The Chess Improver: How to watch the Anand-Carlsen World Chess Championship to improve your own game

For The Chess Improver, I wrote “How to watch the Anand-Carlsen World Chess Championship to improve your own game”.

I have a couple of things to add to that post, based on new information that just came my way.

There is a lot of sport-oriented trash-talking out there before the match begins, for example Garry Kasparov rooting for young Magnus Carlsen. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to avoid as I focus on the chess itself.

I have no real attachment to either “old” (43-year-old) Anand winning or 22-year-old Carlsen winning. I deeply admire both players, and I hope that high-quality chess gets played.

That said, since Anand is my age, of course part of me wants to see him do well, given the rampant ageism in our culture that is obvious not only in chess, but in many other areas of life.

Do not write off Anand yet: remember this brilliant game of his not long ago against Aronian.