Anand vs Carlsen/Master Shifu vs Kungfu Panda: 5 reasons to watch World Chess Championship 2013
A thoroughly exciting Anand vs Carlsen World Chess Championship 2013 awaits us in Chennai this November. Here are the top five reasons why chess fans are going to love this chess show:
Master Shifu vs Kungfu Panda:
The greatest excitement will come from polar opposite chess styles. World Champion Viswanathan Anand will be the senior and grounded warrior. He will stay patient and count on his learning based upon years of match experience. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will be all nervous energy, firing from all cylinders, fighting until the last drop of blood is shed beyond the limits of exhaustion. Anand will strike when the ‘enemy’ has withered away. Anand will be Master Shifu, watching and waiting. Carlsen will be Kungfu Panda, walking in the wake of destruction at every step. In the end, both would be the teacher and the taught. The magic of chess will overwhelm us all and a new chapter in chess history would be written.
Sexy image of chess:
A beach blitz, 2,000 girls screaming a welcome for Carlsen, sophisticated arrangements in five-star luxury of Hyatt Regency Chenna, Carlsen the model, Anand the master, host of side chess events for players of all levels including Grandmasters – both men and women. What else do you need to make chess more sexy in the Indian subcontinent?
Chess goes into mainstream media:
Viswanathan Anand has single-handedly inspired the mainstream media to cover chess in India. Carlsen added the jazz by taking on modelling assignments on an international platform. The image of chess as an incomprehensible activity involving two anti-social intellectuals is gone. Anand is the regular guy, devoted family man, hard working gentleman inspiring typical Indian cultural values. Carlsen brings the joy of youth and freshness of the next generation to the table. The media is going to be lapping this one up for sure.
Technology Treat:
The organisers are putting in place the best-possible high-speed Internet link for live broadcast of the entire event. Commentators and guests would include the who’s who from the chess world. The World Chess Championship 2012 Anand versus Gelfand was an excellent affair in live telecast right from the opening ceremony to the closing one. The Indian organisers hope to better that. You will be getting all the best shots and best moments straight to your desk to be saved (on hard drives) as keepsakes. There will be interviews, sound bytes, video treats and press conferences. You won’t miss a moment of the grand affair if you so choose.
Human and computer integration at its finest:
Earlier this year, Carlsen broke Garry Kasparov’s record by gaining the highest elo rating of all time — 2,872 (Anand is fourth on the all-time list, with 2,817). In 2009, at the age of 19, Carlsen had became the youngest World No.1, breaking the record held by Kramnik. “He conserves the mystique of chess,” Kasparov has said about Carlsen. Carlsen has been where no chess player has been before. Both Anand and Carlsen are known to have trained with computers. Lot of chess players feel, computer learning has ruined the art of chess. Before the coming generations of chess players increase their dependence on computers, this would be the moment when we witness the best integration between man and machine in chess.