The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : The chess champion's strategy for success

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 18, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The chess champion's strategy for success

Staff Reporter

Viswanathan Anand delivers lecture on global leadership at MMA

ROLE MODEL: Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand speaking on global leadership at a meeting in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: World number one chess champion Viswanathan Anand was evidently amidst an audience worried about India's future chess players.

One gentleman wanted to know the right "methodology" to make his two-year-old a chess prodigy. Another wanted to know what his strategy was to help youngsters interested in playing the game at the international level. Anand was even interrogated about his food — perhaps his success came off his plate?

Anand was addressing participants at a lecture on global leadership organised by the Madras Management Association (MMA) here on Thursday.

He said the most important things to remember were the ability to respond to failure and success, self-criticism and the willingness to experiment (which staves off boredom). Anand learnt the game when he was six years old. He said the first 4-5 years as a chess player were the most enjoyable.

When he started his quest to become a Grand Master, it always eluded him narrowly. Then he took a break from the game to give his Plus Two exams, which proved to be a blessing. The time away from the game helped him revive the freshness, and in a couple of months, he became the World Junior Champion.

The Grand Master title soon followed.

Things started to go downhill after he achieved his target. Suddenly finding himself with no goal made him realize that for success, everyone needed something to look forward to. Anand soon found out that success always came with criticism. The praise he got before he beat worthy opponents turned to flak. He soon realised these were actually compliments, as his opponents felt threatened by his success.

He warned the audience about the pitfalls of success — one often stops taking risks. "The fun is in the gamble, and in tricking your opponent," said Anand. He also said one needed a new impetus to keep at something.

For him, working with new trainers, playing in a new country ... all helped.

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