Players Have Exchanged Opening Information

Players Have Exchanged Opening Information
By Arvind Aaron

The players have exchanged information through the first two games. Now based on these, the trainers will be busy preparing lines to improve or trying to avoid these lines in the rest of the ten games in the FIDE World Chess Championship Match that is taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai.

Magnus Carlsen should come prepared with a better line against the Grunfeld defence of Anand in the third game of the world chess championship match on Tuesday. It is entirely possible that champion Anand might have a new mainline option and keep the world No.1 ranked player guessing as far as the opening goes.

Besides trainers in this hotel, there might be players working for the teams from Europe. Complete information on these will be available only after the twelfth game and not earlier and in some cases would never be known.

“We plan to go around the city and take chess related and world chess championship match related pictures in Chennai,” said Hans-Walter Schmitt of Germany who is the head in the Anand team.

The free day offers plenty of options for those who are in the city. There are double rounds in the Women’s Grand Master and National Under-9 Championships which are also happening as side shows of the World Chess Championship match.

The weather in Chennai is nice and warm for Europeans, pleasant for Indians. It is the main rainy season for Chennai city. The high is 31C and the low is 23C. Expect the temperature to rise tomorrow along with the level of fight at the board.

The audience applauded when Anand went 1.e4 and later when he played h4. The playing area is covered by glass and is supposed to be sound proof. World Championship director D.V. Sundar was appealing to volunteers after game one to keep a vigil on those speaking loud in future games.

The score in this Tamil Nadu Government sponsored FIDE World Chess Championship match is 1-1 after two draws. Ten games remain to be played. The first player to reach 6.5 points will win this match. The winner will receive 60% of Rs.14 Crore and the loser 40% of the amount.

The teams have been very appreciative of the Hyatt Regency Hotel as venue. However, about living and playing here, Carlsen said it is little “doubled edged”. The players are in separate floors and do not bump into each other. The police keep a constant watch on the moment on the players and their teams and give them maximum security.

“I have seen Carlsen in the gym of the hotel, but not met Anand there yet,” said Grand Master Tejas Bakre of Ahmedabad who is spending a vacation in Chennai enjoying top quality chess. During his playing days, Kasparov does walking post dinner even in sub-zero temperatures. Anand is a fully fit champion who had been doing plenty of running before this match.

D.V. Sundar, Vice President, FIDE told All India Chess Federation members at a meeting that his FIDE colleagues said that this was the best organised World Chess Championship match in two and a half decades.

The spectators did not have much in the first two games. Anand even apologised for the draw in game two. Carlsen gives longer answers to questions from the Norwegian media. Anand speaks on the merit of the questions.

Carlsen wakes up around noon and is a typical chess player. Anand wakes up earlier and also is one of the players who eats breakfast. For both players, members of the family are accompanying them. The players have had friendly exchanges prior to the post game press conferences and even during it.

Carlsen is warming up and by the time the match reaches the half-way stage, Anand should hope to establish a lead. Champions are known to start well against debutants. This could happen in the next two games.