World Champion Viswanathan Anand will start his title defence from Black pieces against “Mozart of Chess” challenger Magnus Carlsen at Chennai this Saturday. The 2.55 million USD match will begin at a five star hotel in a specially erected sound-proof glass cubicle (Nov 8-28) which will insulate the warriors from outside disturbance.

As Romeo asks in William Shakespeare’s famous drama —u00a0“what’s in a name? Rose will smell as sweet as rose whatever you call it.” Magnus Carlsen, who specialises in winning from White as well Black, will surely ask, “what’s in a colour? A win will be win whether achieved from White or Black”. However Anand’s camp would have preferred to start the match with Anand playing White purely for psychological reasons.

The colour hardly makes much difference; albeit psychologically. They anyway have to play six games with White and six with Black pieces. However, at this highest level, White gives a one a chance to play with some pressure.u00a0Most of the top Grandmasters prefer to play with White pieces because they have a slight pull right from the beginning.u00a0