Jerusalem – Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand, two former world champions, took on dozens of children and teenagers in simultaneous chess games in Jerusalem on Monday as hundreds of onlookers watched.
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The two Grandmasters were visiting Israel as part of the Jewish state’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Karpov faced 25 opponents and Anand took on 29 players outdoors in the afternoon sunshine with Jerusalem’s walled Old City as a backdrop.
Russian Karpov, 66, was world champion between 1975-85 and 1993-99, and 48-year-old Anand, from India, ruled the boards between 2000-2002 and 2007-13 before being succeeded by current world champion, Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
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So the former world champion played White on every board, even against kids?
I once played in a simultaneous exhibition by a former US champion, and he invited all the players to turn the boards around and play White. Vishy (a phenomenal player) could have done the same thing here.
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But don’t get me wrong. The fact that these two outstanding, non-Jewish former world champions came to Israel deserves much praise!