Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand named Grzegorz Gazewski of Poland as the lone new inclusion in his team, putting to end speculations that he had made big changes for the World Chess Championship match against Magnus Carlsen, starting in Sochi on Saturday.
"(Krishnan) Sasikiran, (Radoslav) Wojtaszek and Gajewski," Anand said in the pre-match press conference in Sochi.
It may be recalled that both Sasikiran and Wojtaszek were there the last time around too along with Hungarian Peter Leko and Sandipan Chanda when Anand had lost the crown in Chennai almost one year back.
The Indian ace has reposed faith in his team and has only omitted Leko from the previous team. Chanda has been travelling with Anand to main events and it's clear that he has another role defined somewhere in the support system.
Gajewski hails from Poland like Wojtaszek and is known as fierce competitor and someone who carves a niche for himself especially in less known positions.
If Gajewski's inclusions sent any warning signals to Carlsen, he did not show it as when he was asked the same question he replied without the slightest flinch – "the Dane and the Hammer! The reigning champion was referring to Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark, who was a member of team Anand before, and Jon Ludvig Hammer, his trusted friend from native country.
Both the players meanwhile expressed happiness about the arrangements in general although Carlsen suggested that a 'glass wall would have been better'.
For the first time in many years, the match will be played without any glass walls and the auditorium has a sitting capacity of 140.
While this will be a change of sorts, the noise levels cannot be ruled out but members of the organising committee indicated that they wanted to create an environment like the 60's.
Anand said he is quite pleased with his form heading into the Championship.
"I arrived here a week before and have been doing things quietly. I am now settled and looking forward to the match tomorrow."
"I was not happy with the last championship of course and then some time passed, I decided to play chess again and then I won the Candidates," he said.
On question that how he would tackle Carlsen this time the Indian said smilingly, "I am going to try again."
The first game of the 12-games match begins on Saturday in which Anand will start with white pieces.
The grandmasters will play 12 games from November 8 to 28 with classical time control: 120 minutes for 40 moves, then 60 minutes for 20 moves, and then 15 minutes plus 30 seconds per move for the rest of the game. If the match is tied, the tie-break with quick time controls will take place on November 27.
