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DECCAN CHRONICLE 19CHENNAI MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2007ANAND SPECIAL

KING OF THE

Chennai, Sept. 30: ManuelAaron, India’s first InternationalMaster, spoke to this newspaperon Anand’s never-say-die spiritand unmatched talent. The TamilNadu State Chess Association sec-retary has seen Anand grow into aworld force from close quarters.

When I became the country’s first IM in1961, the thought of an Indian dominatingworld chess never crossed my mind. But assoon as I watched Anand move the pieceson the board, I realised that the boy wasspecial and he would go on to become agreat champion. He had the spark. Anandused to attend my chess classes when hewas a young boy. I will tell you those class-es, in which I translated Russian chessbooks into English for the benefit ofChennai youngsters, were never easy withhis presence. Everyone in theNungambakkam Corporation ground hallwould listen to me in rapt attention. Anandwas not just a listener; he was an active par-ticipant. He would keep on interrupting mein his distinct, squeaky voice. He wouldsuggest alternative moves to the ones I had

just explained. More often than not,he was right. I had to rack my brainsto answer his queries. His technicalanalysis was amazing for a 9-year-old boy.

I had played him twice. On bothoccasions (State and national teamchampionships), I lost from winning

positions. Anand would not simply resignfrom a bad position; he would keep fightingfor a win. He had unbending faith in hisabilities. Fortunately, his parents supportedhim to the hilt in his formative years. I haveseen many players in my long associationwith the game, but there are few withAnand’s natural talent.

I think the excitement was greater in 2000when he first won the World title. He, then,stepped into a zone no Indian had forayedbefore. It doesn’t matter because manyIndians think he has been the world cham-pion ever since he nailed his maiden title.As a professional chess player, Anand, thecountry’s first GM, breathes the game. Withhis latest conquest, Anand has triggeredanother chess wave in this country.

(Manuel Aaron spoke to T.N. Raghu)

He had the spark: Aaron

QUOTE STAND“World Championship is some-thing special in chess. The qualityof the tournament was high andI’m happy that Anand won con-vincingly. He was well preparedand he was also in great form. Weall have to learn from Anand on

how he keeps himself motivated after playingchess for so many years”Krishnan Sasikiran, GM

“We are all delighted. There is nobreakaway world championshipnow. It’s doubly sweet as Anandis the undisputed champion ofthe world. I think the key was hisattacking play with black pieces.While Gelfand and Kramnikplayed safe with black, Anand was positive withthe less advantageous pieces. Anand’s win willbring more respect for Indian players abroad.We have been winning age group titles regular-ly, but senior crown is something different. Moreyoungsters will take up the game after Anand’slatest achievement”R.B. Ramesh, GM

“It’s celebration time for us. It is the bestachievement for Anand and India. Anand haskick started another chess wave in the country”Ebenezer Joseph, India’s only Fide trainer

“Anand did it without losing a game and he wasvery innovative. He is an inspiration for all of us.”S.P. Sethuraman, IM

HAND IN HAND

TWO IS COMPANY: Anand and Aruna are made foreach other. Anand has repeatedly acknowledged hiswife’s contribution to his success. She helps himremain focused on the game by taking care of mediarelationship. Aruna accompanies him all over theworld. A photograph by Jaison G

The other side of Anand

Mexico City, Sept. 30:India’s Viswanathan Anandwas crowned world champi-on of chess on Saturday ashe won the marathon tour-nament here that broughttogether eight of the game’sbest players. Anand, 37,replaced Vladimir Kramnikof Russia as champion, win-ning the tournament onpoints after tying a matchwith Hungarian Peter Lekoon the 14th day of the con-test, which he dominatedfrom the start. Anand neverlost a game in the champi-onship.

“I enjoy this new feelingof being world champion,”he said. “I had a couple ofdifficult games, nothing tooworrying for this kind oftournament,” said Anand,who was ranked worldnumber one going into thetournament.

“I am just very happy withmy game, we had a goodteam, I felt very well, mysecond (coach) helped mewith a lot of interestingideas, everything clicked.”

Kramnik, who saw thechampionship slip from hisgasp on Friday after a tie,finished in second followedby Israeli Boris Gelfand.

Anand played at a clearly

superior level throughoutthe 17-day tournament butcame close to defeat onFriday. He managed todraw his five-hour, 73-move game with anotherRussian, AlexanderGrischuk. He would havewon the tournament imme-diately if he had beatenGrischuk, who has beenfocusing on a poker career.

The Indian, who learnedto play chess at the age ofsix, had previously won theworld championship in2000, but the achievementwas valued less since at thetime the chess world wassplit between two rivalworld titles.

Anand said both victorieswere equally sweet. “Forme it is not different or moreimportant than the 2000title, for me they are bothlovely memories,” he said.

“It is as if he had a com-puter in his head,” said hisspouse, Aruna Anand. “Hehas a brain that worksfaster.” (AFP)

FINAL STANDINGS1. Anand (9 pts)2. Kramnik, Gelfand (8 pts)4. Leko (7 pts)5. Svidler (6.5 pts)6. Morozevich, Aronian (6) 8. Grischuk (5.5 pts)

Anand doesit in style

FOCUS: Viswanathan Anand in action against Hungarian Peter Leko during the final round of the World Chess Championshipin Mexico City on Saturday. Anand drew the game to win the world title for the second time in his career. (AFP)

Vishy revolutionised chess in IndiaBy T.N. RAGHU

Chennai, Sept. 30: India are ona roll in the world of sports.Nehru Cup win in football, AsiaCup triumph in hockey,Twenty20 conquest in cricket,Pankaj Advani’s world billiardstitle and Anand’s world chesscrown have turned 2007 a land-mark year for Indian sports. Theman of the moment, undoubted-ly, is Viswanathan Anand.

Chess is not football at theglobal level or cricket in thiscountry for its ability to capti-vate the masses. Anand may notbe playing a macho sport but heis into a game that can be as tir-ing as any. No scientist has put a

cap to the limit a human mindcan foray into. Like the name ofa photocopying machine, Xerox,had become a term to denotethat process in this country,Anand and chess are also syn-onymous.

India hasn’t had a singular iconlike the Chennai star in anygame. In terms of mass partici-pation in competitive events,chess has come a long way inthe last 20 years. And one does-n’t have to look beyond Anandfor the reason. Through his con-sistent excellence over the years,Anand has popularised the sportany advertisement blitzkrieg ororganised campaigning couldever hope to achieve.

Anand’s expertise in shorterversions of the game is well doc-umented. But there were doubtslingering on the minds of a fewabout his mastery in classicalchess. India’s first Grandmasterdispelled those doubters with his

world title in Mexico City onSaturday. He is the best in thebusiness now. Full stop. That hewas able to clinch his secondworld title without losing a gamedoesn’t mean that his opponentswere weak. Anand’s preparationswere spot on because he wantedto do it again. The Mexico event

offered an ideal opportunity toprove his class without the dis-traction of a rival faction propos-ing a separate bout for heavy-weights.

There are some who take a bitof sheen off Anand’s achieve-ment by pointing out that the bigK, Garry Kasparov, had retiredfrom the game. Yes, it wouldhave tasted sweeter if theMexico event had the charismat-ic Russian in the mix. ButAnand can only beat an oppo-nent sitting across the table. Thefact that Kasparov desperatelywanted to carry an air of invinci-bility into his retirement meanthe wouldn’t anyway have faceda strong opponent in the twilight

of his career. Finally, the analysis of

Anand’s other side. Nice peopledon’t always come last. As aprofessional on the chess circuitand a gentleman outside, Anandhas an impeccable track record.Rarely has the Indian gone onan ego trip, which is a routinefor superstars in any sports, inhis peripatetic three-decadecareer. Smiling and affable, theWorld No. 1 keeps his compo-sure irrespective of the results.The game of kings and queenshas notoriety for palace intriguebut Anand never got his imagesullied by petty politicking. Healways plays his game fair andsquare.

FOCUS

‘Son’shine moment for themBy T.N. RAGHU

Chennai, Sept. 30: In stark contrast tothe events following India’s Twenty20triumph, there is no media scrum out-side newly crowned world chesschampion Viswanathan Anand’sBesant Nagar home here. Anand’s par-ents K. Viswanathan and Sushila stillenjoy the tranquil atmosphere theirresidential area renowned to afford.Yes, they are busy from the morning,answering a stream of congratulatoryphone calls from all parts of India aswell as the world. Though TV andprint reporters have visited them allday, the serenity of their well main-tained home remains intact. Chess isnot a sport that can work the adrena-line overtime and Anand, after all, is aplayer habituated to winning.

There is a buzz in Sushila’s voice butshe doesn’t lose her poise once in aconversation with this paper. Whatwas Sushila’s first reaction afterAnand became the king in MexicoCity? “I told him, ‘Congrats! Anand.You have done it again,” she informs.“We followed his last game on theInternet on Saturday night and we

were happy that he finished the jobwithout losing. I would say his Worldtitle in 2000 was more special. Firstwin always has its charm.”

Were they confident of the titlebefore the tournament? “We don’t nor-mally worry about how he is going toplay in a particular event. It’s all downto him. He only goes and plays. Apartfrom being dedicated and determined,Anand works really hard on his game.I think the secret of Anand’s success ishis love for chess. When Anand start-ed playing, we never thought he wouldgo on to become a world champion.His passion has taken him where he istoday. As parents, we have providedhim what he wanted and, in turn, hehas given us all he could. Ours is amutually beneficial relationship,”Sushila laughs.

Even in the finest hour of Anand’scareer, Sushila says her son has scopefor improvement. “Learning neverends in chess. Every game offers anopportunity to know a little bit more,”she adds.

Anand’s ever-expanding repertoire isa frightening thought for his futureopponents.

JUBILANT: Anand’s parents,Sushila and K. Viswanathan, arebusy attending phone calls attheir Besant Nagar home onSunday. A photograph by Jaison G

ICONIC PRESENCE: Anand represents Vidya Sagar (formerly known as theSpastic Society of India) as its global ambassador. The chess champion doesn’tcharge a penny for his service. He is seen at a fund raising event for Vidya Sagar.A photograph by Jaison G

‘Vishy is India’s gift’

Chennai, Sept. 30:International Master T.S.Ravi is Anand’s contem-porary. They had playedagainst each other asyoungsters. Ravi throwslight on what made hisfriend a special player.

As an opponent, I felt hishis talent even when hewas a young boy. Theintelligence was there; thecompetitive spirit wasthere and he never likedlosing. He was a bit emo-tional in the beginning. Hewas finding it very diffi-cult to come to terms withdefeats. As he graduatedinto the junior level, hebecame more balanced. Ihad often beaten himwhen we started off. But it

was Anand who wasalways winning after1985.

Anand used to playchess non-stop at the TalAcademy. He startedbeating seasoned playerswith ease.

Now he has lighteningspeed and immaculateanalytical ability. Hisinvolvement in the game istotal. He has absolutely nodistraction. I think hisfocus has taken him to thetop of world chess.

Anand rememberseverything about ourearly days even now. Hismemory is phenomenal.He invites us for a get-together whenever he is inChennai. It’s a differentfeeling for me when hewon the World title for thesecond time, on Saturday.After all, one from ourgroup has become thechampion of the world.

(T.S. Ravi spoke to T.N. Raghu)

IN BLACKAND WHITE

New Delhi, Sept. 30: After his majes-tic feat of two World ChessChampionship titles, ViswanathanAnand is now eager to see whether hiscountrymen would give him the samegrand reception that they had extendedto Twenty20 World Cup winning crick-eters. After ending his seven-year waitto reclaim the world title with an unde-feated run in the Mexico City onSaturday, Anand said he came to knowabout the grand welcome that thecricketers had been given and was surethat at least his chess friends would bethere to receive him. (PTI)

Hero’s welcome forchess champ too?

IN A NUTSHELL● Born on Dec. 11, 1969 in Chennai● 1983 National Sub-Junior ChessChampion at the age of 14● 1984 International Master● 1985 Indian National Champion ● 1987 World Junior Champion● 1988 Grandmaster ● 2000 Fide World Champion● 2003 Fide World Rapid Champion● 2007 Fide World Chess Champion

■ 1985 Arjuna Award, ■ 1987 Soviet Land Nehru Award■ 1987 Padma Shri■ 1987 National Citizens Award■ 1991-92 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Award■ 1995 K K Birla Award■ Four chess Oscar awards 1997,

1998, 2003, 2004.■ 1995 Padma Bhushan

AWARDS