The timer is ticking furiously.
Viswanathan Anand, 43, stares at the pieces on the chessboard while taking a
sip of green tea, which is served on his left side at the beginning of every
game. Sitting in a sound-proof cabin with a one-way glass panel that looks like
an interrogation room from a Hollywood film, Anand is oblivious to the
simmering tension in Chennai's Hyatt Regency Ballroom. A collective groan
spreads across the viewing gallery, ending the silent anticipation of the crowd
as Magnus Carlsen walks to his chair. Anand is within 14 seconds of a
much-needed victory-by-forfeit in Game 7 of the World Championship. But
Carlsen, his 22-year-old challenger who is already two games ahead, still has a
few tricks up his sleeve.
Going into the most anticipated
world title clash in years, it had been three years since Anand had defeated
the Norwegian World Number 1. The Tamil Nadu government pumped in Rs.29 crore
to bag the hosting rights, seizing the 12-game match from Russia to give Anand
home advantage. Chess fever has gripped Chennai, which is now adorned in jet
black and pearl white. Images of the two Grandmasters (GM) compete for space
with that of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on street hoardings. Pastries and
cookies at restaurants resemble chess pieces. Visitors to Marina Beach are
entertained over a game of caturankam (chess, in Tamil) where volunteers dress
up as rooks and knights to jump squares. In the Hyatt lobby, enthusiasts occupy
every couch or sit on the floor, spreading a board and then replaying
Anand-Carlsen moves. Around the corner, children are busy solving chess
algorithms for a digitally signed Anand coffee mug or T-shirt. There is a
message board filled with "Good luck, Anand" in red and blue ink. On
social media, #Anandcarlsen overtook #thankyouSachin during the first week of
the match-remarkable in a cricket-mad country.
Despite the air of optimism, five-time world champion Anand is being hunted down in his own den. He lost Games 5 and 6-one of them with white pieces-to have the momentum snatched away from him. The 1990s prodigy, now 43, has met his match in a prodigy from the smartphone generation. After over a decade of dominance, the era of Anand, by all accounts, seems to be drawing to a close.
Regardless of the result, experts are foreseeing a transitional shift- away from Anand's style of rapid openings-towards Carlsen's style of forcing results with pawns by focussing on the middle- and end-game. Having learnt much of his chess from Internet chess clubs and Bent Larsen's Good Move Guide-a book that offers multiple options for every move -Carlsen is an expert in positional play who remembers 10,000-plus games and opponents at any time.
Despite the air of optimism, five-time world champion Anand is being hunted down in his own den. He lost Games 5 and 6-one of them with white pieces-to have the momentum snatched away from him. The 1990s prodigy, now 43, has met his match in a prodigy from the smartphone generation. After over a decade of dominance, the era of Anand, by all accounts, seems to be drawing to a close.
Regardless of the result, experts are foreseeing a transitional shift- away from Anand's style of rapid openings-towards Carlsen's style of forcing results with pawns by focussing on the middle- and end-game. Having learnt much of his chess from Internet chess clubs and Bent Larsen's Good Move Guide-a book that offers multiple options for every move -Carlsen is an expert in positional play who remembers 10,000-plus games and opponents at any time.
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