The Hindu : Sport : "The game is at a cross-roads"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 10, 2005

Sport

Sport

"The game is at a cross-roads"

Vijay Parthasarathy

AIMING HIGH: Winning the World title in San Luis is the best way he can promote chess in India, feels Viswanathan Anand. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: Towards the end of September, eight of the world's top chess players will travel to San Luis, Argentina to compete for the biggest prize in the sport: the title of undisputed World champion.

If that evokes the somewhat misleading image of battered pugilists punishing each other in the quest for one of the infinite splinter group titles, you cannot be faulted. For more than a decade — after the breakaway World championship was founded in the early 90s — chess at the highest level, like boxing, has been plagued by organisational chaos. The credibility of successive FIDE champions was beginning to run dangerously low, and it didn't help that the Prague Agreement (which accepted, in principle, to merge the two rival cycles) didn't quite work out as expected. Garry Kasparov's recent retirement from classical chess has, in any case, rendered the deal impotent because it was conceived in the first place as a means of enticing the Russian to play a reunification match.

But this time, insists Indian GM Viswanathan Anand, things will be different. "The field is particularly strong in San Luis," he explains in the course of a freewheeling chat with The Hindu. The round-robin tourney will feature the world's best players on form including Anand, Veselin Topalov, Peter Leko and Judit Polgar; and after the longest time, a World championship title will have an air of legitimacy about it.

Vladimir Kramnik's absence might throw up some difficult questions, although he hasn't been in great nick. But FIDE has categorically stated that Kramnik refused to participate despite being given the opportunity, and (at least for now) the new World champion will not play Kramnik to legitimise his title.

Kasparov's legacy

Thus, in a manner of speaking, chess finds itself at a cross-roads: there is much to look forward to, and yet, Kasparov's imperious legacy threatens to spill over from the past.

"Kasparov's retirement will affect chess, yes; his appeal unquestionably lay beyond the sport," says Anand, who is now, in effect, joint No. 1 alongside Topalov. "Personally I don't think he will return, not even to rapid chess, although he's attached a disclaimer clause to his retirement. But life must go on; that he has chosen to go at this point cannot reflect badly upon the rest of the field.

"Besides, his absence does not make things easier. All of a sudden, everybody seems to have been energised, everyone now thinks he has a shot at the world title. I simply haven't had time to reflect on Kasparov's retirement. Just now, the rivalry between me and Topalov is getting pretty intense, and in the end it depends on how well you market such rivalries."

Balanced PR

Anand emphasises the need to balance PR spin with credible results; but recognises that to promote chess it is crucial to disproportionately sell personalities. "Chess isn't like tennis, which already has a dedicated television following. The beauty in a sequence of moves doesn't manifest outwardly, and we need to counter the idea that chess players are nerds. On the other hand a quiet guy like Roger Federer needn't sell himself: it sometimes seems like he is out there playing gorgeous tennis while the other guy keeps interrupting him.

"In Kasparov's absence, we'll probably find it harder, at least for a while, to sell the game," Anand admits. "As a top player I have always felt a responsibility to market chess, especially in India, through the NIIT Mind Champions Academy. On the other hand, this is a bit like, `Hey, some guy retired, how excited should I get?' It's not as though I carry any extra burden now."

But Anand has pulled his weight, particularly in the local context, for causes that he believes in. Chess is inherently a game of political will; and the politicking has percolated from the top, down the ranks, to India where a new set of functionaries (under a new President, N. Srinivasan) has taken over the All India Chess Federation.

"There were some problems with the old regime; I particularly had problems with its asking players to give up 10 per cent of their winnings. At this stage, I thought, players need support more than anything. So I lent my name. That said, I didn't expect the issue to balloon into a controversy.

"Hopefully things will change for the better. A positive start has been made, at least now the AICF and the players seem to be on the same page."

In a week's time, it will be back to business for Anand: first he will head to Mainz where he has won four times, and after that he will focus entirely on preparing for San Luis.

"When I return to Spain (where he lives with his wife, Aruna) next week, I will lock myself up," he says. "The best way I can promote chess in India is by winning in San Luis."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport