CARLSEN HAS JUST ONE ADVANTAGE .... says Nigel Short ....... Chess rematches have their own characteristics, being psychologically difficult, in particular, for the previous winner. As Garry Kasparov, the Russian grandmaster who had five epic duels with Anatoly Karpov, said this week, it is almost impossible to escape the negative emotion of “Why the hell am I playing this guy again?” This feeling will surely cross the mind of Magnus Carlsen, the 23-year-old chess genius who won a claim to celebrity and money after triumphing in last year’s world championship. On Friday, the Norwegian wunderkind will clash with the doyen of Indian chess, Vishwanathan Anand, having thrashed him in his home city of Chennai only 12 months ago. Despite a remarkable career record of five world titles, few gave the 44-year old Indian veteran any hope of competing again for the highest honour. However, in a comeback worthy of Lazarus, Anand won the qualification tournament in the Russian town of Khanty-Mansiysk in March, earning his right to another shot at glory. It was not only the experts who were surprised by this sudden resurgence of form. Anand himself described his result as “way beyond anything I could have dreamt of”. The championship clash will take place in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, in Russia, which gained international prominence as the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Anand will be encouraged by the precedent of the Soviet chess patriarch, Mikhail Botvinnik, who although well into middle age, twice won return matches by cunningly exploiting the disorientation of his opponent. Carlsen is well aware of this potential danger but has other concerns on his mind. He has dominated the chess scene for the past few years, obtaining the highest rating a human has ever achieved. However, his standards, perhaps because of post-triumph euphoria, have slipped a little in 2014. His star has been eclipsed by the 22-year-old Italian, Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen may consider himself fortunate that he will not have to face this brilliant challenger just yet. There was speculation whether the world title rematch would take place at all. Carlsen, who delayed signing the contract until beyond the initial deadline, was, among other things, unhappy with the venue, in sanctioned Russia, and that the prize fund, at $1.5m, is $1m lower than last time. Carlsen’s manager, Espen Agdestein, has also bemoaned the opaque nature of the financial arrangements for the match. According to the official website, the event co-organisers are the previously unheard of “World Chess Events Corporation” and “Agon”. “Fide [the World Chess Federation] will not even say who owns Agon,” Mr Agdestein said in an interview with NRK, the Norwegian broadcaster. Whatever doubts Carlsen may have had about the match will now have been pushed aside. Both players will be focused on the task in hand. Chess experts think that Anand, at his advanced age, must understand he has nothing to lose and sharpen the struggle rather than engaging in the lengthy, subtle manoeuvring where Carlsen excels. Almost every change since the rout of 2013 has been to Anand’s benefit – which is why it is likely to prove a much tighter contest. As Kasparov says, Carlsen just has one advantage – he is the better player.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 11:06:39 +0000
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