INDIA: CHESS - Newly crowned World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway says Indian Grandmaster and former champion Viswanathan Anand lost his title because he failed to cope with the pressure

Record ID: 1372182

  • Title: INDIA: CHESS - Newly crowned World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway says Indian Grandmaster and former champion Viswanathan Anand lost his title because he failed to cope with the pressure
  • Date: 25th November 2013
  • Summary: CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA (NOVEMBER 25, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) NEWLY CROWNED WORLD CHESS CHAMPION AND NUMBER ONE PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, SITTING WITH HIS TROPHY CARLSEN SEATED AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEWLY CROWNED WORLD CHESS CHAMPION AND NUMBER ONE PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, SAYING: "I think, I mean my impression is that even very strong chess players, both young and older, they make mistakes when they are put under pressure. That's what Anand did and that's what people have done in the past." CARLSEN STANDING AND POSING WITH HIS TROPHY (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEWLY CROWNED WORLD CHESS CHAMPION AND NUMBER ONE PLAYER, MAGNUS CARLSEN, SAYING: "Yeah, he obviously had a huge edge at the start of my career, he taught me a number of things, both in our games and also in analysis. But I think it's safe to say that I have surpassed him now and I hope that eventually I will gain an edge in our mutual matches." CARLSEN LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 10th December 2013 20:37
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: General,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVAC2D99IA9NIVJYA8KJOYW9URNU
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Newly crowned World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen said on Monday (November 25) that Indian Grandmaster and former champion Viswanathan Anand lost his title because he failed to cope with the pressure during their matches.
    Carlsen became the new world champion on Friday (November 22) as Game 10 of the chess championship ended in a draw in India's southern city of Chennai.
    Not yet 23, Carlsen led 6-3 before Friday's game and needed just a draw to become the first champion from the West since American Bobby Fischer's reign ended in 1975.
    Speaking to the media in Chennai, the Norwegian said that Anand, like any other player, succumbed to the pressure after game three and four of the 12-match series ended in draws.
    "I think, I mean my impression is that even very strong chess players, both young and older, they make mistakes when they are put under pressure. That's what Anand did and that's what people have done in the past," said Carlsen.
    A Grandmaster since he was 13, Carlsen has drawn unusually big crowds and non-stop television coverage in his native Norway. He played four draws early in the tournament, wearing down Anand who never recovered from blunders in the fifth game.
    Admitting that Anand had a big influence on the early stages of his career, Carlsen said that he has now surpassed the 43-year-old.
    "He obviously had a huge edge at the start of my career, he taught me number of things, both in our games and also in analysis. But I think it's safe to say that I have surpassed him now and I hope that eventually I will gain an edge in our mutual matches," added Carlsen.
    Dubbed the "Justin Bieber of chess", Carlsen's boyish good looks have earned him lucrative sponsorships, a modelling contract and coverage on tabloid front pages.
    Anand has won the title five times in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
    Carlsen, described by chess great Garry Kasparov as a once-in-a-generation talent, earlier achieved the highest rating in the history of the game, beating Kasparov's 1999 record.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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