Anand’s upcoming challenges

Anand for Corus, Tal memorial

NEW DELHI: World champion Viswanathan Anand will be part of formidable fields in the Mikhail Tal memorial chess tournament in Moscow from November 4 to 19 and the Corus tournament at Wijk aan Zee, in the Netherlands, in January 15 to 31.

In Moscow, Anand will be in the company of teenager Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Vladimir Kramnik, Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich (all Russia), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Peter Leko (Hungary), Boris Gelfand (Israel) and defending champion Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine).

Focus on Carlsen

With Carlsen set to dislodge Anand from the World No. 2 spot in the new world rating list effective from November 1, the focus will be on the Norwegian prodigy. Carlsen, winner of the recent Nanjing tournament in China with a stunning performance, is widely seen as the next World No. 1.

Anand, due to defend his world title against Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov in April next year, returns to Wijk aan Zee in search of his sixth Corus title after missing the 2009 edition.

In the 14-player Group ‘B’ of Corus, Grandmasters P. Hari Krishna and Parimarjan Negi, seeded four and nine, will form the Indian interest.

Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com