‘Anand-Carlsen bigger than Spassky-Fischer’
By Vishnu Prasad – NEW DELHI
Published: 22nd October 2013 07:41 AM
Last Updated: 22nd October 2013 07:50 AM
With the 2013 World Chess Championship just weeks away, the All India Chess Federation secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan is a busy man. One day he is in Delhi negotiating a commercial deal with an automobile giant, the next he is in Chennai checking preparations at the Hyatt Regency – the venue of the match.
But Chauhan does not mind the jetlag. He knows there is a lot riding on this match. “It is more than just a series of matches for both the players and for us. As far as the players are concerned, the attention of the entire world will be on them. I think Anand-Carlsen is the most anticipated chess showdown ever, bigger than even Spassky-Fischer.”
Many feared that the eccentric demands that Fischer made before the much-touted ‘match of the century’ in 1972 would be repeated by Carlsen in Chennai, but Chauhan says that he found the Norwegian ace to be a much more pleasant version of what he had expected.
“None of his demands were unreasonable. We were tense about what would happen, before he visited. But once he came down, he was really happy about all our arrangements.”
For the AICF, the game is a window to hosting even more international events. “There is a misconception about India that we are financially unable to host such events and that we do not have the organisational acumen. This is our chance to prove everyone wrong. Once we host this successfully, more events will follow,” said Chauhan.
And he is not just shooting around in the dark and has a very specific target in mind. “The 2018 Chess Olympiad is what we are aiming for. We are planning to put in a bid soon. How we host the world championship will have a big say in whether we’ll get to host the Chess Olympiad.” Chauhan also believes that the Championship will spark another wave of chess frenzy in India that will produce India’s next big superstar. “This match will make chess a household game, even more so if Anand wins.”
Source: http://newindianexpress.com
I disagree with the above sentiment. However, I do think that this is the biggest World Championship match since Fischer – Spassky 1972. Without the Cold War factor, this cannot possibly be bigger.
Susan
Susan is right. The cold war in the 70s coupled with the popularity of chess during that era made fisher spaasky a bigger match. However this match up is possibly the best possible one available right now. Certainly better than nakamura being in the finals which would have certainly been a one sided win for either carlsen or anand
Can be but never like Kasparov vs Karpov
Can be but never like Karpov vs Kasparov Can be but never like Karpov vs Kasparov
Can be but never like Karpov vs Kasparov
Can be but never like Karpov vs Kasparov
Can be but never like Karpov vs Kasparov
No way…Bobby Fischer was, and continues to be, a “household” name and the USSR was not just a nation, at the time it was thought to be a oppressive system whose representative was Boris Spassky.
Neither Carlsen nor Anand have that level of recognition or reputation among the chess-playing and general public.
Nothing was ever bigger than the Fischer-Spassky 1972 match except what was likely to have been the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis a decade earlier. Anyone who has lived through both of these events would be dead certain about it.
The big difference with this is, the Internet will put many more bums on seats, thousands and thousands of people await with bated breath.
Fischer – Spassky, biggest ever, definitely. Even people who did not play chess were supremely interested!Perhaps next in line might be Alekhine – Capablanca and Lasker – Capablanca. Anand – Carlsen, is certainly up there somewhere.