Magnus Carlsen’s first move: checkmate illness

Defending champion Anand and Carlsen signed the contract last week and it is learnt that it was this specific issue that had drawn the process out. “The illness clause means if a player falls sick during the match,he can take two days off,” said V Hariharan,honorary secretary of the All India Chess Federation (AICF). “We tried convincing Carlsen (of the excellence of the facilities and preparatory arrangements),but he was insistent. There was nothing we could do.”

Magnus Carlsen crushes Viswanathan Anand in Tal Memorial

In fact,even on this trip of two days,Carlsen’s three-person entourage includes a Norwegian chef,along with his manager Simen Agdestein and father Henrik.

Carlsen has been vocal about his disapproval of the world body FIDE’s decision to grant Chennai the title bout without going through a bidding process,which is de rigueur. Apart from his unfamiliarity with the place — Carlsen has never visited India before — the Norwegian has voiced his concern over the food here,especially the possibility of him falling sick.

“Carlsen likes Indian cuisine just as much as traditional Norwegian food,but we are concerned about foreign bacteria. We have to be careful and we have to make sure he doesn’t risk getting sick,” his manager Agdestein had told The Wall Street Journal earlier.

It is not the first time that a contender has made his participation contingent on the organisers fulfilling his demands. During the famed Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky bout of 1972,the American demanded the players receive a bigger share of the TV and box office receipts than had been agreed upon,and later even turned up late,forcing a two-day postponement of the event.

However,Carlsen’s demands for the final (in which he is considered the favourite) are seen,at least within the chess community,as being reasonable if extra-cautious.

“I need to get acquainted with local atmosphere — smells,sounds,people — so that I won’t have a culture shock when I arrive to play the match,” Carlsen told nrk.no,a Norwegian website ahead of his departure to India.

However,the first day of the two-day trip saw Carlsen spend most of his time indoors. Early on Sunday,Carlsen checked in at the Hyatt Regency,which is also the venue for the final. Officials of the AICF took Carlsen out for a drive around Chennai on Sunday evening but there was nothing scheduled for the rest of the day.

Carlsen will take on 20 players aged between seven and 17 in a simultaneous display on Monday. He is also slated to meet the press later before departing on Tuesday. Aruna,Anand’s wife and manager,said that the champion would not meet Carlsen in Chennai as he had already begun training for the final.