Two games shook the Internet this week, sending Web sites crashing as fans tried to follow the dramatic finish of the London Candidates tournament to choose the next world championship challenger.
One of those that crashed due to excessive volume was the home page of Norway’s leading newspaper, VG, because of hometown hero Magnus Carlsen.
Carlsen, the heavy favorite, saw his tournament lead evaporate and was tied before Monday’s final round with former world champ Vladimir Kramnik.
But the tie-breaks favored Carlsen, so Kramnik, who had carried off a torrid 4 1/2 – 1/2 spurt, figured he needed to win. He took risks as Black against Vassily Ivanchuk.
To his shock, he saw Carlsen getting short of time and being out-calculated by Peter Svidler.
At that point, Kramnik could have won the tournament with a draw. But it was too late.
“Somehow I got a bit lost between watching [Carlsen’s] game and trying to understand what to do,” he said later. “Then I made awful decisions.”
The losses by the two tournament leaders means Carlsen qualifies to challenge world champion Vishy Anand later this year.
As this week’s game indicates, beating the Indian GM will not be as easy as winning in London.