Latest interview with Carlsen:
http://www.chessdom.com/magnus-carlsen-my-goal-was-to-play-40-50-good-moves-in-e... or
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/triumph-was-easier-than-expected-carl... Quote:Coming to your win, did it come easier than you expected?
It was certainly easier than what I had expected at the start. I thought, if I manage to play at my highest level, Anand would not manage to win any games.
And I thought that usually I should be able to press him in a number of games and in one or two of them, he should crack. And he did.
Quote:Did you plan to target Anand in any specific area of his game?
Nothing special apart from playing 40 to 50 good moves in every game. That was my main goal.
I had to keep playing because I think you’ve worked so hard before the match. You’ve worked so hard to get there.
So I think you need to work very hard on the board. If the position is not a draw, you should not agree for a draw. You should play it out.
That’s right. If you want to win the World championship match, you need to play well not only for one or two hours, but four or five or six…
Quote:How much time did you spend ahead of each game during the championship?
I would spend anything from two hours to 10-15 minutes before any game each day. Looking through some lines and just double checking the stuff.
Apart from that, I would spend time in the evening sometime if it was unclear what I was going to play the next day. Basically, I did not do too much, during the match, apart from playing the games.
Quote:Considering your style of play, much unlike your great predecessors, do you consider yourself some kind of a ‘revolutionary’ in chess in this era?
Yes, may be a little bit. But I think, it’s also been the trend in recent times that people are trying to gain some playable positions from the opening (phase) rather than (looking for) too much of an advantage.
Obviously, I play the middle game and endgame better than most people so I can afford to take such an approach.