Anand-Gelfand Match To Be Held in Chennai, India
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 4:44PM World champion Viswanathan Anand and his challenger, Boris Gelfand, are scheduled to play a 12-game match for the title next year. Now some details have been set: it will take place across April and May in Chennai, India, and the match budget (a figure which includes the prize fund but presumably more besides) will be 4.5 million dollars (200 million rupees).
Playing in his home country ought to be an advantage for Anand, but Gelfand can take some solace in memories of the Candidates in Sanghi Nagar in 1994. Anand blew a big lead against Gata Kamsky to lose a heart-breaking match, while Gelfand upset Vladimir Kramnik before losing to Anatoly Karpov in the Candidates' final.
Anyway, the important thing is that there was a successful bid, and it's nice that it's not in Elista or Siberia.
More info here, here and here.
HT: Daniel Parmet
Reader Comments (2)
At least technically, it seems that there is no decision yet. There is a competing bid from Moscow (and rumors about other bids, deadline is 31st July), and another Indian source (www.thehindu.com) went from "Anand-Gelfand to play in Chennai" to "World Championship likely in Chennai" to "Anand ... may get a chance to defend his World title at home".
I've lived in Chennai, and spent four years of high school there. While it is a great city, the weather during that time-frame is atrociously hot and sticky. The players will have to look for their physical training indoors. Long walks on the beach are no longer an option !
In that sense, Siberia in May might have been preferable :)