The Hindu : Sport / Chess : This year, I've played my best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2004

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Sport - Chess

This year, I've played my best

By Rakesh Rao

Viswanathan Anand... a true champion in every sense of the word. — Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

NEW DELHI, NOV. 9. Some personalities never cease to amaze. They strive hard but silently. Perform with incredible consistency at the highest level yet remain down to earth. Superlatives fall short of describing their contribution to their chosen vocation. Among the leading Indian sportspersons, if there is one man who fits the bill, it is Viswanathan Anand.

This year, from winning the tough classical events at Wijk Aan Zee and Dortmund, in addition to claiming the rapid titles of Melody Ambers and the Mainz Classic, Anand left very little for others. If any more proof was needed of his capabilities, Anand provided it by helping India come up with its strongest performance in the gruelling Chess Olympiad in Mallorca. Two days later, Anand shifted gears to win the Corsica Masters rapid title in Bastia for the fifth year in a row. With this triumph, Anand has inched closer to retaining the prestigious Chess Oscar.

In spite of his demanding schedule, Anand took time off to share his thoughts with The Hindu. Excerpts from an interview

Q: What are your thoughts on winning the title?

Anand: As happy as you can imagine! To do the Mainz-Corsica double for the 5th year in a row is an unbelievable feeling. Also, this year, I have been playing well and feel that I played my best chess, which is a very pleasant feeling — to play good games.

Q. How is this one any different than the previous four? Which remains your most cherish one and why?

Anand: Corsica is a very tough rapid event. In terms of thrill, I think 2002 was the most exciting. I came back from a game down to beat (Anatoly) Karpov and then beat him 2-0 in the five-minute blitz. I was very happy in 2003 to play well against (Veselin) Topalov. My win in 2002 was the most cherished. I had to work a little extra for it. I had beaten Karpov in Prague that year very convincingly in the finals, so I didn't want to give him any sweet chance for revenge.

This year it seemed to go smoothly. I had three 2-0s. This was nice. Also this was the first time we played without having to qualify. In previous year, all the top seeds found the qualifications the most difficult.

Q. Going by the scores, it seems the easiest of your rapid titles. Was it as easy as it appears?

Anand: Not really. In many games I had tense positions where danger was always present. However, I concentrated and took my chances. Obviously the dynamic with a one-point cushion meant that the second game was generally easier. In the final, Rublevsky tried a sharp bishop sacrifice, but overlooked a tactical shot with my knight. Though material was once again even, my position was overwhelming and that was my shortest win with Black.

Gruelling format

Q. Was it too difficult to shift gears just after the Olympiad?

Anand: Yes and No. The Olympiad is a very gruelling format and a long event. It comes with its own dynamics. Corsica is a more vibrant event. I'm used to playing Corsica back to back with other events so in a way I didn't lose momentum. Last year, I won Corsica soon after Capd'Agde exactly four days later.

Q. How was the field as compared to the ones in the past?

Anand: A similar field (Topalov, Shirov, Gurevich), but also new faces like Rublevsky who has had a good year and Motylev who just qualified easily for the Russian super final. Since we didn't play the qualifiers, a lot of the tension and tiredness of qualifying was taken away.

On the other hand, you had to straight away play very strong players without having any warm up time. Many of the players here had skipped the Olympiad so they didn't come with this chess overload.

Q. Rublevsky had beaten Kasparov in the recent European Club Cup last month. How come he has not really succeeded in coming out of the shadow of some of the more illustrious players from Russia? Also, throw some light on Motylev.

Anand: This year clearly Motylev and Rublevsky played exceptionally well. They eliminated Shirov and Topalov. Rublevsky was a bit lucky against Motylev where he won from a lost position. This year Rublevsky has shown great form. He won Aeroflot, and of course, beat Kasparov (in Turkey) and played well in Bastia.

Rublevsky is someone who the chess elite respect though he isn't as well known. He is known for having a narrow but thoroughly worked out opening repertoire. Motylev is a similar case, who has perhaps made his breakthrough by qualifying for the Russian super final this year (which will be the strongest Russian championship ever held). In a way, their performance this year has put the spotlight on them.

Q. Finally, how do you rate the matches against Gurevich and Bacrot?

Anand: With both of them I had tough games with the Black pieces, Gurevich even caught me in the opening and I had to defend for a while. I managed to outplay him in the middle game and got a strong knight on d5. His position slowly deteriorated. Quite similar to what happened in my game with Bacrot.

It was very important to put the pressure as Black even at some risk. When I won those games, things much easier since to be in a must-win situation with Black is very difficult.

Q. What are your remaining engagements for 2004? Do we see you in India in December, like usual.

Anand: Yes, I will be in India in December. I will now play two Bundesliga games. End November I will play in Tallinn, Estonia. It is a one-day rapid event. I look forward to seeing a new country. This year we have been to three new countries, Bulgaria, Brazil and now Estonia. It will be nice to end the year on such a high note. I think Estonia will be the 42nd country I have visited.

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