Vishwanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen: 5 Reasons to watch the 2013 World Chess Championship

3. Chess goes into mainstream media

Vishwanathan Anand has to a great degree driven up the interest in chess amongst the Indian media (Getty Images)

Viswanathan Anand has single-handedly inspired the mainstream media to cover chess in India. Carlsen added the jazz by taking on modeling assignments on an international platform. The image of chess as an incomprehensible activity involving two asocial intellectuals is gone. Anand is the regular guy, devoted family man, hard-working gentleman inspiring typical Indian cultural values. Carlsen brings the joy of youth and freshness of the next generation to the table. The media is going to be lapping this one up for sure.