CHENNAI // The Norwegian chess sensation Magnus Carlsen has inserted an "illness clause" in his contract to play a world championship match in India because of fears of falling sick, an official said yesterday.
Mr Carlsen, the world's top-ranked player, agreed to play the title match against Chennai-based reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand in his home town from November 7 to 28 only after forcing the organisers to agree to the demand.
"There is a clause by which a player can take a two-day break if he falls ill," said VHariharan, the secretary of the All-India Chess Federation.
"We told Carlsen that we will provide excellent facilities and make good arrangements but he must have been worried about the food or weather here and insisted on having this clause in the contract," said Mr Hariharan.
"There was nothing we could do."
He said it was the first time an illness clause had been included for a world championship match.
Mr Carlsen, who turns 23 on November 30, had earlier slammed the decision by world chess body FIDE to grant the title match to Mr Anand's home town without a bidding process.
Mr Carlsen, accompanied by his manager and a personal chef, arrived in Chennai on Sunday on his first visit to India to inspect the arrangements being made for the match at a five-star hotel.
In June, Mr Carlsen's manager, Espen Agdestein, said: "We have to be careful to make sure he doesn't risk getting sick."
Mr Carlsen was to take on 20 players, aged from seven to 17, yesterday in simultaneous exhibition matches in Chennai.
