CHENNAI: A battle of the prodigies born in the same year. That’s how it stacks up when World No 1 Magnus Carlsen and challenger Sergei Karjakin face off in a 12-game match for the world crown in New York on Friday. The Norwegian will be eyeing a hat-trick of world titles, while Karjakin aims to fulfil his lifelong dream.
Having won the last two world titles, Carlsen will start as the odds-on favourite. Another point in favour of the 25-year-old is the 81-point rating gap between the two. He has also won three classical and one rapid titles this year, which underlines the form he is in. Added to that, he convincingly defeated the Russian in Bilbao in their last encounter before their big clash, which gives him a slight psychological edge. Another strength of Carlsen is his propensity to change openings, especially from the white side, which unsettles opponents and negates the opening advantage factor. But Carlsen will be tested by Karjakin, one of the best defenders in the world. For retaining his title, seizing the momentum in the early part of the match and dodging Karjakin’s preparation will be the key for Carlsen.
“It is difficult to assess his chances but I would say it is going to be a very interesting battle,’’ reflected India’s second best woman player Dronavalli Harika when queried about Karjakin’s chances.
“Carlsen will still be the favourite but Karjakin will have his chances... may be 35 to 40 per cent to cause an upset,” said India GM Sundararajan Kidambi.
But Carlsen’s dominance has become even more pronounced after his maiden world title in 2013. “Most players depend heavily on opening and new ideas. Magnus neither gets a huge advantage nor terrible positions out of the opening. His strength is middlegame and endgame. Even at the eleventh hour, he plays at the highest level,’’ pointed out Harika.
It has been a memorable year for Karjakin. The 26-year-old’s triumph in the Candidates in Moscow was his biggest accomplishment, earning him a shot at Carlsen. Remaining solid with black and putting pressure on Carlsen with white pieces will be crucial for Karjakin’s chances in the match. Karjakin has assembled a good team of seconds and if they can unravel a cracking novelty it will help the Russian. Karjakin’s strengths are his opening preparation, ability to grind opponents in dry positions and fighting spirit. Another pertinent point being he has no psychological fear of Carlsen despite having a minus score in their individual encounters.
“Initial rounds are crucial and Karjakin has to strike at the beginning of the match,” said the India No 2 when asked whether Karjakin can put pressure on Carlsen with the white pieces. “He might keep some pressure in a few games but it is not easy to break Carlsen.”
Kidambi too made an interesting observation: “Karjakin could put pressure as white although colour might not be significant as his only victory against Carlsen came with black pieces.”
New York being the venue should bring in more media attention and create interest in chess. The last time the Big Apple hosted such an event was the 1995 World Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand.
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