It’s strange that World Champion Viswanathan Anand has won all the elite championships abroad. Tehran, Mexico, Bonn, Sofia and now Moscow. Viswanathan Anand’s World chess titles have all come abroad and it is strange that an Indian city does not figure among them, writes The Times Of India.
“The Indian mind champion has played all over the world and won all the elite tournaments in the game, but he has not played in India in the last eight years. India made a strong bid for this year’s World Championship and lost it to Russia. The World body (FIDE) then consoled the All India Chess Federation by offering it the next championship, possibly in 2014, which now becomes significant as Anand has defended his title and finally he could get to play a title match at home,” writes TOI.
Though the general perception is that playing at home would be advantageous, Anand would think twice before buying that idea. He knows the intricacies of playing at home too and is on the defensive when he talks of the advantages and disadvantages. “Playing in India can be a big challenge,” admitted the World Champion. “When the Chennai bid came up, I was thinking about the implications. When you are playing in front of your supporters and family, the demands are also greater. But you need to find a balance, to shut yourself away from the rest of the world and get into such a frame of mind,” explained Anand, who had played the major portion of his 2000 championship in New Delhi before moving to Tehran for the final.
Meanwhile Indian Express reports that Anand has been the undisputed world champion for the past five years but Indian chess veteran has no plans of calling it quits just yet as he says his morale is on a high after beating a “complicated” Boris Gelfand to notch up his fifth world title.
“There are definitely no thoughts of retirement. In fact, quite the opposite. (Winning a fifth world title) has been a huge boost to my morale. As long as I enjoy, I don’t see any reason to retire,” Anand told reporters during a felicitation function here on Sunday.
“Winning in Moscow meant a lot emotionally. It’s not only about records. It’s just that you hate losing and you love winning. I am looking forward to playing chess and winning tournaments,” Anand said. “For me, the number has been irrelevant. Every title defence is special. I simply want to enjoy playing chess. There is no checklist,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to a Hindustan Times report basking in the glory of his fifth world championship title, Viswanathan Anand has ruled out even contemplating retirement any time soon, even if that comes as a disappointment to his illustrious Russian rival Garry Kasparov.
“He retired in 2005 but he was trying to make me retire all through 2011. Maybe he should consult me before he does that because I am going to disappoint him (laughs). It seems to me that he is a man who regrets leaving chess, who misses the attention. Maybe he should play again (smiles). In general, I try not to react to criticism. I try to stay in a bubble but if you are a public figure, you will have to develop a thick skin,” Anand said at a felicitation ceremony on Saturday organised by his sponsor. “For me, now the challenge is to prepare for the defence of the title, whenever it happens.”