World Championship Comments and Assessments

31,236 people joined us right here for game 1 LIVE commentary.
42,198 people joined us right here for game 2 LIVE commentary.
44,512 people joined us right here for game 3 LIVE commentary.

Round 4 will take place today at 7 am (U.S. central time). The score is 1.5 – 1.5 after 3 games.

Here are the comments from my sister Judit Polgar about the World Championship match. She just defeated GM David Navara (2708) 6-2 in an 8 game rapid match in Prague.

1. Who do you think will win the match?

I don’t know. Hard to predict.

2. What is your final score prediction?

7-5!

3. How would you describe the strengths and weaknesses of each player?

Topalov: Great fighting spirit! He gives everything he has in every game. He has lot of energy, motivation, clever and deep opening preparation. He is fighting the same way each game, even after a loss (it is a very rare quality).

Anand: Motivation, great opening preparation, and experience. He is a very practical player. I think his wife Aruna gives him great strength and stability.

4. Does playing in Sofia give Topalov an advantage (home crowd) or disadvantage (too much distraction with the national media, family and friends)?

Obviously it can be a great advantage for Topalov to play in Sofia and usually he plays very well front of the home crowd. But if things do not work the way he plans it then it could be lot on his shoulder as well. There are pros and cons. The question really is if it disturbs Anand that generally people are rooting for his opponent.

5. Do you think the age difference between Topalov (35) and Anand (40) is significant? What do you think is an optimal age in a professional chess player’s career?

I believe the 5 year age difference is not important in this match. Generally great professional players can reach their peek even around 40.

Here are the comments from my sister Sofia Polgar: https://chessdailynews.com/anand-topalov-live/

Here are the comments from GM Robert Hess and GM Boris Gulko: https://chessdailynews.com/world-championship-game-2-live-commentary/

Here are the comments from GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Alex Onischuk, and GM Lev Psakhis: https://chessdailynews.com/world-championship-game-1-live-commentary/

Here are the comments from IM Anna Zatonskih, GM Vinay Bhat, and GM Ben Finegold: https://chessdailynews.com/the-world-championship-view/

Here are the comments from GM Ray Robson, GM Elshan Moradiabadi, and IM Dean Ippolito: https://chessdailynews.com/the-world-championship-view-part-4/