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Sunday, December 1, 2013
68,000-full Stadium Applause for World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen at Real Madrid - Valladolid Kick-Off
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen received an ovation from a 68,000-full stadium on his 23rd birthday, on Saturday, for the ceremonial kick at the La Liga match Real Madrid versus Valladolid. This 'birthday gift' came Magnus Carlsen's way at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after a personal invitation from Real Madrid CF President Florentino Pérez. Pérez also presented Carlsen with a shirt and engraved watch as birthday gifts.
Realmadrid.com notes that Carlsen “received an ovation from the Bernabéu for winning the World Chess Title by beating Viswanathan Anand, who is also a Real Madrid supporter”. Real Madrid proceeded to beat Valladolid 4-0, with Gareth Bale scoring his first hat-trick in the club. The website has plenty of photographs:
Magnus Carlsen already thinking about Defending his World Chess Champion Title Next Year!
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen was crowned the World Chess Champion in Chennai on Monday. Here are top quotes by Magnus Carlsen from an interesting interview given to LiveMint:
On the nervousness carried forward from close victory at London Chess Candidates
Magnus Carlsen: I stopped thinking about it. Obviously the candidates’ tournament was a close call. It was very tiring and very exciting as well. But when I reached the final, I put everything behind and focused on what was happening in the final and not on how I got to it.
Official photo: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen receiving the World Chess Champion trophy in Chennai on November 25
Preparing for World Chess Championship Match:
Magnus Carlsen: My main objective was to get playable positions—not to come under any great pressure from the beginning. I think I managed to equalize games from the opening, especially with black pieces, and outplay Anand, or at least pressure him in the rest of the games.
Was beating five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand easier than expected:
Magnus Carlsen: The match was difficult in the beginning because, for instance, in the first game, Vishy came up with a novelty in a really obscure line of play. When I analysed the game later, I was very impressed with the things that he had considered and how fast he was thinking. I was thinking to myself, if he was going to play this way, how am I going to ever catch him off-guard. But fortunately, it turned out that he, too, was a bit nervous.
Besides your preparation, what helped win:
Magnus Carlsen: It helped me to stay relaxed during the match and treat it like any other tournament. I did what I usually do. To stay relaxed, I like to take part in other sports, watch movies in between games, and not think about the result all the time.
Does becoming the world chess champion make you anxious:
Magnus Carlsen: Not really. I’ve been the No. 1 (by rating) for some time, but it has always been a bit of burden on me that I did not have the world title. Now that I have it, I can relax a little bit and do what I do best.
Do you plan to go back to university?
Magnus Carlsen: For now, I am happy playing chess.
You have named some players as potential challengers to your world title, but not Anand. What are your thoughts about his future as a chess player?
Magnus Carlsen: First of all, he’ll have to figure out if he wants to play in the candidates’ tournament. His results lately have not been too good. He’ll need some time to readjust. If he is able to play at his highest level, I think he can come back, but right now I don’t think he is the favourite to become the challenger.
So do you think Anand’s era of chess is over? Magnus Carlsen: I think it all depends on his motivation. He’ll have to figure a lot of things out. If he manages to keep his motivation after this match, he’ll be a force to reckon with.
Why have you refused to name your seconds even after winning the world title?
Magnus Carlsen: I am already thinking about defending the title and that is the reason why I don’t want to talk about my seconds too much, because they would be part of my team going forward. Chess appears to have got a huge fillip in Norway. What we’ve seen in Norway is (that) an amazing number of people who did not play chess previously are now following chess—playing the game in schools and at work, and discussing it all the time.
Who do you owe this title to? Magnus Carlsen: I think I owe it to everyone: my seconds (players who assisted), my team, my family, and especially my father. My team has attended to every need and every request however unreasonable it might have been.
Is there anything at all that you have learnt from this match or Anand?
Magnus Carlsen: To be honest, I think I’ve learnt a great deal from him in the past, both by playing against him and training with him. Previously, he could outplay me in certain positions, and he could do that in ways that no else could. But I think I showed him in a way that although he has taught me many things in the past, now it’s probably my turn to teach him.
Magnus Carlsen formally Crowned World Chess Champion 2013 in Chennai
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
Norway's Magnus Carlsen receiving the World Chess Champion's trophy from politician and main sponsor J Jayalalitha and FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, in Chennai, on Monday / Official Website
World No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway was formally crowned the World Chess Champion at a glittering, brief ceremony in Chennai on Monday afternoon.
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. The ceremony lasted 15 minutes and started a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
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.
Congratulations! Magnus Carlsen of Norway is World Chess Champion
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone, World No. 1 has picked up the next big title - the only one missing from his collection - of World Chess Champion.
Game 10: Magnus Carlsen en route to
winning the World Chess Championship 2013
in Chennai on Friday.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway became the World Chess Champion after drawing a fascinating endgame in Game 10 with defending champion Viswanathan Anand in Chennai today. The final score read 6,5-3,5 in favour of Magnus Carlsen. The match was sponsored by the Tamil Nadu state and organized by FIDE and AICF. The 10th game started with the Sicilian defence. Anand attempted a sharper line with black, possibly Naidorf, but Carlsen stirred the play into quiet waters with an early trade of the light-squared bishops.
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In the relatively stable pawn structure the players maneuvered the pieces until a careless queen move (28…Qg5) by Anand permitted a neat combination that would net a pawn for white. Carlsen continued correctly (29.e5), but then released the tension too quickly when 30.Nc3 would have piled the pressure. Anand was allowed to win the pawn back. After the massive exchanges on d6 a knight endgame appeared on the board. Expecting a draw offer, the press room was getting ready to meet the players. However, the fight continued beyond the first time control. New Queens appeared on the board, one for each player, but the equilibrium was not ruined. Draw signed on move 65.
The FIDE World Chess Championship Anand - Carlsen 2013 was held between defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India and Challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The World Chess Championship took place from November 9 to 28 at the Hyatt Regency, Chennai, India. The match included twelve games, with time controls of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 61. (official website)
The winner would be the player earning 6.5 points which Magnus Carlsen duly accomplished.
Carlsen Wins Game 9, Needs 1/2 Point to become World Chess Champion 2013
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
Game 9 at the FIDE World Chess Championship Match on Thursday had absolutely everyone on the edge. World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand was at his attacking best with a Kingside onslaught, but he faltered and the 28-move game gave World No. 1 a three-point lead in the Match.
Viswanathan Anand changed his opening move to go with 1.d4 which was greeted with an enthusiastic applause in the playing hall. 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.
The experts from the Norwegian lounge claimed that this line was analysed among the members of their national team.
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Anand got an impressive pawn mass 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.
World Chess Championship 2013 Parallel Events: GM International Open Begins
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
There are several parallel chess events being held along with the World Chess Championship 2013 between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. A chess open with Grandmasters has begun in Chennai.
Chennai boy N R Visakh stunned fellow Grandmaster S P Sethuraman, while fifth seeded Borovikov Vladislav of Ukraine was held to a draw by India's Arjun Tiwari in the first round of the Chennai Grand Master International Open Chess tournament held in celebration of the FIDE World Championship Match 2013 at Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, Chennai.
A total of 118 players, including 71 titled players, from 17 countries are playing the chess tournament. The 11 round Swiss event concludes on November 23.
Results Round 1 (Indians unless specified): Ivan Popov (Rus) bt Aniruddha Deshpande, Chinmay Kulkarni lost to Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, M R Lalith Babu bt C Praveen Kumar, Muminova Nafisa (Uzb) lost to Ter-Sahakyan Samvel (Arm), Borovikov Vladislav (Ukr) drew with Arjun Tiwari, N R Visakh bt S P Sethuraman, M Shyam Sundar bt Pratik Patil, G B Prakash drew with S Arun Prasad, Mirozev Azer (Aze) drew with Kathmale Sameer, Babu N Sudhakar lost to Levon Babujian (Arm).
Chennai World Chess Match Game 2 Draw: Is it warm Chennai Weather, Players Settling in, Or 2012 Replay Likely?
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
Chennai World Chess Championship Game 2 Anand - Carlsen 1/2-1/2: Is it the warmth of the Chennai weather, the players are just settling in, or an Anand - Gelfand replay in the offing? We are not sure just yet.
Game 2 at the World Chess Championship also ended in a draw this Sunday in Chennai. We're not ready to commit with a verdict yet even though most chess fans said they were disappointed with the quick draw. The second game of the FIDE World Championship Match saw another repetition of moves (like Game 1) and the draw was agreed on move 25. Defending champion Viswanathan Anand's 1.e4 was met with the Caro Kann which, as Anand admitted at the post-game press conference, was a slight surprise for him. Magnus Carlsen played the Caro Kann last in 2011. Anand has had a recent experience in this line as he has won a nice game against GM Ding Liren, but this time he deviated on move 14 by choosing the seemingly sharper 14.0-0-0. An exchange of Knights and thereafter the Queen left the choice of battle for Anand. To the surprise of the commentators and audience alike, Anand decided to accept the trade of Queens instead of continuing to press with 18.Qg4. The resulting endgame was equal.
Monday is a rest day at the Chennai World Chess Championship. Both the players said at the press conference that they would be keen to relax and, possibly, watch football on Monday.
Chennai World Chess Championship Takes off with Carlsen - Anand 16-Move Draw
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
The first game of the FIDE World Championship Match started today at 3 pm local time in Chennai. The challenger and world’s top rated player Carlsen started with the quiet 1.Nf3 and defending champion Anand responded with the solid setup that resembled the Gruenfeld Indian defence.
Carlsen wanted a game with slow development and long maneuvering, but the opening soon transposed to the proper Gruenfeld Indian. Anand initiated a clash in the center by trading the pawn on c4 and jumping Nb6 after which the play became more forcing. Black installed his knight on c4 and white had to answer the opponent’s activity. Carlsen moved the Queen to b3 and Anand decided to repeat the moves to force a, as he said, “satisfactory draw with black pieces”.
The Challenger for the World Chess Championship 2013 Magnus Carlsen has reached Chennai, India to a tumultuous welcome by journalists and local chess fans. He takes on World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand for the world title with first game beginning November 9.
Magnus Carlsen was officially welcomed at the Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE vice-president D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V. Hariharan.
Carlsen spoke briefly to journalists saying: "I am coming from Oman, where I prepared for the past two weeks." He said he was not too worried about the food and would focus on his match. Team Carlsen includes a doctor, chef and Norwegian bodyguard apart from family members. World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has already checked into the Hyatt Regency hotel in Chennai - the venue of the World Championship. (With inputs via www.chessdom.com)
World Chess Championship 2013 Update: Chennai Awaits Carlsen
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Just over three months remain for the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen to get underway.
The countdown will start when the challenger arrives in the city next week. Carlsen, a 23-year-old Norwegian prodigy with the highest Elo rating in the history of the game, will be here on August 19 to see the arrangements in keeping with FIDE protocol.
The city’s chess community is looking forward to the upcoming challenge.
As V. Hariharan, the AICF Secretary, put it, “the match itself is an education. Both being such accomplished players, there is so much to gain by closely following the moves.
Tricky opponent
“If experience and expertise are Anand’s plus points then Carlsen can be tricky for he draws you to unexplored areas,” said Hariharan.
Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh, who runs the Chess Gurukal academy, is a great fan of Anand. “He has inspired me in my chess journey,” said the articulate player-cum-coach.
Ramesh had an interesting way to describe what is in store: “Carlsen plays the old man’s game where he does not look for quick finish. “Anand is like a T20 player. But chess kids will be too keen to watch Carlsen’s way of play. Playing at home, Anand will only have an additional pressure on him.”
Almost similar were the views of A.L. Kasi of the T. Nagar Chess Academy. “While he is not sure if he would be able to watch each game live because the “arrangements are not clear considering thousands will vie for place” but he is definite “chess’s base in the city will only grow stronger by the end of the contest.”
Velayutham of Blooms Academy said: “the noteworthy happening is that even those uninitiated in the sport have been wanting a quick lesson or two in the nuances so that they can enjoy the competition.”
Several fans think Carlsen will be a tough nut to crack, but India’s first IM Manuel Aaron said: “Anand has the ability to rise to the occasion. Anand too is a genius and if you have analysed some of his past games, I can tell you it is never going to be easy for any opponent.” (S. R. Suryanarayan/The Hindu)
When World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand Played in Chennai!
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
A nice chess article (AsianAge) on when World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand last played in Chennai. As you know it is going to be dateline Chennai this November when Anand takes on World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
The score line 4.5-1.5 in favour of GM Viswanathan Anand against erstwhile Soviet Union GM Alexey Dreev might not even raise an eyebrow today. But then, in 1991, Anand was just an upcoming GM from the so-called third world country while Dreev was a rising star from the illustrious Soviet school of chess.
An Indian defeating a Russian with such a resounding score line was a big achievement. The win not only thrust India’s first GM into the limelight, as he advanced to the quarterfinals of the world chess championship cycle, but it also put India on the global map of chess for organising a match of that stature.
“When I broke the news to Anand’s mother Susheela Viswanathan about holding the pre-quarterfinals match in Chennai, she was both happy and surprised. She asked me whether we would be able to pull off such a big event. By successfully conducting the match, we proved that we can organise high profile events,“ said Fide vice president D. V. Sundar, who added that the total prize fund of about `2 lakh was a big amount in 1991.
Anand’s father K.Viswanathan said he was thrilled to see his son win the quarterfinal. He visited the tournament hall every day to provide moral support to his son who was 21 years old then. Anand had for the first time qualified for the 1990-93 world championship cycle.
Susheela, who stayed with Anand at the tournament venue Trident Hotel, recalled the candidates’ match, and noted that everything went on smoothly. “The crowd behaved well and it was an enjoyable experience. In one game, Anand played a knight fork that took everyone by surprise. My son was very good in handling knights,” she added.
Ebenezer Joseph, India’s first Fide trainer, said the interest level was lower for the AnandDreev match. “Chess was not much popular in India those days,” he added. Anand’s performances took the game to the next level.
Players started getting jobs and the union government recognised the mind sport. Tamil Nadu’s first WIM Saritha Reddy, however, said the 1991 match created interest for chess in India. “Chess was not as popular in the early 90s as it is today and we didn’t have many promising young players. But I feel the Anand-Dreev match created a buzz. Today we have so many youthful grandmasters and the popularity of the game has grown manifold,” she added.
Saritha said Anand’s chances against Dreev were 50-50. The Indian GM, a five-time world champion now, may start as the underdog against Magnus Carlsen in the world championship match, which will be held in Chennai from November 6 to 26 later this year.
IBCA Chess Olympiad R7: Russia Beats India to Take Sole Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Top seeds Russia beat hosts India “A” in the seventh round of the TATA 14th IBCA Chess Olympiad for the Blind 2012 at Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Chennai on Saturday. Russia now leads the table with 12 match points. Ukraine, with 11 match points, inched to second spot defeating tournament leaders Spain narrowly. With its second successive defeat Spain slid to third position along with Germany at 10 match points. India “A” and Venezuela remained a further point adrift at 9 match points.
India vs Russia
At the top table, Darpan Inani helped India “A” take off the mark with a quick draw in the third board against Russian Sergei Smirnov. Makwana, the hero of yesterday’s win over Spain, found himself in a minus position in a minor piece ending, after three hours of play. International Master Krylov Sergey rolled his king-side pawns to clinch the issue in favor of Russia.
On the top board, Swapnil Shah found himself in a difficult pawn down opposite colored bishop ending. Russian International Master Meshkov Yuri converted the end with skill and gave Russia the crucial point, that took them to the top of the table.
At the third table, Germany overcame United Kingdom 2.5 – 1.5, taking the last board through Pohlers Juergen’s efforts. Earlier, the first three boards ended in hard fought draws.
The second Indian team, India “B” went down to Bulgaria as Darshan Patel suffered an early loss to Todorov Alexander, putting the hosts behind 0-1. Further losses by Atul Kakade and Shirish Patel sealed the match in favor of Bulgaria, according to a detailed press release.
Results (Round 7) India “A” (9) lost to Russia (12), Spain (10) lost to Ukraine (11), United Kingdom (8) lost to Germany (10), Serbia (9) drew with Slovenia (8), Sweden (7) lost to Venezuela (9), Poland (8) beat Columbia (6), Croatia (6) lost to Kazakhastan (8), Romania (6) drew with Iran (6), India “B” (5) lost to Bulgaria (7), Slovakia (6) beat Denmark (4), Turkey (3) playing Italy (4), The Netherlands (1) lost to South Africa (5).
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