Anad shows his cards, Carlsen refuses

Anand revealed his team of seconds with Peter Leko the new name in it. 

Carlsen responded: “I appreciate Mr. Anand’s openness about his team. Alas! I am not going to return the favour,” Carlsen said.

link : http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/anand-shows-his-cards-carlsen-refuses/article5325783.ece?homepage=true

So game has already begun. Very interesting first move by Anand.

Anand looks a lot slimmer and sharper than before. It's always a good thing to lose some weight.

We don't know anything about what Carlsen's been cooking this long. He might have some big surprises for us. I cannot wait for the match to start .

I hope he plays the Bird Wing if Carlson surprizes us with 1.f4 and Anand replies 1...c5 ^_^

lol lets pray that they start with 1.h4 h5

Anand resign all games before they start...that seems to be the only way Carlsen can win :p  

It's a bit late now for Carlsen to use the information anyway.

Why did these title matches become team vs. team anyways?  Whatever happened to one on one?  Prepare your own openings and make your own moves. 

How would you enforce one on one?

It certainly is one on one when they play and its impossible to make an opponent play the variation you want them to anyway. So opening preparation is a minor part of the whole picture.

That's like moaning at a football team for having a coach. Why can't the players decide on the tactics themselves?

What a truly pathetic analogy.  Football is designed to be a team game.  In that instance, with 11 people on a side at all times, a coach is necessary.  Chess is a one on one board game.  At best, I'd take your analogy and say that the one player IS the coach, and the pieces are the players on the football field.  

You are so right Irinasdaddy, people in individual sports don't have coaches. Ivan landl, coach Dan Heisman, sparring partnersin boxing and MMA, etc are nothing but illusions :P

Coaches?  Yes.  We're not talking about coaches here, though.  We're talking about people designing moves for these two to make, so they don't have to think for themselves.  Essentially, all they have to do is memorize, instead of think and plan for themselves.  

It's been that way for a long time.  For decades, seconds have helped the player prepare for the match, and, in the days when games were adjourned, the seconds did the overnight analysis so that the player could get some rest. 

Re-read my post above. Chess isnt about memorizing its about understanding. Memorizing doesn't do a player any good if their plan is to spring an opening surprise and the opponent doesn't play into that variation. Someone like Carlsen plays so many openings and has such a broad positional horizon that there will be NO memorization involved in preparing for him. It will come down to pin pointing his weaknesses (everybody has em) and trying to guide the games into position where its favorable toAnand and

What is a team in chess?

and seconds are not about opening preperations only... they also work as sparring partners and researchers. Peter Leko is known as excellent positional player and Anand is expecting positional battle against Carlsen.

Or favorable to Carlsen. I think this match will be less about opening prep than it will be about targeting weakness of each others styles. I think we'll see some strategic wizardry.

I say Carlsen is going for sharp, tactical play and he has Kasparov on his team.