‘We had to figure things out on our own. If things have improved for the next generation, wonderful’: Viswanathan Anand at Express Adda

At a recent Express Adda in Chennai, India’s first grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, his wife Aruna, and India’s top-ranked chess player Arjun Erigaisi, spoke on the game’s revolution and how India became a chess superpower

On staying grounded

Viswanathan Anand (VA): I think a lot has to do with upbringing. My family and schoolmates treated me a certain way and it would have felt strange if anything had changed. To be honest, most of the time, I felt that being yourself is easiest on you.

On aggression in sports

VA: There are chess players who thrive under aggression. Famously, someone like Viktor Korchnoi would have an argument before every game but he would play better. Whenever I had a minor disagreement with someone, it would bug me a little. So, you know, we are just cut from different cloth.

The audience at the Adda with Viswanathan Anand

On the popularity of chess in India

VA: When I became a grandmaster, when I started competing for the world title, when I started to appear in the sports pages, these had an effect. There’s a generation who was following it intensely and a certain percentage of them were even motivated to try playing. In school tournaments, even open tournaments, the numbers shot up. Then the number of grandmasters started increasing. So the ecosystem has taken a long time building. But then, recently, there was a boom set off by two things. People were stuck at home during the pandemic and they had phones on which you could play chess. And on Netflix, which you could watch on your phone, there was the series, The Queen’s Gambit. It had an audience of 70, 80 million globally. But if the pandemic had happened 10 years ago, our bandwidth wouldn’t have been good enough. This was a very good timing for chess, in a sense.

On why the Soviet domination gave way

VA: The Soviets dominated in a much earlier era, roughly the 1910s till the 1990s. They used to field the Soviet Union versus the Rest of the World teams, and were actually able to compete against the rest of the world. But a couple of things happened. First of all, Russia is not the Soviet Union, so it’s a fraction. And then… computers came along and made all the training advantages that the Soviets had built up kind of irrelevant very fast.

In 1990, when the country broke down, a lot of Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian chess players went to other countries and started coaching there. Right now, no country can dominate a sport like the Soviets once did.

On how he keeps his passion for chess alive

VA: It comes and goes. You can lose your motivation fast. Certainly, it’s hard for me as well but I try to stay updated with all the modern trends in chess and keep working because I basically like to play chess and I know that you can’t half do it. You either do it all-in or you don’t.

 

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On chess being a lonely sport

VA: Chess can definitely take you in, so to speak. You can get so absorbed in chess and it’s quite insular. There are some people who have other interests and there are some who have to learn that more slowly… In my case, I was very happy to finish school, then do my BCom. I mean, it’s not that I am an ace in accounting but you’ve got to hang out with your college mates and so on. You learn to speak to people who don’t understand what you do.

On a changing mindset

Aruna Anand (AA): I think people are more accepting of women taking on a role now. I remember in 2010-2011, I would be the only woman in a room full of 50 men. Anand used to always make fun of me and say, ‘Have you seen these big Hollywood types? They’ll have huge bodyguards and then they’ll have this little-looking man. You have to be scared of the little man because that man bites. That’s why I married you because you are that little man’. So I think coming from there, where you were constantly questioned because you were a woman, a wife, to where it’s just regular business, nobody really questions your gender anymore.

On being a team

AA: It’s based on trust. Anand travels quite a lot, so I do a lot of the heavy hand-holding at home, especially since our son is just entering his teenage years. When he comes back home, he has to step up because, more than me, I think our son misses him a lot. Being aware of these things is very important, but I think largely it just works on trust. It doesn’t work on gender-specified roles or that, you know, I do this and you do that. We take a decision, we understand it is a common decision and it works for both.

On being part of the global chess league

Erigaisi: That was the first time, I think, we got a chance to interact with Magnus (Carlsen). And we were taking every moment of it to understand him and see what he thinks about chess. We also got to play some games with him and that was very useful as well.

(From left) Pankaj Surana, Managing Director, Surana Gem and Jewellery Industries Pvt Ltd; Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, Tech Mahindra; Murugavel Janakiraman, CEO, Bharat Matrimony

On being competitive with his contemporaries

Erigaisi: There is some rivalry between us but it’s healthy. It only motivates the other person to work harder and do better but it’s not like we are feeling jealous (of each other). So, what’s there right now is very good and I think it’s best for everyone if it remains the same because it helps everyone.

On the finances that go into the making of a grandmaster

Erigaisi: What people don’t realise is it’s a very expensive sport. Almost 50 per cent of my sponsorship goes into my training. Then you have to constantly travel. So I think sponsorship is very important.

On the challenges he faced starting out

VA: There are things which I found unfair but there are also things that just made us strong. We went through it once and we learnt our lessons from it and we said, okay, next time we have to do things differently… And you’re right, in a sense, we were pioneers and we had to figure this out on our own. There was no institutional transfer of knowledge, right?

We learnt how to deal with these challenges. That’s just the way it was. If things have improved for the next generation, then wonderful.

On the golden generation of Indian chess

VA: I think they’re so close to the top, they’re sniffing most things. Obviously, playing with the highest stakes is an experience that you may have to encounter in a very raw fashion to figure it out. It’s funny, they could be each other’s rivals easily in some universe and they’ll be in the same boat in a sense, so we’ll see.

Quick Questions

VISWANATHAN ANAND

Indian Express Adda with Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

Why do you think so many of your contemporaries have retired?

They wanted to try other things.

One achievement outside chess you are most proud of?

Marrying up.

One thing that you fear in your career?

Playing badly.

Your greatest rival?

I played the most games with (Vladimir) Kramnik. So in some sense, you could call him my greatest rival. But I think Magnus (Carlsen) is pretty close in terms of number of games as well.

And what’s the one thing you’ve learnt from Kramnik?

I thought I had learned how to be chill from him but you continuously learn new things about people.

He is not chill anymore?

He is doing some interesting stuff. He has suddenly discovered Twitter and that’s not something I saw coming.

One piece of advice for Djokovic.

Not to have a knee operation right before a tournament.

What advice do you have for Alcaraz?

He’s doing great. He seems to be genuinely chirpy and happy.

And for Rohit.

Enjoy the times it goes well.

Will you support the idea of legalising sports gambling in India?

I would permit but with limits.

Erigaisi: I would copy on Anand’s say on that one.

Aruna: I think you should have limits because it could become dangerous.

What if chess became a gambling sport?

Again with a lot of limitations but thankfully it is not an issue we have to deal with. In chess one of the challenges we face is cheating. I am not sure what gambling will do to that but if you can really separate it, and if the fans want to do it, then that’s fine.

ARUNA ANAND

Aruna Anand at Express Adda. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

The one person who has contributed to improving brand India globally, almost as much as Vishy Anand has.

Mahatma Gandhi.

The one game that Vishy lost but you were most proud of him for playing?

There is no game like that. If he loses, it’s misery.

The one contract or endorsement that you were happiest closing?

Anand does a lot of work for WWF and it’s very interesting to see what research they are doing. Personally, e are very happy to be part of the WWF family.

The one thing that the current generation can learn from Vishy’s.

If you need marriage tips, you know where to ask!

What advice would you give a parent for keeping their child focused like Vishy?

I think like Anand said, let the child decide what she would like to do. It’s interesting what children come up with these days. Like our son loves art and I’m very happy he found his own calling.

And one advice you have for wives who work with their husbands?

It’s okay to shout at them once in a while. They understand.

ARJUN ERIGAISI

Arjun Erigaisi during an Express Adda at Chennai. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

One piece of advice you have for the 13-year-old chess enthusiast, who looks at you and says he wants to be a grandmaster like you.

If you enjoy chess, just continue doing it and, maybe, just play a lot of games.

Of all your contemporaries, whose journey are you most inspired by?

I’m most inspired by Vishy sir and Magnus Carlsen.

And from your generation?

I think Gukesh is very inspiring because winning the candidates at 17 is a huge feat.

One thing you’ve learned from Vishy which you cherish the most?

Back in 2021, I got a chance to play against him, casual games. Those are moments I really cherish because I learnt a lot from them.

What needs to happen for India to dominate chess globally, like the Soviets once did?

I think we are doing good, but dominating at their level is almost impossible in this era.

The one thing that needs to happen to make chess a more lucrative career choice?

Bring in more sponsors and corporate companies.

The one rival you’re most excited to face this year?

I have not faced Alireza that much, so I would really love to play him.

Destiny or freewill.

Not any if you win.

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