Magnus Carlsen of Norway became the new World Chess Champion after defeating the previous champion Viswanathan Anand of India by 6,5-3,5 in the match that was held from 7th November 2013 in Chennai, India.
The last 10th game (out of 12 possible) finished in a draw, with which Carlsen accumulated the necessary 6,5 points to claim the title.
The 10th game started with the Sicilian defence. Anand attempted a sharper line with black, possibly Naidorf, but Carlsen stirred the play into quiet waters with an early trade of the light-squared bishops.
In the relatively stable pawn structure the players maneuvered the pieces until a careless queen move (28…Qg5) by Anand permitted a cute combination that would net a pawn for white. Carlsen continued correctly (29.e5), but then released the tension too quickly when 30. Nc3 would have piled the pressure. Anand was allowed to win the pawn back.
Expecting a draw offer, the press room was getting ready to meet the players. However, the fight continued beyond the first time control. In a knight + pawns endgame, new queens appeared on the board, one for each player, but the equilibrium was not ruined. Draw signed on move 65.
Carlsen went into the tournament as the firm favourite, but was cautious about his chances of winning.
When it looked as if he was nearing victory, he told reporters: "This was a very difficult game. There was a fear of being mated all the time".
The young Norwegian stands out amongst chess players, not only for his game but for his persona.
"Magnus rocketed to the top of the rating list almost without pause, displaying a consistency and tenacity rare in a young player to accompany his limitless talent," Kasparov wrote in the Business Insider earlier this month. Carlsen has dominated the World Chess Federation's list of top players in the last three years, with a top rating of 2,870 points that broke Kasparov's best of 2,851 points achieved in 1999.
"Magnus is a very different player and his approach is refreshingly new," American chess grandmaster and former Olympic champion Susan Polgar said, with his aggressive tactics on show throughout the bouts with Anand.
Introduced to chess by his father, Carlsen showed off his genius as a toddler.
At the age of two, the self-taught prodigy knew by heart all the car brands and later memorised the long list of all Norway's municipalities, with their flags and administrative centres.
Sibling rivalry with one of his older sisters sparked his interest in chess, which soon led to his first competition at the age of eight.
The breakthrough came in 2004, when the 13-year-old defeated Russian former world champion Anatoly Karpov, forced Kasparov to a draw and became a grandmaster.
The dishevelled and serious looking teenager was once described by the Washington Post as the "Mozart of chess".
A fashion model in his spare time, Carlsen made it to the Time magazine list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. He also won the Chess Oscars, awarded by Russian chess magazine '64' to the world's best player, for four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012.
Carlsen admits two weaknesses: not being a good winner or a good loser.
"You cannot be a number one in the world and be a good loser," he told reporters in Oslo last month. "I'm not a good winner either. I try not to rub it in to my opponents. Unless they deserve it, of course."
Despite his overwhelming dominance over the last few years, Carlsen warned rivals his best was yet to come.
"I still have so many ways to improve," he said. "In every tournament, in almost every game, I find that I make mistakes."
Magnus Carlsen got the needed half point to become World Chess Championship 2013.
Photo: Erlend Aas/NTB Scanpix, chessdom.com, ndtv.com
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