There have been so many interviews around the Anand-Topalov match it's a little odd to be linking to one with Anand that was done way back in 2009. But I don't think I'm alone in saying that Vishy's tendency -- admirable and frustrating at the same time -- to show goodwill to man and to skate on the surface doesn't make him the best interview in the world. So it's great to read this one, which so far is one of the more interesting and insightful I've ever read with Anand. The material on the changes in the game and the impact on match play in particular are very good.
I'm assuming a lot with this tack, but I think the "Kasparov's shadow" argument applies beyond chess. Since Garry always had an opinion, or five, about everything, he both provided cover and stole attention from everyone else. Since he retired we've seen both Kramnik and Anand flower in unexpected ways in dealing with the media; they didn't get as much sunlight with Kasparov grabbing, and being given, the mic all the time. So it's a combination of having more chances to speak and that leading to being more thoughtful and having more to say. Which in turn makes you more interesting and more likely to be asked, etc.
I still think the "Tiger Woods Effect" of having a tent-pole superstar representative does more good than harm for a sport, even if one guy is giving 4/5 interviews to the mainstream press -- when the alternative is an 80% drop in interviews overall. That is, the attention (and money) Kasparov got didn't just go to other chessplayers when he left, unfortunately. If Tiger Woods retired tomorrow his sponsors, those who remain, wouldn't say, "get some other golfer asap." But eventually they do need another golfer, if one at a lower pay grade. Having marketable stars who say interesting things and represent the sport well is essential. As both Garry and Karpov have pointed out, their anniversary match in Valencia being the top mainstream chess news story of last year was rather tragic. Magnus Carlsen is fantastic, but he isn't going to be the Tiger Woods of chess any more than chess is going to replicate the success of poker. More realistically, we need the Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe.
Of course those who know Anand well -- and this partly goes for Kramnik as well -- would likely say he hasn't changed, that he's been all these things all this time. And why not? But embracing the public and being embraced by the public doesn't come naturally for many. Let's hope it's not too late for the world to discover our worldly, kind, funny, insightful, multilingual world champion from a giant rising nation. I sort of feel the chess world is only just discovering him and we need to make up for lost time. He may be 40, but just defended his title again, people; he's not just keeping the throne warm!
@Having marketable stars who say interesting things and represent the sport well is essential..More realistically, we need the Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe.
We need again a Bobby Fischer, and that would be both necessary and enough.
We need a new lone crazy guy who whose heroic life and deeds will capture imagination.
As for multilingual pleasantries and for "interesting things and representing the sport well" we can get anytime Alexnadra Kosteniuk to dress up well and do an interview.
"We need a new lone crazy guy who whose heroic life and deeds will capture imagination. "
Topalov ?? :-)
Only if you
a) delete "lone" [Silvio, the Bulgarian government and its supercomputer],
b) replace "heroic" with "idiotic and disgusting," and
c) replace "capture imagination" with "make you want to vomit."
Kasparov's shadow? - maybe Mig you are too Kasparov centric to be unbiased:) this post is not upto your usual witty high standard, I am afraid (I guess the exception proves the rule) - maybe Kasparov was grabbing a lion's share of the interviews - but in my mind Kramnik will always be the first chess splayer voted to the All-Interview team. Kramnik was giving out interesting and great interviews well before Garry retired. And those interviews had a lot more controversial and interesting content than Garry's ever did. If you read Kramnik's predecessors interview or his painter interview or his post prague interviews, they are great reads (all were before Kasparov retired). Anand's interviews too were fantastic dating back to well before Kasparov retired. His favorite chess players interview or his interview on time controls were informative and thoughtful. Off hand, I cant think of a single Garry interview that I still remember. I think you are confusing proclivity to give interviews and loving the microphone (Garry always did - I'll grant him that) with content. BTW, this has nothing to do with Garry's greatness as a chess player - everyone knows he is the best ever.
Also Karpov - Kasparov was THE chess story of 2009? Come on! What about Magnus rising to #1, Nanjing, Topalov-Kamsky, Kramnik winning Dortmund & Tal Memorial, Anand - Topalov announced with a record prize fund (since the early 90's) all less important than two old guys playing relatively substandard rapid and blitz chess? huh? maybe in your mind, but I'm sure others will disagree.
John, I'd gently suggest that you read a bit more carefully. Mig pointed out that Karpov-Kasparov was the top *mainstream* chess story of last year. That is, the top chess story of last year as far as the mainstream media was concerned, not as far as serious chess fans were concerned. It's obvious from the context that Mig (and Karpov and Kasparov) actually agree with you--it'd be great if a story like Magnus rising to #1 got a lot more attention in the mainstream media than a Karpov-Kasparov nostalgia match.
I would like to submit that Magnus rising to number one and his Nanjing performance were more of a mainstream bromide than Karpov Kasparov match.
Calsen was profiled in Time, LA Times, NY Times, Telegraph to my knowledge. I would like to know how Kasparov Karpov match compares.
you're just wrong. Sorry. Magnus was barely represented anywhere in mainstream media. EVERY tv station and newspaper ran SEVERAL articles on the K-K rematch.
I feel more than a bjorg or a mcenroe, its usually great rivalry that further popularizes a sport. kasparov-karpov, federer-nadal.
Yah, I'd love to be wrong on this, but look at the number of journalists who showed up in Valencia. While Magnus was nicely represented in a few major publications cumulatively over the course of six months or so, it wasn't a big splash of the sort we're talking about. It's not like we're going to have a new 19-year-old #1 every year, and if we did, the mainstream would stop caring. Plus, and I don't think this is a negative, just a fact, quite a bit of the attention came when it came out he was working with Kasparov and interviewers spent half the time on that. But the point about Magnus is a good one and it's a little bit cheering that he could move the mainstream needle at all.
Of course veteran stars will draw a crowd. Nostalgia sells and they had a great rivalry at a time when, not coincidentally, the mainstream press was covering chess at the WCh level. Nothing wrong with the Ks getting attention. It's just that nothing else even came close when it came to people sitting down and playing chess. Only the world championship gets a mention and even then it's often only when there's a scandal or, at the very least, a decisive game. (That has actually been an AP policy in the past, btw.)
It's such a waste. Remember the live coverage of Sofia -- good by our incredibly modest standards -- and think about what it could be with even modest corporate sponsorship. Slap a few big banners around the webcam screen, put Maurice Ashley and Peter Svidler on live video with a sensory board in front of them that relays to the web in real-time. Let them toss the pieces around, glance over at a screen running a program, a chat window with viewer comments, bring in guests - celebs and players - to talk about the match. Real chess TV, brought to you by X, with $20,000 in ad revenue daily apart (based on actual CPM calculations and real traffic logs, not some fantasy) from the brand association. But no, X would run like hell even if Kirsan's FIDE had the sense and know-how to approach them.
This stuff was drawn up in 1999 and yet we are still wetting ourselves in delight when an effing static webcam even works for 20 minutes without hanging from server load. Christ on a stick. When I pin hopes on a change in FIDE it's because it won't take geniuses to make chess a relative success. If some people who aren't scaring sponsors away can just get things up to 2003 web standards they'll make more money from one event than FIDE has ever had in consumer-based revenue in its history. I believe, but am not sure, that that number still stands at zero. Unless you count a few bucks they then refunded after they tried to charge for the Olympiad PGN files. Remember that brain wave? Holy weeping hell.
You're a little passionate tonight.
Just an observation ...
CO
"This stuff was drawn up in 1999 and yet we are still wetting ourselves in delight when an effing static webcam even works for 20 minutes without hanging from server load. Christ on a stick. When I pin hopes on a change in FIDE it's because it won't take geniuses to make chess a relative success. If some people who aren't scaring sponsors away can just get things up to 2003 web standards they'll make more money from one event than FIDE has ever had in consumer-based revenue in its history."
BINGO!
(I think the recent US Championship in St Louis was the best chess media event I have seen).
"Unless you count a few bucks they then refunded after they tried to charge for the Olympiad PGN files. Remember that brain wave? Holy weeping hell."
Did they REALLY try that?! What year?
An important use of the media is to use interviews to attract people to chess. Professional chess players need to come up with non-exasperated and non-esoteric (i.e. not witty only to other chess players) responses to questions like-
1. What is your favorite piece?
2. Do you like white or black?
3. Are you smarter than a computer?
These are the kind of things the mainstream media and by extension the lay public wants to know.
"We need a new lone crazy guy who whose heroic life and deeds will capture imagination. "
Topalov ?? :-)
Nakamura !!?? Provided that he makes the next (or final) steps to become a serious WCh candidate ... .
Mig " When I pin hopes on a change in FIDE it's because it won't take geniuses to make chess a relative success."
How will "success" realistically look like ?
They way that professional Shogi (japanese chess) (and GO) is organized ?
Shogi on japan TV
http://www.anusha.com/nakahara.htm
why Japanese don't play chess.
“Shogi” is a documentary movie about an extraordinary Japanese board game.
http://www.nifu.tv/shogi/
Exactly! People were raving about the online coverage when it was actually very poor. Chess must be the ideal event to cover online. Mig's ideas excellent, maybe a little Rybka window showing Anand has gone 1.86 ahead Analysis window (with Danilov's IP address blocked!). Theres loads of fancy things that could be done. The wow factor alone would even have enthusiasts showing the coverage to non chess players. I'd like to think Karpov, Kasparov etc would be media savvy enough to target this kind of coverage as a really wise investment (should Tolya win the presidency). Not only that the "infrastructure" could move to each top event.
Mig Greengard,poor slave of Kasparov and Chessbase.
Please,stop publishing your insignificant opinions. You have no idea of professional chess at all. Try something else and stop boring us with your "great ideas". Your Boss Kasparov is old fashioned long time ago...
Pardon the obvious question, but if my opinions are insignificant, and I'm quick to agree, why are you here not only reading them and evaluating them, but moved even to comment on them?
Mig, I think it's to your significant credit that you resort to deleting comments very rarely, but why oh why reply to such obvious trollery???
For fun? Plus, it's hard to resist "slave of chessbase", no? I'm not even sure what that means. They don't even send me free software anymore! Why would the one chess site that gets significant web traffic have "slaves"? I usually just assume anyone who posts stuff like that is a chessdom guy. They seem to have a serious inferiority complex going over there. Which is sad, because they produce a goodly amount of hard news.
Mig's chessblog is the best, by far. As for his strenous amazement about Kasparov's universal genius, what do you want after all? he has bills to pay, including this website hosting bills.
...
more news on chess' competitor on the global stage of board games (if chess doesn't become professional asap, shogi will do to chess what Toyota or Honda did to Fiat or Ford) :
Mon, 06/07/2010
Japanese shogi champion Habu Yoshiharu won a third-straight Meijin title by defeating Miura Hiroyuki 4-0 in the 68th annual Meijin championship
http://blog.chess.com/view/habu-wins-meijin-title-4-0
I'm still not clear on how anything I say here about Kasparov would help me pay the bills. It's not as if he sits around reading my blog. As I've been pointing out for the past, oh, 11 years, I don't agree with him on many things because I work for him. I work for him because I agree with him on many things. You think most of the people in the Obama administration say things that agree with Obama's policy because they're being paid to say it? Or is it more likely they are there because of a preexisting affinity? You guys are depressingly mercenary!
Anyway, no more flattery just because it's my birthday. Soon you'll be called a slave or whatever.
Dear Mig,we both know what we are talking about. You never publish anything without the permition of your other Boss Friedel,who on the other hand is famous slave of Kasparov. Yes,the truth hurts sometimes,what to do ? ¿Or you think that all your readers are blind and stupid ? It's not a shame to be employed of Kasparov,right ?
You were laughing in very cynical way on the Bulgarian organizers about the violation of the copy rights by chessbase. ¿Why you are not laughing after the court case againts chessbase? It's not funny anymore,right ?
"Anyway, no more flattery just because it's my birthday."
Seriously???? Well, many happy returns old man!
Who is sharkman, Topalov or Danailov? The inverted question marks indicate that he's using a Spanish keyboard.
Hmmm ...
Would Danilov, or some fanatic supporter, be inclined to do some propaganda posts similar to a certain husband of a certain female chess blogger?
Just curious ...
CO
Beat me to it, Thomas!!!
CO
Sharkman wrote "Yes,the truth hurts sometimes,what to do ? ¿"
.....and here was Danilov recently in an interview
Danailov: "with all my respect Mrs. Anand is not a manager, she is a secretary. ... About her reaction, it looks to me a little bit nervous, but what to do, the truth hurts sometimes."
Aha!!!
I agree. If chess players want the mainstream media to catch on, the interviews have to be a lot more interesting to the general public.
"..."Tiger Woods Effect" of having a tent-pole..."
Freudian slip?
Nice catch.
¨They seem to have a serious inferiority complex going over there. ¨
Let me see: guys in chessdom have a serious inferiority complex and you spend your birthday here? :)
Take it easy , it is just chess.
Sharkman is a slave of Danialov or may be Danialov itself! Nice observation by Uncanny!
Beware of swarthy men approaching you with umbrellas, Mig!
Oh, and Happy Birthday!
At least I can easily ignore everything sharkman writes by skipping to the next post.
During transmission, show the evaluation of an engine. A nice function over at www.chessbomb.com - and you can choose to not have it displayed.
More interestingly. Equip the players with heart rate monitors, and display their heart rates during the game. I'm serious.
As Anand said. "I almost had a heart attack when I saw Rf8+." Let people watching the game get a feel for what the players are experiencing ...
@ no more flattery just because it's my birthday."
Seriously???? Well, many happy returns old man!
Yeah, I still remember a picture from 2000 or so (at kasparov.com ?) with Mig at 30 young and slim as an iPhone.. and shiny too, if I recall correctly he was bald already... those were days of our life, from here there is only downhill but there is nothing you can do about it, enjoy the ride and Happy Birthday MiG-:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI-bPZQhBLk
Now now, leave my buddy Silvio alone. He has made chess life entertaining and brought in lots of cash. I'm pretty sure I don't want him in charge of much, but he's been a creative advocate for his client. That he also manages to be a horrendous human being on occasion is the downside, I suppose. And calling me and anyone else who doesn't agree with him a "slave to chessbase" is one of his more charming traits. I mean, really, Frederic?! It's like hitting a sweet old kitty-cat with a cricket bat. Plus, I think I'd rather have him and his fellows wasting their time here than stirring up trouble in the real world!
Amazing catch, uncanny. I love you people. Whenever I think I spend too much time in this world you remind me I'm far from alone!
Happy birthday, Mig!
I carefully analyzed Sharkman's post, and it's a 78% match with Silvio, and the same percentage match with Rybka.
Greg wins the internet!
"Who is sharkman, Topalov or Danailov? The inverted question marks indicate that he's using a Spanish keyboard."
One shouldn't forget that chess like poker or politics is a game of deception ..
Very easy to copy paste chinese , french , german peculiar orthographic symbols . Maybe he did want to make us believe he's a spanish speaker (instead of bulgarian or kamylkian who knows hehe )
If we wanted to go Sherlock I could go into the logs and cross-reference everything from IP to browser and OS configuration, but I purposely delete everything on a rolling basis to protect commenter privacy on the slim chance of lawsuits, etc. A lawsuit could force me or my host to hand over that info, but they can't get it if it doesn't exist. A few days' worth of data is enough to deal with sock puppets and similar abuse when I get off my butt enough to deal with it, which is rare.
Anyway, let's just go with the belief it's Silvio. And "Greg" is actually Kramnik, btw.
Happy birthday Mig! You are a pretty good writer and I have enjoyed reading your witty comments for over 7 years now. Great job and hope you continue to have time to write more stuff. Can't wait for your book!
How's the new baby doing? Keeping you up in the night, now that the in-laws are gone :-)
The comments here are quite entertaining. Thank Mig for the great work and happy birthday.
Talk about slaves is just hilarious.
I disagree that the Karpov-Kasparov Velencia match being top news was tragic. I think it'd have been even bigger and greater news had Smylsov and Lilienthal played some final mini-match together. It's not that I'd expect it to be great in a chess-level sense, just historically it's more meaningful to me than "just another tournament" (however strong it may be).
If Smyslov and Lilienthal had met up before their deaths it would and SHOULD have been bigger news than any tournament or match Carlsen and Topalov was doing at the same time.
If Jesse Owens were still alive and were going to run one last 100 metres at the age of 96, it'd be bigger news than a Usain Bolt race happening concurrently elsewhere, wouldn't it? And shouldn't it be? Because, in these cases, it's not about the pure sport/game quality, it's about the strong impact of several other factors. And no, not just nostalgia.
Come on Mig, you know very well that I am not Silvio or whoever. But again you prove that you have a strong minority complex with anything Bulgarian. Maybe because you were never invited and paid by the Bulgarians as a "journalist" in Sofia?
"That he also manages to be a horrendous human being on occasion is the downside,"
Completely overreaching , Who are you to judge this guy as a person when you only had access to his professional side?
Stick to chess , leave morality to the church .
I meant the band no the rapist association.
Bulgarians? Who said anything about Bulgarians? But now that you mention it, you do tend to say how the people who criticize you must be doing it because of some tribal reason. A way of avoiding actual issues.
Manu, unless you have godlike vision into someone's soul, you can only judge people by their actions, including their words. I don't know if Silvio spends his private time building houses for injured animals or reading Polynesian love poetry. But thanks to his public actions, statements and the various people who have been happy to discuss his less-than-public actions, we have plenty to talk about and opine about.
For example, releasing a statement during a world championship match that implies the world champion is a cheat, that's a horrendous act. There is no convoluted way you can call it the act of a person worthy of respect. Professional respect? Define it as you like.
Now, does that act make him a completely reprehensible person unfit to walk the streets in daylight? Probably not. As I said above, based on his activities and personal descriptions, I have respect for his abilities and am content to believe he is well-motivated by his own standards, which we cannot know precisely.
Having opinions about public figures doesn't mean you are putting yourself up to play God.
@releasing a statement during a world championship match that implies the world champion is a cheat, that's a horrendous act
He complained of lack of control over the environment, complained that not all Kramnik actions during the match were public, that there were too many private visits to the bathroom where anything could happen.
Complaining of such a thing does indeed imply you believe Kramnik's character is not enough as a warranty, that you believe he is the kind of person who might consider cheating if he knows that he isn't fully supervised.
However such complaining is not yet an accusation of cheating, it is not the same as charging with cheating.
Danailov scandal did a lot of harm to the public image of chess, made it subject of butt jokes from journalists about world chess champions sitting on their 'throne' and cheating with computers.
And because respectability is everything in public/social life there aren't just things worse than that which he could have done for chess prmotion on the world-stage. It was an absolute disaster what he did.
Neverthe less I still suppose that Danailov is not that a bad person as Mig argues for. Danailov is merely a fool who thought that it was all OK to imply that such thing was possible because there had been allegations (by Kasimdzhanov and Morozevich) of "irregularities" when Topalov won the world title in San Luis but there was no uproar, no outrage, and no punishement for those who promoted such "horrendous" innunendo about Topalov. For Danilov it was fair game.
But all that was "within the chess family bad mouthing", "behind the doors" not global news, and most chessplayers did not quite believe that about Topalov.
On the other hand what Danilov did was in a context which made it global news and did a lot of damage.
A lot of damage to the chess image in the world, not to Kramnik's image in the small world of expert chessplayers since ( just in the case of Topalov-SanLouis) not many believed that Kramnik would do such thing even if given the opportunity.
Danilov did not see the differences between the circumstances, and he was perhaps too angry over what happened to his pupil to think properly about it.
in this blog mr greenguard said the “chess world is just discovering viswanathan anand......" which is as stupid as saying something like richard nixon discovered china or cecil rhodes discovered africa. which chess world do you refer to? mig, you shd change your under-arm deoderant. you smell more and more like gk every day. try rightguard.
btw, which chess world do you refer to?