World
Champion Viswanathan Anand today cited lack of tournaments under higher category in the
country for his not participating in several events before home crowd. "I would only
love to play as many tournaments as possible before the home crowd," the genial
Grandmaster from Chennai said in reply to a question at a felicitation function got up by
NIIT at Hotel Quality Inn Aruna, Chennai here today.
"I normally play in Category 18 to
21 tournaments but such events are fewer in India. However, the FIDE is now planning to
have Rapid Chess Grand Prix and India could host one or two such events to enable me to
play in them,” he added. He said for most international sports events, there were
event organizers and this has been lacking for Chess in India. "Some will have to
take a shot at it.”
Asked about the recent terrorist strikes
on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the United States, he decried them as outrageous
but said life has to go on. "We had the same feeling for the Gujarat victims. Death
is just a part of life and life has to go on”, he said. Anand said he had not so far
played under the new ‘time control’ introduced by the FIDE and it should not be
a problem for him as he always manages keep an hour extra, under his belt.
As for ‘Deep Blue’, the
Grandmaster said, "It has retired”. Anand recalled his old days in Tal Chess
Club, Chennai and said, "I have been to a few parts of the country and played a few
games with different age groups and people. The enthusiasm and response has been
incredible”.
About the young shanks he happened to
meet in Bombay a few days earlier at another NIIT function, Anand said, "Their level
of play is incredible. They play all sorts of new openings and suddenly you are forced to
concentrate so that nothing goes wrong,” he added.
On his preparation for the forthcoming
World Championship at Moscow, Vishy Anand said, "Defending the title is my immediate
job, and wish to look at only one round at a time."
PTI |
