No city in the world, let alone in India, has produced as many chess Grand Masters (GMs) as Chennai. And with two of our young GMs — D Gukesh and R Vaishali — ready to face the Championship match this year end, and with the former having opened up about his mental battles and strained relationship with the sport, five-time World Chess Champion and GM Viswanathan Anand passed along pointers for the youngsters to note.
Anand suggested that Gukesh manage his competition-rest routine before defending his title against Javokhir Sindarov in the winter. “I don’t think there are easy formulas for that. Yeah, as long as you get some rest, some play, and some training, you can do it in the order you want,” he said on the sidelines of an event in Chennai, where he was felicitated by the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI). Anand became the latest recipient of the SJFI medal during a glittering ceremony at the Madras Cricket Club (MCC) on Wednesday. The event was hosted in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Association (TNSJA).
When asked about the way forward for Gukesh, Anand gave a peek into the mind of a champion. “I would say it is about getting back to the level where you were at. And you block out other things. Becoming world champion at 18 is a big change in your life and how other people look at you. So there is a lot of mental stuff to unpack, but in the end you have to hunker down and play good chess again. That is the only thing you can do,” the chess champion said.
Apart from the upcoming Championship match in November-December, Gukesh will also be defending two golds at the Chess Olympiad in a few months (India won team gold and Gukesh won individual gold from Board 1). Anand said that he sees China to be a serious contender. “I imagine they’ll be very similar to the last team (in 2024),” he said. “At most, one board will change and they are amongst the top three or four,” he added.
He went on to elaborate, “But we already saw China was well, the Chinese team, which played in Hong Kong, was kind of similar to the main team, and I think China will be a serious contender, as will be Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is even stronger now, and there’s an India-Uzbekistan rivalry as well. So those are the teams that I think are going to fight for the crown”.
There will be another Indian involved in the Championship match, R Vaishali, who won the women’s Candidates earlier this year. Anand was of the opinion that a victory for the Chennai GM could change the fortunes for women’s chess in India. “Definitely,” he responded, adding, “Already, the fact that she’s a challenger again after so many years without (Koneru) Humpy is very good news for Indian women’s chess. And obviously if she wins, that will be magnified. I would still say Ju Wenjun is very strong.”
But on the subject of the venue for the upcoming clash between Gukesh and Sindarov, Anand, deputy head of the world governing body FIDE, pleaded the fifth. “I think most venues are pretty, you just settle in and you play. The only question is, if it’s a home venue, then you need to adjust to it,” he signed off.