Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, challenger and defender, will start their first out of twelve games at 15:00 of Chennai, in India (10:30 CET, 9:30 London, 4:30 EST). They will play one game per day with a rest day each two of play (then two games in three days). Wandering around the web, I found some interesting viewpoints – opinions and forecasts – about the challenge and contestants. Chessdom interviewed the Women Grand Master Olga Dolzhikova:
Chessdom: And finally what are your predictions about the FIDE World Chess Championship in Chennai?
Olga Dolzhikova: I may be too rigid in my judgments, but, as I mentioned before, I have a feeling that Magnus has all the elements now to win the match easily. Many experts have admitted on different occasions that such a match has more to do with psychology than with chess skills themselves. I would say that Magnus gives an impression of a heavy iron train at full speed. God knows what happens, of course! (excerpt, courtesy by www.chessdom.com).
Agreeing with Olga there is Bobby Ghosh of Time Magazine, who today has published: “…Carlsen is the hot favourite…”. But this forecast, as explained in the following part of the article, depends mainly upon the Elo value: Carlsen ranks first, Anand eighth.
An easy victory by Carlsen is forecasted also by an unidentified chatter in chessbomb.com: his strength is overwhelming, he or she said. It might be true, but at London’s Candidate Tourney, six months ago, Carlsen tied with Kramnik, becoming challenger only because he had more victories; and Anand beat twice Kramnik in world championship matches, in 2007 as challenger and in 2008 as defender. But time elapsed. It is only sure that, as said upon by Olga Dolzhikova, it will be a terrific psychological strain for both.
All in all, Carlsen’s supporters are more than Anand’s, and more confident of his victory; both the parties have a common conviction though: it will be a historical match not less than that played in 1972 at Reykjavik, when Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky.
The match will be followed by a true first class team of commentators: Susan Polgar, Olympiad and World Champion; Lawrence Trent, International Master already heard during the Candidate Tourney, worldwide known as our Roland Wald in bridge; the International Master Tania Sachdev, former Asian Champion, and Grandmaster Ramesh RB, a Chennai native, former British and Commonwealth Champion.
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Paolo Enrico Garrisi
The Norwegian Magnus Carlsen will challenge the chess world champion, the Indian Viswanathan Anand, at Chennai, in India, from 7th to 28th November, 2013.
FIDE World Chess World Championship official site >>
