201211 - Northwest Chess!

Neff draws World
Champion Anand in
simul
National Master Elliott Neff of
Bellevue, WA and proprietor of
Chess4Life took advantage of the
rare opportunity to face the reigning
World Chess Champion, Viswanathan
Anand of India, as part of
a 20-board simultaneous exhibition
hosted by the Metropolitan Chess
Camp in Los Angeles on August 13,
2012. We are pleased that Neff was
willing to share his thoughts on the
game with Northwest Chess readers.
White: Anand,Viswanathan
Black: Neff, Elliott
[A20] Los Angeles, CA simul, August
13, 2012
[Notes by Elliott Neff]
I was invited to participate in a
20-board simul vs. the world champion.
(Big thank-you top Jane Cui
for her invitation to me in this regard,
as her son Marc Huang also
competed in the simul.) Preparation
began 1 week before the event.
I studied/reviewed about 150 of
Anand’s games, and two days before
I played in the US Open Speed
Chess Championship which I treated
as warm up, imagining myself
already playing Anand. Monday,
game day, I woke up at 3:30 am.
Coach Roy drove me to the airport.
I spent time reading my Bible
and praying, and then reading Delivering
Happiness by Tony Hsieh
(Zappos). I landed @ 8:40 am - excitement
building... I met up with
student Marc Huang and his mom
Jane and took the shuttle to the
Washington Chess News
by Russell “Rusty” Miller
From August 9th to 13th, undisputed
World Champion Viswanathan Anand
along with another eight instructors,
coached over 100 youth participants that
had flocked to Los Angeles, some from
afar, to meet the World Champion at the
2012 Metropolitan Chess Camp. Anand
concluded the visit with a 20-board simul
where he scored 15 wins, no losses and 5
draws against a field that included several
masters. Photo credit: Chris Roberts courtesy
Metropolitan Chess, Inc.
Radisson. First order of business:
scout out the playing hall... looking
good... I turn around and there he
is: Anand, in person. He smiles, we
shake hands, and then he is busy
with interviews and photos. 9:45am
- preparations! Pull out a tactics
book and warm up with chess exercises
and down a small orange juice.
I feel the tension mounting as game
time nears. 10:10 am - Time to set
up! I re-enter the playing hall and
find that all players will be arranged
by highest to lowest ratings. I wonder
what spot I am. It turns out I’m
3rd highest rated. Good, I won’t be
the primary target then. 10:20 - I fill
out the scoresheet, settle into my
chair, and start focusing on the first
moves. I pray that God would allow
me to do well, perform well, focus,
and glorify Him in this match. 10:27
- Anand arrives! He takes a seat at
the head table, pours some water,
and calmly surveys the room. He is
quiet, calm, and confident, the air
of a world champion. 10:35, the last
couple players arrive, take seats, and
Anand rises. Clapping, excitement,
energy, and tension in the room.
The games begin! A firm handshake,
quiet smile while looking directly
in my eyes, and he confidently
plays
Page 10 November 2012 Northwest Chess
1.c4
English Opening. Ouch! All my
hours of prep just went out the
window! I had focused on 1.e4
and 1.d4 as the likeliest candidates.
Okay, what to do... hmm... I guess
that Anand knew he was playing
me ahead of time since our names
were printed. If he prepped, what
games of mine are in his database?
I’m thinking back to several-some
games I’m not happy with. I think
back to 1993-1994 - Aleksandr Betaneli
in the Denker tournament of
H.S. Champs - nice win against the
English. Okay, two choices... e5 or
Nf6? Tough choice and I haven’t
even made one move! Here he
comes! I reach and play
1…e5
He instantly responds with
2.g3
Okay, what style of game? Closed
strategy or tactical aggressive? I remember
US Olympiad team coach
John Donaldson’s advice last week
when I asked him for 30 seconds of
advice on playing Anand. He said,
“Two choices--either pick an open-