World Chess Champion Anand defends his title.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 24 Nov 2013 20:36

RM is right. IIRC VA was the first GM.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 24 Nov 2013 21:02

all I am saying is he couldn't have been a GM.

saip · Post by **saip** » 24 Nov 2013 21:29

Before Anand we had Manuel Aaron, but IIRC he was an IM and then we had V Ravi, also an IM.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 25 Nov 2013 11:41

The reference is probably to Pravin Thipsay. He had some great performances in the early 1980s, including being the first Indian to attain a GM norm in 1984. But that's not the same thing as becoming a grandmaster itself, which I believe requires three GM norm performances. Thipsay later fell behind. Anand was the first GM from India, and Dibyendu Barua was the second. I think Thipsay was the third.

As in many other sports, we lack the system to push our players higher than their initial accomplishment levels. This is seen from our Olympiad performances. The women's team is pretty strong and finished 4th a few years ago, but the same cannot be said of the men's team.

Anand was a freak success that cannot be replicated with a Russian style system. We were lucky to have in him someone who stood on the same level as Kasparov and Karpov, ranking in the top 3 for 10-15 years, besides being one of the longest reigning world champions since the active challenge era began with Botvinnik. I'm not sure Carlsen will hold the title very long. He's a great player, but also prone to imploding, like Fischer.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Nov 2013 12:04

all he needs now is a destructive girlfriend

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 25 Nov 2013 14:22

Seeing Anand in the last match was like the fight between the berserker bad blood predator and the classical hunter clan predator.

Intense western propaganda, back stabbing by our own media who at times kept rooting for the gora saab as against for our own may have weakened Anand apart from his age factor but boy did he fight and fight well.

In the end, the bad blood berserker went in for the kill on the classical one. They had hunted in pairs and it was now time for the kill. The berserker let out a roar but the classic was unfazed, the blood on the forehead after the 3 head butts just added to the glory of the classic.

The decapitation was near, the classic roars with the same ferocity as when it would have been young and stronger for all know that in a equal man-on-man-o the 25 year old Anand would have ripped open the berzerker.

The berzerker strikes and the classic's body lies dead, unhelped by his own kind but all that matters is that the classic went down in glory...

Form is temporary, class is forever. The classics shall rise, the land that invented chess will again come up with a true blooded warrior who will show that the Indic race is the best when it comes to intellectual prowess and mastery over the board.

Thanks Anand, you made us very proud. If I must give you the best compliment, you are like the ISRO of Indian chess. With limited resources and relatively lesser support base you took on the best of the best and defeated them convincingly, your peak being the defeat of the all time great Kramnik.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 26 Nov 2013 05:09

Kramnik is a great player and will go down in history as the one who dethroned the legendary Kasaparov but Anand is 5 time world champion which Krannik is not, and Anand has successfully defended his title against Kramnik. Kramnik now 38, will not be able to match what Anand has achieved.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 26 Nov 2013 06:05

My turn to teach Viswanathan Anand now, says Magnus Carlsen

What an arrogant prick

Hope he gets spanked in the next championship...

I have the lead in world rankings and the title as well now. I don't think it's my duty to think who will play against me, it should in fact be the other way round. My opponents will have to figure out how to deal with me. I think I will be the man to beat for quite some time now.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Nov 2013 06:41

even kasparov in his prime was not as edgy. and most of the old school russians were quiet types. this brat will have a great fall soon one hopes.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 26 Nov 2013 09:16

typical great white hunter nonsense. What is more surprising is that the Indian media hasnt bothered to raise this arrogance and assorted nonsense even once. If the gora babu says so then it is so onleeee.

The Indian media failed Anand for sure.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 26 Nov 2013 10:23

The only person who always recognized Anand's potential and understood Anand's strategy was Kramnik. He mentioned that Anand was happy to be the "underdog".

Now will Anand do a Rocky III? Kramnik always did maintain that Anand was a bit lazy, I respect the man's opinion as he was the only chap to defeat Kashyapa Rao in his prime convincingly. Of course the media did try to discredit that by attributing it to Kasparov's supposed personal problems.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 26 Nov 2013 12:21

http://chesstempo.com/chess-forum/index ... pic=1946.0

Of the whole interview I found this the most interesting:

SPIEGEL: For a year now you have been working with Garry Kasparov, who is probably the best chess player of all time. What form does your cooperation take? Kasparov is the teacher, you the pupil?

Carlsen: No. In terms of our playing skills we are not that far apart. There are many things I am better at than he is. And vice versa. Kasparov can calculate more alternatives, whereas my intuition is better. I immediately know how to rate a situation and what plan is necessary. I am clearly superior to him in that respect.

Honest, candid, or arrogant?

3 year old article

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 26 Nov 2013 13:56

And then there is this article in firstpost where a person has said we need to appreciate Carlsen and not advise him on humility. Seriously, there is something seriously wrong in our nationalist DNA where self flagellation is sort of a fetish.

Clicky

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 30 Nov 2013 02:31

Anand's interview (Video ) on IBN:

I was outplayed by Carlsen, says Viswanathan Anand

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 16 Dec 2013 11:05

New-age champion

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 16 Dec 2013 11:12

Raja Bose wrote:My turn to teach Viswanathan Anand now, says Magnus Carlsen

Typically the way media puts the headlines to sensationalise things , the entire Q&A is

On what he's learnt from Anand...

To be honest I've learnt a lot from him in the past, both playing against him and especially while training with him. Just the kind of positions that he understands, the way he would just outplay me like no one else did in several kinds of positions. Also the precision with which he analyses games and positions has been an eye-opener. In this match I showed him in a way that although he's taught me many things in the past, it's probably now my turn to teach him. So, it's safe to say I've surpassed him now.

For a lad of his age it is fine to be a bit aggressive a lot of maturity comes with age ....... he will learn his way out like all others do ...with rise and fall and with age people mature

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 16 Dec 2013 22:29

Anand is done. Anish Giri beat carlsen. Kid has a lot of potential. Will probably see him up there in the near future.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Mar 2014 19:33

The title of this thread is a big KLPD.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 23 Mar 2014 21:03

Up! Now that it looks pretty much clear that Anand will challenge Carlsen for his title this fall.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 24 Mar 2014 10:50

5 rounds to go but the last one was fantastic for Anand. All the best and hoping for a rematch.

wasu · Post by **wasu** » 29 Mar 2014 21:15

It's done. Hope Anand's prep is much better for this next round with magnus.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 29 Mar 2014 22:45

No Amma's photo this time. Amma jinxed Anand last time as Anand did not fall on her feet

The colossus descendant of parama Kshatriya Parasurama will crush the bear skin wearing viking kshatriya and show that class is permanent and form is temporary.

akashganga · Post by **akashganga** » 29 Mar 2014 22:49

Round 13: Viswanathan Anand qualifies for 2014 FIDE World Championship Match

wasu · Post by **wasu** » 02 Apr 2014 08:48

Let's see how Carlsen does this November..

Botvinnik had been world champion from 1948 to 1957 and from 1958 to 1960 before losing to Mikhail Tal, who at the age of 23 became the youngest world champion in the world. Many thought it was the start of the Tal era but the 49-year-old Botvinnik struck back to win the title again in 1961 in a stunning reversal. Tal never went on to win the world title again.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/just-li ... ef_article

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 02 Apr 2014 21:01

I think Carlsen spooked Anand by making Anand responsible for his health in Chennai and riduculous negotitation for it. Anand should not have to worry about this and hopefully guts this guy

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 02 Apr 2014 22:09

Anand was badly out of form then. Remember MC was lucky to be challenger last time around and almost lost the candidates tournament. Anand has won this time with a round to spare. He also never lost a game and was rarely in trouble again the top 7 GMs of the world.

Only thing is age and stamina of Anand but even in those areas his manner of win shows he has improved a lot.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 03 Apr 2014 02:42

Anand was off colour in the 2013 WC . He lacked form, stamina and motivation. His opening game was weak compared to his previous ability to control the board early, as well as what he just demonstrated in the Candidates. While he mathematically won with a round to spare, he was effectively the clear winner with 3 rounds to go, as Aronian had a nightmarish last 2 rounds losing both. The next WC clash should be interesting - we'll see if Anand really reprises Botvinnik's performance.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 03 Apr 2014 02:49

Anand's previous opponents were pretty ordinary, relatively speaking - they were GMs after all. Gelfand and Topolov did not elicit a superior response from Anand. Apart from the age, Anand's performance dropped to his opponents levels, he was lulled into a chalta-hain mode in the last 3-4 years now. The tiger has been poked in its eyes in 2013. Will the tiger chew the head, or run away? 2014 will tell us. Anand needs to start winning more than his draws. There were couple of close games last time, this time Anand has to be at least 3 games ahead at the minimum.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 03 Apr 2014 03:07

Gelfand was not a particularly strong challenger, but Topalov was certainly so in the late 2000s, especially with his buddy Danailov around to conduct additional psyops on his opponents. Kramnik has a bitter relationship with Topalov due to the fracas from their summit clash. Carlsen is definitely very strong, and while he's a major oiseule, most dominant winners are.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 03 Apr 2014 11:13

^^^ that's his strong Nordic stoic sense showing itself again.

Even Anand is quite ascerbic and sharp sometimes on TV interviews.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 03 Apr 2014 11:37

Suraj wrote:Gelfand was not a particularly strong challenger, but Topalov was certainly so in the late 2000s, especially with his buddy Danailov around to conduct additional psyops on his opponents. Kramnik has a bitter relationship with Topalov due to the fracas from their summit clash. Carlsen is definitely very strong, and while he's a major oiseule, most dominant winners are.

I disagree on Gelfand, time and again he has shown that he is exceptionally good in chess theory and understanding. A Peter Leko of sorts. Anand then said that Gelfand is playing at his best and it is not by accident that he won the candidates. All of us disagreed with Anand then and then Gelfand won a super tournament immediately after to show he was still in good form and lived up to Anand's words.

Both Topalov and Gelfand challenged Anand at their peaks (Topalov also had a super peak of sorts in 2004-2005, see his games in Mtel tournament vs Anand). They made Anand sweat but Anand showed that he has this little something which makes him prevail.

Its his hesitation to engage in psychological warfare and sticking to his gentemanly ways which is both his strong point and weakness. Look at how Kasparov used to scoff at Anand for his psychological weakness under pressure. Carlsen in now way is stronger than Anand in chess tactics and strategy but he prevailed.

Anand with this candidates win after 19 years is arguably the greatest player standing up with there with Tal, Botwinnik, Fischer, Kasparov, Spassky, Lasker, Morphy, Capablanca and Karpov.

But for the Judeo-Christian loving fan boys of the west Kaparov and Fischer are the only two contenders. BTW has anyone been following Ivanchuk in the Latvian tournament, he got some 12.0 out of 14.0 I think and was 9/9 in round 9

. It is not without anything that they speak about him as being possibly the maddest chess genius of all time.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 Apr 2014 11:22

Ivanchuk still there? Carlsen's strong point is end game. He outmanouvered Anand from seemingly drawish positions. Anand was either not concentrating hard enough or did not have the stamina anymore.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 04 Apr 2014 13:30

Kasparov illegally funding to get elected or so is mentioned in NYT. That guy leaves a trail of destruction wherever he goes. He ruined Chess and denied Anand and Kramnik rightful titles for some years. He also kept them languishing at #2 and #3 by a fault in the FIDE elo rating system between 2000 and 2004. I hope he doesnt get to become FIDE chess chief.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 Apr 2014 22:27

Marten wrote:Wrong. Anand over-analysed due to his nervousness. In three games, there were clearly moves to do better that he himself pointed out. One game was lost outright - he admitted as much saying the entire game was badly played. This time around, the pressure will be on Carlsen to continue playing hard. While he had nothing to lose earlier, he will in fact be more circumspect now. That's why most rematches are dangerous.

I followed most of the games. He lost from drawish positions.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 08 Apr 2014 15:49

Anand showed in his match with Karjakin that he can go all the way in terms of long drawn out games. His concentration was spot on even into the moves after 90. Very focused and confident. He must sustain this trend.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 10 Apr 2014 14:29

Some hilarious Anand cartoons on this blog --> http://ajedrezconhumor.blogspot.in

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 24 Apr 2014 10:42

Anand should seriously consider Caruana and Kramnik for his team against MC. Both have good head to head record against MC and Caruana today convincingly beat Carlsen. It seem some 12 years ago Carlsen was taken out of the U-12 and U-14 championships as he is said to struggle due to psychological angle against other prodigies. This psychological weapons was something that Kasparov was good at. Anand would have for sure noted this and planned around this.

Its still a tough task for Anand given his age but the old tiger's teeth are still very sharp.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 02 Nov 2014 03:56

Less than a week to go....starting on the 8th.

http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 02 Nov 2014 05:31

mod - please change the name of this thread to include this match also.