Senior chess player Nigel Short of England today said it would not be possible for former champion Viswanathan Anand to regain the world chess title which he lost last year to Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
"Anand is five-time world champion and definitely one of the greatest players in chess. But I don't see him winning the world chess title again," Short told reporters at the Alekhine Chess Club here.
Asked whether his defeat to Carlsen could be termed as the end of Anand era in world chess, Short said Anand's defeat in the last world chess final was "very severe and damaging".
"When one has to play top class chess for a long time - 5/6 hours or more - it is very difficult to sustain. Anand is not a young man now. Chess is a young man's game and Carlson is half his age," said Short who reached the World Chess championship final in 1993 but lost to Gary Kasparov.
However, Short said, "I am happy that Anand is doing well in the ongoing candidate chess in Russia."
Nigel said Carlson was capable of ruling the world chess for a few years. "But it is up to him. People get distracted easily."
Nigel said he did not see Indian winning the world title after Anand in immediate future, though many good players are coming up. "May be someone will emerge as the world's top player in the next generation."
With an Elo rating of 2674, Short has been top seeded in the sixth Kolkata Open Grandmasters Chess tournament beginning here tomorrow.
On his chance at the tournament, Short said, "I played badly in the last tournament. There is a strong opposition here as well. If I can survive the first two or three rounds, I would be hopeful about the outcome."
Thirty GMs, 23 IMs and five women's Grand Masters and other players from various countries would vie for top honours in the ten-round championship to be played in Swiss league style.
Asked to comment on Kasparov's chance against incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in the battle for the FIDE presidentship, Short said "I find Kasparov better than the incumbent and I am optimistic about his victory.
