KOLKATA: Having sealed his place in the Grand Finale of the Grand Chess Tour already, Magnus Carlsen stamped his authority over Viswanathan Anand yet again on Monday, with a victory in the blitz section of the meet. He had put it across the Indian in rapid a day earlier.
The win with black put the Norwegian firmly on top of the overall standings as well as the seventh and final leg of the Tour, after which the top four will qualify for the Finale. Other than Carlsen, Ding Liren of China and Armenia’s Levon Aronian are well placed to make the cut.
Anand is in contention for the final qualifying spot, for which he has to finish sixth or higher in this leg. At the end of Monday’s play, he was tied fifth. The last set of blitz games take place on Tuesday.
Anand had a bad day, winning just two of nine games. There were five draws and another defeat, against Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi. Indian wild cards Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi are eight and 10th, respectively, in the 10-man field.
Grand venue for GMs
For a tournament featuring the cream of world chess, the venue had to be special. The organisers ensured this by choosing the National Library. Established in 1836 and spread over 30 acres, this heritage site has charmed players and spectators with its colonial structures amid the greenery. Officials said this place got the nod considering its history and surroundings.
Mobiles constant irritant
It wasn’t all quiet in the place where it mattered though. Inside the playing hall which is an auditorium, mobile phones rang often during the first few games. Chief arbiter R Anantharam made repeated announcements that the players were unhappy, but somebody or the other kept forgetting that the phones had to be on silent mode. The organisers resorted to confiscating phones, which were returned later.
Crowd-pulling innovation
Empty seats in a hall that can seat around 500 could have been an embarrassment for the hosts. Daily tickets were priced at Rs 250 and all-day tickets Rs 1000. There were not many takers. So a tournament for local enthusiasts was organised in the cafeteria situated in the same building. About 200 who took part were given free entry to watch Carlsen & Co in action. On Sunday, the hall was full. Even on Monday, there were about 300 in attendance.
Ring of bouncers
Carlsen is obviously the biggest draw. When Anand and other players walked into the venue, they had one, two or no bodyguards around them. The world champ had about six, who formed a human cordon to keep fans away when he arrived. From the point they get off the car, the entrance of the playing area is about 20 metres. Even on that small stretch, there were many waiting for a piece of the world champion. The sight of muscle-men in dark suits quickly dissuaded them.