Carlsen slams decision to pick Chennai for WC final

Magnus Carlsen has expressed "deep disappointment" at world chess’s governing body FIDE's decision to award the World Championship final to Viswanathan Anand's hometown Chennai, accusing it of "lack of transparency”.

"I'm deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground," Carlsen was quoted as saying in a media statement.

"The bid from Paris clearly showed that it would be possible to have more options to choose from. The lack of transparency, predictability and fairness is unfortunate for chess as a sport and for chess players," he alleged.

Carlsen hoped that that agreement with All India Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions will soon be reached.

"My team and I will now start preparing for the match. The main thing now will be to come to an agreement with the Indian Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions before and during the match. I really hope this process will run quick and smoothly.

"Lastly, I will not let the news from Baku diminish the joy and excitement derived from playing the top level Norway Chess tournament starting tomorrow," he concluded.