From the sidelines of the same event we received the report of the simul played by the two champions. Vishy Anand won 12 games, drew 6 and lost 2 - to an 11-year-old Timur Igonin and a member of the women’s national team Hulkar Tahirjanova. What tough kids to hold their nerve against the world champion who was visibly exhausted. Here are videos from the event.
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi Everybody,
Guess where the current world chess champion Vishy Anand and former world chess champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov are headed this March? To Tashkent in Uzbekistan!
And, what would they do there? Play chess of course! A rapid match to be specific.
We found this interesting news here. The reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand will play a rapid match against the 17th World Champion, and currently his second, Rustam Kasimdzhanov. The event is set to take place in March in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, immediately after the traditional Georgi Agzamov Memorial Chess Tournament.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov won the knockout World Championship in 2004 and held the title until 2005. Later Kasimdzhanov joined Anand's team to help the Champion defend the crown in the matches against Kramnik in Bonn, 2008, and against Topalov in Sofia, 2010. Most recently, Kasimdzhanov won the Rapid Championship of the 16th Asian Games which was held in November in Guangzhou, China.
Meanwhile, here's Vishy Anand's video after he won the title in May 2010.
World Champion Vishy Anand's video on his game versus Carlsen - Part 2
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010
Hi Everybody,
Here is the second part of the www.chessvibes.com video of World Champion Viswanathan on his game with Carlsen at the London Chess Classic, 2010. You must have seen the first part here yesterday.
On Wednesday, December 15, 2010 it was 75 years ago that Max Euwe became World Chess Champion. Therefore the Max Euwe Centrum in organized activities on Saturday, December 18th, which took place on the Max Euwe Square, in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The activities included a lecture and a simul by the current World Champion, Viswanathan Anand from India.
World Champion Vishy Anand's video on his game versus Carlsen at London Chess Classic 2010
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010
Hi Everybody,
Remember our previous post about remembering a world chess champion with another world chess champion from www.chessvibes.com? That was a nice report about Max Euwe. On Wednesday, December 15, 2010 it was 75 years ago that Max Euwe became World Chess Champion. Therefore the Max Euwe Centrum in organized activities on Saturday, December 18th, which took place on the Max Euwe Square, in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The activities included a lecture and a simul by the current World Champion, Viswanathan Anand from India. This video (also from www.chessvibes.com) shows the first half of this lecture, in which Anand shows his game with Magnus Carlsen from this year’s London Chess Classic.
Anecdotes from World Chess Champion Vishy Anand's 'father' in Spain
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010 Hi Everyone,
Here are some anecdotes about World Champion Viswanathan Anand's swashbuckling style as a teenager, emotional nature, love for chess and more. All from none other than his 'father/mentor' in Spain - Viswanathan Anand considers Mauricio Perea and his late wife Nieves as his European parents. Here is what Mauricio recently said in a nice interview that you can read in full here.
When I first met Vishy, he was dressed in baggy jeans, big white sports shoes, a walkman to his ears on which he listened to what he called the Cranberries and Pet shop boys. For an ear trained in Brahms and Beethoven, the sound of this music just seemed like Boom Boom Boom! He would always, and still does, stuff his hands in his trousers and walk quickly chuk chuk chuk back and forth in Linares. We marvelled at the fact that someone who looked like a teenager could be such a fantastic player.
On a lighter note, he was also to be married. He called us right after he saw Aruna and said “Nieves. I found a daughter-in-law for you. Treat her well.” We went for their wedding. I had asked a friend to teach me 'Kalyana vazhthugal' in Tamil. When I went on stage and told Aruna that, she looked at me horrified. I turned pale thinking had I uttered some Tamil abuse. And she said, “Sorry Mr. Maurice I don’t speak Spanish.” Caramba, I thought, thank god.
When Vishy plays badly - and he rarely does - I suffer a lot. I feel helpless. When he comes I always ask him, sometimes he laughs and says, “I knew Maurice I would get this from you.” In 2004 when I lost Nieves, Vishy was there.
Now when I see Vishy, this great champion, I think he has won the most difficult matches and achieved all that there is. Still when he rings the bell in my home, I rush to meet him. I see Vishy, the 19 year old with his hands in his pockets. Always eager to show me his games or clean my computer. He is my boy!
And, talking of Vishy, here is an old video of an advertisement he featured in. Remember our other blog post on another nice video of another Vishy advert?
It's chess world record time again. Come December 24, 2010 and about 20,000 chess lovers are expected to gather for a unique event called the ‘Swarnim Chess Mahotsav’ with World Champion Viswanathan Anand. The event is being organised by the Government of Gujarat, India, the Gujarat State Chess Association and NIIT.
Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010 Gujarat, is set to create a new world record with 20,000 players playing simultaneous chess at Gujarat University Grounds in Ahmedabad, on December 24, 2010. The current record is of 13,446 players at Mexico City, in 2006.
Speaking on the significance of Swarnim Chess Mahotsav 2010, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, remarked during its launch earlier this year that, it was his dream to make Chess a popular game in Gujarat. "Chess can unleash the spirit of sportsmanship in people and make life a festival. Combining education with sports would lead to success," he said.
World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand remarked, “I am very excited about this event that is set to take the game of chess to new heights by scripting a new world record. I am sure this unique endeavour will be a very inspiring milestone for Chess players in Gujarat and across India.”
The venue layout of the record breaking event promises to be a visual spectacle. The Gujarat University Grounds of Ahmedabad will be turned into a giant Chess Board with 64 alternating black & white squares. The players will be segregated equally within the squares which will either be black or white. The imposing 29,000 square meters of Chess Board, created through perfect colour coordination can be viewed even from the air.
Chess has become more dynamic, says World Chess Champion Vishy Anand
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010
Hi Everyone,
We found this really nice report at www.chessbase.com about World Champion Vishy Anand's interview to Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper. Excerpts from the interview.
On the use of a chessboard: Of course I have a chessboard. Some of the younger players say they don't, but that is pure propaganda.
I always consider on a board whether I really like the positions that I want to play, if I really understand everything that I have analyzed with the computer. You see things better in three dimensions. But it is true that I use the board far less than I used to. I work mainly with the computer.
How computers have changed chess: With today's databases everybody has a wealth of information available. Previously this only applied to a minority, players with the appropriate networks, for instance in the Soviet Union.
This development has led to a democratic broadening of knowledge and the opportunity to access ideas far more quickly. This applies to most other areas of life as well. If we want to know something, we google it. Today, in order to become a good chess player, it is not so important whether you were born in Russia or Europe, you can do it anywhere in the world if you have the appropriate talent. In addition, chess playing computers have become so strong that you can analyze all phases of the game more extensively, deeper and more accurately.
All these factors have changed the game. Chess has become more dynamic, piece play has become more effective. The ability to defend oneself in bad positions or against king attacks has increased dramatically. General principles are moving more and more into the background, calculating move sequences is more important. How they have changed his thinking:have become more critical in my decisions, and don't allow myself to be guided by a few general strategies. I look for special moves, for exceptions to the generally accepted principles. The exceptions of course have their own logic, but we have not been able to understand it so far. With growing understanding we are often confronted with moves we would have previously rejected, out of general considerations. This is the merit of the computer – they point to many new and unusual ideas. People are afraid to think out of the ordinary, computer to force you to do so. But: we must be the pilot, the computer must not be allowed into the cockpit. Whether the 41-year-old thinks about quitting? I will not go on playing tournaments until the age of 60 or 70, but I will not suddenly stop playing, like Garry Kasparov did five years ago. It will be a longer process. Right now I feel physically and mentally fresh enough to compete at the highest level, at least for a couple of more years.
Go on read the rest. Enjoy. And, don't forget to find all the nice portraits of Anand at www.chesspics.com.
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Best chess wishes to you! Alexandra Kosteniuk
12th Women's World Chess Champion
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