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Interview with Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand
Written by content team 10 May 2007
Viswanathan Anand is an Indian chess grandmaster and former FIDE world champion. Anand is one of only four players in history to break the 2800 ELO mark in the FIDE rating list. He has been among the top three ranked players in classical time control chess in the world continuously since 1997. In the recently release April 2007 FIDE rating list, Anand is ranked first in the world for the first time. He is only the sixth person to lead the rating list, the other five being Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik and Topalov.
In this interview with Viswanathan Anand, he tells us about the importance of daily physical exercise for the chess players, his views on modification of draw rules, cheating at high-level tournaments, about the playing style of the world's strongest chess players, computer chess programs, how children can manage the balance of both academics as well as chess. We hope our readers would enjoy reading the interview with few rare snaps of Viswanathan Anand.
LatestChess:- Hello Anand, We are glad to have you on LatestChess. Congratulations for
winning Linares 2007 Chess Championship, you performed very well in Amber Rapid
and Blindfold Tournament as well. You must be very happy with your performances.
Viswanathan Anand:-
Thank you very much. of course I am very happy.
LatestChess:- Do you think daily physical exercise can help a chess player to increase
brain's ability to concentrate, remember, focus, visualize, and plan ahead?
Could you tell our readers about your views on importance of physical fitness +
chess.
Viswanathan Anand:-
In chess a small mistake can cost you the game. If you are tired then you make
errors in calculations. I go to the gym everyday and it helps me concentrate
longer. Especially when you play a tough tournament you need to conserve energy
for the last rounds.
LatestChess:- What are your views on modifications in Draw rules? Do you think that
draw offers should be allowed only after the minimum number of moves (30, 40,
50) are completed, draw offers should not be allowed at all, or the
current rules should not be changed?
Viswanathan Anand:-
I think there is no need to have rules. I personally feel as a chess player you
have a certain duty to play . For your self conscience and for the public you
need to play a decent game. Chess theory sometimes also makes it difficult to
progress in certain lines. I feel that the current rules need not be changed. I
believe that individual organizers can decide these rules for themselves (like
in Corsica).
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Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand
analyzing games with demo chess board |
LatestChess:- Do you consider the possibility of cheating at high-level tournaments as
a serious problem? What measures would you suggest to reduce such a possibility?
Viswanathan Anand:-
More than cheating, the thought that someone could cheat is more serious.
Seconds should be prohibited from going on stage or into the player's area
before the game. They should also not be allowed to enter the playing hall and
leave and re-enter during a game. It is actually a bit strange to police people. But in today's time where a mobile phone is more than enough to cheat we need
to take these steps. Delay in transmission is one step.
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Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand
with wife Aruna |
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