Carlsen is in India

So Magnus Carlsen is in India to reccess. Interesting read:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/chess/Months-before-title-clash-with-Anand-Carlsen-recces-enemy-turf/articleshow/21911628.cms

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/magnus-carlsens-first-move-checkmate-illness/1157025/

Interesting

Insertion of sickness clause is interesting too. I wonder, if the same was demanded in the past by the World Championship contenders when the format exceeded the 12 matches. 

Never tao. It has never been demanded before. 

Sadly some ppl are still living in third world mentality where they believe that in this part of world, even 7- star hotels may not provide decent living conditions and where food, even from these big hotels is virus infested and

of course they need to discuss with chief minister on what are the recreational options available. 

Funny.

Enemy turf... talk about sensationalism. 

I can't believe he's risking his health by going to India. Against his human rights.

@king_nothing1

and to think about weather conditions. I suppose the matches would be held under the sun 

The myth about food and water has been spread by foreign tourists who stay in cheap hotels and eat spicy food. If someone is not used to spicy food he can have some problems but it has nothing to do with water.

The question about recreational prospects could be answered by the Manager of the hotel where he is staying right now. 

I think it will be a smashing event in Chennai, as do most Norwegian chess players, whether we enjoy a hot or a cold climate :-) I think Carlsen is thinking about the fact that this is a final. This is no time to be a tourist and discover "the real India". In any other sport, top Norwegian athletes virtually always bring their own chef. We are a bit weird, maybe, but a final is no time to try out new food, for instance. 

Anand IS playing on "home turf" (its surprising that there are no clear, transparent process - the next final should be awarded after a bidding round early, and maybe the host country should have one free ticket to the Candidates match even), in any other sport this would have been viewed as a massive advantage. Of course it is in chess as well. 

Most importantly to me, we have a World Championship final without an Eastern European player for the first time since Capablanca vs Lasker in 1921 (Gelfand is born in Minsk). All credit to the Eastern European countries for producing such a magnificent line of players, but I think it's good for the world of chess to see players like Caruana, Adams, Nakamura and that young Chinese kid getting headlines and creating more interest all over the world. 

I look forward to a cracking match, I think Carlsen will go all out to grab an early, decisive lead - thinking that Anand has looked vulnerable lately. But the World Champion has all the experience there is; I will not be surprised if he fends off the challenge, actually.

Carlsen will be in St. Louis, MO in a few weeks for a match with Aronian, Kamsky, and Nakamura. I am hoping to drive down there to see it in person for 1 day--but it is a 5 hour drive. It may be many years before an event like that is held relatively near me.

If I was in India for the championship I would definitely do whatever I had to to see part of it.

Prepared for a different Anand: Magnus Carlsen

Considering a blip in Anand's performance of late, do you think he is the real world champion?

He is a great player and the world champion. Yes, it has given me confidence having been successful in our last meetings. But there will be a different Anand here (for the World Championship match).

You are 23, Anand is 43. How significant is the age difference in this battle for the World title?

I hope to have more energy and will try to keep my concentration. But Anand has great experience in matches like these. He is one of the best players of all time. He will be quite eager to show his best form in Chennai.

In hindsight, how do you look at your decision of pulling out from an earlier World Championship cycle?

I don't know (how to look at it now). What I do know is that I was not motivated to play then for various reasons. This time I was quite motivated to play the qualification and also motivated for the match.

What are your feelings about the match against Anand: a job to be done, enjoyment, excitement...?

To play well in a match is my main motivation. I'm looking forward to the match. And it's going to be a great match.

Kramnik recently said Anand fears you...

Kramnik has a serious reputation of being a loose cannon. So I won't read too much into his assertion of Anand.

What do you think of Fide's zero-tolerance policy and a player losing the game immediately if he arrives late for the game?

In general, it's perhaps more appropriate to impose fines rather than making a player forfeit the game.

More here :- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/chess/Prepared-for-a-different-Anand-Magnus-Carlsen/articleshow/21923435.cms

Magnus said: "Kramnik has a serious reputation of being a loose cannon. So I won't read too much into his assertion of Anand."

Hahaha. I guess Magnus is a little pissed over Kramniks comments after the candidates tournament when Kramnik said he didn't think Carlsen was any better than himself or Aronian. I don't remember the exact phrasing but something like that. I think Kramnik wasn't happy with Carlsen getting the 1st place finish on tiebreak rules. But everyone knew all the rules in advance.

That is just too funny so Anand and Carlsen will be playing this year wow and there is so many people here on this forum that think Carlsen will do so well I know allot of you are thinking that.

I actually hope Anand brings his all against this kid and holds on strong many are probably already thinking it should not be all that hard for Carlsen to win.

I am already putting my odds in Anands hands it really will not be an easy win at all for Carlsen which many have underestimated in the past.

BubX, I am not putting my money on Carlse either. Not that Anand is a clear winner but to me Anand is good in preperations and it is easier to perpare for one person than to whole bunch of players as it happens in tournaments.

I am eagerly awaiting the match. I am looking for the possibilities to attend the match, let see.

"Magnus Carlsen of Norway, the 23-year-old world No. 1"

"You are 23, Anand is 43. How significant is the age difference in this battle for the World title?"

He will still be 22 years old when the match finishes :-)

Carlsen is probably slightly irritated with all the comments Kramnik has made over the last years about him, the latest being that Carlsen is no better than Kramnik himself and that his lead on the rating list has nothing to do with chess. But there have been many other similar comments over the last couple of years:

“in my opinion, his hegemony in the chess world is overestimated. I believe that both Aronian and I can match his skills”

“in the chess sense I don’t see why he should be a lot stronger, if at all”

 “I believe that his rating advantage over everyone else is non-chess based”

“The rating which Magnus acquired when he was on a good run didn’t, it seems to me, reflect the true state of affairs among the elite. At the given moment there are five roughly equal players – Anand, Aronian, Carlsen, Kramnik and Topalov”

“The situation where Carlsen got so far ahead of the others was, in my view, unnatural”

“he’s no stronger than Anand or me”

“for now Magnus is my ‘client’”

“he selects his tournaments cleverly, and in those tournaments he really does play at 2825. If, let’s say, you take a double round-robin tournament with the top 6 in the rating list, then I’m not convinced he’ll be able to hold onto such a rating. It’s a question of his style of play – he’s very good at cleaning up against the tail-enders”

“in terms of the ability to get a clean sweep against those who are weaker than him he’s of course better”

The last time Kramnik was ahead of Carlsen on the rating list was more than five years ago, but since then Kramnik has kept repeating things like the above also at many other occasions. This is probably why Carlsen refers to him as "a loose cannon".

To be fair, you should also quote Kramnik comment at the end of London Classic last year : 

That time it was enough to be clear first and actually the tournament was more or less of the same strength. This time unfortunately it's only enough to be clear second but of course. It seems that the only chance to win this tournament was to win the direct encounter against [Carlsen] and I was close but he defended very well. But I was really happy with my play; I was playing really well, better than last year. My form was close to optimal. I don't think I can play much better than I did here. If I get a little bit more luck I will get some chances to win the Candidates Tournament and actually I am now number two in the world and also exactly twenty years in the top 10.

It's a good way to celebrate that I am number two in January, you can almost say number one because Magnus is not here, he is in the space. Between humans I'm the best probably! 

In Spassky-Fischer, a player could demand an interuption for being sick (two days)

Kramnik does say nice things about Carlsen now and then too, but the thing that has been repeated most over the last years is probably that Carlsen gains his points against weaker players while Kramnik himself does better against the stronger players. While the opposite is true if you look at the statistics, Kramnik keeps saying this in interview after interview, probably because he tries to pump up his self confidence that way. According to Kramnik Carlsen picks weaker events and gains Elo points that way, but it's hard to find any support for these "factual" statements.

Of course, back in 2007-08 Kramnik kept repeating that Anand was a typical tournament player, that he always was lucky and did best against the weaker players, that he never even had winning chances against the top players etc etc. This is just how Kramnik talks about the players that are better than him at the moment. He says nice things now and then, but suddenly these outbursts come when he is quite negative about them, which is why I guess Carlsen says that he has a reputation as a loose cannon.

Rumor says Anand has been sited in Norway

Damn, I cannot wait until November.