Carlsen arrives for World Chess Championship against Anand

World number one and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway arrived here tonight to a grand welcome by FIDE and All India Chess Federation officials for the much-awaited November 9-28 World Chess Championship against Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.
Carlsen, who faces defending and five-time world champion Anand in a 12-game contest, was received at Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE Vice-President D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V Hariharan.
The formal inauguration of the FIDE World Championship will be done on November 7 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The first game is scheduled for November 9. The sponsor of the tournament is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has allocated a record budget of Rs 29 crores.

The colour for the 12 games would be known at the draw of lots which would be done by Jayalalithaa during the inauguration ceremony. The player who gets white in games 1, 3 and 5 will get white in games eight, 10 and 12. So, one player will get white in games 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11. Each player will play six white and six black games.
Although the game lasts about six hours, it can go longer as there is an increment of 30 seconds per move. The first player to reach 6.5 points wins the match. The prize fund will be about Rs 14 crores and the winner will get 60 per cent and the loser 40 per cent.

Anand, his wife Aruna and son Akhil and his team members, who will be assisting the Indian wizard, have checked in at Hotel Hyatt Regency, the venue of the World Championship last Friday itself.
There were reports in the media that Carlsen would be staying at an undisclosed resort but Sundar said, "We do not have any official information on that and that Espen Agdestein (Carlsen's manager), who had a meeting with us this afternoon had not informed us about Carlsen staying at a resort for couple of days. As far as we are concerned, he will be staying at Hyatt".

Sundar said Anand and Carlsen will address a joint press conference on November 7.