Viswanthan Anand on Thursday revealed the names of his seconds, while Magnus Carlsen did not. This has started a debate on whether the Indian did the right thing.
The chess fraternity thinks it was a calculated move by Anand to keep the opposition camp on their toes and work overtime on his revelations.
“It was a deliberate move by Anand to name his seconds, which took the opposite camp off guard. They must be taken aback by the three new names mentioned by Anand,” said Manuel Aaron, India's first International Master. “They (Carlsen's team) would a worried lot, for they may not have prepared keeping in mind Anand's new seconds. They may not have any idea of some of Anand's n ew seconds, say Sandipan Chanda. They will be guessing what new inputs these new seconds will be offering,” added Aaron.
GM RB Ramesh too reckons it was a planned move by Anand to reveal the names of his seconds. “Anand never does anything in haste, so this is a planned move. He has named three new members in (Krishnan) Sasikiran, Sandipan and (Peter) Leko. But I believe Anand has more seconds too. The names revealed may be the main seconds. He will interact with his other seconds online or through video conferencing,” said Ramesh.
“Carlsen may not be shocked or disappointed or anything like that. All he will now need to do is spend extra time on the new seconds that Anand has revealed. With the match starting on Saturday, Carlsen may have to spend some precious time on the new seconds. It was a calculated move,” said Ramesh.
Of the new names revealed by Anand, many believe Sasikiran will add a lot of value to the team. “Sasi is a devoted person, a complete teamman. He will work extra hard for the benefit of Vishy. He is a strong player and his contribution will be valuable,” felt Aaron.
“For example, Carlsen often plays Ruy Lopez Breyer moves. Sasi could be used to counter it with new moves. Sasi is a valuable addition,” said Ramesh.
Many believe Chanda is in the mould of Surya Shekhar Ganguly, who was in Anand's team of seconds in the last three World Championship matches.
“Sandipan and Ganguly have played a lot together and have several similarities. Sandipan could have got the nod because he is in the Ganguly mould,” said Aaron. “Sandipan can think of offbeat moves and his innovations could come in handy,” opined Ramesh.
On Leko, Aaron and Ramesh believed he was a bit slow but good in defense and also had a flair for openings. Radoslaw Wojtaszek, the Polish No 1 is the only second remaining from last year's team. He has played an important part in Anand's three successful title wins.
“Radoslaw has been with Anand for many years. He has a good idea of match preparation. His experience and inputs will be handy,” said Aaron.
“Radoslaw knows Anand's style. His experience will certainly be an asset,” said Ramesh.