How to play chess” is what I furiously Google for. Forty-eight hours before meeting Viswanathan Anand and my computer has numerous tabs open, each offering gyaan on the game. “He’s going to beat you in 6.5 seconds,” laughs a colleague. Another suggests looking up “Chess cheat codes.” Clearly none of this is going to help. After numerous practice games on my phone, I muster some confidence to play Goliath. Unfortunately, I am no David.
But once at the event (organised by Operation Smile and Johnson & Johnson) where Anand simultaneously plays 20 opponents (all from the Johnson & Johnson company), I change my mind. Albin Counter-Gambit… Stonewall Attack… King’s Indian Defence go back to being just terms that no more make sense to me. Watching him calmly walk around, and rapidly eliminate his baffled opponents’ pawns, queens and kings, I decide it’s best to be a spectator. The cause titled ‘Chess for Making Smiles Changing Lives’ aims to raise money that will go towards corrective surgeries for children born with cleft palates. “The idea to be associated with this cause has been around since last March. I was busy then and we finally fixed a date for January. I have supported many other causes too, but it’s nice when you can contribute to a cause that has a result — kids smiling,” says the former World Champion.
Anand’s 20 opponents have been shortlisted from around 170 participants after several rounds of virtual and face-to-face chess. Of them, two are children. The man of few words has generous tips and pointers for them all. “Keep your confidence. You can make mistakes and so can everyone. Your best probability of success is to stay confident,” advises the Grandmaster. Buoyed by the win at the London Chess Classic last month, Anand is now preparing for two tournaments next month in Germany. “It’s a super tournament with players from the top five. I expect it to be a fairly busy year,” he says.
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Talking about the sport’s popularity in the country, the 45-year-old says, “It’s a very good time for the game. Young people are taking to chess in a big way.” With strong players emerging from across the country, he believes the sport is a national phenomenon. More girls are taking to chess, he says, and adds that when it comes to age-wise championships, we are the country with the most number of participants and victories.
“We did well at the Under-16 Chess Olympiad. The Russians were expected to upset the Indians, but that didn’t happen,” he laughs gently, as he looks at Vladimir Makatsaria (company group chairman, Johnson and Johnson Medical Companies, Asia-Pacific). Makatsaria grins back and says, “Yes I am Russian,” and then plays a game with Anand that lasts half-an-hour. And who won? Do we really have to answer that?