‘Professor’ Gelfand wins right to challenge Anand

Gelfand’s balding,bespectacled appearance and methodical approach has earned him the nickname,“The Professor”. Igor Bitensky,an Israeli master who was known him for many years,says,“He doesn’t drive the car,his wife does. Boris says his mind may be somewhere else,so it’s not a good idea to drive the car.”

At the board,Gelfand wears his emotions on his sleeve. If he feels that his opponent has played a rash move,his eyebrows shoot up,like a teacher who has seen his pupil get an answer wrong. Gelfand is a diehard Barcelona fan,and was at Wembley as his side beat Manchester United to win the Champions League title on Saturday.

Gelfand is 42,a year older than Anand. Chess journalist Macauley Peterson says,“It is rare for a world championship challenger to be older than the champion.” In the history of the sport,only once before has a first-time challenger been older than the reigning champion.

At a press conference in Kazan,Gelfand joked,“Anand’s dream has come true; in the World Championship match he’ll be younger than the challenger. He’d been dreaming about that and had already lost all hope,but now his dream’s come true.”

Bitensky says Gelfand has a top class work ethic. “He knows what exactly to do,what he should eat in the morning,which kind of sport he should play in the evening,which people he should talk to,which people he should invite to his team,he is very,very professional.”

Gelfand and Anand first played against each other in 1989,and next year’s title fight is unlikely to witness the “aggro” of last year’s Anand-Topalov face-off. “We are also good friends,having played in events since our junior days,” says Anand. Asked about his preparation,Anand said,“I think it’s still early days but I will be starting work on the match in a few months.”

Emotions on his sleeve. If he feels that his opponent has played a rash move,his eyebrows shoot up,like a teacher who has seen his pupil get an answer wrong. Gelfand is a diehard Barcelona fan,and was at Wembley as his side beat Manchester United to win the Champions League title on Saturday.

Gelfand is 42,a year older than Anand. Chess journalist Macauley Peterson says,“It is rare for a world championship challenger to be older than the champion.” In the history of the sport,only once before has a first-time challenger been older than the reigning champion. At a press conference in Kazan,Gelfand joked,“Anand’s dream has come true; in the World Championship match he’ll be younger than the challenger. He’d been dreaming about that and had already lost all hope,but now his dream’s come true.”

Bitensky says Gelfand has a top class work ethic. “He knows what exactly to do,what he should eat in the morning,which kind of sport he should play in the evening,which people he should talk to,which people he should invite to his team,he is very,very professional.”

Gelfand and Anand first played against each other in 1989,and next year’s title fight is unlikely to witness the “aggro” of last year’s Anand-Topalov face-off. “We are also good friends,having played in events since our junior days,” says Anand. “I think it’s still early days but I will be starting work on the match in a few months.”