New Delhi: On the eve of his 40th birthday,
the first chess player to become world champion in all three
formats of the game, Indian ace Viswanathan Anand has just one
wish -- to see his sport become an Olympic event.
"Obviously that would be for the (World Chess Federation)
FIDE and the International Olympic Committee to decide.
Personally, it would be nice to have chess in the Olympics."
Anand -- a world champion in Knockout, Tournament, and Match
formats -- told reporters in an interview.
Anand doesn`t foresee chess coming anywhere close to
cricket in terms of popularity and is happy with whatever
attention it gets in a nation obsessed with bat and ball.
"I can`t complain... I am happy with the attention chess
gets and the exposure I get," he said.
Asked which Indian sportsperson he admires the most, the
bespectacled ace said though he appreciates every athlete who
has done the country proud, badminton great Prakash Padukone
remains the most inspiring for him.
"As far as other Indian sports stars are concerned,
everyone has qualities that make them great. I admire Prakash
Padukone a lot," said the first recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna award, the country`s highest sporting honour.
Giving an insight into his approach to the game, Anand
said his best games are the ones he has played with child-like
enthusiasm.
"I think when you start counting all your achievements
you will soon not have much more to count. I try to focus on
the immediate challenge. In a way I play best when I am like
the six-year-old Anand just wanting to beat the opponent,"
Anand said.
"Having won the World Championships in all formats gives
me confidence but somehow you feel as good as your last
result. Chess in the last five years has been very
competitive. You have to win the game to feel good," said the
Chennai-born star.
Happy with the progress made by Indian youngsters in
international circuit, Anand said the new breed of chess
players have it in them to become the world`s best.
"If you look at the age group categories, India is a
contender for most of the top spots. This shows that we are
developing as a chess nation and have talent.”
"Recently S P Sethuraman did well in the Under-16. Sowmya
Swaminathan did extremely well in Argentina. Parimarjan Negi
has matured a lot. Every year we have at least two or three
names that stand out," he said.
Gearing up for the World Championship match against
Veselin Topalov next year, Anand said he expects the April-May
match to be tough given Topalov`s versatility.
"Clearly my focus is the match next April. I will play at
Corus in January but already training for the match is what I
have been doing. Topalov is a very versatile and dangerous
player.”
"He will be very well-prepared and I think for now we are
both training for each other," said the Grandmaster.
Having spent almost three decades on the international
circuit, Anand does not deny the possibility of cheating in
chess but said there is mutual trust among players.
"In chess, the only form of cheating that can unsettle
the balance is electronic doping, the use of computers or
devices. Already since 2005 most top level events have
monitoring devices to prevent the use of cell phones and
computers.”
"Among the top players there is a code of conduct where
you trust that a player will not cheat and will play a
honourable game," he said.
Anand, who has moved to Spain with his wife Aruna to keep
up with his international commitments, said he likes to be in
India at least twice every year.
"I come to India twice or thrice a year. We have a house
in Chennai so we tend to spend more time in India every year.
Since travel and preparation for chess takes up most part of
the year, I love coming to India twice a year to catch up with
family and friends," said Anand.
PTI