UPDATED: Norway’s World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen will meet Viswanathan Anand in Sochi this November, in the battle to retain his title. Meanwhile, Carlsen took his first victory of the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger on Sunday, but could not back it up with more wins during the week.
The international chess federation FIDE announced at a press conference on Wednesday the championship match would be held in Sochi, ending speculation over whether a Norwegian city could host the event. It will start on November 7 and run for three weeks, reported Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). It is the first time the Olympic city of Sochi will host the event, with a budget of about USD 3 million.
Meanwhile at the tournament in Stavanger, Carlsen had only managed draws in the first week of play before his breakthrough against Armenia’s Levon Aronian on Sunday. On Monday he and Russia’s Sergej Karjakin called it a draw after 38 moves in less than two hours of play
“It was okay to have a short party, really,” 23-year-old Carlsen told TV2 after Monday’s match. “The form is a little better now. I got a proper sleep overnight, so then I’m hoping that the three last rounds will be more of a pleasure than it has been so far.”
On Tuesday Carlsen could not capitalize on his early advantage against Russian Alexander Grischuk, who played a good defensive game. They called it a draw when just two kings and a bishop remained on the board.
An unbeaten Carlsen remained in equal first with four points going into the rest day on Wednesday. The tournament was due to resume on Thursday, with the final round to be played on Friday.
newsinenglish.no staff
