Anand has many fans in the Russian capital

'Viswanathan Anand has many fans in the Russian capital' - Boris Gelfand

July 30, 2011
Boris Khodorovsky, Gazeta.Ru

Moscow and Chennai bid for the right to host the World chess championship title match.

Moscow’s right to host the World chess championship title match in the spring of 2012 is being challenged by Chennai, the birthplace of the reigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand.

Several more contenders may come forward, says Kirsan Ilyumzhanov, President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Minsk, the home town of the Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand, as well as London, may enter the race. The deadline for entering bids runs out on 31 July, and the winner will be announced the following day.

Under the terms of the tender, the organisers of the match must guarantee a minimum purse of one million euros and transfer a further 200,000 in dues to FIDE.

Moscow was the first to file its bid back in June. “A serious sponsor has indicated an interest in the match between Anand and Gelfand being held in Moscow,” said Ilya Levitov, head of the Russian Chess Federation. Initially, the benefactor’s name was kept secret, but then we are not looking at the secret debut plans of the time of matches between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.

It transpired that the man who is ready to provide $2 million for the world chess title match is Andrei Filatov, co-owner of the N-Trans Group of companies. Having a Candidate Master title himself, he has recently been acting as a chess patron. He paid for the restoration of a monument to Alexander Alekhine in Paris.

The challenger, Boris Gelfand, liked the idea of playing the match in Moscow: “I wouldn’t say that I will be playing in Moscow like I was at home, but I‘ll feel very comfortable in the Russian capital. I’m sure Anand will like it there too. The world champion has many fans in the Russian capital,” Izrus.co.il quotes him as saying.

Moscow has vast experience staging world chess title matches. The first one, between Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz, was held at the turn of 1896 and 1897. In the middle of the 20^th century practically all matches took place in the USSR. Where else were Soviet grandmasters to play? It was not until 1972 when first Bobby Fischer and then the “apostate” Viktor Korchnoi laid their claims that the tradition had to be changed.

The last world championship match Moscow hosted was the open-ended one between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in 1985. The match was stopped by then FIDE President Florencio Campomanes after 48 games failed to determine the winner. Under the rules they played until one or the other won six games, and the score was 5:3 in Karpov’s favour.

The last match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov was played in the latter’s home town Sofia. Bulgarians say it was a lucrative event, but one finds it hard to believe this because chess has lost its erstwhile popularity of late.

Let us face it, there are no giants like Botvinnik, Tal, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov (with all due respect to Gelfand and Anand). The Norwegian Magnus Karlsen, the most commercially attractive chess player, pointedly ignored the knock-out stage. As soon as he announced his decision London refused to bid for hosting the final match.

Ilyumzhinov’s announcement that London is again interested in the chess championship and has found some sponsors looks like a bluff that makes one think of the fictional grandmaster Ostap Bender, for whom the FIDE President has a soft spot. Minsk as a venue is a joke. The challenger’s hometown, where from he emigrated to Israel, barely has enough money to disperse protest demonstrations.

FIDE Presidential Aide Berik Balgimbayev has been stressing ever since the tender was announced that FIDE was expecting bids from Israel and India. Both countries obliged.

Chennai, Anand's home city, has entered its bid. The government of Tamil Nadu state is ready to allocate 200 million rupees (about $4.5 million) to organise the match. “We are sure to get it,” the Indian newspaper Hindu quotes FIDE Vice President D.V. Sundar.

News of the Indian bid coincided with reports of a terrorist attack in another major Indian city, Mumbai. A high terrorist alert was announced in India’s three biggest cities, including Chennai. On the one hand, it boosts Moscow’s chances to host the match, but on the other hand, prize money today matters more than security considerations. In the summer of 1998 the world Russian checkers championship took place at the Severny airport in the Chechen capital Grozny, not the safest place in terms of terrorist threats. The reason was that Shamil Basayev had ordered $45,000 to be paid in prize money. This was after Budyonnovsk and Basayev were already declared the most wanted terrorists, but it was also stressed that he was almost a professional checkers player and was advocating making checkers part of the school curriculum in Chechnya.

We should keep our fingers crossed that Tripoli does not bid to host the Anand-Gelfand match. Chennai can surely handle the match. So can Moscow. It looks as if for Russia today the number of prestigious sporting events it hosts is more important than supplying sick children with medicaments or housing veterans.

Source: http://indrus.in

India nominates Chennai to host the Anand - Gelfand match

India bids for the Anand - Gelfand 2012 match
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State Mme J. Jayalalithaa backing the proposal

As Chessdom already hinted earlier, India nominates Chennai to host the Anand - Gelfand World Championship match. This was announced yesterday afternoon in Chennai by the FIDE President and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State Mme J. Jayalalithaa.

Chennai is planning to invest 200 million rupees (approximately $ 4.5 million) in the match. It should be noted that by now FIDE has already received a bid from the Russian Chess Federation.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov also visited the Russian Cultural Center, where he gave the press conference which aroused great interest among the Indian mass media. It is remarkable that the eight-year-old Viswanathan Anand took his first chess lessons in this Center.

The World Chess Championship 2012 bidding procedure continues until July 31st.

The World Chess Championship 2010 between Anand and Topalov had an increase of interest by at least a full order of magnitude reaching to a large online audience (5 million unique visitors to official site, daily hundreds of articles plus main page appearance on Google news, main page appearance on Wikipedia, etc.), while official media partners covering the match scored fantastic results (ex: Chessdom.com received over 1,5 million unique visitors and 15M page views for the duration of the match). More details on the WCC 2010 media success here.

Chennai (known as Madras till 1996) is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the fourth most populous metropolitan area in India and it is also the world's 41st largest metropolitan area. Chennai is on the southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain. Its average elevation is around 6.7 m and its highest point is 60 m.

The Marina Beach runs for 12 km along the shoreline of the city. Chennai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate. The weather is hot and humid for most of the year.

Excited to play at home

Anand excited about playing in front of home crowd
Posted on 13th July 2011

Chennai, July 13 (IANS) Viswanathan Anand is obviously excited at the prospects of playing a World Championship title match in his home town here next year when he faces challenger Boris Gelfand, Grandmaster from Israel who is currently 12 in World rankings.

‘I have been looking to play the match in Chennai. It is nice that Chennai is hosting a World Championship match,’ said Grandmaster Anand Wednesday after Tamil Nadu government offered support for the 12-match series in April-May next year.

‘Obviously, it is an individual’s responsibility and once I start planning and training, I need to be focused to play Boris Gelfand,’ said Anand, who last played a World Championship match here in 1991 when he defeated Alexey Dreev 5-4 in a Candidates tournament quarter-final.

Anand, who beat Vaselin Topalov of Bulgaria in 2010 to claim the World title, said he would soon begin his preparations for the next year’s match.

‘Once the FIDE (World Chess Federation) announces the schedule and timing of matches, I will start planning. As I said, I am really thrilled to be playing in Chennai. I will have to work extremely hard. It is going to be tough,’ he said.

Earlier in the day, FIDE president Kirsan Illyumzhinov along with some Indian chess officials met Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who assured the delegation of Tamil Nadu government support in hosting the event that is estimated to cost Rs 20 Crores.

‘I express my grateful feelings to Madam Chief Minister for her decision to have the match in Chennai. I look forward eagerly to play here. It will be a fantastic experience. It is a very tough match,’ said Anand.

A FIDE press release said: ‘Her Excellency Jayalalithaa responded affirmatively and considered the offer (of hosting the title match) of the World Chess Federation as an excellent opportunity to put Chennai at the centre of world attention. She subsequently instructed her Chief Secretary to finalise the offer to FIDE and the AICF (All-India Chess Federation).

Source: http://www.inewsone.com

Chennai to host World Chess Championship title?

Chennai to host World Chess Championship title
Published: Wednesday, Jul 13, 2011, 14:38 IST
Place: Chennai | Agency: PTI

Holder Viswanathan Anand will clash with Boris Gelfand of Israel for the 2012 World Chess Championship title, which will be held in India for the first time.

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has accepted a proposal to conduct the event either in April or May next year during a meeting with World Chess Federation (FIDE) president Kirsan Illyumzhinov, in Chennai today.

This is the first time that India would be hosting the prestigious tournament, which would be held at a cost of around Rs20 crore, a state government release said.

During the meeting, Illyumzhinov mooted the proposal to conduct the games in Chennai to which the Jayalalithaa agreed, the release added.

India is ranked seventh in the world, and of the 24 grandmasters in the country, 24 are from Tamil Nadu.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

World Chess Championship 2012: Gelfand Reflects

Commentary by Chess Coach William Stewar (Excerpts cited from ChessBase.com)

Original article on the 2012 World Chess Championship available on William's website

Chessbase News recently released Part 3 of an interview with 2012 World Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand, reflecting on his recent success at the Candidates Tournament in Kazan and probing the challenger’s thoughts about the 2012 WC Match. Specifically, I found the concrete logic of his approach to the thought process in chess very interesting. He briefly explained some of the psychological factors in his preparation for the Finals match with Grischuk, as well as his positional approach to finding the powerful novelty in the 6th and decisive game - 13. b3!? I was surprised when he played this move, as it is extremely counter-intuitive due to the impending a4 advance by black.

Position after 13. b3!?

Interview with the Challenger

By ChessBase

You played 13.b3, provoking a4 for Black…

We were looking at this line some time ago, maybe in December. It’s a critical position. d5 was the most popular line so we came up with this b3 move against it, which looks pretty strange as it allows the a5-a4 idea. But then we noticed that the pawn on h3 limits the black bishop which is blocking the e pawn (which is blocking the rook). So if the bishop cannot move Black can never play e5, while if White manages to play e4 at some moment, White’s advantage would be serious. So I was happy to see this position appear in the game…

After a long think Grischuk played 16…Ra5. Were you aware of this move?

That’s a good question. During the game I had the illusion that we looked at it – that is what I told Grischuk immediately after the game. But then I spoke with Maxim Rodshtein, my second, and he couldn’t recall it, and later searched for it in my notes and couldn’t find any trace of it. Perhaps we analyzed such a move in a similar position. But for now I can tell you for sure that I didn’t analyze the exact position before the game.

So then you found Nh4 over the board…

I considered the position pretty equal, but then I found this Nh4 concept, which I’m proud of. Grischuk himself praised it – he was really shocked. Probably he could have played better, but he played natural moves.

I was following the game with Deep Junior and prior to 24.Qe2 the game looked complicated and double edged – there was also the idea of f5 for White…

Yes, a few moves later I saw 24.Qe2 immediately – but I thought that e4 is also strong, so I hesitated. I felt that after Qe2 Black’s position is busted. I was surprised by Grischuk’s Rb5 reply, because I was sure he would play f5, for which I was planning h5 with an attack. But I wasn’t sure how it will develop from there…

Challenging the World Title (Will's take)

Boris Gelfand is not afraid to take on Viswanathan Anand for the title of World Chess Champion. While many critics have declared preference for a younger, more energetic challenger (ex. Carlsen) - the pragmatic Gelfand is not phased. And deservedly so, as he skillfully overcame opponents in the candidates matches (Mamedyarov, Kamsky, Grischuk) to earn the right to challenge Anand. I find it very interesting that Gelfand is so publicly apathetic towards his home country Israel hosting the WC Match, as Anand has declared he would love to play the match in India. These two players are fairly similar in many aspects: their respective styles of play are pragmatic, intuitive, and aggressive while backed by concrete tactical preparation; their respective approaches to the game are prudent, calm, and objective. The deciding factor in the 2012 World Championship Match could very well be - a Battle of Nerves.

Concerning your upcoming World Championship match against Anand. Many believe Anand was very happy with the Kazan outcome. What do you think?

Probably true, because it was his only chance to be the younger player in the match… Generally, I think that the result is a good message for chess. Of course the public may disagree, preferring a younger challenger like Carlsen or Nakamura. But the result means that you could be in your forties and still play for the world championships title! So my qualification sends a positive message to the younger players: even if they fail to qualify, there is always hope and they should never give up their ambitions.

How do you assess your chances against Anand?

Vishy and I played a lot in the 90’s. I must say that in the first half I had a big advantage, while in the second half he prevailed. If my memory doesn’t fail me it is +1 for him out of the 34 classical games we played, which is by no means a big advantage. During the last decade we played no more than six or seven games, so to be able to play twelve games in one month against such a player will be very interesting… I think that my chances are decent. This opponent is of course extraordinarily strong, but I showed that I can play matches well against the strongest opponents.

Is there any news about the venue for the match?

No news yet. I had a few calls, some people took interest already. I don’t believe there will be dozens of bids, but there is more than a month ahead to submit them (bids need to be in end of July) and we shall see….

Is there a chance that the match will take place in Israel?

I hope so – I really don’t know the situation…

Would you prefer to play in Israel?

I’m not sure. I will certainly get more support here but on the other hand it would add to the pressure.

What are your plans for the time until the match begins?

In one year a lot of things can change in our field. I will play the Tal Memorial and hopefully another tournament. Also, I see this year as an opportunity to improve my chess. I plan to work intensively on my game. I always wanted to do it, and now it is certainly a very good opportunity to finally put the plan into action.

Excerpted from ChessBase.com Original article on the 2012 World Chess Championship available here.

Preparation and luck

Preparation and luck count, says Boris Gelfand
Chennai, July 11, 2011
By Arvind Aaron

“I haven't heard about any bid from India. The only one that is known to me is the bid from Moscow,” said Boris Gelfand, the twelfth ranked player in the world from Israel who qualified to challenge World champion Viswanathan Anand in April 2012.

“Good preparation, high quality chess and probably luck,” will be the decisive factors according to Gelfand which will decide the match. The World championship challenger spoke to The Hindu in an exclusive interview:

Congratulations on winning the Kazan Candidates and emerging as the Challenger Candidate for Anand in the World Championship. How do you rank your matches against Mamedyarov, Kamsky and Grischuk in terms of difficulty?

Thank you for the warm words. I think the match with Mamedyarov was the easiest one, relatively, of course, as I had half a year to prepare for it. Everything was decided in the third game which I won brilliantly in the sharp way. The match with Kamsky was the most difficult. I was close to be eliminated from the tournament. But luck was on my side, and in the fourth rapid game I managed to win. The final with Grischuk obviously was tough. I defended well and showed my best play in the last game.

You have emerged as the Challenger for the first time. Will your advantage over Anand be ‘more motivation' since he has already won it and you are more eager to become champion?

I think, in the World Championship match both players are highly motivated, so I cannot count on the advantage.

If there was only one bid from India for your match would you like to play in India? You have played many World Championship matches here. Your win against Kramnik and defeat to Karpov at Sanghinagar might still be in memory?

I have very good memories of my Candidate Matches played in Sanghinagar (near Hyderabad) in 94-95 and FIDE World Championship in Delhi in 2000. However, for the moment I haven't heard about any bid from India. The only one that is known to me is the bid from Moscow.

You have played in many places. Which are the top three chess venues?

Belgrade, Monaco and Khanty-Mansiysk

Many chess events are not happening anymore: like Linares, Mainz. How much of a concern is this for elite players like you?

Of course, it is not very pleasant news. But we hope that those tournaments will come back. However, we have new events, such as Bazna, Tal Memorial, Bilbao, Nanjing. So I think that the situation is not bad, especially compared to the previous decade. The chess life in the world is growing. Slowly, but surely.

You are 1968-born and Anand is 1969-born. Will it be more of a relaxed match between two 40+ men. How much different it may have been had you met in the thirties?

I don't believe it could be a relaxed match for the title of the World champion.

Anand's current rating of 2817 is his personal all-time high. Your rating is 15 Elo below your personal best at 2746 now. Do you attach any importance to these numbers?

I don't put a big significance to the numbers. I believe in good and quality chess.

You and Anand are gentlemen at and off the board and also without any controversies. Both are married. So which factor you believe might be decisive for this match?

Good preparation, high quality chess and probably luck.

How long did your celebration run for the Kazan result? Do more people in your former country Belarus celebrate as much as in Israel?

I think that chess public in Belarus is very happy with my success. I don't have much contacts with Belarus, but I'm sure that my fans are following and rooting for me.

With the computers playing at huge strength these days, cheating using electronic devices is also widely reported. Do you believe that metal detectors should be used before players enter the hall like they did during the Kasparov-Kramnik match at London (2000)?

I trust my colleagues, but I do believe that it is better to be on the safe side, so I support anti-cheating measures.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Which country will step up to the plate?

Who will host the chess match?
July 8, 2011
RIA Novosti

India could become Russia’s main competitor in the fight to host the 2012 World Chess Championship, says Berik Balgabaev, Director of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) in Russia.

The Indian chess player Vishwanathan Anand, the current world champion, and Boris Gelfand from Israel, winner of the qualifying tournament, are going to lock horns in a battle for the chess crown. Russia put in an official application to the FIDE to organise a match between Anand and Gelfand on 28 June.

The Board Chairman of the Russian Chess Federation, Ilya Levitov, announced that a sponsor, who wishes to remain anonymous, is willing to donate prize money in the region of $2 million for the Moscow match.

“As far as I know, the Indians are taking the application to host the match very seriously”, says Balgabaev. “It’s possible that some other country will also decide to make a bid to host the competition”.

He added that the applications from countries wishing to host the match “have to be made by the end of July”.

One of the most important criteria for the right to host the contest is the amount of prize money on offer.

Source: http://indrus.in

Chennai 2012?

WCC 2012 in Chennai, India?
Chennai is a possible venue for Anand - Gelfand

As the World Chess Championship 2012 bids deadline approaches, and with Russia bidding strong for the Anand - Gelfand match, the defending World Champion Viswanathan Anand voiced one more time his desire to have the event in India.

"I will be very happy to represent India before a home crowd in Chennai which is bidding to host the World Chess event. Though spectators play no role in cheering up the players but certainly their presence is required," Anand told reporters. "If Chennai hosts the World Chess, it will be a great boost to the sport across the country," he added for the Times Of India.

The bids deadline is July 31st and more interest, including from Boris Gelfand's home country Israel, is expected in the next days.

Happy to play the WC in India

Anand will be happy to play World Chess in India
PTI | 11:07 PM,Jul 07,2011

Nagpur, Jul 7 (PTI) World chess champion Vishwanathan Anand will be more than happy to play for the country in the World Chess Championship being planned in Chennai. "I will be very happy to represent India before a home crowd in Chennai which is bidding to host the World Chess event. Though spectators play no role in cheering up the players but certainly their presence is required," Anand told reporters here. "If Chennai hosts the World Chess, it will be a great boost to the sport across the country," he added. Among the top players in India, Anand felt that P Harikrishna was the most talented of the lot. To a question on cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, a soft spoken Anand, who was here to promote Chess, said there cannot be any comparison between cricket and chess and their respective popularity. Cricket is number one sport in the country and Sachin is doing good, he said. He interacted with students of a local educational institute as part of his campaign to promote Chess.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com

Who will win the World Championship match?
	V. Anand
	B. Gelfand

$2 million bid for Anand vs Gelfand

Russian billionaire sponsors $2m Vishy Anand v Boris Gelfand showdown
Leonard Barden
guardian.co.uk
Friday 1 July 2011 15.30 BST

A Russian billionaire has made a US $2m (£1.25m) bid to sponsor the 2012 Vishy Anand v Boris Gelfand world title series. Andrei Filatov, who made his fortune from transport infrastructure, wants to hold the 12-game match in Moscow. He is a chess fan and in his youth studied at the Belarus Sports Academy, where he befriended Gelfand, now an Israeli.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk

World Championship in Moscow?

World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow?
Moscow sent a bid for the Anand - Gelfand 2012 match (updated)

As Chessdom informed a few weeks ago, there are no official bids, but there is certainly interest in organizing the World Chess Championship 2012 after the large media success of the 2010 edition of the event. The match Anand - Gelfand is rumored to be wanted by India and several other countries, but the first one to make a move is Russia.

Moscow will send a bid for the World Chess Championship match 2012 between Anand and Gelfand. This news came via the Russian Chess Federation, cited by Moskovski Novosti, and the rumor quickly spred through the local media. The last world championships organized in Moscow were the 1985 match between Kasparov and Karpov, and the 2002 knockout World Championship won by Ponomariov.

The information about Moscow has been confirmed by Ilya Levitov according to the Russian media. Berik Balgabaev countered, "Yes, indeed there is interest from Moscow, but who has submitted a bid I will tell when I have the right to. For now I can only say that the information did not come initially from us and I cannot confirm it, but let me note that there is high interest from India and Israel also."

The deadline for the Anand - Gelfand bids is 31 July 2011, and the full details on the bidding procedure are here

Update: Ilya Levitov confirmed that the bid to host the World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow has been sent to FIDE. The offer is 2 million USD worth, matching the prize fund provided by the Bulgarian government for the match Anand-Topalov.

The newspaper "Kommersant" notes that the bid comes shortly after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev instructed the government and Russian Olympic Committee to continue on bringing the biggest sports event to the country. A small reminder that the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be held in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup will also take place in Russia.

According to Kommersant columnist Alexey Dospehov, the challenger Boris Gelfand welcomed the bid and added that Moscow "is probably the best option." On the question about possible bids from Israel, Gelfand said that there has been some interest but without concrete steps.

Several sources revealed that Andrey Filatov, co-owner of the "N-Trance" company and a devoted chess fan, is actually sponsoring the bid. Filatov is known for financing the restoration of Alexander Alekhine's monument in Paris.