One night in July 2001, world chess champion Viswanathan Anand woke up with a start at his hotel room in Dortmund, Germany. He had been unable to sleep off the pain of going through the worst losing streak of his career. He was hovering at the bottom in the tournament in progress there but more importantly, his worst fears were just coming true.
He was staring at a long phase of poor form.
Unable to bear his suffering, Anand’s wife Aruna suggested that he hit the gym as a way to take his mind off chess. So at 4 a.m. before a big game day, Anand ran on the treadmill. It didn’t help. Forty five minutes later, he was back in the room still feeling dejected. She suggested they take a walk in the darkness, perhaps a fitting metaphor for their state of mind. Then they tried watching movies. Nothing worked. The child prodigy, India’s first grandmaster who had stormed into the dog-eat-dog world of international chess 16 years earlier and had every great legend of the game run for cover, had hit rock-bottom. Of course, he finished last in the tournament with four losses, six draws and no wins. “Till date, if anybody mentions Dortmund, it hurts us a lot because Anand was struggling as if he was making an extraordinary effort just not to lose,” recalls Aruna.
Tal Club had more members than it could handle. So, play was of the blitz variety. The loser must leave the table and take his place at the end of the queue. But Anand would keep playing because he would seldom lose. Perhaps it was this practice that made his reputation as the one who plays at the speed of light.
(This story appears in the 30 July, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Now he is going to play Boris Gelfand, even a year older than him in age. Though he is much stronger and considered unbeatable in last 3/ 4 years. Anand can't take Gelfand lightly as he won the candidates match to become the challenger for 2012 World Chess Championship
on Jun 5, 2011A wonderful read with a lot of sharp detailing. Just shows no matter how many challenges you face, ultimately its the strong will within us which makes us a winner. Anand has been and will be a great inspiration for every Indian.
on Jul 22, 2010A very nice article..It's a shame that players like Anand don't get the due recognition they deserve. Nice to see other sports like chess and its players get mentioned in a business magazine
on Jul 21, 2010I have left off chess for a good while. So reading this now thrills me. Because ever since you challenged Kasparov for the title i have believed in you...i am glad to know you are now where you truly belong...World Chess Champion. Congrats.
on Jul 21, 2010