BackMagnus Carlsen will be the favourite
Chess experts say age and self-belief will give the Norwegian an edge over Viswanathan Anand in the world title match
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Viswanathan Anand’s world title defence against Norwegian ace Magnus Carlsen in Chennai next month is one of the most anticipated clashes in chess history. Not since the fabled Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky 1972 match in Reykjavik (Iceland) at the height of the Cold War, and the tenacious tussles between Russian masters Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in the 1980s and 1990s, has a championship match captured the imagination of chess followers globally like the one to be played in Anand’s hometown.
In fact, none of Anand’s five world titles—the first in 2000, and the undisputed champion since 2007—carried as much expectations or promised to be as intriguing as his 7-28 November face-off against world No.1 Carlsen, dubbed the “Mozart of chess" for the prodigious talent he displayed from a young age.
The possibility of a generational change in guard is at the heart of the matter, as 22-year-old Carlsen takes his first shot at the world title against Anand, 43, after the Norwegian, in 2010, famously threatened to step out of the candidates cycle, objecting to the reigning champion privileges and the tedious cycle for the candidates.
“The players I beat to win the world title in the last five years (Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010 and Boris Gelfand in 2012) are all from my generation. The broad outlook of our games is similar. The prospect of facing Carlsen is a new one for me in many, many ways," Anand had told Indian media immediately after the Norwegian emerged as the challenger in April.
“He has the ability to play in any position. He is a complete all-rounder in chess, and he has taken that definition to an altogether different level. You put him in any position and he will stay calm and play," Anand added.
Carlsen defeated Anand in their last meeting in June, but tournament play, where you meet several opponents, and match play format, where you play only one opponent, are different.
On ranking and rating though, Carlsen will start as favourite—world No.1 with 2,870 rating points as against No.7 Anand’s 2,775 points. However, Anand’s match experience is vast, having successfully defended his world crown on several occasions, and he is known for his preparation and creative play.
In India, expectations are high, although not all favouring Anand.
“I think Anand and Carlsen have their share of strong and weak points," says Woman Grandmaster S. Meenakshi. “I strongly believe that the deciding factor of the match would mainly depend on psychological preparation before and during the match. Carlsen has the upper hand on that front. Carlsen’s age and his energy levels towards the end of match would be the turning point."
Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh has predicted a Carlsen victory with a 7-5 scoreline. “I will be happy to be proved wrong, though," he says, pointing out the Norwegian’s “fighting spirit, endgame skills, entering unchartered positions and self-belief in any position" as his admirable qualities.
Underdog
Anand rates his victory over Kramnik as his best in World Championships.
“As an achievement, probably my victory over Kramnik. It was the best match I played, and I have not managed to equal it subsequently," he told the website Chessbase.comin a recent interview. “The most difficult match would obviously be the closest, the one against Boris (Gelfand; 2012) which went all the way to the tiebreaks."
Kramnik was quoted by Chessbase.comin May as saying that Anand would need to win the mind battle to pull through.
“I believe that Anand definitely has his chances. It is absolutely realistic," the Russian said. “The only problem that I think Anand is facing is that he—this is just my opinion—is somewhat intimidated by Carlsen."
“His match against me (in 2008) was probably the pinnacle of his career. He was playing brilliantly back then. Even if he can get back to his normal, ‘good’ form, he can still beat Carlsen, but only if he manages to solve his psychological problems. This is a must-do," Kramnik added.
Anand told Chessbase.com that his preparation would be both tactical and psychological. He acknowledged Carlsen’s growing base of supporters for the title match to be staged in India for the first time. “It is normal that a lot of people will always be excited by a new player. I have my supporters and he has his," he said.
“It is nice to play in front of my home crowd because I wanted them to see what it is that I am doing. It is a positive feeling when you know people are rooting for you, but at the same time you think that if all these people are rooting for me I have a responsibility to do better.
“The trick is to get the balance right. You have to feel the right amount of responsibility, the amount that allows you to do well without hurting or hindering you in any way. Then it is positive," he added.
The greatest?
Carlsen’s public rise from a child prodigy—he turned grandmaster at 13—to the youngest world No.1 at 19 and finally, last year, becoming the highest-rated player in history, has experts predict that he would become the game’s greatest. Interestingly, the legend around Carlsen began when he held the great Garry Kasparov to a draw when he was 14. The visuals of the match, as can be seen on YouTube, have Kasparov looking rattled when Carlsen got bored and wandered off during the match to watch the action at an adjoining table.
Later, though, Kasparov would coach Carlsen (2009-10) and the Russian has, in fact, stated that such would be the Norwegian’s dominance of the game for the next couple of decades that it will be known as the “Carlsen era".
Carlsen won the Fide (World Chess Federation) Candidates Tournament in London earlier this year to become the official challenger of Anand, although he was fortunate to have edged out world No.2 Kramnik on the second tiebreak rule—higher number of wins—after both unexpectedly lost their respective final round games to remain tied in the first place with 8.5 points each.
Anand had defeated Russian Grandmaster Kramnik for the 2008 World title, a year after the Indian won the unified crown, and that brings us to the big question: Would the November World Championship match have been likened to the “Battle of the Century" had Kramnik, not Carlsen, come through? Unlikely, one would think, for it is the New Age, next-gen challenge that Carlsen poses to the experienced Anand that has really heightened the anticipation of chess enthusiasts around the world.
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