Carlsen happy with World Chess Championship Arrangements in India, but adds 'Illness Clause' in Contract

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

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Carlsen being greeted on reaching Chennai, India on Sunday. Photo: www.chessdom.com.

The Indian media has reported that the World No. 1 Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has okayed the arrangements that have been made for the World Chess Championship 2013 in Chennai, India. Carlsen takes on World Champion Viswanathan Anand for the world title from November 6-26. Carlsen is being accompanied by manager Espen Agdestein and father Henrik Carlsen to India for the inspection trip.

"I am happy with the arrangements and look forward to playing against Anand. I respect him a lot," Carlsen said.

Carlsen said his November 7-28 contest against Anand will be very interesting and that it would be one of the finest matches in the history of chess. He also said he was confident of snatching the World title from Anand.

In reference to the World Championship 2010 match in which Anand beat Veselin Topalov, Carlsen said he had not had any major role to play in that match. However, Carlsen said, he worked with Anand during 2007-2008 in his World Championship matches.

Carlsen did not reply to questions relating to Garry Kasparov, the role of Peter Heine Nielsen, one of Anand's major seconds all along, who quit early this year and helped Carlsen prepare for the London Candidates. Carlsen also refused to comment on the "illness clause" in his contract for the World Chess Championship match.

Carlsen also played a simul against 20 young talented players in the 6-17 age-group at the MOP Vaishnav College, Nungambakkam. Carlsen spent around two and a half hours in the simul winning 10 games and drawing six. Carlsen also lost to four youngsters. 


The 10-year-old FM L N Ram Aravind, multiple National Champion R Vaishali, National Under 13 Champion N R Visakh and Commonwealth Bronze medallist G Jaswant forced the World Championship Challenger to resign. Carlsen was all praise for the children.

Also, Magnus Carlsen has inserted an "illness clause" in his contract to play a world championship match in India due to fears of falling sick, an official told AFP on Monday.

"There is a clause by which a player can take a two-day break if he falls ill," All-India Chess Federation secretary V Hariharan told AFP in the southern Indian venue of Chennai.

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