From Donald Duff in New York
In sport, being the favourite does not necessarily translate into being the winner.
The same, one might argue, holds true for politics as the recent US Presidential elections results have shown. So, for the challenger Serjey Karjakan of Russia, who will today take on defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, for the World Chess Championship crown, and a first prize of US$1.1M, being the underdog does not rule out a victory.
Just ask Donald Trump.
Karjakan will take on Carlsen in one of the most intriguing World Chess Championship matches, starting today in New York, in a 12-match series for FIDE’s World Championship crown.
Sponsored by Agon, the organisers have promised a number of initiatives for the one billion fans expected to follow the games.
For starters, the organisers have promised that the match will be broadcast in virtual reality, and that persons with smartphones, tablets or computers will be able to enjoy panoramic views of the players.
There will also be live commentary, and top female player Judith Polgar, will be one of the commentators.
In welcoming the match to his city, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared,”I and all New Yorkers welcome the World Chess Championship back to New York. What better place to be than the city where parks are often populated by chess enthusiasts.”
Today’s match will be held at the Fulton Market building, South Street Seaport, Manhattan.
When Stabroek Sports visited the venue on Wednesday, workers were busy putting last minute finishing touches to the venue in preparation for today’s first game.
There have been two previous World Championships which generated a great deal of publicity. The first was the `Cold War’ battle between American genius Bobby Fischer, and Russian Boris Spassky, and the second being the first match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, which was stopped by then FIDE President Florencio Campamones after a record 48 games.
Today’s match is significant, not only because of the similarities between champion and challenger but because of a host of new technological advances.
Carlsen 25, and Karjakan 26, were both child prodigies who acquired Grandmaster status quite early in their careers. Karjakan created chess history by becoming the youngest Grandmaster ever, reaching that milestone at the tender age of 12 years and seven months. Carlsen, is the third youngest, achieving the title at 13 years, five months. Not to be outdone though, Carlsen has the highest ever rating by a player, 2882, although his current rating is 2853, whilst Karjakan’s is 2772.
Karjakan does not boast an impressive career despite winning the qualification tournament which earned him the right to face Carlsen.
His returns in International chess include wins at the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championships, and the 2015 World Cup tournament. Born on January 12th, 1990, in Simferopol, a city on the Crimean Peninsula, Serjey learnt the game at the age of five.
Magnus Carlsen, born November 30th, 1990, was just 19 years old, when he became the world’s number one, and in 2013, defeated Kranmik to earn the right to play Vishwanathan Anand for the world title.
The match was won by Carlsen, who retained the crown in their rematch in 2014, setting the stage for this title defence. Karjakan won the Candidates Tournament in March, an eight player round robin contest held in Moscow.
The result was not decided until the last round, when Karjakan defeated runner-up Fabiano Caruana.
Carlsen’s record of five wins with only one loss to Karjakan, along with 15 drawn encounters, makes him the firm favourite to retain the title, unless Karjakan has another (Trump) in the hole.
