My brother's been a chess freak all his life (he is actually down in Chennai right now as a spectator - and he's also a huge Spurs fan!) and as a consequence I'm fairly updated myself. Been following the last couple of games online and it was very exciting today! Carlsen did a great job playing black, but Anand managed to secure a draw in the end. Think Carlsen is getting more and more comfortable for each game and will soon win one. Maybe already tomorrow with white.
not something id watch but do enjoy a game from time to time - someone who i was travelling with last time i was away bought a hand made travel chess board somewhere and we'd often play sitting down on the beach - a great relaxing way to spend a few hours with a couple of beers... good times
im not very good tbf, don't play it enough to form any kind of strategy and would routinely get beaten but good fun all the same. the guy who's board it was was pretty good i think - there was a spot in Cartagena, Colombia where the old locals would plot up with a board each and passers by could challenge them to a game, interesting to watch and my mate run the guy he challenged very close
Would rather watch this tbh....[video=youtube;SWgg20IqibM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWgg20IqibM[/video]
That's the great thing about chess - wherever you can go you can always get a game. And meet the locals. (bit like football for most countries too, as long as you are not really rubbish)
What does your brother reckon of the atmosphere down there? (sounds like a crazy thing to ask about a chess match) I gather Kasparov is there too. Today's game was great. I was watching the video feed online and the chat on Chessbomb. Carlsen missed a few chances. Anand was under serious time pressure. Interesting end game too. Rest day tomorrow but looking forward to Carlsen with white next. It's hard to describe how six hours of chess with 30-odd moves each can be a gripping spectator sport --but it really is..
I just texted with him briefly and he said it was great down there! Obviously Indians everywhere, but also lots of Norwegians and other chess fans from around the world.
Kasparov is there and grabbing quite a lot of attention, even though he's not too welcome! Reportedly Anand's camp had requested Kasparov not to sit on the first row (although Anand himself dismissed this when quizzed about it during the press conference), so now he's not allowed in with the spectators and has to stay in the lobby area, or something along the lines of that haha..
As you say, it's truly a gripping spectator sport. And what's great for us in Norway, is that NRK, the Norwegian equivalent of the BBC, are broadcasting all 12 games live. And seeing as most people don't know too much about the sport (apart from the very basic rules etc), they are doing it in a really easy-to-understand sort of manner. They have a host, then a panel of two experts. One answering questions from Twitter and the other one analyzing and explaining what happens during the game, making it easy for the viewer to follow. But then they also have a celebrity guest each day who is somehow interested in chess, and two days ago it was none other than FA-cup winner and Spurs hero Erik Thorstvedt! He's always been a smart and funny guy, and apart from having quite insightful comments about the chess being played, he told a really funny anecdote from his Spurs days: When the team used to travel back from away matches it got so boring on the coach back, so to kill some time he always tried to get someone to play chess with him. Of course almost nobody wanted to play with him (he made a witty insinuation that footballers weren't the brightest bunch lol), except one man - Rocket Ronny Rosenthal! So they always used to play together, and he was so annoyed because Ronny was just a tad better than him, so they always had these really tight games, but with Erik ending up losing almost every time. Always funny to hear stories like that!
Anyway, regarding tomorrow: Like you say, Carlsen missed a few chances and is probably pretty determined to win a game now. Hopefully he can attack and find those special moves, withouth losing his patience. If he can get rid of the mistakes as well, he should beat Anand over the course of 12 games. What do you reckon?
Thanks, that was really interesting, nice story about Erik too. Shame the BBC doesn't broadcast chess in the UK. (Or that I don't speak Norwegian). Although I guess we did have Short getting spanked by Kasparov in the PCA breakaway in 1993.
I think it should be a good one tomorrow, although I'm sure Anand is determined to take it to a draw with black as quickly as possible. That's why I expect Carlsen to avoid some of the more commopn openings and lines, so he can keep away from Anand's preparation. I want Magnus to win --but I think Anand's experience might shade it ( and I had an insurance bet on him, to compensate for disappointment if Magnus loses.) So count me in as an adopted Norwegian until the end of the month. (I bet the atmosphere must pretty good in Norway right now). So kom igjen Magnus. Or whatever you say in Norway.