CHENNAI: Viswanathan Anand has requested for a special curtain to separate the audience and the stage to avoid visual contact and distractions 

during his upcoming World Chess Championship match against Veselin Topalov in April. 

Though the move seems simple and harmless, it has unveiled Team Anand’s cautious approach to the match in Sofia, Bulgaria. Anand’s wife and manager, Aruna, visited the venue earlier this week and inspected the arrangements. 

Interestingly, Anand’s move is a throwback to the 1978 controversy during the WCC match between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Baguio City, the Philippines. Korchnoi had alleged that Karpov had engaged a parapsychologist, Dr Zukhar, to sit in the audience and distract him. 

This is the first time that Anand has requested any such arrangements. 

In all World championship matches, the teams get to see the arrangements two or three times before the actual game. This was Team Anand’s first visit; though only the manager was present, she must have got a clear idea of what was already in place and what improvements she expected from the hosts.