I was elated with the news that there is a new world chess champion. I have followed the history and news about chess since I was in high school. I still get a bit sad when I think about the books I lost during the floods of the 1990s and Ondoy. These include my collection of the Sahovski Informator (Chess Informant), which I bought at the old National Bookstore branch at Crossing during my high school days.
Before then, I already had possession of a few chess books that my cousin Edgar, who's related to Asia's first Grand Master Eugene Torre had given me as he encouraged me to understand chess to be a "good enough" player of the game. These books were also lost including one which was a favorite read for me because the writing was really good and it related a lot about the old masters of chess including Morphy, Fine, Steinitz, Nimzowitch, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine and Botvinnik. It also featured games of up and coming players of the time in Tal and Smyslov, who along with Petrosian, Korchnoi and Spassky later represented the dominance of the former Soviet Union in chess.
Their games are still memorable and instructive considering they established the foundations/theories of the game that are now well explored. There is also a kind of romanticism that I associate with those game considering there were no computers and systematic trainings or preparations for matches in those times. I would like to think that the games then were more spontaneous and the players more creative and took more risks than the current crop of super Grand Masters.
Anyhow, congratulations to the new World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen (ELO 2870) who defeated Viswanathan Anand (ELO 2775). Carlsen is the highest rated player ever, using the system developed by Arpad Elo. Anand was the highest rated player years ago and played with the likes of Gary Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and others who were among the first to be tagged as super GMs. At their peak, they were the best players in the world and dominated the highest category tournaments. Though already regarded as a prodigy and a very strong player, Carlsen wasn't as consistent at that time but eventually the very young player (he's only 23 now) found the consistency and developed into the best player in the world. Well done indeed and may you be an enduring champion of your generation of chess players!
Anyhow, congratulations to the new World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen (ELO 2870) who defeated Viswanathan Anand (ELO 2775). Carlsen is the highest rated player ever, using the system developed by Arpad Elo. Anand was the highest rated player years ago and played with the likes of Gary Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and others who were among the first to be tagged as super GMs. At their peak, they were the best players in the world and dominated the highest category tournaments. Though already regarded as a prodigy and a very strong player, Carlsen wasn't as consistent at that time but eventually the very young player (he's only 23 now) found the consistency and developed into the best player in the world. Well done indeed and may you be an enduring champion of your generation of chess players!
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