Sandes (Norway), May 8: World champion Viswanathan Anand will take on Levon Aronian of Armenia in the first round of the Norway Chess 2013 super tournament that gets underway here.
Anand secured five whites in the nine-round tournament by finishing joint second in the blitz event that was played to peraper the drawing of lots.
The top five contestants in the blitz tournament will get five white and four black games in the 10-player event which is also one of the strongest ever.
The much-awaited clash between Anand and Norway’s world number one Magnus Carlsen will happen as early as in the second round and the latter will get to play white in that encounter.
Carlsen, who had expressed his disappointment at Chennai being the awarded the hosting rights of the next world championship match between him and Anand, said he will not let that news “diminish the joy and excitement derived from playing the top level Norway chess tournament”.
For Anand, apart from the clash with Carlsen, it will also be a real test against a very high quality opposition.
The event also boast of participation of world number four and former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria who is fresh from a fantastic victory in the Grand Prix tournament. (PTI)
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