Toughest ever

INTERVIEW/VISWANATHAN ANAND
By Kavitha Muralidharan

Viswanathan Anand loves long walks. He did not miss out on them even while defending his title in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April. These walks, perhaps, are the secret behind his cool head. There were quite a few things that could have rattled Anand in Sofia, one of them being that his opponent Veselin Topalov was playing at home. But Anand played with characteristic aplomb and romped home a victor.

The World Championship was delayed by a day as European airspace was covered by volcanic ash clouds from Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. Anand, who is based in Spain, was to fly from Frankfurt, Germany, to Sofia on April 16. But as all flights were grounded, he asked FIDE for a three-day postponement. They granted him one day. Anand finally undertook a 40-hour drive and reached Sofia on April 20. Then came the 12-match tournament, where the last match decided the victor.

“This was the toughest match ever,” said Aruna, Anand’s wife. “Every tournament and every rival has been different. And Anand has been able to hold on. That is commendable. In the last few years, Anand has been ticking off all criticisms against him. Like he could not play knock-out, tournament or match format game. In the recent championship, he has also proved that he has the killer instinct which he often has been said to be lacking. His decision to play at Sofia was something not many players would want to. His mental toughness is something I am proud of.” Anand spoke to THE WEEK in Chennai. Excerpts from the interview:

How did you prepare yourself for the World Championship?
For this championship, we did a preliminary camp last year in September and October. At that time, I knew who my opponent was, but the dates were not fixed. The team would get together and work for 12 hours a day. We spent an hour or two in the mornings on fitness training. We were focusing on the technical aspects. We had worked out on a list of options.
The second camp was this year in February and March. The dates were finalised by then. The routine was same, but we were more specific. We narrowed down the options we had earlier listed. I decided to take rest after March. If I were not fresh and looking forward to the match, I would probably have not won it.

How well did you know Topalov’s game?
Topalov has been playing top tournaments for the past 15 years and I have been following him. I watched him more closely in the recent matches. He never played his games to the end. In fact, we would not play every game to the end [in Sofia].

The 40-hour drive must have been tough. Did it affect your game?
I think one has to just accept it and go on. We had left early on April 18 and arrived at 4 a.m. on the 20th. I tried not to worry about that. It was not going to help me in anyway. We spent time watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

What about your team?
My team had [Grandmasters] Peter Heine Nielsen from Denmark, Surya Shekhar Ganguly from India, Rustam Kasimdzhanov from Uzbekistan and Radoslaw Wojtaszek from Poland. They are my core team and I have been working with them for long now. They were my team in 2008, too, and have been really supportive of me.

Vladimir Kramnik also helped you out.
He did. He called me during the matches and gave a lot of tips about Topalov. I found them very useful.

You might have to take on Kramnik in the next championship.
I can see your point. It was a magnificent gesture from Kramnik to help me and I will be grateful to him. But if we become rivals, obviously, we both would want to win the game.

How was Sofia different from your other games?
Sofia was the toughest championship. We played 12 games and every game was see-sawing. I lost the first game and Topalov lost the second and the fourth game. Neither of us had really cracked by then. In such matches, where there are such see-saws, it is important to see the opportunities and not to get disheartened. The match was not decided till the 11th game; Topalov lost his nerve in the 12th.

How does it feel to be a champion again?
Fantastic. Retaining the title after a tough game really feels good. I hope to defend my championship in 2012. Now I look forward to playing more tournaments.

Is age a factor in chess?
Chess is getting younger. Many youngsters have started playing the game. But to stay at the top, you have to work hard and stay motivated. I think that is what has helped me throughout. Experience is valuable. I understand myself and I can handle situations comfortably. With my experience, setbacks bother me less. Not that I enjoy them, but I am definitely less bothered about them.

How helpful have been the people around you?
It feels good to know that a lot of people are behind you. My family, friends and fans kept sending me messages throughout the match, and that helped me feel better. My core team helped in keeping the atmosphere chess-focused. Aruna has been a real strength. She handled all non-chess aspects of my life and let me concentrate on my game.

How do you de-stress?
I love listening to music. I listen to all kinds of music, including Tamil songs. During the matches, too, I listened to music. It helps you go better at the game. I enjoy watching movies, too. But during the matches, I could watch only 20-minute episodes. I love comedies. I like to read, too, but during the matches I choose only light reading. I enjoy long walks and did not give them a miss even during the championship. I do experiment with my food and love seafood. Though south Indian cuisine is my first love, I have always experimented with other cuisine.

Source: http://week.manoramaonline.com