..I had no idea there was a Chess World Championship going on.. BBC Sport does not seem to have any section dedicated to the coverage of chess, at least no section that is easily detectable on its pages, despite the fact than an Englishman, Nigel Short, was a leading player of the game not too long ago.. An Indian has won a 'World Championship', an individual to whom such success is not a flash in the pan - he has been a world-leader in this game for many years now and has won several Chess 'oscars' and has been- and is the World Number 1.. he had been unbeaten throughout this championship and that too in a tough field.. And I had no clue all this had happened!!
Is it because the World Championship in Chess has always remained a subject of ridicule, with all and sundry organising a 'World Championship' and calling someone the World Champion? Maybe, or rather must be, for I cannot think of any reason other than that for the World Champinship of this lovely game to have received such a lukewarm reception. But at least, as far as I have read, there seems to an air of the genuine about this championship with most top players including Kramnik and Leko participating. And that is something!
Will FIDE ensure that there is order in the organisation of the game and its World Championships and also ensure that these tournaments get more publicity than they do, in the interest of people like me who follow the game casually, but with a lot of interest!
And congratulations, Vishy Anand!
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2 comments:
Aswin, It's a shame that I too did not know world championship was happening..only when I heard about Anand's comment about his expectations for a recognition from the govt, did I come to know. The reason perhaps was media did not think it would woo viewership. It does not cause the kind of sensation a Sanjay Dutt or Abishek Aiswarya's wedding causes.
thats true, chess has not been a flashy sport and has received undeservedly low attention. the feeling is it does get boring to just watch (even professionals) play. so the need for rapid chess, blind chess, computer player- though different variations of the game, i see it as an effort to increase the number of viewers.
the real thrill or appreciation of the brilliance of the players comes when you keep the moves ourselves on a chessmat at home using the scoresheet from the actual game. It also improves one's own game. and importantly it will satisfy us in making us feel like we watched the game.
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