First game between defending champion Anand and World No.1 Carlsen ends in a draw
Chennai: World Champion Viswanathan Anand started his title defence in style, holding off World No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway to a draw in quick time in the first game of the World chess championship on Saturday.
Anand, with black pieces, showed the world that he has come well prepared for the most challenging match yet.
The Indian gave no chance to Carlsen who started with the Reti opening and got nothing with his first white game.
The quick draw, lasting a mere 16 moves, proved Anand’s preparation right as Magnus spent more time on the clock in the opening and still could not get the complicated and sometimes lifeless positions wherein he famously outplays opposition.
There was much speculation about Anand going for a sharp position and he did not disappoint his backers.
“I know after two moves its Reti, after that I don’t know what it is,” said Anand smilingly in the post match conference.
After Anand’s 10th move Carlsen thought he had no chances and went for the repetition of moves by force. However the highest rated player in the world did not think he was worse at any point in the game. “I would not have minded if he (Anand) had continued, my long term prospects are not bad,” Carlsen said. Anand simply repeated the knight moves while Carlsen moved his queen a few times to get the same position three times. The players immediately shook hands.
It was a position akin to the Grunfeld for Anand and he did not opt for a locked structure. His ninth move created the imbalance that the Indian wanted and Carlsen conceded that white had nothing after the tenth move. The Norwegian superstar said he was quite happy that he could start the match but not with the way it went. “I am happy that finally the match is on, hopefully we will give you more than one and a half hour,” he said mentioning the duration of the game. With the first match done, Anand will now be playing with white pieces in the second game. The 12-game match carries Rs 14 crore as prize money.
Chess fever grips Chennai
Chennai: It was a dream come true for several chess fans, who watched their icon Viswanathan Anand in action against challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the World Chess Championship which began on Saturday.
Hundreds of passionate sports followers, including many children, thronged the Hyatt Regency hotel, the venue of the world championship, on the arterial Anna Salai to watch the first of the 12 matches.
Chess fans, parents, youth, school students kept thronging the hotel’s sprawling campus and watched the keenly-contested 16 moves from the lobby. The venue was more of a ‘chess stadia’ than a star hotel, as the spirit of the indoor game was very much in air.
