Anand Loss No Blow to Indian Chess, Time to Capitalise on World Championship Hype: GM Parimarjan Negi

The Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 has given India a great chance to build on the hype that has been created and the All India Chess Federation must capitalise on the wave to help chess grow in India. 

In a most sensible reaction - the first we're reading in India by an Indian Grandmaster on the subject of Anand's loss - the young talent from New Delhi told NNIS Sports that it would be great if we had more strong chess tournaments in India as most youngsters have to go to Europe to play which is expensive and not very easy. 

GM Parimarjan Negi said Anand's loss is not a big blow to Indian chess at all and the best needs to be made out of the momentum that has been created for chess in India. Now isn't that the most sensible reaction AND accurate statement we've heard in India so far on the World Chess Championship 2013? Here is the video interview with GM Parimarjan Negi. 

* GM Negi's almost believable fun take

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Magnus Carlsen-in-the-Swimming Pool at Chennai Hyatt Regency: VG TV Video Goes Viral

Chennai World Chess Championship Hyatt Regency Celebrations: You might have already seen this: Here is the VG TV Magnus Carlsen video that has gone viral on the Internet. The World No. 1 is thrown into the swimming pool at the Chennai Hyatt Regency after winning the World Chess Championship beating Viswanathan Anand on Friday night. Left is the photo, the new World Chess Champion put up on his Facebook page after winning the title with the message: So happy to finally become World Champion!! Thanks for all your support! 




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World Chess Championship Game 10 Press Conference: Anand cracked under Pressure, says Carlsen

Chennai: Soon after completing the formalities of a draw to lift the World Chess Championship title, Carlsen said it was the pressure that did the trick on Anand.

Newly-crowned world champion Magnus Carlen on Friday said that five-time title holder Vishwanathan Anand crumbled under pressure in the World Chess Championship match here.

Soon after completing the formalities of a draw to lift the World Chess Championship title, Carlsen said it was the pressure that did the trick on Anand.

"I would like to take some responsibility for his mistakes that's for sure. People crack under pressure even in the World Championship. That's what the history shows. The blunders that he made are not the mistakes he usually makes. This is what I really wanted to do, make him sit at the board and play for a long time," Carlsen revealed his strategy that gave him a stupendous 6.5-3.5 victory over the defending champion.

Carlsen, the current world number one, said he was delighted to win the title and become the first Western champion since 1975.

"It feels good. It's been tough both here and in London (where Carlsen won the candidates to qualify here). I have been treated very well here in India. In general at some point I settled in and got the match to where I could play to my strength," he said.

Speaking about the last game when he tormented Anand for a long time before a draw was reached, Carlsen said it was a worthy end to the championship.

"I was just trying to play solidly in the opening. I am pretty happy with what I got, very solid position no weaknesses. As the game went on he started to drift a bit and then I thought as long as there is no risk I should try and win it. At some point after the time control, the variations were getting too complicated so I decided to shut it down to force a draw," said the Norwegian prodigy. -- PTI

* Game 10 report and press conference videos

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Indian Media Sees New Chess World Order after Magnus Carlsen World Championship Victory

Chennai: Indian media on Saturday said a new world order had dawned after local favourite Viswanathan Anand was outplayed by Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen in the battle for the world chess title.

Carlsen, the 22-year-old reigning world number one, won three games and forced a seventh draw on Friday to achieve the victory mark of 6.5 points in Anand`s home city of Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.

 

Under the headline `New world order`, the Mail Today newspaper said Anand`s defeat "signalled the change of guard at the top of the chess world".

"His (Carlsen) brand of fighting, aggressive chess may also mark a new era," the English-language daily said, wondering if Anand would "try and earn a right to challenge Carlsen late next year".

Anand, who at 43 is 21 years older than his rival, lost the title he has held since 2007 despite a last-gasp fight in an attritional 130-move game on Friday that lasted four hours and 45 minutes.

Carlsen played four draws early in the tournament to counter Anand who could never recover from blunders he made in the crucial fifth game.

 

The Times of India said that with Anand`s comprehensive defeat, an era had ended in chess.

The paper said it was "poetic justice" that Carlsen heralded the new era in a country where the game of 64 squares has its origins.

"It took Anand 20 years to travel between GM (grandmaster) title (1988) and undisputed world title (2008). Carlsen has done it in less than 11 years," the daily said.

 

The Indian Express said with Carlsen`s triumph, "the world of chess is on the threshold of a generational change".

"It was not just Carlsen`s dominance... but what he represents that has fans excited," it wrote.

Carlsen missed by a few weeks becoming the youngest world champion, a record set by his one-time coach Kasparov in 1985.

The last Westerner to hold the world champion title was US legend Bobby Fischer who relinquished it in 1975.

The tournament was widely reported across Indian media which aired the matches live on television, building an unprecedented hype in a country where cricket is the number one sport.

The vernacular press also gave wide coverage to the championship with daily and detailed reports of their battle featuring on the top of the sports pages.

The Express attributed some of the excitement to the youthful personality of Carlsen, which it said, set him apart from past champions.

"Young and marketable, Carlsen is the antithesis of the traditional image of the reclusive and recondite chess genius," the newspaper said in a front-page report.

Quoting Russian legend Garry Kasparov, it said: "A win for Carlsen is also a win for the chess world." -- AFP

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World Chess Championship 2013 Parallel Chess Events: Aravindh Chithambaram wins Chennai Chess Open

FIDE Master V R Aravindh Chithambaram has won the Chennai Grandmaster International Open Chess tournament held alongside the Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship Match. Aravindh won the event with nine points in 11 rounds and earned the winner's trophy along with a cash award of Rs two lakh.

Grandmasters Neverov Valeriy (Ukraine) and S P Sethuraman (India) shared the second spot with 8.5 points.

Half a point away were GMs Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, V Vishnu Prasanna (both India) and Borovikov Vladislav (Ukraine). Borovikov beat Indian GM Lalith Babu with an exciting Queen sacrifice.

Fourteen-year-old Aravindh, who already has won National titles in Under 11, 13 and 19 sections, is also an Under-14 silver medal winner at the World Youth Chess Championship. His elo 2728 performance rating here got him 80 elo points taking him past the 2400 mark.

Earlier, 15-year-old Chennai boy B Kumaran made an International Master Norm, bringing the Norms tally (2 GM Norms, 6 IM Norms, 1 WIM Norm) here to nine.

This GM event, sponsored by the Government of Tamil Nadu, carries a total prize fund of Rs 10 lakh, including cash awards for top 35 players and cash prizes for various categories.

Final Standings: 1 V R Aravindh Chithambaram (India) 9, 2-3 Neverov Valeriy (Ukr), S P Sethuraman (Ind) 8.5, 4-6 Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, V Vishnu Prasanna (both India), Borovikov Vladislav (Ukr) 8, 7-8 Mozharov Mikhail (Rus), Babujian Levon (Arm) 7.5, 9-10 M R Lalith Babu (Ind), Mirzoev Azer (Aze) 7.

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Magnus Carlsen Dethrones Viswanathan Anand to become World Chess Champion 2013

Five-time title-holder Viswanathan Anand's reign as the world chess champion came to an end today with Norway's Magnus Carlsen taking the crown after a hard-fought draw in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship Match. 

 

Carlsen, who will be 23 years on 30th November, closed the championship with two games to spare by taking his tally to required 6.5 points out of a possible ten, winning three and drawing seven games.

In what could be marked as the dawn of a new era in the chess world, Carlsen showed stellar effort yet again by not going for a tame draw when one was enough for him to take the title home.

Instead, the Norwegian made Anand suffer for a long and gruelling four hours and forty five minutes before the Indian could heave a sigh of relief in what was the most one-sided world championship match in modern history.

Anand had won the world championship title five times -- 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 -- but ironically was dethroned in his home town of Chennai.

In a dubious first, this was the only time that Anand failed to win a single game in a world chess championship match.

Starting with his journey in 1991, Anand had always scored at least one victory in each of the matches that he played in the last 22 years.

 

Carlsen was in his elements right through the tenth game getting what he wanted out of the opening and then pursuing on his favourite mission on grinding out opponent. Anand, this time, did not collapse and came up with some fantastic defense he is known for to steer the game to a draw.

Anand, on expected lines, employed the Sicilian defense and faced the Moscow variation that Carlsen had employed before.

There were no surprises earlier as both players opted for routine theory and it was a Maroczy bind structure on board after Carlsen came up with a check on move three, parting with his light squared Bishop for a knight.

On move 14, Carlsen took back Anand’s light Bishop to even things up and it was again a slow grind thereafter that has been hallmark of Carlsen’s play in this match.

With two minor pieces off the board, the position had only a minuscule advantage for white but Carlsen did not go for the draw. It was on the 21st move that many pundits believed both players will be happy to repeat moves.

 

Carlsen for obvious reasons and Anand because there was not much hope. However, the Norwegian was the first to deviate from a possible repetition.

Anand found some solace after trading another set of minor pieces but the pressure remained on the Indian. Carlsen went for his final liquidation plan on the 28th move when he pushed his king pawn to fifth rank. Anand temporarily parted with a pawn and recovered it some moves later but this led the game to a pure knight and pawns endgame.

To make matters worse for Anand, Carlsen retained his small advantage as his king quickly walked over to the king side and penetrated the fifth rank. Anand’s knight and king were confined to the defense and to stop further damage.

 

The players reached the first time control in just three hours when 40 moves were completed but by then it was also clear that either Carlsen will win or it will be a draw. In either case Anand’s campaign was coming to an end and it was a pretty unpleasant task for the five times world champion.

As the game progressed both the players were engrossed in their own ways. Anand showed some signs of nervousness while Carlsen at one point leaned like ‘the Crocodile’ he wants to be if he was an animal. Relaxed but ready to eat the prey when they came its way.

The situation took another dramatic turn on the 46th move when Carlsen sank in to a long thought. The Norwegian looked at the possibilities of sacrificing his last remaining pieces and this is what he did a couple of moves later. In return, Anand lost all his pawns and the players promoted new queens on the board.

Anand had an extra Knight but Carlsen had Queen and a couple of dangerous looking pawns on the queen side.

Finding just the right moves, Anand forced an exchange pretty soon leading to a forced draw. The epic game lasted 65 moves.

Apart from the winning the title, Carlsen will also take home 60 per cent of around Rs. 14 crore as part of his winner’s purse.

The final score stood 6.5 - 3.5 in favour of Magnus Carlsen. -- PTI/Photos Anastasia Karlovich/official website

Game 10 Moves

Magnus Carlsen - Viswanathan Anand 1/2-1/2

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. c4 Nf6 8. Bg5 e6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. O-O Bc6 11. Qd3 O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Rac1 h6 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 24. Rc3 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 Qe5 26. Qd2 Nf6 27. Re3 Rd7 28. a5 Qg5 29. e5 Ne8 30. exd6 Rc6 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6 36. Kf2 Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7 40. Nc3 Nf5 41. Ne4 Ne3 42. g3 f5 43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46. Ng8+ Kf8 47. Nxh6 gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q 57. Qd5 Qe1 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5 1/2-1/2

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The Knight's Betrayal: Moment of Excitement, Moment of Irresponsibility, says Anand for Game 9

Game 9 Press Conference at Chennai World Chess Championship Match 2013: His title defense in tatters after suffering another loss, world chess champion Viswanathan Anand today said he was left with little choice and decided to go for the kill in the ninth game as he had to drastically change the course of the World Chess Championship Match. 

Going into the ninth game today with a two-game deficit, Anand said he had to give it a shot. 

“In general, the match situation did not leave me with much of a choice. I had to give it a shot, I saw a couple of moments where I could exit but I decided to give it a shot. It seemed very dangerous for black,” the defending champion said. 

The Indian Grandmaster mentioned it was a moment of excitement that led to the blunder. “In a sense it was irresponsible or silly but I spent about 40 minutes on this move and then I suddenly saw his response. And for a second I got excited with this knight move (which was the blunder) and simply missed. As soon as I played the knight move I saw what I had done,” the Indian conceded. *28.Nf1 played in position on the left instead of 28.Bf1

Explaining the match situation, Anand said he had no regrets about his choice of opening. “I needed to change the course of the match drastically that’s why I went for this. I had a rest day to get familiar with the lines. Basically this is what I had to do. This was the correct choice so I have no regrets for that,” he noted. 

When asked whether he still will go for the kill in the last three games, Anand said he will try. “Of course, I will try but the situation doesn’t look very good,” he said. 

As soon as the ninth game ended, giving Magnus Carlsen an unassailable three points lead, highly regarded British grandmaster Nigel Short came out with a tweet: End of an era. 

Carlsen showed to the world that his maturity is not confined to the 64 squares in the post-game conference when the question was posed to him. After a usual poise, came the answer. “Let’s be correct this time,” indicating that the match is not over yet. (Unfortunately, a journalist decided to ask that question to Anand even though the tweet was meant for the GM's own Twitter followers.)

The Norwegian agreed that he was even scared for the first time in the match. 

“Basically all the time I was scared, white’s position looks menacing. I had to calculate as best as could and go with that. It seems that there wasn’t any mate (checkmate),” Carlsen said. 

Speaking about his choices in the game, Carlsen said that it was quite complicated. “We got a very sharp position from the opening. Basically I missed something with e5, in general I would like to block the pawns but there too he has options,” he added. 

Looking for the counter play, the Norwegian hit back on the queen side. “I just had to go all out for counter play and there were amazing number of complicated lines, I was not sure what to do. As it happened I had to play the only moves for a long time and fortunately for me he (Anand) blundered.” 

After his third victory in just nine games, Carlsen is now just a draw away from dethroning Anand who has remained the undisputed world champion since 2007. -- PTI/Photos by Anastasiya Karlovich/official website

* Game 9 Heartbreaking loss for Anand

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Game 9: Heartbreaking Loss for Vishy Anand, Magnus Carlsen a Draw away from World Chess Champion Title

Challenger Magnus Carlsen closed in on the World Chess Champion crown after defeating defending champion Viswanathan Anand in the ninth game of the World Chess Championship match in Chennai today.

On what turned out be a dramatic affair, Anand missed out on his chances with White pieces and suffered a painful defeat that almost sealed the fate of the match.

Carlsen now leads 6-3 and needs just half a point from the remaining three games to become the new world chess champion.

It was a Nimzo Indian defense that Carlsen chose as Black and Anand, realising well that this was his last chance for a strike, went for the Saemisch variation.

Anand had used this system before, in the World Chess Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik, and later in a gem of a match against Wang Hao of China.

Carlsen showed some signs of nervousness in the early stages of the middlegame after he went for a line that is not favoured at top level chess. Anand got his chances by way of a Kingside attack while Carlsen had no option, but to push harder on the other flank. The position in the middlegame looked very dangerous for Carlsen, but with precise calculations, he kept himself in the game.



Even till the end of the game, Carlsen's Queen and one Bishop remained on the initial squares as mere spectators to the proceedings, while he defended his position with all other available resources.

On the 22nd move, Anand had about 25 minutes more than Carlsen and optically dominating position, but the Norwegian World No. 1 had calculated that his King was guarded against any checkmate threats.

On the 23rd move, Anand spent nearly 40 minutes and decided to continue the attack instead of equalising once again. This was more to do with match situation as Anand had things under control but another drawn result would not have improved the match situation.

The 28-move game gave the World No. 1 a three-point lead in the Match. At the start, Viswanathan Anand played 1.d4 for the first time in the match. The challenger and world’s top rated player responded with his trusted Nimzo-Indian defence.

Anand repeated the line that he has already used in the match with Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn 2008. Black was obviously well prepared, as he made a rare recapture on move 7 (exd5 instead of more common Nxd5) and then immediately closed the Queenside with 8…c4.

Anand got the pawns rolling towards the Black King, while Carlsen created a passed pawn on b3, deep within opponent’s territory. Anand spent around 30 minutes to calculate complicated lines before going all in with 23.Qf4.

White went directly for the checkmate and Black promoted a new queen on b1. However, playing too quickly, Anand erred with 28.Nf1, which effectively concluded the game after Carlsen’s reply 28…Qe1.

Carlsen is now leading 6-3 and needs only one draw in the remaining three games to claim the title of FIDE World Chess Champion. -- PTI/Official website

Game 9 moves

[White "Anand, Viswanathan"] - [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. e3 c4 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. g4 O-O 11. Bg2 Na5 12. O-O Nb3 13. Ra2 b5 14. Ng3 a5 15. g5 Ne8 16. e4 Nxc1 17. Qxc1 Ra6 18. e5 Nc7 19. f4 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Rxa6 Nxa6 22. f5 b3 23. Qf4 Nc7 24. f6 g6 25. Qh4 Ne8 26. Qh6 b2 27. Rf4 b1=Q+ 28. Nf1 Qe1 0-1

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World Chess Match Parallel Events: Mikhail Mozharov leads Chennai International Chess Open after 7 Rounds

Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 Parallel Events: Chennai Chess Open - International Master Mikhail Mozharov of Russia is in sole lead with seven points after eight rounds at the Chennai Grandmaster International Open Chess Tournament being held at Nehru Stadium in celebration of the World Chess Championship Match. 

Indian talent, 14-year-old FM VR Aravindh Chithambaram shares the second spot with Indian GM Vishnu Prasanna at 6.5 points. In upsets of the day (on Wednesday), top seed GM Popov Ivan of Russia lost to GM Vishnu Prasanna (India), while IM Swayams Mishra (India) stunned GM Babujian Levon (Armenia).

Important Results (Round 8) : (Indians unless specified): Aravindh Chithambaram (6.5) drew with Mozharov Mikhail (Rus) 7, V Vishnu Prasanna (6.5) bt Popov Ivan (Rus) 5.5, Rishi Sardana (Aus) 5 lost to M R Lalith Babu (6), Swayams Mishra (6) bt Babujian Levon (Arm) 5, Papin Vasily (Rus) 5.5 drew with Neverov Valeriy (Ukr) 5.5, Ter-Sahakyan Samvel (Arm) 5.5 bt S Ravi Teja (5), Gagare Shardul (4.5) lost to Borovikov Vladislav (Ukr) 5.5, Sethuraman S P (5.5) bt Narayanan Srinath (4.5), Aditya Udeshi (4.5) lost to M Shyam Sundar (5.5). The playing format of the tournament is 11-round Swiss and the total prize fund is 16,000 USD. -- AICF/PTI

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BBC on How Aftenposten's Norway versus Rest of the World Online Chess Match got Hacked!

Chess currently has its highest profile for years - with millions gripped by the world championship. But one attempt to capitalise on this interest - a Norway versus the Rest of the World match - has been abandoned due to online sabotage.

Kjetil Kolsrud, the Managing Editor of Norway's Aftenposten newspaper, thought a Norway versus the Rest of the World online crowdsourced match would boost audience engagement and be a bit of fun. That's not how it turned out. "It didn't take long for chat rooms to fill up with pranksters," says Kolsrud. People in Norway - and the rest of the world respectively - had one hour to decide each move. Each hour, the most popular move would be played. Anyone with an IP address in Norway would play for team Norway; anyone outside, for the Rest of the World.

The online match was timed to run alongside the tournament between India's Viswanathan Anand and Norway's Magnus Carlsen in Chennai, India. It kicked off at 10:00 Norwegian time on Monday, and was expected to last four days. Norwegians were encouraged to tweet using the hashtag #apsjakk and the Rest of the World, #apchess.

But within hours the Aftenposten team noticed some suspiciously bad moves by the Rest of the World. After 12 hours, they closed the game entirely, citing abuse. Kolsrud says this appears to have been stoked by one specific online forum - which has now been removed.

A number of the tweets allege Norwegians were using fake proxy servers to deliberately make bad moves on behalf of the opposition. But many of those accusations come from accounts with very little activity prior to this, suggesting they may not be genuine. Another theory is that disgruntled Indian fans may be to blame - keen to shut down the game in revenge for Anand being behind in the real tournament.

Crowdsourced chess games are common - Gary Kasparov famously took on the Rest of the World, and won - but their sabotage is new. "These type of matches are a great way to popularise the game and are usually very successful," says Susan Polgar, the first woman grandmaster, and one of the four official commentators of the World Championships. "It's just sad and disappointing that people would try to sabotage like this." -- Cordelia Hebblethwaite/BBC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About the film:

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

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

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

Algorithms is the first ever feature documentary on Blind Chess.

Awards for Algorithms:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Website:
www.algorithmsthedocumentary.com

* Older post on Chess Magazine Black and White

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* The Carlsen Chess Story book by Agdestein

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