What the heck, if nobody is posting anyway, one has to go out and try new topics for discussion, right?
The good old times when the eyes of the world were fixed on far-off Reykjavik to see if the American Fischer could beat the Soviet Spassky are well and truly over, I guess, have been for a long time, but it's still surprising how few attention this match seems to be getting, except perhaps in India and Norway. There is every reason for this match to get more attention than any world championship since that one in Iceland, but somehow that really doesn't seem to be the case.
For those not in the know, Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who has been among the best players in the world for several decades now, and world champion for six years, is defending his title against 22-year old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, #1 in the world rankings and already owner of the record for the all-time highest ranking. And fashion model in his spare time, because whoever said that chess prodigies can't be good-looking?
Just twelve games, and if necessary a tiebreaker at the end. One point for a win, half a point for a draw. (A somewhat more extensive summary of the match and the reasons why it's a big deal can be found <a href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/82537/fide-world-chess-championship-get-psyched">here</a>
. Before today's game, the ninth, Carlsen was leading two wins to zero (the other six games being draws), so with only four games left to catch up, Anand had little choice but to go all-out. And boy, <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1737896">did he ever</a>. (Or if you prefer to watch the video, you'll find that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa12XYa1Ols">here</a>, but it's kind of, er, long).
Any other amateur chess fans here? I'm a long way from being a real fan (and a still worse player), and in fact wasn't even aware of these World Championships until after they had started, but there have been some fascinating games, and today's was one of the most spectacular games I've ever seen on the grandmaster level - which also means spectacular (and short) enough that even amateurs can appreciate the beauty of it.
