Anand, A to Z

A to Z of Viswanathan Anand
DC | TN Raghu | 3 hours 23 min ago

Anand is the one-man chess industry in India. Without his exploits, it's difficult to conceive how chess would have developed in the country. Every fire needs a spark and the five-time world champion is singularly responsible for setting off chess wildfire in India.

Bonn is where Anand vanquished Vladimir Kramnik for his third world title in 2008. Experts, including world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen, are unanimous in their opinion that the Indian GM was at his best in the German city. By beating a player of Kramnik's calibre in match play, Anand proved his class, if at all it needed affirmation.

Chess is the reason you are enduring this A to Z ordeal. The ancient game, purportedly invented in India, has produced an Indian champion who is worthy of all the accolades coming his way. Anand is a credit to the sport. Five world crowns sit lightly on this man's head.

Don Bosco, the famous institution at Egmore, is where Anand had his school education. Actor Arvind Samy, who encamped in the heart of every adolescent girl in Tamil Nadu after starring in Roja, was Anand's classmate at Don Bosco.

Eagerness to learn something new sets him apart from other sombre world chess champions. Anand isn't a one-trick pony. He has a wide range of interests besides chess. Cosmos, a book on astronomy written by Carl Sagan of the US, is the chess champion's all-time favourite. Anand is a huge history buff. Now he is also fascinated by statistics.

French, German and Spanish are the languages Anand can speak besides Tamil and English. Madrid was his European base for many years before he settled down in Chennai following the birth of his son Akhil in 2011. Speaking of `F', father Anand dotes on his two-and-a-half-year old son.

Gelfand proved to be a tough nut to crack in the world championship in Moscow last year. Even though Anand was superior in rating, the feisty Israeli put up a valiant fight as he lost only in the tiebreaker. Anand candidly admitted that relief was the predominant feeling after winning his fifth title. The Indian, who is the underdog against Carlsen, can draw inspiration from Gelfand.

Hyatt Regency is the venue for the gladiatorial battle from November 9 to 28. Pundits are saying an Anand win is improbable against Carlsen who is far ahead of the Indian in rating as well as form. But sport wouldn't be sport if the results always adhered to the formbook.

Intuition makes immortals while practice produces champions in chess. Anand belongs to the first category. Otherwise it's not possible to remain a top player in the world for nearly 25 years. Anand himself told this paper in 2007 that intuition was his best trait.

Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, deserves credit for bringing the Anand-Carlsen match to Chennai. She has enhanced her reputation as a sports lover by spending Rs 29 crore to stage the match in the Tamil Nadu capital. Anand fans and chess lovers would forever chess lovers would forever be indebted to her.

Kasparov's relationship with Anand has never been fantastic but there is a great deal of mutual respect. Kasparov, who craves for attention he used to get as a player, isn't able to live with the fact that he's not the centre of the chess universe any longer. Anand's failure to beat the Russian legend in a world championship title match is a small hole in the Indian's otherwise sparkling CV.

Latvian GM Mikhail Tal and American maverick Bobby Fischer are Anand's heroes in chess. For a person who tends to learn from others but does his own thing, the reigning world champion can hold forth on Fischer's impact on chess. It was at a chess club started in memory of Tal in Chennai where Anand took his baby steps in the sport.

Moscow, the spiritual home of chess, is Anand's favourite venue. The city is steeped in chess history and its fans can tell a masterstroke on the board from a mundane move. Two thousand Muscovites once gave Anand a standing ovation for a splendid move against Vladislav Tkachiev.

Norwegian wonderkid Magnus Carlsen stands between Anand and a perfect homecoming. Beating the best player in the world in Chennai, his own backyard, would be the crowning glory in the resplendent career of the Tiger from Madras.

Outstanding feats have been common in Anand's career ever since he won the Asian junior title in 1984. Grandmasters are aplenty in India now but there was none before Anand. Someone had to show that it was possible for an Indian to achieve the landmark. Anand completed his final GM norm at Sakthi Finance tournament at Coimbatore in 1988.

Philippines is an important country in the life of Anand. He spent some time in Manila as his father was posted there as an officer of Indian Railways. The way Anand repeatedly won prizes in a TV show in the Philippines is a cliché now. Anand also won his first global title, the world juniors, in the Philippines in 1987.

Questions about Anand's place in the pantheon of chess greats were laid to rest after Anand defeated Kramnik in 2008 to win the world championship in all formats -knockout, round-robin and match play. Those who still question Anand's mettle should be banished from the chess scene if the Indian goes on to beat Carlsen this month.

Richard Dawkins, the charismatic evolutionary biologist from the UK, leads Anand's reading list. Others include Dan Brown, Simon Singh (the irrepressible UK writer on science and mathematics), J.K. Rowling and William Dalrymple. Susheela, Anand's mother, sowed the seeds for one of the most flourishing sports careers in India. He learned his chess from her. As the youngest of her three children, Anand shares a special bond with his mother.

Topalov was Anand's most acrimonious opponent in the world championship final. The Bulgarian refused to allow the Indian any leeway in scheduling even though the defending champion's trip to Sofia in 2010 went haywire thanks to the volcanic eruption in Iceland. An opponent obsessive on winning and an arduous journey couldn't prevent Anand from winning his fourth world title. Bonus for `T': one of Anand's prized possessions is a telescope his wife Aruna gifted him for one of his birthdays.

U2 frontman Bono has an admirer in Anand. The chess champion is fascinated by Bono's interesting views on the world. Anand also likes the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs and Ratan Tata.

Vishy is Anand's commonly known pet name. Strangely, it was derived from his father's name, Viswanathan whose only advice to Anand in the champion's younger days was to cut down on his speed at the board. For those close to him, the chess maestro is Simba.

Wife Aruna has been a pillar of strength to Anand. Aruna speaks for her husband most of the time because she knows Anand inside out. She ensures that the world champion is able to focus on what he does best: playing chess. Vishy has gone on record that he would like to have his wife's phone number if he is stranded in an island.

X factor of Anand, the chess player, is his love for the game. He doesn't play chess for the rewards it entails. Passion is his driving force even after moving the pieces competitively for almost 35 years. Anand's X factor as a person is his humility and sincerity.

You have loads of patience for coming this far in A to Z. Jokes apart, Yifan (Hou) of China is the reigning women's world champion in chess. Unlike Anand, she is not well known outside her country. Women are surely not equal to men in the mind game.

Zidane, Messi, McEnroe, Federer and Nadal are Anand's favourite sportspersons. The chess champion had been to the Bernabeu on a couple of occasions during his stay in Madrid and Zidane was then the conductor of the Real orchestra. And, who will not like Messi?

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com