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A Look Back: What Vishy Anand Can Teach You

The World Champion plays an aggressive game in front of the chess board and tries to steer clear of the politics in the world of pawns and kings

Published: Jun 1, 2011 06:46:12 AM IST
Updated: May 30, 2011 10:52:57 AM IST
A Look Back: What Vishy Anand Can Teach You

WHY WE DID THE STORY: In 2010, Viswanathan Anand became the world chess champion by defeating Veslin Topalov in trying circumstances. In many ways, Vishy Anand’s is an extraordinary tale of a shy, self-effacing child prodigy whose aggressive style has been reshaped by time and experience into a calm, gentlemanly and matter-of-fact winning strategy. Over the last 25 years, Anand has seen his career run into a number of roadblocks, but each time he has risen above the manipulative politics that bogs down the world of chess and also the doubts and insults heaped on his successes. Our story was an attempt to understand the mind of this champion. To take a step back and understand what makes him succeed, what goes through his head in the darkest hour of failure and what it takes to make a comeback on the world stage. This story provided us insights on how to help us improve our lives.

(You can read this story here )

WHERE THE STORY STANDS: Anand is the reigning world chess champion today. The next fight for the title is up in 2012. Right now, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or the World Chess Federation Candidates match is on, and the winner of the tournament will challenge Anand for the world champion title. Among the four quarter finalists, Vladimir Kramnik looks like the favourite but it is too early to speculate.

This Russian is a tough opponent, although, in the last two matches for the world championship title in the year 2007 and 2008, Kramnik lost to Anand. But for the next few months Anand is busy, thanks to Nikhil, his one-month-old son. Earlier last month, Anand and Aruna were blessed with a baby boy 14 years after they got married. Anand cancelled his match in Bundesliga to be with his family. As Anand says, everything else is on the backburner. It is only after September that he will start preparing for the world championship. It is family time now.

(This story appears in the 03 June, 2011 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)

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