King Carlsen
Nov 26, 2013
In a game where personalities are as intriguing as the play itself, Magnus Carlsen brings in a different dimension to the table.
Norway’s newly-crowned world chess champion fuses the freshness of youth with the promise of new ideas and thoughts that are expected to lift the game to a higher plane. Carlsen’s title match with Viswanathan Anand that ended in Chennai last week marked the end of an era, with the Indian Grandmaster bowing to the inevitable march of time. At 43, Anand is 21 years older than Carlsen and it was evident from the 10 games they played that the Indian had slipped a notch or two from the level where he was a few years ago.
The final scoreline – 6.5 to 3.5 in Carlsen’s favour – made the contest look almost one-sided. After a slow start, the Norwegian stepped up the pressure and Anand eventually cracked, making errors that stunned his followers around the world. As Anand admitted later, the errors were brought upon by Carlsen’s solid play and also by the fact that the Indian was unable to break through his rival’s defences. Carlsen stifled Anand’s advantage in the opening phase and stood tall in the middle and end games to come out a comfortable winner. That Anand, who had outwitted the likes of Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand in earlier championship contests, was a pale shadow of himself in Chennai, underlined his decline.
But Anand’s place in world chess is assured. A child prodigy who stunned his opponents with his lightning speed, Anand matured to be a fine champion and a true ambassador for the country on the world stage, sweeping the world titles in all formats and carrying himself with great dignity. As the Indian takes a step backwards, the spotlight falls firmly on his successor who has already made a mark on the ratings scale by reaching a figure that no one has managed to touch in the past.
Unlike many previous champions who preferred to remain within the boundaries defined by their games, Carlsen presents the picture of a young man who is eager to break those barriers. His passion for other sports is well chronicled. But ultimately, Carlsen will be judged by his achievements on a chess board and going by his exploits in Chennai, this king looks set for a long reign.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com
Nakamura next.