'Won't lobby for Ratna'
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Chess is not heavyweight boxing. But playing the mind game at the highest level for a quarter of a century can be exhausting. For ordinary mortals, even the pursuit of excellence has an expiry date. But Viswanathan Anand is not a chess player you might bump into every day. The reigning world champion is one in a billion. He has nothing left to achieve in the game but he hasn’t lost the hunger to win or the eagerness to explore new moves.
Anand will be chasing his fifth crown when he takes on Boris Gelfand of Israel in the world championship match in Moscow next year. That Anand still has fire in his belly isn't surprising because the fuel for the flame is his enthusiasm for the game. "I will continue to play chess as long as I'm enjoying it. Solving problems and the idea of tricking your opponent keep me going," he says.
The union government has recently opened the doors to sportspersons for Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. Anand, who is singularly responsible for the chess revolution in the country, is a frontrunner for the coveted honour. "I welcome the move to consider sportspersons for Bharat Ratna. But I will never lobby for the award. The selection is best left to the home ministry," he says.
Your performance in the last few tournaments were not good. You seem to be going through a slump now. What is the reason?
The results were frustrating. But then, I have decided to examine them later. Right now, my focus is only on the match against Gelfand.
Have you started your preparations for the Moscow event?
Not yet. I will start next month. I have taken a break after playing a series of tournaments. I will skip the annual Tata Steel tournament and Linares to focus on the world championship match.
Many pundits have made you a firm favourite against Gelfand. Will you be under greater pressure in Moscow?
No, because there is no favourite at the world championship. Both Gelfand and I will start in the same position. I don't believe that I have an advantage.
Gelfand will be highly motivated because it could be his last shot at the world championship…
Certainly. He is a dangerous opponent. Gelfand demonstrated his ability in the candidates series. Even though we know each other's game very well, chess players keep evolving to come up with something new in every tournament.
Does age matter in chess? There is lot of talk about two seniors fighting for the world title…<?I>
It is funny that people give more importance to age. But what is true is career span of chess players is coming down. But then, it is only a trend and not a rule. In our case, it is wonderful to have two people from the same era with similar perspective fighting for the world title.
Do you attach any symbolic importance to playing in Moscow, given the city's chess culture?
I would love to win the world championship even if it is played in the moon. The world championship is important wherever it is played. At the same time, I have to say people in Moscow know their chess. I still remember a standing ovation I got for a move while playing a tournament there a long time ago. I'm sure that the match will be conducted wonderfully in Russia.
What is your travel plan to Moscow? You had to travel by car for hours to reach Sofia for the match against Topalov after flights in Europe were grounded by volcanic ash.
(laughs) I think there are no volcanoes near Russia. We are planning our schedule early to make sure that our journey is safer.
Has the birth of your son altered your perspective on chess?
I'm not the first chess player to have become a father! Being a father is a wonderful feeling, though. I enjoy playing with my son, Akhil, who is eight-and-half months old. But nothing has changed in the way I play the game. It is difficult to link fatherhood and chess.
Your wife Aruna has been accompanying you to all big tournaments ever since she got married to you. Will she be there in Moscow?
Yeah, she will be there. She came to Moscow last month when I signed the agreement.
Were you disappointed by the loss of Koneru Humpy in the women's world championships final recently?
It would have been nice to have men's and women's champions from India. Humpy had her chances. She started off well, but then, she collapsed during time trouble.
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