News Report of the Chess Match of Anand Aganist Carlsen

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“I’ve learnt from Anand but I think I showed him in a way that although he has taught me many things in the past, now it’s probably my turn to teach him.”

These were Magnus Carlsen’s exact words after defeating Vishwanathan Anand in the FIDE World Chess Championship Match that was recently held in Chennai. The final scoreline read Carlsen-6.5 : Anand-3.5. Carlsen won 3 games and 7 games were drawn. Anand couldn’t muster a single victory.

But these statistics do not in any way capture the true persona of the legend that is Vishwanathan Anand. “I am very sad that Anand lost today. He is my Favourite,” says 13 year old Nikhil, a budding chess player who has come to Chennai to watch the World Chess Championship Match between Vishwanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.
Most of the Chess enthusiasts across the country share a similar sentiment. Anand has won 4 World Championships, he’s been the numero Uno etc… He has won everything that the sport has to offer.
But his greatest achievement has been that he’s single-handedly made Chess popular as a sport in a nation of over 100 billion cricket crazy citizens.
“Vishy (Vishwanathan Anand) has already influenced an entire generation of Chess players. He’s probably the best sportsperson that India has produced after Sachin Tendulkar,” says Tania Sachdev, an International Master who was commentating during the match.
India has had a rich tradition of not excelling at individual sports. Exceptions to this have been very rare. Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes become known names in the tennis circuit, but couldn’t reach the coveted top position. So was the case with shuttlers Pullela Gopichand and Prakash Padukone. Athletes like Milkha Singh , P T Usha and Paan Singh Tomar won so...

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...rnament (FIDE 1768)
The state of Braille Chess in India is good, but Indian players are yet to find their feet on the global circuit. Tournaments and initiatives like these go a long way in the growth of the sport.
This example amply puts light on Anand’s contribution to Chess in India. It also highlights that sports other than Cricket do have a future in India.
Also, this is the first time that a chess match was telecasted live. This was received openly with the High TRPs being a indicator.
“Even people who are not Chess players are watching the match now. We now have hope that we can take the game to the masses,” said Grandmaster (GM) R B Ramesh on being asked how beneficial this match would be to the game of Chess.
VIshwanathan Anand is just a week away from turning 44, Carlsen on the other hand is half his age and is already the Highest rated player ever.

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