Anand’s reign will end soon: Kasparov
Ajit Vijaykumar
New Delhi, March 7, 2009

When Garry Kasparov speaks, you better listen. When he asks the air- conditioning to be lowered or the lighting to be dimmed, you better do it.

When he says Viswanathan Anand’s reign as the world chess champion will come to an end soon, you better believe. Not just because he ruled the chessboard for over 20 years or that he is toiling for the revival of democracy in Russia.

Widely regarded as the best player the game of chess has seen, Garry Kimovich Kasparov has grown beyond the 64 squares of the chessboard by daring to take on the Kremlin. But he will always remain a prodigy that not only ruled the world, but also challenged the FIDE (International Chess Federation) by creating a rival faction PCA (Professional Chess Association) to protect the interest of fellow chess players.

So when Kasparov told MAIL TODAY that he didn’t expect Anand to continue with his winning streak for long, one knew he wasn’t just babbling phrases.

“Vishy is a brilliant player. But it is very difficult to compete at 40. He is up against people half his age. I will be surprised if he can go on any longer. He can fight against anyone but time,” Kasparov said, on the sidelines of the India Today Conclave 2009 in the Capital on Friday.

When pushed to explain his deduction, the Russian said that more than Anand’s style, it is the adroitness of the current crop of players which has changed the way chess is played.

“About 50 years ago, the average age of a chess player was about 35 years. Nowadays, 14- year- olds are becoming Grandmasters. This is due to ( the advent of) computers and sophisticated softwares,” he said.

Not too impressed by youngsters challenging the might of much older competitors, the 46-year- old had an interesting take on the precocious talent sprouting all over the world.

Nowadays, a 13-year-old would probably know more than Bobby Fischer knew when he retired. They analyse all the moves and prepare themselves on their computers. But that doesn’t mean they are special.”

But it’s not the youngsters’ fault that they are better prepared to learn the nuances of the game. Just because they have technology to sharpen their skills doesn’t mean that they have an undue advantage, does it?

“Physics students nowadays know more than Einstein and Newton did. That doesn’t make them smarter, does it?” quipped the Russian, who quit the sport in 2005.

So what is it that sets apart someone like Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov or Anand from contemporary players? “We had a feel for the game.

Whenever I saw a position, I relied on the power of evaluation and understanding as to what would be a good move. But the motto of today’s player is — show me the move. I can’t explain it to them but sometimes, it’s just your sense which says what is a good or a bad move.”

Source: http://conclave.digitaltoday.in

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