IANS/Chennai
India’s chess legend Viswanathan Anand yesterday ruled out retirement and said winning the fifth world title has given him the boost to carry on as long as he enjoys the game.
Anand returned to India on June 2 after winning the World Chess Championship for the fifth time by defeating Boris Gelfand in Moscow
In his first interaction with the Indian media after returning from Moscow, Anand said he is still enjoying his game and the win over Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in the World Championship meant a lot for him.
“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 said during a felicitation ceremony organised by his sponsor NIIT.
“I am still enjoying the game having just defended my title. 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.
Asked what the fifth world title meant for him, 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.”
Anand said his interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after winning the title, was witty. During the meeting Putin remarked ‘so, we brought this on ourselves’ when the Indian told him how he developed his game while training at the Russian Culture Centre.
“Well, we laughed because I thought it was a witty line. The meeting was almost half an hour. He is very knowledgeable about chess. He spoke about how chess is important in Russian culture. He was generally very gracious. I thought that was a quick one,” he recalled.
On his preparations leading up to the match, Anand said: “My training was from January 15 to April 15. This time my preparation was very intensive because I did not have a camp. Last year I was busy playing tournaments.
“We worked very hard and developed some thoughts. I had several systems prepared with black and white. You always had to start with something new. I knew Gelfand since 1989 and always thought he was very professional and disciplined chess player.
“He is someone who had a good understanding of the game, someone who embodies the best traditions of Soviet Union chess. I knew he would come up with some of the best preparation and he did.”
Recalling the battle against Gelfand, Anand said the Israeli was a tough competitor, who had his own set of innovations.
“Boris was a very complicated opponent. He managed to set all his dominant opening aside and come up with entirely new openings. I had to prepare for all the possible things he could do. He prepared very cleverly. We were continuously playing catch-up during the match,” Anand recalled.
“With the white pieces, he managed to steer clear of our dangerous ideas. This reflectedhow seriously he was taking the match. It was only in game 11 and 12 that we were able to break out a bit,” he said.
Anand also said that when he caught Gelfand by surprise he reacted aggressively.
“I was excited about what was to come. I thought I could put him under pressure. The turning point happened very quickly. He made some wrong moves and I was very happy that I could get back into the match. I cannot emphasise how important this moment was,” Anand said.
Praising Gelfand, Anand said: “We both felt genuine respect for each other. I am really happy to have retained my title. Now I can really relax and enjoy this.”
Anand retained the title defeating Gelfand 2.5-1.5 in a rapid tiebreaker round.
Tied at 6-6 after 12 regular games, the two played four rapid games with a shortened time limit of 25 minutes per player.
After drawing in the first one, Anand won game two and kept the lead by drawing in the final two games.
The victory won Anand $1.5mn, and Gelfand took home $1mn.
Anand had last successfully defended his title in 2010 against Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov.
Gelfand, who emigrated from the former Soviet republic of Belarus to Israel in 1998, was supported throughout the match as if he were a local player.
Anand hit out at his former bitter rival Gary Kasparov, saying the Russian wizard has been trying since 2011 to get him to retire.
The ‘Tiger of Madras’ feels Kasparov, who retired in 2005, misses the attention he got during his playing days.
“We were asked about his remarks. He is the man who regrets leaving chess. He misses the attention he got in chess, somehow wants to be there. May be he should play again,” Anand said.
“Kasparov retired in 2005, he has been trying to make me retire since 2011. You just have to develop a thick skin as a public figure,” he said.
Before the World Championship Kasparov said the Indian lacked motivation and was “sliding downhill.”
World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand speaks during a press conference in Chennai yesterday.
