Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 8

This article in GQ (click on the picture above) tries to answer a question that many people, including my friends, have been asking: "Why are so many people watching chess?" There hasn't been so much excitement over a world chess championship since 1972. Forty years ago it was obvious why the match between the champion Boris Spassky and his challenger Bobby Fischer fascinated people. It was the middle of the Cold War, and Russians had dominated the world of chess for decades. This implied to many that Russians were more intelligent than Americans, or that living in a Communist system makes people superior to those brought up in capitalist decadence. Finally America had found a modern gladiator. Despite his eccentricities, which became even more apparent in the years following the championship, Bobby Fischer wasn't just playing chess, he was fighting to represent America, democracy and the free world. If he had lost the championship the propaganda repercussions would have been enormous. The world held its breath.

So what's going on this year? Why is this year's championship enthralling people? The GQ article fails to give an answer. Unless you happen to be Indian or Norwegian there's no reason to take sides for nationalistic reasons. There are no political undertones to the battle. The only reason GQ cites for Magnus Carlsen's appeal is his rugged good looks. That's the sort of reason to be expected from a magazine like GQ, but let's take it seriously for a moment. I don't consider myself a suitable judge of male beauty, but I have heard that women are attracted to Magnus because of his thick jaw, small eyes, small ears and thick eyebrows. His brooding look and a face that seldom smiles make him seem enigmatic. He's certainly younger than his opponent, barely out of his teens. Younger and trendier, to be more precise, but this is because his appearance has been taken over by the company G-Star which pays him to endorse their products. The trendiness only extends to his appearance, not his lifestyle. He has little in common with other young people his age. He's not a party-goer, he spends his spare time bowling or playing sports like basketball. When surrounded by beautiful young women he has a faraway glint in his eye, and it's obvious to everyone that he's thinking about chess. That's what makes him the world's best player and the odds-on favourite to win the 2013 Chess World Championship. He has a one-track mind and can't be distracted by the same temptations as lower mortals.

In today's game it was obvious that Magnus wasn't taking any risks. He played a slow opening, one untypical for his usual style of attacking play. It was as if he was telling the world champion, "All I want today is a draw. If you want anything more you have to fight for it". But Vishy didn't fight. I'm not saying he didn't want to. Magnus' defence was too perfect, there were no chinks in his armour. Magnus played passively, exchanging more and more pieces and making anything other than a draw an ever more distant possibility. After the last pieces were exchanged in moves 25 to 28 – instigated by Magnus, of course – the game was over. Vishy agreed to a draw after move 33. The match score after 8 games is 5–3. Does anyone seriously think that Vishy has any chance of retaining the world title?

Carlsen, Magnus – Anand, Viswanathan
FWCM 2013 Chennai (8) 19.11.2013

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6
4. O-O Nxe4
5. Re1 Nd6
6. Nxe5 Be7
7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O
9. d4 Bf6
10. Re1 Re8
11. c3 Rxe1
12. Qxe1 Ne8
13. Bf4 d5
14. Bd3 g6
15. Nd2 Ng7
16. Qe2 c6
17. Re1 Bf5
18. Bxf5 Nxf5
19. Nf3 Ng7
20. Be5 Ne6
21. Bxf6 Qxf6
22. Ne5 Re8
23. Ng4 Qd8
24. Qe5 Ng7

25. Qxe8+ Nxe8
26. Rxe8+ Qxe8
27. Nf6+ Kf8
28. Nxe8 Kxe8
29. f4 f5
30. Kf2 b5
31. b4 Kf7
32. h3 h6
33. h4 h5
½ – ½ 

Magnus Carlsen summed up the game in the press conference:

"He played the Berlin. I played the most solid line. Yada, yada, yada, let's go to the doping control".