Turning the clock back

Two men with their names etched in the history of the games they embellish have staged a rear guard challenge, the naysayers never thought them capable of. Champions are so because they believe in themselves and not the press. Arm chair critics have long written premature obituaries but the last nail in the coffin is not struck till the hand is of their own. To temper the blow of age with a mix of experience and skill is painstakingly difficult if not impossible. To have managed the trick with such aplomb is testimony to the rarefied competence of these legends.

Khanty Mansiysk, Russia is one of the colder places on the face of earth. That it was host to the qualification candidates tourney for the World Chess Championship 2014 would have raised the degrees by a notch. The winner would earn the right to challenge the "Mozart" Carlsen for the title of world champion. With eight of the strongest GMs battling their wits, this was one of the strongest field fighting for the honor. Vishy Anand made it only on the back of being the losing half of the championship match last year. The start of the year at London and Zurich was bleak and the clamor for retirement had gone up a few decibels. He arrived in Russia as the sixth seed and an expectation to finish in the top four. Armenia's proudest son Levon Aronian was considered the strong favorite. The five time world champion was out bar the official announcement. Would Vishy last the grueling 14 rounds of intensive battle or go down meekly as he had against the genius of Magnus in Chennai. If the first round was anything to go by, the Anand of past had resurfaced. He caught the favorite off guard and a facile win with white was all he needed to kick start his fight. What transpired over the next few days is surely going to become part of chess folk lore. While the others in the fray displayed an inconsistency expected of Vishy, he played chess as if free of any burden ending up as the only undefeated man with 3 wins to boot. The oldest man in the challenge, the Madras tiger has once again bared his fangs. Come November, he would get another chance to lock horns with his nemesis to win back the coveted crown. Whether Vishy crosses that final hurdle will only time tell but in getting thus far, he has just put a stamp on what the great Kasporov said " He embarrasses people who ask for his retirement".

2013 was a year Roger Federer would like to forget in a hurry. With back problems and his confidence at a nadir, there were only straws to clutch at for the GOAT. The murmurs of disquiet about the Swiss no longer being able to run with the top men were getting louder. On the wrong side of 30 and with no double handed back hand to lend him that extra power, Roger finally shifted to the larger racquet head he had been experimenting with. A semi-final place at Melbourne that included a win against the redoubtable Djokovic indicated that the maestro may be on his way back up. He had dropped down to 8 in the ATP rankings and even the comers fancied their chances of getting the better of the man once invincible on the tennis courts. A win in Dubai and a final at the BNP Paribas at Indian Wells have rocked him back in the top 4 with a further rise to 3 quite probable. The other challengers in Murray, Del Potro, Ferrer and Berdych have all been marred by inconsistency and the first few months of the season bode well for Roger to increase his tally of slams. Next up on the calender is the clay court season which has been taken on the platter by Rafa for more years than one can remember. The grass at Wimbledon would provide the best chance for the seven time champion to get one back at the doomsayers. A relaxed and aggressive game that he has displayed this season will go a long way in decorating the twilight of his already distinguished career.