Carlsen wanted to draw some line in the sand by beating Gukesh in Norway Chess: Anand
Stavanger (Norway) (PTI): World no.1 Magnus Carlsen's fiery reaction after losing to D Gukesh in Norway Chess here was probably because he saw his authority in the game being challenged by someone so young, feels five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who also indicated that FIDE could discuss the incident "very soon".
Frustrated by the loss to Gukesh in Round 6 of Norway Chess, Carlsen slammed his fist on the table sending the pieces flying all over before shouting "Oh my God" and leaving the playing arena in a hurry, as millions of followers across the world watched the spectacle – some bewildered, some bemused.
Anand, who is known for his calm demeanour and gentlemanly style, said the 34-year-Norwegian desperately wanted to win against the Indian world champion and "draw some line in the sand".
"But it (beating Gukesh) mattered a lot to him. Even if all the other games he's kind of going through emotions (here)… But in this game (against Gukesh), I think something he wanted to establish. He wanted to draw some line in the sand and tell all these kids 'hang on a few years', whatever. But this meant a lot. I think a 2-0 (win against Gukesh) here, he would have been very, very happy,” Anand told PTI on the sidelines of Norway Chess on Wednesday.
The fact that he lost from a winning position perhaps exacerbated the frustration, opined Anand, who is international chess federation's (FIDE) deputy president and is here for broadcasting commitments as well.
"Against any opponent on earth, he would have hated losing such a good position. I mean to miss that the knight comes back. I felt exactly the same way when I blew my game against Magnus three years ago in 2022 in Norway," added Anand.
Anand averred that several factors could have been responsible for the meltdown.
"Certainly, the game meant a lot to him and he came close and he slipped, but it could also be fatigue. It could be this new time control (in Norway Chess). Here we have this thing where we have Classical chess and then we have a sudden-death Armageddon tie-break (after every game in the event of a draw)…" he said.
The chess legend added that he had seen "enough anger" on the table during his playing career to call it an aberration.
"Yes, (I've seen) enough anger. All this has been around for a while, people screaming and cursing. I think it was in Delhi (2000 World Championship), where after his game with (Estonia's) Jaan Ehlvest, (Vassily) Ivanchuk threw a chair across. So, the only difference is the camera, not the incident.
"And, the other thing I would say is that this (game between Gukesh and Carlsen) was very intense. I mean, maybe Magnus isn't that excited about classical chess, but he's certainly taken on Gukesh (in the format)," Anand said.
"Or if not Gukesh personally… the person who is now the world champion… showing that he (Carlsen) can fight youngsters. I mean, a lot of stuff (was) probably going on in his head, and it came out. So, those two games (against Gukesh), he took very, very intensely and seriously. And that's kind of partially what brought it (frustration) on."
Anand said such incidents are not so common but once in a while they do trickle in and are mostly precipitated by a player losing from a position of strength.
"I mean, it's not that common… Well, you kind of see fragments every day. There was somebody who could barely bear to look at (the chessboard), because he blundered, mostly angry with himself… you're so suicidal, briefly… that you spoiled something that you had done so well."
Anand hinted that the issue will be discussed by FIDE, when asked if soft warnings might be necessary in the future for such actions.
"Laws means definitions. It gets tricky. I guess it will come up (in FIDE discussions), I think. But, you know, on the other hand, if you take someone like (American GM) Hikaru (Nakamura), he says, 'let's have more of it' (Carlsen incident). It gets attention. So, we'll have to balance these things out.
"But certainly, I think it will be discussed very soon," added Anand.
Chess in the Olympics?
On whether he foresees chess being included in the Olympic programme sometime in the near future, Anand said FIDE was "trying hard" to liaise with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and he hoped it could be there in some form or the other.
"Yes, I very much hope so. I don't know if, at some point, the IOC decides various forms of engagement, either through esports or through the regular games and something. But we are trying very hard in that area," said Anand.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
