Learning royal game as youngster boosts odds of success
Saturday, July 11, 2009 3:13 AM
By SHELBY LYMAN
Few players have had the mystique that the 39-year-old grandmaster and present world champion — Viswanathan Anand of Chennai, India — possessed in his early days as a competitor.
He played with astonishing speed, often defeating strong players while using only a few minutes of his allotted clock time. He was sometimes heralded as the fastest gun in chess.
But with time and increased competition, his play has moderated. Against the best players in the world, every minute of thinking time is precious. A cavalier emphasis on speed for its own sake is likely to be punished by a cagey foe.
Anand’s early exposure to chess, particularly around age 12, helps explain his quick grasp of the chessboard.
“I started playing tournaments every weekend, practically,” Anand recalled. “I would maybe play 30 tournaments a year. The whole of 1981 went like this.
“I had the habit of going to the club for playing blitz games (five-minute contests) every Monday evening, Thursday evening, second Saturdays and Sundays.”
Not surprisingly, Anand emphasizes the importance of significant early exposure to chess as a key to becoming a top player.
Here is the full article.
Anand is best.