“Last year’s World Championship match was not the last for Magnus (Carlsen). One way or the other, I think, in four years or whatever number of years, we are going to be seeing him playing an official or unofficial… but some kind of match-up with the second best player in the world.”
That’s Judit Polgar, the greatest woman chess player on the all-time list, expressing her gut feeling that Carlsen, despite declining to defend his World title, could make a comeback to the World championship cycle in future.
Path-breaker
Known for breaching the male bastion in the chess world and reaching a high of No. 8 in the world rankings, Judit, at 45, will be part of the commentary team in the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram this month end.
The youngest in the World’s top-100 list at 12, and a Grandmaster at 14 after breaking Bobby Fischer’s record, today Judit retains the respect for her upright views as a commentator.
Asked about the Indian prospects, especially of the young India-B team, Judit said, “With India-B, the team obviously will bring some surprises. Maybe some people will not be surprised because they know how good they are.
“I think they will not catch a medal because somehow it would be too optimistic. But I definitely think that they can easily be in the top-10 because they are extremely motivated. For sure, they are going to be enjoying it a lot, showing their strengths and their teeth and how they can bite.”
About top-seeded India in the women section, she said, “Of course, India is the great favourite. I’m not sure we can say that they are the greatest favourites, as much as the US in the Open section. But obviously they are taking it extremely seriously. They are extremely motivated to play at home. Great opportunity to show how they can perform.”