I needed this result as people need oxygen: Anand on Candidates win
He has rediscovered his form in the game of 64 squares by winning the FIDE Candidates tournament and Viswanathan Anand is more than happy with the win, looking forward to beat numero uno player Magnus Carlsen in his quest to regain the World Championship later this year.
Talking to CNN-IBN, Anand said he needed this result as people need oxygen and it was a huge win that gave him satisfaction. The five-time champion said he was surprised with the win as he was only hoping for a good tournament.
“To be honest, I was surprised. I was hoping for a good tournament but winning so comfortably, it is brilliant. It had done wonders for my morale and (I am) already feeling positive ahead of the match against Magnus Carlsen and I am really looking forward to it,” he said.
Anand lost the crown to Carlsen in November last year, but the Candidates triumph earned him the right to challenge the Norwegian again. The Indian chess legend won after drawing his final game with Sergey Karjakin of Russia in the 13th and penultimate round on Saturday.
Asked about whether age is a factor in chess, Anand said though age is a factor but it’s not the only one.
“Age is a factor but there many tendencies going in the game of chess – the influence of the computer, the way you approach the game, whether you have grown up playing lots of blitz and rapid chess or whether you came in with a serious study. These things matter, so age is not the only factor and it’s not the only thing that is decisive in chess. Older participants have done well, so I am surprised why it has become such a big topic,” he added.
Anand conceded to an extent that he was not at his best against Carlsen last year and he will play a different kind of game against him this time around. “I certainly hope I will play a different kind of game against Carlsen,” Anand concluded.
Source and video interview availale here: http://ibnlive.in.com
Anand got lucky Nakamura did not play in the candidate else you know who’s going to the championship. FIDE discriminated against Nakamura and invited the lousy player to make sure Anand wins the candidate. Vote for Kasparov for FIDE president.
Ask Nakamura’s help. He’s good at end game. He will definitely move your end game a notch which is missing in the previous championship.
Checkers?