Anand on the Candidates Tournament

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  • Anand on the Candidates Tournament

    Vishy Anand gave this interview to The Indian Express for its April 3, 2013 edition:

    Carlsen will be ridiculously difficult to play against

    Raakesh Natraj: New Delhi, Wed Apr 03 2013

    Fourteen breathless rounds of chess at the Candidates tournament in London, were not enough to split Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik. It was finally down to the second tie-break rule (more number of wins) that resolved the issue in Carlsen's favour and the Norwegian will now challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Championship this November. Anand speaks to The Indian Express about the drama at London, the challenge of facing the World No. 1 in a Championship match and having to re-shape his chess to compete with the younger generation.

    Did you find yourself caught up in the excitement of the Candidates tournament, staying up late following the games?

    Yeah, very much. It has been maybe the best ever Candidates tournament in history. At least I wasn't there during the ones in the 60s. During those days you couldn't follow it live. We can't compare different eras. But still, by any yardstick the unpredictability, the fact that anything could have happened till the last day, till the last hour in fact, makes this simply an unbelievable tournament.

    I managed to catch most of the games. I didn't need to stay up late because most had ended by midnight and I was able to go to sleep. Depended also on whether the results were known. I didn't catch Vlady (Kramnik) resigning, but I knew he was going to. The position was that hopeless and I knew (Vassily) Ivanchuk was not going to spoil that . For the first three or four days I began to think, 'wow am I going to play (Levon) Aronian?' — not in the sense of making plans but in your mind wandering kind of way. Then very firmly, Magnus (Carlsen) got a grip on the tournament, and it looked settled until the amazing 12th round — when Kramnik won and Magnus lost. When I went to sleep I thought Magnus has saved it. That was one day I had missed this twist. When I woke up I read the headline: 'Kramnik takes the lead' and I thought it was impossible. Then I realised Magnus had actually lost the game. So many twists and turns and it kept everybody on the edge of their seats.
    Kramnik losing out on the tie-break rule was quite tragic.

    At the moment I feel unbelievably sympathetic towards Vlady. It was not like I was rooting for him as my opponent, but by round 13 I felt he was the one who deserved to win and his chess had impressed me the most. He had really changed his chess and style for the event. Magnus was doing what he always does and being very good at it. He is simply an unbelievable player. But Vlady was doing unbelievable stuff on the board, coming up every day with new ideas, playing brilliantly. He is in the 30s and he has been the most successful in fighting this...Younger players tend to have more energy...And I felt some sympathy, almost like a brother from my generation kind of a thing. The fact that with the tiebreak rules, he had to play outside of his comfort zone. He was so much in control in the first 13 games and in the 14th you can only understand the context, that he had to take unreasonable risks. The tragedy of the tournament is in some sense Kramnik, not that Magnus didn't deserve to win, but if Vlady had pulled it off, he would have proven something.

    Would it have been better to decide the tournament with match play between the tied players, or maybe rapid games instead of a tie-break rule?

    Both of them were very distracted yesterday (Monday), not just playing their own games but playing the other one too. It's not the ideal way to play chess. Even if Vlady was half a point behind, they still would have had to do that, look nervously at each other, but I do feel it's crazy that two people tied on the same score and it is decided by something which is essentially a lottery. Sometimes it happens. Before a tournament starts you don't split hairs on a minor detail while getting ready for it. You could see maybe why nobody paid attention to it, but it turned out to be crucial.. My point is not that it is unfair, it was perfectly fair once everyone knew it in advance. My point is that it is not ideal. That's the distinction I want to make. It felt a bit silly, in the end getting decided by the number of wins.

    Gratifying to know that pressure could get to somebody like Carlsen as well?

    He is human as well. That is clear. Yesterday, I really felt for the participants, both Magnus and Vlady. Both of them had played incredibly well and it happens sometimes that there is room only for one guy. Something that maybe I will think of three months down the line, or in the next cycle.

    You said Kramnik has succeeded in changing his game to compete against the younger generation. Could the same be said of you as well?

    It is no secret that I have struggled a bit in the last two years, and I've not been as successful doing it as Vlady. I am trying very hard, and this year the results have been a bit more positive and I feel at least that I'm back on the right track and though I haven't equalled those guys, but we are all trying to change and keep up with Magnus and Levon, who are huge talents.

    Are labels like 'favourites' used with any meaning only by fans or do people on the inside consider things along those terms too? Is there a favourite going into the match?

    I think that's what makes sport interesting. Before a tournament starts, you try to predict the result in a sense, and see if reality matches it. I have to say that most people who look at the two of us will conclude that Magnus is the outright favourite. I'm cool with that. It doesn't really worry me. I'm fully aware of the magnitude of the task facing me, and Magnus' rank and rating speak for themselves. Having said that I don't feel any obligation to follow the predictions. That's what we are playing the match for. To have a chance to write our own script.

    How different will this be from your previous WCC matches?

    Firstly, he is not from my generation. There is a difference in age and outlook. When I played Kramnik, Topalov and Gelfand, I read them in a certain way. And even then, I thought that if I end up playing Vlady this time, it would be a different Vlady from the one I played before. He (Carlsen) is from a different generation and Carlsen is also one of the most talented players from any generation. He will be ridiculously difficult to play against, yeah.

    Is the venue for the final just an incidental detail?

    To some extent it is. Once it is announced you just get ready to play there. I am more focussed on getting my stock in order. Getting to know what I am going to play, my approach against him. If it's India then I will have to take into account the pressure and things like that, but for most part you just get on with the chess.

    Agon is attempting to introduce biometrics into chess in an attempt to make it interactive. Would you be OK with getting wired-up for the final?

    I am somewhat indifferent to be honest. Usually before tournaments I am just focussed on the game. If it works, I will go for it, but I don't have an opinion on it. For a World Championship, I would like to think about it. If there are some trials and we can use the feedback, we will probably give it a think.

    The stretch that leads up to the WCC has you playing tournaments, a few where you could face Carlsen. How difficult is that?

    I am used to it. You are juggling stuff, but when you are playing the tournament, you are playing it. Occasionally you use tournaments to test things out. The best way to play a WC match is to play the tournaments well. You have to build up your confidence. You want to go there in a positive frame of mind. Two to three months before the match you stop everything else.

    The final is being viewed as a generational shift, passing of the baton. Do you think of it that way?

    It's there in the back of your head somewhere, but once the match starts you tend to focus on making good moves than worry about what you are representing or what it is supposed to be about.

    http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ca...inst/1096789/0

    A very thoughtful and sympathetic interview

  • #2
    Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

    Thanks for posting, that was an excellent read!!
    No matter how big and bad you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone, you answer it.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

      Originally posted by Jordan S. Berson View Post
      Thanks for posting, that was an excellent read!!
      Agreed. Nice to see inside Anand's head on how he feels abour facing Carlsen.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

        What's the difference between you and Anand?

        Carlsen: The difference is I've been winning tournaments while he's been holding on to his title. So it will be an interesting clash between two different ideas about what constitutes the best player in the world.

        Carlsen's perspective

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        • #5
          Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

          When and where are the World Championships?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

            The FIDE Events Calendar is at:

            http://www.fide.com/calendar/fide-calendar.html

            and the World Championship Match dates are 6 November 2013 to 26 November 2013.

            No venue is given but I have heard that New York City is in the running and I would think that India and Norway would almost certainly make offers.

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            • #7
              Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

              If it is in NYC, I would most certainly go and visit. If anyone would be interested in sharing accommodations please let me know.

              Hopefully it is in New York City, the city that never sleeps!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                If I had to bet on the city where the next W.C. Championship would take place, I would take Chennai.

                It is not quite clear what commitment FIDE has made to India:

                After India's failed bid to host the final between Anand and Israeli Boris Gelfand last year, FIDE had granted India a three-month window during which they could exercise a 'first right' option to host the 2013 final. However the All India Chess Federation had let go of the opportunity.

                The Indian Express, March 19

                If New York City bids and wins that might be an opportunity to see the Match in person.

                If the same schedule is followed as for 2012 then November 6 will be the opening ceremony with the first game on Nov.7 and the second on Nov.8. After every two games there will be a rest day with the 12th game on Nov. 23, then a rest day on the 24th, tie break on the 25th and closing ceremony on the 26th. The first player to get 6.5 points wins and so the closing ceremony can be rescheduled earlier.

                If you are going to New York for a week (say), would you want to go in the first, second or third third? I think the second would be best for me.

                If two persons go and share costs, Toronto or Montreal to NYC could be by train, bus, car or plane. Flying out of Toronto’s Island Airport on the 12th and returning the 18th would cost about $300 round trip.

                A week in NYC is reckoned to cost about $200 a day for shared hotel accommodation and another $100 for food and transportation, so say $1900. That cost for food and transport seems a little conservative.
                .
                If the Match tickets cost $40 each, then, for the four games you will be attending, that is another $160, with the total for everything about $2360 per person.

                People who regularly visit NYC for holidays or to play in tournaments can tell me if I have gone off the rails here with my estimates. You can undoubtedly spend more and, going by bus and staying at hostels and using the subway, you can spend less.

                On the other hand, if the Match is in Chennai, the costs will be.. Let’s see, what is a rupee worth in Canadian dollars..?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                  Originally posted by Wayne Komer View Post
                  A week in NYC is reckoned to cost about $200 a day for shared hotel accommodation and another $100 for food and transportation, so say $1900. That cost for food and transport seems a little conservative.
                  .
                  If the Match tickets cost $40 each, then, for the four games you will be attending, that is another $160, with the total for everything about $2360 per person.
                  Perhaps if Bob Gillanders can whip up another Occupy Wall Street during the match, people can camp in a city park... bring cold weather gear! :D
                  Only the rushing is heard...
                  Onward flies the bird.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                    Did anybody see Kasparov's comments?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                      I give here the professional translation of the Kasparov interview. It replaces the one I made on April 5 - WK

                      Friday, 05.04.2013

                      Garry Kasparov shared his opinion on the Candidates tournament on Crestbook.com:

                      "The tournament proved that the rumors stating that the classical chess is dead are exaggerated. There was a spectacular event, a lot of decisive games and so on.

                      Yes, the tournament turned out to be remarkable, but I'm not sure it was the best tournament in history. There were good tournaments earlier too - for instance Las Palmas 1997. If comparing the major events then perhaps there weren't that many. I can compare the Candidates tournament of 1959 to the one held in London this year.

                      The participants' list there wasn't that balanced though. Now in London only Radjabov was the outsider, but back then there were more weak players.

                      The Regulation of the tournament was just terrible. Who made those rules? The challenger can't be chosen by the tie-break! Why the number of wins became more important than the Sonneborn-Berger score? It's absolutely necessary to arrange a match with the normal time control between first two prize-winners even if they didn't tie but one has surpassed another not more than by a point only. Only if this match finishes in a draw the tie-break should be taken into consideration.

                      The tournament showed Carlsen's weaknesses. I mean his openings and the ability to play the decisive games. For instance, he was playing a life-and-death game in the last round and he lost it. He was lucky that his competitor has also lost.

                      Whom has Carlsen defeated in this competition? Only the bottom of the table, while he played pretty unconvincingly with the strong opponents.

                      His style is also not ideal yet. For example in his last round game against Svidler he played 30.Bh4 instead of 30.Bh8!. But that is a different level and Magnus doesn't play like that yet.

                      Anand is an experienced fighter, he is able to play the match solidly but still if Carlsen will work and eliminate his weaknesses he will surely win. That's because at the moment he plays chess better than Anand. By the way, Kramnik also plays stronger than Anand.

                      I'm hardly Kramnik's devoted supporter, but he really played brilliantly. This was one of the best tournaments in his career.

                      Ivanchuk showed he is a warrior which is not surprising at all. He is a first class chess player. For instance, Gelfand and Topalov aren't such. Aronian is close to that but yet he hasn't entered that caste.

                      Ivanchuk continues the tradition of the outstanding players who didn't become world champions, such were Keres, Korchnoi. Moreover, he even surpasses them in certain components as he for instance, overtook me and Karpov in the tournaments, while those mentioned before haven't outstripped the star players of those times.

                      In the last round Ivanchuk was fighting for his honor, his entire career. Kramnik didn't understand that.

                      As regards to his time troubles that's a question to FIDE. One can't change the time controls in the major events just like that. Moving from the time control with the increment to the classical control was fatal for Ivanchuk. That has also become a problem for Grischuk. Otherwise they both would show a better result.

                      Grischuk was well prepared. He had a huge advantage in the Berlin against Kramnik and in the game against Carlsen in the second cycle. If taking into account the positions he had, Grischuk could win 2-0 against Svidler. I have analysed the knight sacrifice on c4 in the King's Indian in 90s. Black is even better there. Then I showed that sacrifice to Nakamura, but he hadn't a chance to play it.

                      Aronian failed to stand the fighting atmosphere. It seems that Levon kind of cracked already in the 7th round when he couldn't convert his promising position against Grischuk into a point, while Carlsen managed to miracuolously escape Radjabov. Then it all just messed up.

                      Svidler was good.

                      In general the tournament showed who is who."
                      Last edited by Wayne Komer; Sunday, 7th April, 2013, 01:16 AM. Reason: replacing translation with a better translation

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                      • #12
                        Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                        Kasparov doesnt pull any punches. Notice comments on Aronian, Gelfand, and briefly on Radjabov. Criticism (advice) for Carlsen. Respect for Chucky (and Svidler).

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                        • #13
                          Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                          Originally posted by Wayne Komer View Post
                          And his style is not yet perfect. Say, in the last game with Svidler he played 30.Bh4 when he had to to choose 30.Bh8!.
                          Thx for the link.

                          In the quotation you missed the last part: "It is a different chess, Magnus has not play this yet." ("Но это другие шахматы, Магнус так пока не играет." ) It is like a description of the ideal chess LOL However, I think Magnus at that time had not much time. (not seconds as later but maybe 2 or 3 minutes for a bunch number of moves)

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                            Originally posted by Wayne Komer View Post

                            I can hardly be called a big fan of Kramnik, but he really played brilliantly. It was one of the best tournaments in his career.
                            That was my opinion of Kramnik's performance as well and a reason for my comment on what the commentator had said in that repost.

                            Regarding the tie break system, I think the second tie break should be the S/B system. It more clearly reflects who has scored well amongst those who finish higher and is less likely to be influenced in the late rounds by a bottom finisher simply running out the string. Not saying that's what happened in that event but it is a consideration. I think the S/B is superior to using the player who won more games to break the tie. He also lost more games.
                            Gary Ruben
                            CC - IA and SIM

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Anand on the Candidates Tournament

                              Originally posted by Gary Ruben View Post
                              I think the S/B is superior to using the player who won more games to break the tie. He also lost more games.
                              A win is like 3 points, and a draw is only 1 in this break-tie. Some tournaments use it as the main criteria. Thus it is not so bad. Magnus already learned hard way about this nuance in Biel'12 :D

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