India excited to host Anand – Carlsen match

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Bharat Singh Chauhan, Secretary of All India Chess Federation, confirmed for Chessdom.com that AICF and Tamilnadu government have met all FIDE requirements to hold the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen in India:

“We started our move even before the Challenger started. We had assurance from FIDE that we can hold the World Championship this year without a bidding and fixed a deadline of 10th April 2013 for us to confirm or otherwise. The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Ms J.Jayalalithaa is a keen sports enthusiast and she was willingly sanctioned the amount.”, he said.

Chessdom: Would you be bidding if someone else, for example Kramnik, had won the Candidates tournament?

Bharat Singh Chauhan: We would have bid for the match in any case. The opponent for Anand as such was not important for us per se. However with Carlsen coming out first we are all even more excited as we believe this will be one of the greatest matches ever. And to hold in the country where chess was supposedly born, is a dream come true. We in the Indian chess federation, will do everything possible to see to it that this becomes one of the best matches ever organised.

Chessdom: Are you considering the option that Carlsen might be reluctant to accept playing on Anand’s ground?

Bharat Singh Chauhan: I dont think Carlsen will be any way reluctant to play in India. Anand played against Kramnik in Germany, Topalov in Bulgaria and then Gelfand in Russia in the last three matches. For Carlsen its the first match ever and we are prepared to host him in the best possible way. We Indians pride in our hospitality and Carlsen will get the treatment worthy of a challenger of the world chess championship. He will be received with open arms, I along with millions of chess fans awaits Carlsen in India.

Chessdom: What impact would the possible match in Chennai have for the overall development of chess in India and Asia?

Bharat Singh Chauhan: Chess in India will probably get the biggest boost ever through this match. Ours is a huge country with over a billion people. This event we believe, will make chess a household game across the country as well as in the continent. We are thrilled and excited.