Not quite Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky 1992, Garry Kasparov-Viswanathan Anand rematch comes with ‘Clutch’ packaging

Garry Kasparov-Viswanathan Anand rematch comes with ‘Clutch’ packaging (Source: Instagram)

The rematch between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1992 looked at a bigger picture and carried a strong political message. It was organised 20 years after Fischer had sort of redefined game-play through his legendary ‘pawn sacrifice’ and aimed at breaking through the sports sanctions in Yugoslavia. The Kasparov-Anand rematch is more of a fun affair, although Rs 1.27 crore is on offer.

Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, the two former world champions, will play against each other in St Louis from Wednesday in a format that is different from classical chess. Kasparov, one of the greatest players in the history of chess, along with Fischer and Magnus Carlsen, won the World Championship six times. Anand has five World Championship titles in his bag. The legends had faced-off once for the world title on the 107th floor of the World Trade Centre’s South Tower in New York. This time, they would play in a format that is called Clutch Chess: The Legends.

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Kasparov resorted to a bit of mind games a few weeks ago, with an eye on this match. “I think I should give Vishy a chance to improve our score,” Kasparov had said half-jokingly during the live broadcast of the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup tournament. He hoped that the match would be entertaining and added: “He (Anand) is playing very good chess and he is very much in chess. I am not, but I will enjoy it. Let’s see if I manage against Vishy even if my chess preparation is almost non-existent.”

What is the format for Clutch Chess: The Legends?

This is a 12-game Chess960 (Fischer Random) match played with both rapid and blitz time controls. Four games will be played each day irrespective of the outcome of the match. The most interesting part is that the points will get increased as the match progresses.

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For example, on Day 1, a win will secure 1 point, a draw 0.5 point and a defeat 0 points. On Day 2, a win will fetch 2 points, a draw 1 point and a loss 0 points. On the third day, a win is worth 3 points, a draw 1.5 points and a loss 0 points.

Over the next few days, chess aficionados are expected to be glued to an old rivalry that is coming up with a new packaging.