In an interview a few months ago,Magnus Carlsen was asked how he fancied his chances in the World Championship match against Viswanathan Anand. The Norwegian had said that if everything went to plan,he was 100 per cent sure of winning. After winning the Sinquefield Cup in the USA,his last tournament before the big match,Carlsen would feel that he is approaching Novembers title bout close to peak form.
With the win on Sunday,Carlsens live rating went up to 2870,just two points off his,and the sports,all-time high mark of 2872. The 22-year old has won a staggering number of tournaments recently (12 of the last 18),remaining fairly untroubled (losing just 6 of 112 games since January 2012). Unlike Anand,who finished his playing engagements in June before isolating himself in preparation,Carlsen had opted to play on till now. While the decision may have been driven by sound sporting logic,it is difficult to believe there were no commercial considerations behind Carlsen playing in the USA.
But as has been the case so far with Carlsen,his performances over the board have been beyond reproach even as the marketing drive that has made him more than just a chess icon has gathered pace. Despite knowing that a draw in his last round against Aronian would hand him the Sinquefield Cup,Carlsen turned down the Azeris offer to split points halfway through the game and went on to grind out a win that came after five hours of play.
(Raakesh is a principal correspondent based in Delhi)
raakesh.natraj@expressindia.com
