Official logo of the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2013
Hello everyone and welcome to the live coverage of the opening ceremony day of World Chess Championship 2013 on Chessdom.com! In the next 24 hours we will be covering for you all events from Chennai in the form of minute by minute updates. We will bring you the exclusive news from the press conference, the first thoughts of Anand and Carlsen, interviews with the organizers, and practically anything that happens in Hyatt Regency (press conference and official hotel) and Nehru Indoor Stadium (opening ceremony location)
WCC 2013 info: Official website / Live games / Live games (2) / Schedule / Time map / Play online at Chessdom Arena
Scroll down for all news in reverse chronological order. The page gets updated every 15 minutes.
Note: refresh the page for the latest update
16:35 local time (12:05 am CET, 6:05 am EST)
The news from the opening ceremony: Carlsen will start with the white pieces, while Anand will be black in game 1.
15:30 local time (11:00 am CET, 5:00 am EST)
Streets around the opening ceremony hall are closed for the occasion. It is full of security measures, while the multitude of curious by-passers is crowding on the street. Nehru indoor hall is packed full and the action is about to begin!
Enjoy the opening ceremony video broadcast and do not forget to check out the Komodo – Gull game that just started
14:30 local time (10:00 am CET, 4:00 am EST)
Right after the press conference, the multitude of journalists and chess fans went towards the Nehru Indoor Stadium. This is the venue of the beautiful opening ceremony expected today at 16:00. It might very well be the opening ceremony with highest attendance in chess history. Stay tuned with us for all the details.
In the mean time here are a few more photos from the inspection earlier today.
Another view towards the playing table and the glass separation
Henrik Carlsen trying the chair where Magnus will sit during the match
This is the rest area for the players
13:30 local time (9:00 am CET, 3:00 am EST)
The Press conference of the World Chess Championship 2013 is complete and with it broke the first surprise of the match – Peter Leko is in Anand’s team of seconds. As the audience and journalists were still buzzing the news, Carlsen replied, “I appreciate Anand revealed his seconds, but I am not going to return the favor”
Having Leko on the team is a logical development, having in mind Anand conducted his training camp in Germany as we informed earlier, but it certainly is a game changer. If the location of the training is indicative though, then with Carlsen training in Oman who would be his secret second?:)
For more photos and updates of the press conference check out Twitter
13:00 local time (8:30 am CET, 2:30 am EST)
Now we leave you with the press conference of the World Chess Championship. The live updates will continue right after the press conference is finished. Do not forget to check out also the strongest computer chess championship TCEC where the derby game Stockfish – Bouquet is now live
12:45 local time (8:15 am CET, 2:15am EST)
The press conference room is full and the stage is awaiting Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen
Press conference awaits Anand and Carlsen
View from the board through the glass “aquarium” towards the audience
12:30 local time (8:00 am CET, 2:00am EST)
The inspection of the playing venue is finished. Here is a first photo report of it, click on each photo for larger size.
-
- Vishy Anand started by testing the selection of chairs
-
- Henrik Carlsen asked for temperature 23-24 C and no air flow
-
- Playing hall inspection
-
- Proposed chess set was used at London Candidates Tournament
-
- Proposed table and chess set and chairs
-
- Press conference awaits Anand and Carlsen
-
- View from the board through the glass “aquarium” towards the audience
-
- Another view towards the playing table and the glass separation
-
- Henrik Carlsen trying the chair where Magnus will sit during the match
-
- This is the rest area for the players
11:45 local time (7:15 am CET, 1:15am EST)
A boy and a girl dressed in King and Queen costumes are helping the guests, journalists and visitors to find their way in the Hyatt Regency, where the multitude of people is growing. It has been an intense morning and the organizing committee is fully occupied as an inspection by the players is expected at any moment. Before the press conference scheduled for 13:00 local time, Anand and Carlsen will walk around the playing area. They have to approve the exit and entrance of the playing area, the rest zones, the chairs and table height, the lights, and practically everything. Such an inspection is documented in 2010 in a photo report here (page 1, page 2, page 3) and the details from the 2013 inspection will be available in just a few hours.
11:30 local time (7:00 am CET, 1:00am EST)
All morning there has been high journalistic activity in the hotel. A multitude of Indian journalists have been lining for their accreditation, while the Norwegian camera crews are constantly filming every detail in the Hyatt Regency. The big chess set in the lobby, which you can see at yesterday’s preparation photo report, is a popular location for hotel guests, and games are constantly going on.
Both Anand and Carlsen have a “liaison person” through which communication is going, therefore, no one is disturbing the players themselves. Carlsen even has an additional guard on the 6th floor to provide the needed peace and comfort.
11:15 local time (6:45 am CET, 12:45am EST)
The World Chess Championship opening day morning starts with a good news: the opening ceremony will be with live TV and video coverage online. The broadcast can be followed on the National Television network DD-Sports and the official website chennai2013.fide.com . Livestream should also be available on Youtube, as the organizers from AICF have agreed on a cooperation with a local Youtube Content Partner.
11:00 local time (6:30 am CET, 12:30am EST)
Good morning everyone and welcome to the minute by minute updates on Chessdom.com! Today is the opening day of the World Chess Championship 2013 and we will cover all news for you live from Chennai. The opening day will start with a Press Conference that will be held at 13:00 local time (8:30 am CET, 2:30 am EST) at Hotel Hyatt Regency. Both players, the World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the Challenger World No.1 Magnus Carlsen will be presented on the occasion and will address the media. The FWCM 2013 is all set to be inaugurated at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai at 16:00 local time (11:30 am CET, 5:30 am EST) the same day.
To keep track of the times of events starting or happening, we will list the hours of the updates in local time IST, CET, and EST. You can also check our time guide and the official schedule
