thinking, levels the playing field and builds confidence," said Erik Anderson, Founder of America's Foundation for Chess. "The program has been a great success; we have schools on a wait list and over 300,000 kids in line to receive First Move."
America's Foundation for Chess encourages districts and elementary schools that are interested in First Move and the Magnus Carlsen Critical Thinking Grant to contact them at info@af4c.org or to visit http://af4c.org.
SOURCE First Move
Monday, August 19, 2013
Chennai: Carlsen Loses Four Games in Simul; Happy with World Chess Match Venue Arrangements
Monday, August 19, 2013
Chennai, August 19: World No. 1 Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has said he is satisfied with the arrangements at the World Championship 2013 venue in Chennai for the match against World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen and his team inspected the venue today. The 22-year-old talent was accompanied by his manager Espen Agdestein and his father Henrik Carlsen.
In reference to the World Championship 2010 match in which Anand beat Veselin Topalov, Carlsen said he had not had any major role to play in that match. However, Carlsen said, he worked with Anand during 2007-2008 in his World Championship matches.
Carlsen did not reply to questions relating to Garry Kasparov, the role of Peter Heine Nielsen, one of Anand's major seconds all along, who quit early this year and helped Carlsen prepare for the London Candidates.
Carlsen also refused to comment on the controversial "illness clause" in his contract for the World Chess Championship match.
Carlsen also played a simul against 20 young talented players in the 6-17 age-group at the MOP Vaishnav College, Nungambakkam. Carlsen spent around two and a half hours in the simul winning 10 games and drawing six. Carlsen also lost to four youngsters.
"I am happy with the arrangements and look forward to playing against Anand. I respect him a lot," Carlsen said.Carlsen said his November 7-28 contest against Anand will be very interesting and that it would be one of the finest matches in the history of chess. He also said he was confident of snatching the World title from Anand.
"When playing a World Championship match, you should have supreme confidence in your abilities," Carlsen said speaking to journalists here.
In reference to the World Championship 2010 match in which Anand beat Veselin Topalov, Carlsen said he had not had any major role to play in that match. However, Carlsen said, he worked with Anand during 2007-2008 in his World Championship matches.
Carlsen did not reply to questions relating to Garry Kasparov, the role of Peter Heine Nielsen, one of Anand's major seconds all along, who quit early this year and helped Carlsen prepare for the London Candidates.
Carlsen also refused to comment on the controversial "illness clause" in his contract for the World Chess Championship match.
"As such, Nielsen shall not have any role in this match as he has been close to both the players. Though Anand will have the advantage of playing in his home turf, his recent encounters against me have given me enough confidence," Carlsen said.
Carlsen also played a simul against 20 young talented players in the 6-17 age-group at the MOP Vaishnav College, Nungambakkam. Carlsen spent around two and a half hours in the simul winning 10 games and drawing six. Carlsen also lost to four youngsters.
The 10-year-old FM L N Ram Aravind, multiple National Champion R Vaishali, National Under 13 Champion N R Visakh and Commonwealth Bronze medallist G Jaswant forced the World Championship Challenger to resign. Carlsen was all praise for the children.
Aruna, Anand's wife and manager said: the World Champion was not in Chennai at the moment and hence Carlsen would return without meeting him. -- Zainab Raza Undulusi
Saturday, November 2, 2013
GM Ian Rogers' Must-Read Couch Potato's Guide to Carlsen vs Anand World Chess Championship
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand World Chess Championship: Here's the must-read Couch Potato's Guide to the World Chess Match by - the one and only - first Grandmaster from Australia and Senior FIDE trainer Ian Rogers via USChessfed.org. We have embedded all the videos right here to which GM Ian Rogers links to making it easier for you to continue reading.
The match is a best-of-12 contest, with tiebreakers if a 6-6 score is reached. The winner will earn $1.45m and the loser just under $1m, though the sums will be closer together should the match go to tiebreakers. Carlsen has already pocketed $137,000 of the prize fund for agreeing to play on his opponent's home turf, spending the money bringing his own bodyguard and his own chef to Chennai. (No doubt Carlsen is aware of the view of one of Chennai's leading sports editors that "Anand can't beat Carlsen, but Chennai (video embed below) might."
In recent years, some of the most interesting coverage of the match has sprung up from unexpected sources, so keep your eyes open for the Twitter account of a chambermaid in the Hyatt Regency ("Caught trying on Mrs Anand's clothes (video embed below). Mistaken for Mr Anand's secret second Tania Sachdev and told to prepare the Hennig-Schara Gambit. Surely that just loses a pawn?") - or a Chennai taxi driver ("Just drove a tall Danish chessplayer (Peter Heine Nielsen's Wikipage) from the airport to the Hyatt. Says he is helping Carlsen and Anand on alternate days.)
Before the Games
Games begin at 4.30 am New York time - winter time will have kicked in the week before the match - so US fans will need to be extra-dedicated to see all the action from Chennai.
A healthy supply of comestibles will be essential and what better to get into the Indian spirit than some potato dosa - crunchy patties with a bit of bite.
You will need a couple of potatoes, two green chillies, coriander plus oil, salt and rice flour (though Indian maida flour would be ideal). Just grate the potatoes, add two tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt. Mixed with a small amount of water, plus the chopped chillies and coriander this will make a thick batter.
Prepare the mixture overnight and, once the games have reached the boring part just after the opening, pour blobs of batter into a hot pan and fry until both sides are brown.
If you are an Anand supporter, serve with mango chutney, while a Carlsen supporter should garnish the dosa with sour cream and pretend you are eating lefse.
The Couch Potato's Guide to Anand- Carlsen World Championship
By GM Ian Rogers
October 30, 2013
October 30, 2013
Photo Cathy Rogers
On Saturday, November 9 in the southern Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) Viswanathan Anand will begin his world title defence against world number one Magnus Carlsen.
Forty-three-year-old Indian hero Anand has been World Champion since 2007, surviving title defences against Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand.
Carlsen has been world number one almost continuously since January 2010 but the 22-year-old Norwegian only earned the right to challenge Anand by the narrowest possible margin - a controversial tiebreak after finishing equal with Kramnik at the London Candidates tournament in March.
Carlsen enters the match as a heavy favorite - he has a Federer-like streak of 2800+ performances which began three years ago and has achieved the highest rating in chess history (ignoring rating inflation).
Ladbrokes betting agency currently lists Carlsen as a 3 to 1 on favourite but given his extensive match experience many pundits are expecting a spirited title defence by Anand against a player little more than half his age.
Both players are popular with chess fans, so neutral observers will be torn (video embed below); it seems that younger players want the Norwegian to usher in a new era while older aficionados are hoping for an Anand win.
Forty-three-year-old Indian hero Anand has been World Champion since 2007, surviving title defences against Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand.
Carlsen has been world number one almost continuously since January 2010 but the 22-year-old Norwegian only earned the right to challenge Anand by the narrowest possible margin - a controversial tiebreak after finishing equal with Kramnik at the London Candidates tournament in March.
Carlsen enters the match as a heavy favorite - he has a Federer-like streak of 2800+ performances which began three years ago and has achieved the highest rating in chess history (ignoring rating inflation).
Ladbrokes betting agency currently lists Carlsen as a 3 to 1 on favourite but given his extensive match experience many pundits are expecting a spirited title defence by Anand against a player little more than half his age.
Both players are popular with chess fans, so neutral observers will be torn (video embed below); it seems that younger players want the Norwegian to usher in a new era while older aficionados are hoping for an Anand win.
The match is a best-of-12 contest, with tiebreakers if a 6-6 score is reached. The winner will earn $1.45m and the loser just under $1m, though the sums will be closer together should the match go to tiebreakers. Carlsen has already pocketed $137,000 of the prize fund for agreeing to play on his opponent's home turf, spending the money bringing his own bodyguard and his own chef to Chennai. (No doubt Carlsen is aware of the view of one of Chennai's leading sports editors that "Anand can't beat Carlsen, but Chennai (video embed below) might."
Magnus in 2005 in Wijk aan Zee, Photo Cathy Rogers
Since only a tiny percentage of chess fans will be travelling to Chennai - and the playing hall at the Hyatt Regency holds less than 500 people - this Couch Potato's Guide is designed for the many millions who will choose to watch the match from home or office, via the wonders of the internet.
In recent years, some of the most interesting coverage of the match has sprung up from unexpected sources, so keep your eyes open for the Twitter account of a chambermaid in the Hyatt Regency ("Caught trying on Mrs Anand's clothes (video embed below). Mistaken for Mr Anand's secret second Tania Sachdev and told to prepare the Hennig-Schara Gambit. Surely that just loses a pawn?") - or a Chennai taxi driver ("Just drove a tall Danish chessplayer (Peter Heine Nielsen's Wikipage) from the airport to the Hyatt. Says he is helping Carlsen and Anand on alternate days.)
Before the Games
Games begin at 4.30 am New York time - winter time will have kicked in the week before the match - so US fans will need to be extra-dedicated to see all the action from Chennai.
A healthy supply of comestibles will be essential and what better to get into the Indian spirit than some potato dosa - crunchy patties with a bit of bite.
You will need a couple of potatoes, two green chillies, coriander plus oil, salt and rice flour (though Indian maida flour would be ideal). Just grate the potatoes, add two tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt. Mixed with a small amount of water, plus the chopped chillies and coriander this will make a thick batter.
Prepare the mixture overnight and, once the games have reached the boring part just after the opening, pour blobs of batter into a hot pan and fry until both sides are brown.
If you are an Anand supporter, serve with mango chutney, while a Carlsen supporter should garnish the dosa with sour cream and pretend you are eating lefse.
Photo Cathy Rogers
During the Games
Audio and video commentary has come a long way in recent years.
The official site, http://chennai2013.fide.com/ , should be the first port of call, if only for the video of the players. The Chennai organisers have gone with Susan Polgar and Laurence Trent as their primary commentators. While obviously less able to comment on the subtleties of the game compared to the star English language commentators of Moscow 2012 - Kramnik, Svidler and Leko in particular - these two showed at the recent Tromso World Cup that they were genuine chess fans and worked well together.
Expect the always-entertaining Garry Kasparov to drop by for a chat when he visits Chennai.
Playchess, will offer commentary in four languages, with the most experienced commentator in the world, Leontxo Garcia, as the Spanish host. As expected, easy-listening GMs Yasser Seirawan and Daniel King will be the trans-Atlantic anchors for Playchess's English language commentary, with guests including Alejandro Ramirez and, notably, French star Maxime Vachier Lagrave for game 10.
Internet Chess Club, at one time the undisputed king of chess commentary and still a reliable option, will be covering the World Championship games in English and Spanish and using a wider variety of commentators than Playchess. Most are from the US - including veterans Christiansen, Yermolinsky and Fedorowicz. However the line-up also includes one-night-only appearances by The Week in Chess' Mark Crowther and other Englishmen Jon Speelman and Daniel King. (Yes, King and Seirawan will moonlight for ICC on an off day from Playchess!). Sadly Peter Svidler's Russian team commitments in November do not allow him to join the ICC team.
The Indian public broadcaster Doordarshan is planning to cover every playing session in full on its sports station, DD Sports. It is unclear whether they will relay the official commentary or create their own programming. DD Sports can be watched via various web sites including http://www.turbotv.in/dd-sports-live/ .
Text commentary
Sergey Shipov has always been regarded as the king of text commentators (primarily working for Crestbook), and Google Translate enabled many non-Russian fans to follow him. However Shipov has recently been working for Chess.tv - a non-stop chess television station, primarily in Russian, so only fans with Russian skills can now enjoy Shipov's thoughts. If Shipov returns to Crestbook for this match, he is always worth a look, given his wilingness to look beyond computer assessments and trust his own judgement.
Chessdom have gone for some surprising annotators - Sachdev, Gujrathi and Hambleton, the first two of whom may have some useful local knowledge. Chessdom will also be a site to watch throughout the match because it is the global news partner for the organisers.
The real development for text commentary in 2013 is likely to be via live blogging and tweeting. Finding the right person to follow may be a matter of luck, but there are sure to be plenty of interesting Indian sites, while German readers can be sure that Stefan Loeffler will never shy away from a controversy.
After the Games
As soon as the games finish, the two players will be ushered into a press conference, which should be viewable on the official match site as it happens.
Chess.com are expecting few US fans to watch the games live from early morning and so have planned a 2 hour post-game show, using the skills of Chess Vibes' Peter Doggers to provide video and other colour.
One site always worth a visit is The Week in Chess. Apart from having every recent top game available for easy download, TWIC has started providing quality baseline annotations, often using quotes from the players.
A few hours after the game is completed, there should be plenty of material on Youtube - game videos from ICC and Chess.com, plus plenty of contributions from enthusiastic amateurs. Chess Vibes, soon to be part of Chess.com, usually has the best edited highlights package.
Post-game text annotations - often near identical thanks to the all-powerful Houdini - will soon start to spring up. ChessBase continues to find young and entertaining annotators for big tournaments, while Denis Monokroussos provides a worthy symbiosis of man and machine.
Another blog to follow will be Eric van Reem's Mate in Chennai. Van Reem is part of the Anand team and, though he tries not to give too much away, is a good barometer of the spirit in the Anand camp.
Of course Chess Life Online will also cover the match, with regular reports by this writer from Chennai.
Once you have endured a week of waking at 4am, following the games online, eating the dosa, watching the post-game press conferences and the post-mortem shows, you will probably be sacked for being constantly late for work.
However that will give you extra time to fully enjoy the final fortnight of the match, reading all the articles about the match perhaps learning to cook some other - healthier - Indian dishes in the process.
Then, whether Carlsen triumphs or Anand confounds the pundits, you can go out and find a new job - Indian chef, perhaps?
2013 World Championship Match Schedule
Game 1 Saturday November 9 (All games at 3pm Chennai time = 4.30am EST)
Game 2 Sunday November 10
Game 3 Tuesday November 12
Game 4 Wednesday November 13
Game 5 Friday November 15
Game 6 Saturday November 16
Game 7 Monday November 18
Game 8 Tuesday November 19
Game 9 Thursday November 21
Game 10 Friday November 22
Game 11 Sunday November 24
Game 12 Tuesday November 26
Playoffs (if needed) Thursday November 28
Note: The schedule may change by up to four days if players take their medical time-outs.
Audio and video commentary has come a long way in recent years.
The official site, http://chennai2013.fide.com/ , should be the first port of call, if only for the video of the players. The Chennai organisers have gone with Susan Polgar and Laurence Trent as their primary commentators. While obviously less able to comment on the subtleties of the game compared to the star English language commentators of Moscow 2012 - Kramnik, Svidler and Leko in particular - these two showed at the recent Tromso World Cup that they were genuine chess fans and worked well together.
Expect the always-entertaining Garry Kasparov to drop by for a chat when he visits Chennai.
Playchess, will offer commentary in four languages, with the most experienced commentator in the world, Leontxo Garcia, as the Spanish host. As expected, easy-listening GMs Yasser Seirawan and Daniel King will be the trans-Atlantic anchors for Playchess's English language commentary, with guests including Alejandro Ramirez and, notably, French star Maxime Vachier Lagrave for game 10.
Internet Chess Club, at one time the undisputed king of chess commentary and still a reliable option, will be covering the World Championship games in English and Spanish and using a wider variety of commentators than Playchess. Most are from the US - including veterans Christiansen, Yermolinsky and Fedorowicz. However the line-up also includes one-night-only appearances by The Week in Chess' Mark Crowther and other Englishmen Jon Speelman and Daniel King. (Yes, King and Seirawan will moonlight for ICC on an off day from Playchess!). Sadly Peter Svidler's Russian team commitments in November do not allow him to join the ICC team.
The Indian public broadcaster Doordarshan is planning to cover every playing session in full on its sports station, DD Sports. It is unclear whether they will relay the official commentary or create their own programming. DD Sports can be watched via various web sites including http://www.turbotv.in/dd-sports-live/ .
Text commentary
Sergey Shipov has always been regarded as the king of text commentators (primarily working for Crestbook), and Google Translate enabled many non-Russian fans to follow him. However Shipov has recently been working for Chess.tv - a non-stop chess television station, primarily in Russian, so only fans with Russian skills can now enjoy Shipov's thoughts. If Shipov returns to Crestbook for this match, he is always worth a look, given his wilingness to look beyond computer assessments and trust his own judgement.
Chessdom have gone for some surprising annotators - Sachdev, Gujrathi and Hambleton, the first two of whom may have some useful local knowledge. Chessdom will also be a site to watch throughout the match because it is the global news partner for the organisers.
The real development for text commentary in 2013 is likely to be via live blogging and tweeting. Finding the right person to follow may be a matter of luck, but there are sure to be plenty of interesting Indian sites, while German readers can be sure that Stefan Loeffler will never shy away from a controversy.
After the Games
As soon as the games finish, the two players will be ushered into a press conference, which should be viewable on the official match site as it happens.
Chess.com are expecting few US fans to watch the games live from early morning and so have planned a 2 hour post-game show, using the skills of Chess Vibes' Peter Doggers to provide video and other colour.
One site always worth a visit is The Week in Chess. Apart from having every recent top game available for easy download, TWIC has started providing quality baseline annotations, often using quotes from the players.
A few hours after the game is completed, there should be plenty of material on Youtube - game videos from ICC and Chess.com, plus plenty of contributions from enthusiastic amateurs. Chess Vibes, soon to be part of Chess.com, usually has the best edited highlights package.
Post-game text annotations - often near identical thanks to the all-powerful Houdini - will soon start to spring up. ChessBase continues to find young and entertaining annotators for big tournaments, while Denis Monokroussos provides a worthy symbiosis of man and machine.
Another blog to follow will be Eric van Reem's Mate in Chennai. Van Reem is part of the Anand team and, though he tries not to give too much away, is a good barometer of the spirit in the Anand camp.
Of course Chess Life Online will also cover the match, with regular reports by this writer from Chennai.
Once you have endured a week of waking at 4am, following the games online, eating the dosa, watching the post-game press conferences and the post-mortem shows, you will probably be sacked for being constantly late for work.
However that will give you extra time to fully enjoy the final fortnight of the match, reading all the articles about the match perhaps learning to cook some other - healthier - Indian dishes in the process.
Then, whether Carlsen triumphs or Anand confounds the pundits, you can go out and find a new job - Indian chef, perhaps?
2013 World Championship Match Schedule
Game 1 Saturday November 9 (All games at 3pm Chennai time = 4.30am EST)
Game 2 Sunday November 10
Game 3 Tuesday November 12
Game 4 Wednesday November 13
Game 5 Friday November 15
Game 6 Saturday November 16
Game 7 Monday November 18
Game 8 Tuesday November 19
Game 9 Thursday November 21
Game 10 Friday November 22
Game 11 Sunday November 24
Game 12 Tuesday November 26
Playoffs (if needed) Thursday November 28
Note: The schedule may change by up to four days if players take their medical time-outs.
