Carlsen favourite,but Anand has prepared harder than ever: Kasparov

Anand was one of my top rivals for what I could call the second half of my chess career if I break it into Karpov and post-Karpov eras. As the great Anatoly finally slowed,Anand was one of the leaders of the new generation to challenge me at top events like Linares,along with Ivanchuk and Kramnik,to name but two others. Anand would not wait long before challenging me in a world championship match,in 1995. And everyone realized that despite that loss to me in New York he would be a powerful force for many years to come although I doubt even Vishy imagined then it would be quite so long! Young tigers do not think decades ahead. When I retired in 2005,I reminded Anand that now he was the old man of the circuit,fighting off the kids like Carlsen who were born in the same decade Vishy and I faced off high atop the World Trade Center.

What sets Carlsen apart

Many gifted youngsters play impressive games; it was Carlsens will to win that set him apart. And though I was not exactly looking for a job as a coach when we worked together for a year in 2009,how could I resist?

I am no bearded Dumbledore,but it was impossible not to see Magnus as a type of Harry Potter,a super-talent destined to become one the greatest and to leave a deep mark (a lightning bolt?) on our ancient game. Carlsen enters the match as the obvious favorite despite his inexperience simply based on how superior his chess performance of the past few years has been to that of Anand,who has declined from his peak in every observable way. Nor can history be ignored. Carlsen is exactly half Anands age and the new generation is rarely turned back.

On the WC match

Carlsen is the favorite because results and objective quality must matter,but it will not be easy and it is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which he loses the match. Anand has deep experience at every level and that carries with it practical preparation advantages as well as psychological preparedness. According to Anand,he has been working very hard for this match,harder than ever in his life.

And while the world champion has never given much attention to matters of chess history or his legacy,he must know that his entire career will gain an extraordinary new dimension should he defeat the Norwegian wunderkind against the odds. Plus,Anand is playing at home,and while this can create negative pressure it is also a very powerful motivational force. It is much harder to end a training session when you know the eyes of a billion Indians will be on you! And with deep preparation there is always the chance of a powerful surprise or two,and in such a short match (just 12 games),an early shock could tip the match.