Carlsen vs Anand Anything Can Happen: GM Simen Agdestein, the Man who Programmed Carlsen 1.0

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview: It's going to be the athlete meeting the scientist or scholar of chess, says Grandmaster Simen Agdestein, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen's former chess coach. And, GM Agdestein is not too sure who's going to win! He is not willing to bet on either at this stage.

Speaking to NTB - Norway's national news agency - GM Agdestein said the two players of the World Chess Championship have a very different approach towards the game of chess. He was quoted as saying, "I would think that Anand has prepared with three or four Grandmasters in recent months. He has probably put a lot of hard work into preparing openings for the games. Besides human help in this training, he has probably also made use of computers. So, he is as well prepared as possible for the opening moves Magnus comes with."

Agdestein said, "Until now it has been tough preparation for Magnus. He has worked very hard, I know, but the key until the first game starting this Saturday, is to relax. It is about recharging his batteries."Agdestein expects an unorthodox and practical play by Magnus with his strategy of long games that have already brought him thus far. Agdestein said he was quite excited by the match, but dare not bet yet on either of them. 

On Anand's strengths, Agdestein said, the World Chess Champion has the experience to fight at this level, while Carlsen likes to do his own thing. 

For all Grandmaster views we've posted so far check here.

* The Carlsen Chess Story
* Carlsen got Kasparov's database of 20 years' work

-- Rajat Khanna

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Nothing Special about Pop-Star Welcome to Magnus Carlsen... Special is: It's Happening in Chennai!

There's nothing special about World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen receiving a pop-star welcome from a huge crowd of fans and journalists on reaching Chennai this evening! 

We're used to that on a daily basis for our movie and cricket stars at airports around the country. Fans of celebrities function as part of the paparazzi in India by self declaration.

What's special is that this huge welcome has taken place in Chennai - where chess is a religion and Viswanathan Anand the reigning deity!

Namaste! This is India: Forever welcoming, with great hospitality. Meanwhile, the report on Magnus Carlsen reaching Chennai:

World Chess Championship Challenger Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen from Norway arrives in Chennai on Monday. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan/The Hindu

World number one and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway arrived here tonight to a grand welcome by FIDE and All India Chess Federation officials for the much-awaited November 9-28 World Chess Championship against Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.

Carlsen, who faces defending and five-time world champion Anand in a 12-game contest, was received at Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE vice-president D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V. Hariharan.

The formal inauguration of the FIDE World Championship will be done on November 7 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The first game is scheduled for November 9. The sponsor of the tournament is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has allocated a record budget of Rs. 29 crores.

The colour for the 12 games would be known at the draw of lots which would be done by Ms. Jayalalithaa during the inauguration ceremony. The player who gets white in games 1, 3 and 5 will get white in games eight, 10 and 12. So, one player will get white in games 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11. Each player will play six white and six black games.

Although the game lasts about six hours, it can go longer as there is an increment of 30 seconds per move. The first player to reach 6.5 points wins the match. The prize fund will be about Rs 14 crores and the winner will get 60 per cent and the loser 40 per cent.

Anand, his wife Aruna and son Akhil and his team members, who will be assisting the Indian wizard, have checked in at Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the World Championship last Friday itself.

There were reports in the media that Carlsen would be staying at an undisclosed resort but Sundar said, “We do not have any official information on that and that Espen Agdestein (Carlsen’s manager), who had a meeting with us this afternoon had not informed us about Carlsen staying at a resort for couple of days. As far as we are concerned, he will be staying at Hyatt“.

Sundar said Anand and Carlsen will address a joint press conference on November 7. -- PTI

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Secret of Magnus Carlsen's Chess Intuition: Hours and Hours of Trying out Things on Chess Board as a Kid

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. 

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.

Then follows the interview in which Magnus Carlsen explains exactly why HE IS GOING TO be the next World Chess Champion!

"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.

 -- Chess Magazine Black & White

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Kasparov wants Carlsen to Win. Karpov has no Clear Preference. Kramnik thinks Anand can Win

World Champions Three: Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Anatoly Karpov - all of Russia, but of course: Photo: Chessbase.com.

World Chess Championship 2013 GM interview: Kasparov backs Magnus Carlsen; Karpov neutral and Vladimir Kramnik think Viswanathan Anand can win provided he does certain things. Here's the verdict of the Big Ks by Rakesh Rao for The Hindu.

“For the greatest part of my life, I’ve been fighting the three Ks — Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik — I have played no fewer than a hundred games with them” — Viswanathan Anand on Moscow Radio in 2009

With less than a week to go for the World chess championship match, fans in over 150 countries have reasons to pick their favourite — champion Viswanathan Anand or World No.1 Magnus Carlsen. Going by form and rating, the majority surely favours the Norwegian.

For now, leave out the lesser mortals.

Here is what some of the Russian greats — Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik — who know more about playing for the World title than most, have to say about the clash.

Kasparov wants Carlsen to win. Karpov has no clear preference. Kramnik thinks Anand can win provided he does a few things right.

Kasparov, who helped Anand during the 2010 World championship match against Veselin Topalov, attracted the champion’s ire for being openly critical of him during the 2012 title-clash against Gelfand in Moscow. Since then, Kasparov has offered to help Carlsen to prepare against Anand.

Last month, Carlsen declared that he would be happy to get help from the man under whom he had trained in 2009.

The 22-year-old is 95 points ahead of Anand on the world rating list, but Kasparov has a word of caution.

“There is no such thing as an easy win against the World champion. I think Vishy will be quite happy that he is the underdog. He’s got huge experience. As we saw (in the Candidates tournament in London in March-April) there are problems (for Carlsen), there are still clear problems. The match is for Magnus to lose, clearly, but it’s a 12-game match, and whatever you’ve got from the first nine games, may not count.

“He (Carlsen) has to work on a lot — (on) psychological preparation. His opening preparation should be more precise. Anand is an expert. Those who say that Magnus will win easily are doing him a great disservice.

“It’s all or nothing, and that’s a big challenge. The psychological pressure will just keep growing, and he will have to learn how to cope with it.”

Karpov, another former world champion, has a different take.

“Taking into account historic parallels, I would perhaps support Anand because I have defeated him in the matches twice.

“Although I’ve not been competing (laughs) for the crown for 10 years, it is still pleasant when the guy who sits on the throne has been defeated by you twice. From a self-importance point of view — although it’s not the time to talk about my significance — it’s somehow pleasant.

“I think the appearance of Magnus is a good sign for the progress of chess.

If he becomes the world champion it will give a tremendous boost to the development of chess, especially in European countries. That’s why from the point of view of the future of chess, I would like Carlsen to win.”

Kramnik, who was the only man to beat Kasparov in a World championship match (in 2000) before suffering his only defeat in match-play to Anand in 2008, asserts the champion is not badly placed.

“I believe Anand definitely has his chances. It is absolutely realistic. The only problem, I think, Anand faces is that he — this is just my opinion — is somewhat intimidated by Carlsen. He is scared of him, I would say.

“Anand should relax and not be afraid of Magnus. If Anand manages to prepare himself this way, then the chances will be equal.

If not, then his chances will be very (poor). If he manages to hold the pressure of Magnus for (the first) six games, then Anand will become a favourite in my eyes.”

For all Grandmaster verdics on the Viswanathan Anand versus Magnus Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 check this collection of posts on our site.

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World Chess Championship @ Chennai Hyatt Regency: All the Behind-the-Scenes Hard Work

As Chennai awaits with bated breath India's first ever World Chess Championship starting this Thursday, organisers at the match venue on Sunday were overseeing the construction of the player’s enclosure. (Left: Photo R Raghu)

An 11-ft.-long partition made of glass panels is coming up at the grand ball room of Hotel Hyatt Regency. In three days, the noise-free, elevated play area enclosed by this partition will see five-time world chess champion, Viswanathan Anand defend his title against the Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.

Six panels of laminated acoustic material, each six feet wide, have already arrived at the hotel. “The glass is not only toughened but also laminated, keeping the sensitive acoustic requirements in mind — no noise can enter this area. The audience can watch the moves from outside the partition,” said D. Rajan, project manager, Buildcraft Interiors, who is in charge of the construction. An elevated, carpeted false floor will also be placed where the games will be played, he said.

Inside the glass partition are doors at each end that will lead the players to their refreshment rooms and service areas. “This is to prevent all distractions so that the players can focus on their game alone,” said Mr. Rajan.

In the next two days, a VIP lounge and a room from where officials will monitor the game are to be built. “Nearly 20 workers are on the job today and many more will join tomorrow. We need to finish everything by Wednesday,” Mr. Rajan said.

An audience of 400 will witness the event that will go on till November 28. The audience will be seated in sofas, boxes and chairs. “The seating arrangements are done in such a way that even those seated in the last row can see the moves being made,” said Pratiti Rajpal, marketing communications manager, Hyatt Regency.

V. Hariharan, secretary, All India Chess Federation, said the demand for tickets at http://wcc.delhichess.com, sales of which started a month ago, had been good.

The hotel is planning to entertain visitors from Carlsen’s country as well. “We plan to have Norwegian cocktails in our menu,” said Ms. Pratiti.

Magnus Carlsen, along with his parents and two sisters, is expected to arrive at the hotel on Monday by an Oman Air. The hotel has planned a traditional welcome for the 22-year-old. -- Vasudha Venugopal/The Hindu

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World Chess Championships: Role of Seconds

As the final countdown to the World Chess Championship clash between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen begins, the chess fraternity is abuzz with speculation on who is working with whom as seconds.

But what do the ‘seconds’ do?

For decades now, creating a good team for preparation of an important match is considered as important as the match itself. World champion Anand learned this through immense experience he got while playing matches at different levels.

Anand first played a world championship candidates match in 1990s and has since then worked with many experts.

His seconds have included players like Swedish Grandmaster Ferdinand Hellers, who doesn’t play competitive chess anymore, and Uzbek Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who won the FIDE world championship in 2004.

Garry Kasparov of Russia had one of the best teams in 1980s and till much later as the Russian kept coming out with one opening idea after another stunning his opponents with awesome ease for over two decades.

In 1995, Kasparov defeated Anand in game 10, arguably the turning point of the match through a very famous piece of research work that led to a winning endgame with the Russian spending just three minutes on the clock.

Apparently, this had tremendous impact as Anand was no match in the second half of that match despite leading after game nine.

The role of the seconds is to bring out new ideas, work on them in detail till they are worthy enough to be usable.

It is clear that a lot of work and huge assistance from the computer engines is required for such a job and ironically 95 per cent of the work done remains unseen during the match.

It’s that deep research paper that doesn’t see the light of the day in its entirety and comes out only in patches, when the situation presents itself.

One of the great ideas that Anand produced against Wang Hao of China during the Tata Steel Chess tournament of 2012 was worked out during the champion’s preparation for the match against Russian Vladimir Kramnik at Bonn in 2008.

There have been countless such instances in case of all top players.

The men behind the scene have a lot to attend to not only during the preparation of the match but also when it’s on as they have to be battle-ready to attend to many new facts.

For example, if Carlsen plays something in game one that he has never played before or which the team did not expect him to play, they have to get down to business and start working on it and have a solution ready when the next game arrives.

The champions do not like to divulge information about the people they work as the guess work becomes easier.

If Anand is seen working with the expert of an opening system, it is likely that he wants to play that particular opening very soon.

For the match against Carlsen, Anand has retained the services of his two trusted men the bespectacled Bengal Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Radoslav Wojtaszek of Poland while Sandipan Chanda is the new man in.

There is likely to be a fourth second about whom no information is available as yet. Kasimdzhanov had informed long back he won’t be assisting Anand this time.

Carlsen, on the other hand, has been totally mum on the issue. He was seen playing and sharing jokes with France’s Laurent Fressinet so it is assumed he is one of the team members while Jon Ludvig Hammer, his friend and compatriot will most likely be there.

Speculation is also rife about the presence of Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia who was seen working with Carlsen during some events in the past.

The Carlsen-camp has been expectedly quiet about the team as this might give the opposition camp an idea of what to expect. Much would be revealed when Carlsen lands in Chennai on Monday evening. -- PTI

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NRK to Telecast Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship Live on TV NRK1, Web NRK.no

The Magnus Carlsen chess wave is truly blowing away Norway as well because NRK has obtained rights from Doordarshan to telecast the World Chess Championship 2013 between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand live from Chennai. They obtained the World Championship live telecast rights after a tedious negotiation process. 

NRK (an abbreviation for Norsk Rikskringkasting AS - the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest media organisation in Norway. 

"It has been a complicated negotiation process over several months with various groups in India, but in the end we managed to reach an agreement with the owner of the TV rights. There was competition for rights on the Norwegian market, and we are obviously pleased that we eventually won at NRK," Runar Østmo, Head of Sports Rights at NRK Broadcasting, was quoted as saying in a press announcement.

He added, "It's a little crazy to feed nearly 100 hours of chess live on the largest TV channel in the country, but we think the Norwegian people would like to finally be able to follow Magnus Carlsen's outstanding achievements up close," said Sports Director NRK, Rune Haug (photo below via NRK).

NRK will broadcast the Carlsen versus Anand World Championship on NRK1 and NRK.no. 

Haug said, "With hours and hours of chess playing, it will be a challenge for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation to provide a good telecast for chess enthusiasts. We have little time for us to develop a good show, but fortunately we have many talented people who see this as a fun challenge."

NRK will also have a panel to discuss and analyse the games live. There will also be plenty of room for suggestions and comments from viewers who follow the World Chess Championship on the Internet, he said. 

Even Liv Mette Harboe, principal secretary of the Norwegian Chess Federation, is excited about how chess will do on television in Norway. She was quoted by NRK as saying that there are several who have great memories of World Chess Championship 1972 in Reykjavik (Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky) on radio. Being able to see the live footage makes her feel "incredibly excited". 

Harboe said they had already noted an increased interest in Carlsen's chess exploits and now expected a further boost in chess popularity across Norway with this epic Carlsen versus Anand World Chess Championship in Chennai. -- Rajat Khanna

* Post with links to updates on World Chess Championship Live telecast
* Doordarshan with Worldwide rights 

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Carlsen vs Anand World Chess Championship 2013: Garry Kasparov Tweets India Visit Schedule

1. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   The match begins Nov 9. Schedule here: http://chennai2013.fide.com/schedule/ . The schedule for THiNK in Goa is here: http://thinkworks.in/  Great event.

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2. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   Before the match starts I'll post on Facebook about my thoughts on Anand-Carlsen. I'm only a retiree but I do know both of them well!

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3. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   Silicon Valley - NYC - Goa will be quite a trip even for me. This is why I usually answer "on a plane" when asked where I reside now.

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4. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   I'm participating at the THiNK conference in Goa (Nov 8-10) then at Anand-Carlsen match 11-12 in Chennai. Speaking at Stanford U tomorrow.

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5. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   .@TraceTrance Thank you! I am looking forward to returning to India both for a business speaking engagement and as just another chess fan.

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6. Garry Kasparov ‏@Kasparov6321h

   Namastē! RT @TarjeiJS: Like I tweeted a while ago, @Kasparov63 will be in Chennai for #AnandCarlsen, now confirmed for 11th & 12th!

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* A chess discussion without Kasparov is never complete: Indian chess fraternity

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Top Vishy Anand Quotes from Brilliant Profile by James Crabtree of the Financial Times

Photo via Complete Wellbeing with an entertaining interview of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand by Sangeetha Matthew.

World Chess Championship 2013 Carlsen vs Anand media update: These are the quotes from a cool profile of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand in Euro2day (via Financial Times).

- Sitting in his modest home in the southern Indian city of Chennai, Viswanathan Anand - five times world chess champion - is describing the psychological pressure that bears down on top-level chess players. "What happens to you at the board begins to feel like it's happening to you in person," he says quietly, before pausing and frowning, as if reliving an especially gruelling game. "When you lose, you really feel a sense of self ... You actually feel that you are being taken apart, rather than just your pieces."

- "A [world title] match has that feeling much more strongly because it's the same guy doing it over and over and over ... When you play a single person, it becomes narrower because you are so focused on each other. It is a lot more personal."- "But personally I just like to get on with the job of playing chess. I understand that if I win, I'm probably crushing my opponent's ego but it's not like I do that with great satisfaction. So I don't really look for conflict around the game ... It's true that someone like Kasparov has this sense of history, and I'm talking world history rather than chess history. He has a sense of himself being in it, which, for me, is very hard to understand or even relate to in any way."

- "I started at the age of six. My elder brother and sister were dabbling a bit, and then I went to my mother and pestered her to teach me as well," he says.

- "From a situation where I had been struggling to qualify for various state level events, I just cut a swath through everything and ended up in the men's [national] team. That happened within the space of two months. I can't explain it but it was very, very sudden ... It caught me completely off-guard."- "Sometimes when people are talking to me I will suddenly remember some chess position, and then it's very hard for me to concentrate on what they are saying. They can see in my eyes that I am drifting away."

- Yet contrary to his good-natured image, he admits to a steelier side. "What you can concede outside the chessboard will eventually haunt you in the chessboard as well. A match is really a contest of space between two people, and you can't give the other one any quarter."

"If, at a certain moment, you're hesitant or you begin to have doubts when people are attacking you, then some of these things can have psychological implications," he says. "So you try to confront it like that. And also, you want to catch your opponent when he's uncomfortable.

"Age is part of it. For instance, I recognise that [Carlsen] is going to do certain things because he's 22 and there are certain things I can do because I'm 43."

- "But there are areas that you will know better than your opponent. The way people play chess nowadays, which is to keep on switching their openings, being much more opportunistic - I think that is a direct result of computers. Even the way people play tournaments - everything has changed."

- "Anything unusual that you can produce has quadruple, quintuple the value, precisely because your opponent is likely to do the predictable stuff, which is on a computer," Anand says.

- "I'm either going to win or I'm not. We'll see. But I have to acknowledge that Carlsen's results and his performance ratings are just incredibly impressive," he says. "Maybe there's a resistance on my part to take that thought any further until after the match. I will deal with that battle alone."

- "A lot of spectators no longer have any clue of what a player is going through at the board, because they're all sitting with, essentially, supercomputers," he says. "You would have to sit at the board and sweat and feel the fear of defeat or the nearness of victory to understand what goes through a player's head ... If you think it's that easy, switch off the computer and try and figure out a few moves on your own."

These quotes have been taken from a brilliant profile of the World Chess Champion by James Crabtree (FT's bureau chief in Mumbai). You can read it in full at Euro2Day.

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Carlsen vs Anand: More Updates on Hotel Arrangements, Live Broadcast etc

- About 30 rooms have been booked for the Carlsen vs Anand World Chess Match at Hyatt Regency

- Separate floors for Team Anand and Team Carlsen with separate elevators to take each of the contenders to the playing glass cube

- Rooms allotted to FIDE representatives, the media, and other groups at the Hyatt Regency, Chennai

- Of the hotel's two ballrooms, the larger one on the ground floor has been reserved for the games, while the other, Studio, on Level 1 will be the designated media room. 

- Seven corporate boxes and tiered seating for around 300 spectators in the Regency Ballroom, which measures 8,880 sq ft

- The glass soundproof cubicle in which the games will be played erected in a corner of the Ballroom. 

- Spectators must deposit cellphones and electronic gadgets outside the Ballroom.

- Spectators cannot leave once the game of the day begins until its conclusion. 

- A pre-function area will have refreshments and way to the restroom.

- Black and white will be the theme decor at the Hyatt Regency with two-feet chess pieces scattered around the two hotel lobbies. 

- The lobby lounge will offer special High Tea on match days and small brain games will be arranged for guests and visitors.

- Inquiry counter in the lower lobby called The Queen's Desk, which will be attended 24/7 by two employees from Hyatt Regency  Front Office, dressed up as the king and queen. 

- The desk will answer any queries about the event, and will also offer guests tips on sight-seeing in Chennai, and related tourist inquiries.
- Two chess ambassadors on the ground floor to update guests about the event and circulate chess trivia. 

- Hotel to distribute to all its guests pocket-size infomation kits with emergency contact numbers in Chennai, shopping tips, news of events and promotions at the hotel etc.

More information about watching live the Carlsen vs Anand World Chess Championship 2013

* GM Ian Roger's Guide for the Couch Potato

* More venue arrangements

* Carlsen vs Anand watch live on Doordarshan and official website

* Official website and mobile app

* Super internet link arrangement
* Eric van Reem's blog Mate in Chennai

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This Anand vs Carlsen: It's Breaking my Heart... Friends Once, Now One of them has to Kill (Chess Fan Forum)

CHESS FAN FORUM: 

The excitement of the Carlsen versus Anand World Chess Championship has suddenly given way to dread. What happened to the excitement? 

Suddenly, the thought of either Viswanathan Anand or Magnus Carlsen losing is unbearable. It's breaking my heart. 

One is ice, the other is fire. One holds chess traditions aloft and the other brings hope of glorious human achievements even in the face of onslaught by machines. I cannot imagine either losing.

If Anand loses the title, I will spend the night tossing and many painful nights after that as well. If Carlsen loses, the charm of the chess adventure will lose its sparkle... for a while at least. 

Friends once... (Photo: Chessvibes

Is that because I belong neither to Norway or India? Would it be easier otherwise? Did chess fans ever find it so difficult to take sides? But this could not be about nationalities, or cold wars, or even about like-ability and definitely this cannot be just about comparing Anand and Carlsen's chess talent. So, whom do you support? How do you choose? There are no blacks and whites between Anand and Carlsen, just both in the same shades of grey.

The online polls (on this site and around the world) consistently peg Carlsen as the would-be winner. The only time Anand led in the poll was when Carlsen drew his games with Hikaru Nakamura at the Sinquefield Chess Cup. The poll curve bounced right back in Carlsen's favour once the World No. 1 wrapped off the title win in Saint Louis. Some Grandmasters do feel Anand could win, but this number is pretty small.   

... and now, one of them has to kill

Suddenly, everything feels so sadistic... like gladiators in violent confrontations entertaining a Roman audience?

My friends tell me it's no big deal. This happens in sports all the time. Someone has to win, someone has to lose. They wouldn't know. This is not sport. This is chess. 

Some say, Anand had his chances. He became a draw-ts world champion, so it should be Carlsen. Some say, Carlsen knows no opening theory, he trivialises chess, so Anand should retain the title. Some say Carlsen will save chess from dying. Others say, Anand should win one more time...   

Anand and Carlsen are friendly with each other. In this rivalry, they have come even closer... and, it's breaking my heart. 




It's sadistic. Like Orson Scott Card in Ender's Game:

In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.And then, in that very moment when i love them... I destroy them...

Or, maybe it is not sadistic...

Like a Wiki description would say: Irrespective of their origin, gladiators offered spectators an example of Rome's martial ethics and, in fighting or dying well, they could inspire admiration and popular acclaim. 

Salute to two of the finest chess gladiators of our times - Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. In fighting or losing well, they will both inspire chess lovers' admiration for all time to come.

- A Chess Fan

(Send us your take as a chess fan on the Carlsen versus Anand World Chess Championship 2013 to editor@blackandwhiteindia.com. You could send us cartoons, videos, or write-up, or even images. Don't forget to mention what link you want to add with your name whether it's your twitter account, FB page or even your email id.) 


P.S. Lyrics Breaking my Heart

I'm on the floor
Counting one minute more
Noone to break the silence

Staring into the night
All alone but that's alright
It's the feeling deep inside I don't like

Chorus:
There is no excuse my friend
For breaking my heart
Breaking my heart again
This is where our journey ends
Your breaking my heart again

Here in my bed
Counting the words you've said
They linger in the shadows

Coming home late at night
Drunk again but that's alright
It's the look in your eyes I don't like

Chorus:
There is no excuse my friend
For breaking my heart
Breaking my heart again...

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