Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand must be a very happy man after a satisfactory draw with the disadvantageous Black pieces. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen was visibly overawed by the big occasion and played timidly in their first encounter of the World Chess Championship match at Chennai. Magnus who is famous for grinding his opponents in long battles had to scurry for a short draw in one and half hours’ play.

Anand superior
Though Carlsen has not disclosed his team of trainers yet, they all must be a worried lot after World Champion Anand easily pushed the challenger on defensive from the Black pieces. At the press conference Magnus tried to laugh the embarrassment off by saying that he had such discomforting draws with White pieces even in Candidate matches from where he won the ticket to Chennai.

But clearly, he also felt that the day belonged to the Indian!u00a0The magnitude of the occasion must be playing on the world’s highest ranked player’s mind as he took his seat much before World Champion Anand appeared in the glass cubicle. Magnus was visibly nervous and fidgety in his chair.

India's Viswanathan Anand and Norway's Magnus Carlsen compete in Chennai on Saturday. Pic/AFP