And he’s
needed it. The match was played in his home town of Chennai and by the end of
it, Anand was well beaten. He needed a break to clear his mind, to spend time
with his son (Akhil) who was bawling in the background, to tell himself how
much he truly loves the game.
In an
interview with Firstpost, Anand opened up about what went wrong in the world
championship match, his future plans and the man who beat him. Excerpts:
Magnus
Carlsen has, at various points, mentioned that once he sits down on the chess
board he doesn’t believe that anyone could beat him. He carried that same
confidence into the World Championship match too. What were your thoughts at
the start of the match? Did you feel invincible too?
I thought
that if I had a good start, I would be able to play well. I thought that if I
had a good start, I could force him out of his comfort zones. I was under no
illusions that I would have to raise my game – but that’s exactly what I had
worked so hard for. I knew I had a chance. I knew my recent shape had not been
very good. But I was hoping that I had managed to turn all that around.
A match like
this is always tough. In the sense, it almost feels like you are locked in a
cage at times. At what point did you think it was over for you?
Well, it was
staggered. The first few games were probably okay. I thought I held my own. The
fifth game (his endgame errors cost game five) loss hit me really hard. It was
precisely the thing that I had worked so hard on; the areas that I had sought
to improve in my preparation and I was unable to execute. In that sense, I
failed. The 9th game blunder didn’t change things very much – I didn’t see a
win, it would have been a draw. The 10th game was really nothing.
So what is
it about Carlsen? Did any aspect of his game surprise you?
He surprised
me by changing so little. I know how he plays. But I expected him to come out
and try something different. But he stuck to his guns – it was brave. It was
also unexpected for me. Usually for a World Championship match, people work on
something different… maybe something to surprise the opponent. Carlsen just
stayed the same.
You have
said that you couldn’t figure out Carlsen’s style. What does that mean?
I thought I
could get a grip on him. I thought that I could force him to make mistakes. I
thought that if I stayed with him in the early going, I would be able to match
him. But his style makes it difficult. In a sense, he is an all rounder. He can
do everything well and he makes mistakes – but they aren’t big enough to take
advantage of. He is also unconventional – there are times when he will play
something and take it back on the next move… to the same place.
Did it feel
like you were playing a computer?
His approach
resembles… I hesitate to say… computer. Put him in front of one and he’d lose
easily. But he is very confident of his calculating ability – so in that sense…
yes, probably like a human computer – if that makes sense.
One of the
things that were mentioned before the start of the match was that Anand was the
openings specialist and Carlsen took over in the middle and end game. Do you
think you did enough with that advantage?
I think what
is not understood about Carlsen is that he is not bad at openings. He is not a
specialist but a generalist. He can play a lot of opening and he can play them
at a fairly high level. His aim is to get a solid position and you can’t do
that at the top level if you are bad with openings. This thing about openings
is an exaggeration.
So if
Carlsen were to play Kasparov – you have played them both – who wins?
One thing
that is clear about Carlsen is that he is one of a kind. I am not a big
believer in comparisons. I would say both are very good, very strong.
But these
are the kind of kind of comparisons that chess buffs all over the world make
all the time. It probably just adds to the fun…
Well,
Carlsen is a more an all around player. His strengths are harder to determine.
Kasaparov was a specialist. He thought hard about his game and had very
specific strengths. So if anything, I would give Carlsen the edge there. Being
an all rounder is not easy – you are backing yourself to keep up the level
throughout the game but somehow Carlsen has managed it.
In interviews
to the Norwegian press, Carlsen has criticised your approach, saying that you
blamed tournament losses to preparation for the world championships. He has
also said that he will never do that. Your thoughts?
I guess you
have to put up with some snide remarks when you have lost. But honestly, what
can I say…
You have
spoken about wanting to play in the Candidates next year. Does this loss change
anything? Will your method change? Will you change?
I think the
recent trend is away from openings. In a sense, computers have killed the
opening phase. There is only so much that you can do. So if anything can be
done, it is to rebalance the game. That can only happen by concentrating on the
middle and end game.
For now
though, I have taken a break from chess. Then I got to London for a tournament.
Then I take another break – a long break. That’s when I will give it some
serious thought – what I want to do and how I want to do it.
Do you think
about your legacy? Is it about time to start thinking about it?
Well, there
are times when you wonder what you have done for the sport. I am happy at the
kind of response that the match got in India and I feel I played some part in
it. I would like to believe that India understands chess and with NIIT Mind
Champions academy, I hope to help more players in the country. A legacy though
is not just about what I think.
Finally, how
are you going to wind down?
Probably
with a game of Blitz – maybe on the internet, maybe just at home. Blitz would
be fun. For the moment, I just want to enjoy chess without thinking of results;
without thinking really.
Kolkata, Dec 22 A month after losing the chess world
chess championship crown to Norwegian talent Magnus
Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand Sunday said he he still retained the hunger for
a comeback, but conceded age was catching up with him.
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