The World Chess Federation’s rating list, or the FIDE rating list as it is usually called, is a prime indicator of the strength of a chess player in world championship matches. The higher ranked the player, the better chance he or she has of emerging triumphant in the contest. In the widely publicised match of the 20th century, Fischer was way ahead of Spassky in rating points, and naturally, he triumphed. But this circumstance is not forever accurate. Though rare on occasions, I can recall the eventful world championship match between Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, London, 2000. In that instance, Kasparov was the higher ranked player and world champion, and Kramnik was the pathetic underdog. But surprisingly, Kramnik defeated Kasparov and became the new world champion. So a victory in world championships can go either way, but the favourite remains the player with the higher FIDE rank.
Norwegian grandmaster, 22 year-old Magnus Carlsen is FIDE’s highest ranked chess player on the planet. He stands majestically at an incredible 2,870 rating points, 95 more than Viswanathan Anand, who is ranked seventh in the world, and who is the current world champion. Carlsen has been winning tournament after tournament ahead of Anand, no doubt an uncomplicated embarrassment for the world champion. Now Carlsen is playing Anand, 43, for the world championship title. The two are contesting a 12-game match which began yesterday.
A number of chess grandmasters have aired their views on the match, either for Carlsen, or alternatively, for Anand. Anand’s support has
