Fide sources confirmed Anand's withdrawal from the prestigious event but stressed the Indian had earlier in March sent his contract papers signed duly. ``Probably an afterthought forced him to withdraw from the Fide event,'' they felt.

Though the Fide championship and the Ultimate event (slated for October) do not clash and Anand had not specified any reason for his decision, Fide sources said Anand's withdrawal could be on account of some clause in the contract letter from the world's governing body which barred any participant in the Knockout championship from playing in any other World Championship.

The prize fund for both the events is the same: $ three million each but Anand is assuredof $ one million is the Kasparov match (even if he loses) while he has to go through to the winner's slot to take the same amount in the Fide event. Also, the Fide event winner has to play more games to get the same purse.

The million dollar question is: What really prompted Anand to jump into the Kasparov Gambit? Could it be money? Could it be fame? Could it be revenge? Whatever the reason, the general feeling is that Anand's move has been a hasty one.

If Anand wants to defeat the best player of the century (Garry Kasparov) and thus prove to the world that he is the ultimate champion, then he should have proved himself in the Fide championships first. ``In the case of Kasparov and Karpov, they had both won official world championships and so they have nothing more to gain,'' observes Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay. ``But Anand, in my opinion, should have waited till he won the Fide title before embarking on such grand themes,'' he added.

If Anand felt that it was time for a `revenge match' with Kasparovafter the New York tragedy in the PCA match in 1995, then chess experts would quickly point towards the Indian's disastrous results in 1999 (he even finished last in an event which has not happened for a number of years) and argue that it would be a mismatch as the World No 1 is currently playing at his best form.

Despite all these, the match could be different and exciting as Anand himself proclaimed. One cannot compare tournament results with matches. Russian coach Alexandre Lyssenko, who left Kozhikode on Monday, felt Anand had fifty per cent chances in the match now against Kasparov as the Indian was more experienced than he was four years ago.

Pravin Thipsay hits the nail on the head when he says: ``The point is Garry Kasparov is good at creating the best atmosphere for himself. If he is arranging the match, he will see to it that he hogs all the limelight and he gets the best of conditions, like he did in New York.'' Anand was not all that happy with Garry's behaviour during the course of the NewYork match.

Despite this, if Anand has decided to take on Kasparov in preference to the official match, then the rationale behind the move could be: If he wins, he gets more matches like these. But this is better than struggling in the whirlpool of the two-game knockouts of the Fide championship where early failure could jolt his reputation. So is the Kasparov Gambit a safe option or a risky move?