Sochi: Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand named Grzegorz Gajewski of Poland as the lone new inclusion in his team, putting to end speculations that there were big changes done.
"(Krishnan) Sasikiran, (Radoslav) Wojtaszek and Gajewski," Anand said in the pre-match press conference here.
It may be recalled that both Sasikiran and Wojtaszek were there the last time around too along with Hungarian Peter Leko and Sandipan Chanda when Anand had lost the crown in Chennai almost one year back.
The Indian ace has reposed faith in his team and has only omitted Leko from the list of people who accompany him here.
Chanda has been travelling with Anand to man events and it's clear that he has another role defined somewhere in the support system.
Gajewski hails from Poland like Wojtaszek and is known as fierce competitor and someone who carves a niche for himself especially in less known positions.
If Polish's inclusions sent any warning signals to Carlsen, he did not show it as when he was asked the same question he replied without the slightest flinch ? "the Dane and the Hammer! The reigning champion was referring to Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark, who was a member of team Anand before, and Jon Ludvig Hammer, his trusted friend from native country.
Both the players meanwhile expressed happiness about the arrangements in general although Carlsen let it be known that 'Glass wall would have been better'.
For the first time in some years, the match will be played without any glass walls and the auditorium has a sitting capacity of 140.
While this will be a change of sorts, the noise levels cannot be ruled out but members of the organising committee indicated that they wanted to create an environment like the 60's.
Comments
0 comment