It will be a match of the millennium, says GM Susan
Biju Babu Cyriac, TNN | Nov 8, 2013, 02.58 AM IST
BANGALORE: As the battle lines are drawn for the first move in the World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in Chennai on 9/11, the chess world is all excited and expects it to be the “match of the millennium”.
The battle, between the reigning Indian champion, now 43 years old, and the World No. 1 from Norway, at 22 the youngest after Garry Kasparov in 1984 to vie for the title, begins with Anand as the underdog against a strong belief that the chess world is waiting for a generational change at the summit.
Grandmaster Susan Polgar, the first woman to qualify for the men’s world championship in ’86, has no doubt that the Chennai Classic is the most awaited since the titanic clash between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. “It is the most anticipated match since the match of the 20th century between Fischer and Spassky (with the biggest purse of $5 million). This is the match of the millennium ($2.6 million). Some expect over one billion people worldwide to follow this match. This is great for chess and I am honored to be able to share my view with all the fans through the official commentary,” said Susan.
Analyzing the chances of Anand in front of his home crowd, Susan, who won the GM title in 1991, told TOI that she expected a thrilling match. “Anand is a legendary champion, the only one to win in all formats: match, round-robin, as well as knockout. On the other hand, Carlsen took the world by storm as a child prodigy. He was already No. 1 in the world at the tender age of 19. It will be a fascinating battle between experience and youth.”
Carlsen was indeed lucky to be the challenger after losing his final round game in the Candidates tournament in London in April. Both Vladimir Kramnik and Carlsen had 8.5 points going into the last round where both players lost. In the end, the Norwegian made the grade with more wins.
Susan, who along with her sisters Sofia and Judit stormed the male bastion in chess, predicted a tough outing for Carlsen on Anand’s home turf. “It is true that Carlsen out-rates Anand by almost a hundred rating points. Therefore, in a tournament format, the Norwegian grandmaster would be the clear favorite. However, in match play, psychology can play a lot more crucial role, as well as opening preparation. Hence, while I agree that Carlsen is the favorite, he will have a tough three weeks ahead of him.
The former women’s world champion said Anand’s chances will be directly linked to his openings. “I think it will depend a lot on how much he will be able to use his (opening) preparation. I am sure that Anand has worked hard with his team to prepare opening surprises for his opponent. But it is still a guessing game as both will try to out-maneuver each other. Ideally, he should try to get sharp and complicated positions out of the opening where he is more comfortable due to home preparation. Obviously Carlsen will try to avoid such situations.”
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Anand will surprise everyone.
That’s a very happy-looking black knight!