The chess-playing world may consider it somewhat unfortunate that World Champion Viswanathan Anand is not meeting 22-year-old prodigy Magnus Carlsen in his title defence which comes off in Moscow over the next three weeks. As the Candidates series would have it, Anand will be battling with a different challenger, Israeli GM Boris Gelfand, who, while clearly a worthy opponent, could hardly produce the kind of excitement that the young charismatic Norwegian, the highest rated chess player in the world, would have generated. Indeed, Carlsen's meteoric rise to the super GM ranks was such that his destiny as the next world title challenger seemed a foregone conclusion to most chess savvy observers. A Grandmaster at 13, he became, six years later, the youngest chess player to be ranked number one in the world, achieving a peak rating of 2835, highest in the game's history after Kasparov.
However, in November 2010, at 19, the Norwegian star created a "minor earthquake" in the chess world when he withdrew from the Candidates matches, strongly criticising the world governing body for its many changes to the qualifying cycle.
In a letter to FIDE, he said the ongoing 2008 - 2012 series did not represent a system "sufficiently modern and fair" to provide the motivation he needed to "go through a lengthy process of preparation and matches and to perform at my best." Carlsen's shock withdrawal and his apparently justified reasons for doing so should be serious enough for FIDE to reconsider and implement the kind of changes that would make the cycle acceptable to all major contenders. Still, the impending match between the world champion and the Israeli GM is not without its major interest. Although a public pre-match poll establishes the champion as an odds-on favourite to retain his title, some knowledgeable observers recall the fate of Kasparov in 2000 and Alekhine in 1935, runaway favourites who lost their crown to veritable underdogs. In any case, by how much is Gelfand an underdog? Can a super GM who emerges victorious from the gruelling candidates cycle be considered as such? A comparison of their head-to-head encounters since 1994 may appear to give Anand a decided edge, having scored five wins, drew 23 and lost none. However, some prospective spectators point with concern to all those draws between the two. Of their 15 classical games since 1997, only one produced a decisive result!
Also, with both players well past their 40th birthday, age can hardly be considered a decisive factor in this ultimate match. What then can account for Anan's strong favourite status? According to some keen observers, "it is presumably Anan's huge experience of big-time events and his rating, which has been consistently well ahead of Gelfand's for decades which make him the odds-on favourite." At 42, the Indian genius, one of the oldest world champions in history, still stands tall in the chess world. The passage of time since his first title in 2000 has failed to diminish "his unquenchable spirit and unbreakable will." Against Kramnik in 2000 and Topalov in 2011 commentators say he played "at a level that was inconceivable among his peers." Known as the "gentleman champion" Anand has wowed friends, foes and critics alike. Optimistic members of his camp remind us that the boy from Chennai has achieved "everything that is possible to achieve" - the absolute world championship, the FIDE World KO title, two classical world titles and phenomenal success in rapid chess. The World Champion's influence at home has been no less impressive. His heroic exploits over the chessboard have turned this ancient Indian game into a mass sport in India.
However, GM Surya Ganguly, Anand's second in his four-member team, feels it would be foolish to underestimate the Israeli challenger. In his first shot at the championship, he says, Gelfand would be highly motivated to prove a point. A great positional player with a deep knowledge of the game, Gelfand has been among the world's leading GMs over the last ten years, qualifying several times for the Candidates. On the way to the challenger's position, Gelfand won the World Cup with victories over Judit Polgar, World Junior Champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Dmitry Jakovenko, Sergey Karjakin and, finally, former FIDE Word Champion Ruslan Ponomariov. In the ensuing Candidates tournament, he demonstrated his toughness by overcoming Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Gata Kamsky and, in the final, Alexander Grischuk. "This match for the chess crown is the absolute highlight of my career," says the Israeli challenger. "I have studied the games of my opponent thoroughly and hope to have done everything necessary for the struggle." The way to beat Anand, he says, "is perfect preparation, good form and a willingness to fight. And some luck in order to get the right kind of opening on the board." This match may turn out to be an epic one after all.
