The Hindu : Sport : You cannot have an idle brain, says Anand

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Friday, Jun 01, 2007
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You cannot have an idle brain, says Anand

Principal Correspondent

'You have to keep updating with the latest developments'

CHAMPION SPEAK: Viswanathan Anand derives greater satisfaction from the fact that his No. 1 status and Linares title came on the same day. — File Photo: R. Ragu

HYDERABAD: World No.1 Viswanathan Anand said that this September's World Championship in Mexico doesn't have any clear favourite. He was interacting with media across the country through a video-conference from Kolkata on Thursday.

"I remember how crucial was my loss to Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the last championship. Not that I took him lightly, but there is no scope for any error at that level," said Anand talking about the double-leg format tournament in which eight top players will be taking part.

Did he feel it was unfair that World No. 2 Veselin Topolov was out of the World Championship by playing against Kramnik? "I look at that this way. Even in Candidates matches if the No.1 loses, that's it. Obviously, Topolov kept everything, including the title, in line by playing against Kramnik. Definitely, it is a pity that such a player will not be there," the 38-year-old Super Grandmaster said.

Great feeling

"It is always a great feeling to be the World No. 1. But what gave me greater satisfaction was the fact that the status and the Linares title-triumph came on the same day. And not surprisingly, March 10, 2007 is a magical day and the happiest day in my chess career," Anand added.

Interestingly, Anand opted for the Synchronous Learning Technology of NIIT, to replay his game with Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the Linares.

"The 38-move win was important considering that Magnus is a special talent at the age of 16. We were challenging each other and probably he erred marginally in the endgame. But the fact that this win helped me become World No.1 will remain a special thing for me," he said.

How difficult will it be for anyone to sustain the level of excellence? Anand said that the secret for that was to keep working hard and be creative all the time. "You just cannot have an idle brain. You have to keep updating with the latest developments in the sport and technology so that you don't suddenly realise that you are lagging behind in some aspect or the other," he said.

Classical vs rapid

Anand added that he was not a bad classical player despite being rated highly in rapid chess. "I tend to concentrate more during that half-an-hour in rapid chess and try to come up with good moves consistently. But in classical chess, the approach has to be different," he said. He welcomed the fact that more Grandmasters are emerging from India. "This indicates the broadening of the chess base in India. As long as the qualification marks are not lowered, it should be fine," he said.

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