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Re: World Chess Championship 2013
November 5, 2013
From an article by Garry Kasparov in Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/garry...-match-2013-11
I won’t be there for the first game of the match on the 9th, but will arrive for games three and four before heading further east with Ignatius Leong on my first tour of Asian chess federations as part of my campaign for the presidency of the international chess federation, FIDE. I am very familiar with both players, for different reasons, and of course I could not miss this spectacle. Anand was one of my top rivals for what I could call the second half of my chess career if I break it into “Karpov” and “post-Karpov” eras. As the great Anatoly finally slowed, Anand was one of the leaders of the new generation to challenge me at top events like Linares, along with Ivanchuk and Kramnik, to name but two others.
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I am no bearded Dumbledore, but it was impossible not to see Magnus as a type of Harry Potter, a super-talent destined to become one the greatest and to leave a deep mark (a lightning bolt?) on our ancient game. Carlsen enters the match as the obvious favorite despite his inexperience simply based on how superior his chess performance of the past few years has been to that of Anand, who has declined from his peak in every observable way. Nor can history be ignored. Carlsen is exactly half Anand’s age and the new generation is rarely turned back. But when I was asked at my Stanford appearance last Sunday if I thought the match would be a walkover for Carlsen, my answer was emphatically negative. Carlsen is the favorite because results and objective quality must matter, but it will not be easy and it is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which he loses the match. Anand has deep experience at every level and that carries with it practical preparation advantages as well as psychological preparedness. According to Anand, he has been working very hard for this match, harder than ever in his life.
And while the world champion has never given much attention to matters of chess history or his legacy, he must know that his entire career will gain an extraordinary new dimension should he defeat the Norwegian wunderkind against the odds. Plus, Anand is playing at home, and while this can create negative pressure it is also a very powerful motivational force. It is much harder to end a training session when you know the eyes of a billion Indians will be on you! And with deep preparation there is always the chance of a powerful surprise or two, and in such a short match (just 12 games), an early shock could tip the match.
Some have suggested my rooting loyalties should lie with my fellow “old man,” Anand, and not with the 22-year-old who broke my rating record and who will share my record as youngest world champion ever should he prevail in Chennai. But while I cannot say I feel joy when one of my records falls, a win for Carlsen will also be a win for the chess world. Changing of the guard, new blood, a fresh face – all these clichés are clichés for a reason. Magnus is a dynamic young man eager to promote the sport, to raise its profile along with his own, and who can inspire a new generation of chess kids (and chess sponsors!) around the world.
November 5, 2013
From an article by Garry Kasparov in Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/garry...-match-2013-11
I won’t be there for the first game of the match on the 9th, but will arrive for games three and four before heading further east with Ignatius Leong on my first tour of Asian chess federations as part of my campaign for the presidency of the international chess federation, FIDE. I am very familiar with both players, for different reasons, and of course I could not miss this spectacle. Anand was one of my top rivals for what I could call the second half of my chess career if I break it into “Karpov” and “post-Karpov” eras. As the great Anatoly finally slowed, Anand was one of the leaders of the new generation to challenge me at top events like Linares, along with Ivanchuk and Kramnik, to name but two others.
++++++++++++
I am no bearded Dumbledore, but it was impossible not to see Magnus as a type of Harry Potter, a super-talent destined to become one the greatest and to leave a deep mark (a lightning bolt?) on our ancient game. Carlsen enters the match as the obvious favorite despite his inexperience simply based on how superior his chess performance of the past few years has been to that of Anand, who has declined from his peak in every observable way. Nor can history be ignored. Carlsen is exactly half Anand’s age and the new generation is rarely turned back. But when I was asked at my Stanford appearance last Sunday if I thought the match would be a walkover for Carlsen, my answer was emphatically negative. Carlsen is the favorite because results and objective quality must matter, but it will not be easy and it is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which he loses the match. Anand has deep experience at every level and that carries with it practical preparation advantages as well as psychological preparedness. According to Anand, he has been working very hard for this match, harder than ever in his life.
And while the world champion has never given much attention to matters of chess history or his legacy, he must know that his entire career will gain an extraordinary new dimension should he defeat the Norwegian wunderkind against the odds. Plus, Anand is playing at home, and while this can create negative pressure it is also a very powerful motivational force. It is much harder to end a training session when you know the eyes of a billion Indians will be on you! And with deep preparation there is always the chance of a powerful surprise or two, and in such a short match (just 12 games), an early shock could tip the match.
Some have suggested my rooting loyalties should lie with my fellow “old man,” Anand, and not with the 22-year-old who broke my rating record and who will share my record as youngest world champion ever should he prevail in Chennai. But while I cannot say I feel joy when one of my records falls, a win for Carlsen will also be a win for the chess world. Changing of the guard, new blood, a fresh face – all these clichés are clichés for a reason. Magnus is a dynamic young man eager to promote the sport, to raise its profile along with his own, and who can inspire a new generation of chess kids (and chess sponsors!) around the world.
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