World Chess Championship: Magnus Carlsen to defend title against familiar foe

“My
biggest
advantage
in
this
match
is
that
I
play
better
chess,”
the
Norwegian
told
New
in
Chess
magazine.

But
the
world
champion
knows
of
course
that
the
number
five
ranked
chess
player
in
the
world
can
definitely
pose
a
threat
to
his
throne.

Carlsen
and
Nepomniachtchi
regularly
payed
against
each
other
as
youngsters,
matches
the
Russian
won
on
several
occasions.
The
two
even
trained
together
once
in
2012.
In
recent
years,
Carlsen
frequently
stuggled
against
the
31-year-old
grandmaster
from
Moscow.

So
“Nepo,”
Carlsen’s
latest
challenger,
has
a
decent
chance
to
dethrone
the
current
king
of
chess,
who
has
reigned
as
champion
since
2013.

Who
is
Ian
Nepomniachtchi?

“Nepomniachtchi
has
a
strength
that
almost
everyone
else
doesn’t
have:
speed,”
Rustam
Kasimjanov,
one
of
the
most
experienced
coaches
at
the
world
chess
championship,
told
DW.

The
Russian
grandmaster
makes
many
good
moves
in
less
than
a
minute,
according
to
Kasimjanov,
who
coached
2018
World
Chess
Championship
finalist
Fabiano
Caruana.

“Then
Carlsen
won’t
get
a
rest,
and
that
makes
everything
more
complicated.”

The
quick-thinking
Nepomniachtchi
has
been
a
fixture
in
top
chess
for
many
years,
but
for
a
long
time
it
appeared
as
if
he
would
never
make
his
way
to
the
top.
His
performances
were
to
inconsistent,
convincing
victories
repeatedly
followed
by
clear
defeats.

Those
who
play
quickly
tend
to
make
mistakes.
One
thing
has
always
been
clear:
when
Ian
Nepomniachtchi
sits
at
the
board,
things
get
interesting
—
and
dangerous
for
his
opponents.

That
was
also
the
case
at
the
2020-21
Candidates
Tournament.
With
a
lot
of
offensive
drive,
he
prevailed
against
the
runner-up
Caruana,
who
was
actually
considered
to
be
a
better
player,
setting
up
his
matchup
against
Carlsen.

Whose
approach
will
prevail?

Counter
to
Nepomniachtchi’s
playing
style,
the
World
Chess
Championship
match
against
Carlsen
will
call
for
patience.
Starting
Friday,
the
two
will
play
each
other
14
times.

Supported
by
teams
of
trainers
and
chess
computers,
the
two
adversaries
will
probably
first
size
each
other
up
in
round
by
round
—
draws
are
the
norm
in
a
World
Chess
Championship.
Nevertheless,
Carlsen
has
set
his
sights
high
for
the
first
games.
The
Norwegian
champion,
who
is
used
to
success,
expects
Nepomniachtchi
to
first
have
to
adjust
to
the
unfamiliar
situation.

“As
the
reigning
world
champion,
I
have
a
good
chance
of
scoring
right
at
the
start,”
Carlsen
said
on
a
recent
podcast
by
his
sponsor.

Overall,
the
World
Champion
seems
to
be
quite
relaxed
going
into
the
World
Championship
match.
Carlsen
has
continued
to
play
online
blitz
chess
regularly
in
recent
weeks
and
even
found
time
to
visit
Norway’s
soccer
star
Erling
Haaland
in
Dortmund.

At
halftime
when
all
was
well????????

pic.twitter.com/kB6RxaApQB

—
Magnus
Carlsen
(@MagnusCarlsen)

November
3,
2021

Carlsen
profiting
from
chess
boom

Magnus
Carlsen
has
also
established
a
good
position
for
himself
off
the
chessboard.

Over
the
course
of
the
coronavirus
pandemic
the
last
two
years,
he
has
used
the
shift
of
chess
to
the
Internet
to
tap
new
sources
of
income
for
himself
and
his
sport.
With
a
now
listed
company,
he
regularly
organizes
online
tournaments
for
the
world
class.
Meanwhile,
he
has
purchased
several
Internet
portals
and
a
chess
publishing
house.

The
fact
that
there
is
now
more
money
to
be
made
in
the
chess
business
is
also
reflected
in
the
prize
fund
at
the
World
Championship.
At
€2
million
($2.3
million),
the
money
at
stake
in
Dubai
is
twice
as
much
as
three
years
ago.
For
Ullrich
Krause,
the
president
of
the
German
Chess
Federation
and
a
self-confessed
Carlsen
fan,
this
is
a
positive
development.

“We
chess
players
can
only
be
grateful
that
we
have
a
world
champion
who
presents
and
sells
himself
so
well,”
Krause
told
DW.

He
also
sees
no
problem
with
the
lucrative
desert
host
Dubai,
which
has
come
under
fire
because
of
the
human
rights
situation
in
the
Gulf.

“It
would
be
nicer
to
host
the
World
Championship
in
another
place,
but
as
long
as
the
playing
conditions
are
okay,
I
have
no
reservations.”

Krause
tips
Carlsen
to
retain
his
crown
in
Dubai.
“Nepomniachtchi
is
not
so
consistent,”
he
said.
“It
distinguishes
Carlsen
that
he
is
particularly
strong
in
these
tense
situations.”

Source:

DW