I like playing chess: Viswanathan Anand

Shuttler PV Sindhu is currently the toast of the nation for the simple reason that she achieved what no other Indian woman could do before – win an Olympic silver medal.

She has won many new admirers including some of the all-time great Indian sportspersons including a certain Viswanathan Anand.

Sharing the same platform with Sindhu, one could not help but draw parallel between the shuttler and Anand. One was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal and a two-time medallist (bronze) at the World Championships. Another is India's first ever chess Grandmaster (in 1988) and has won the world title five times.

Starting around the same time as Sachin Tendulkar, in cricket, and Leander Paes, in tennis, Anand is still India's best chess player at 2776 rating points. While Sindhu will be inspiring many youngsters, particularly girls, to take to badminton, Anand has been the reason why India have Grandmasters whom you cannot count by the fingers of both the hands.

And, at eighth, Anand is the highest rated Indian chess player with 2776 FIDE rating points. He is elated at rise of chess players in India. "Yes, there is much more participation," Anand told dna in an exclusive interaction here when asked that there are 40-plus GMs in India after he became the first.

"We have a very strong bench. A very good line-up. There are quite a few strong youngsters. P Harikrishna (2752 rating points), SP Sethuraman (2640), B Adhiban (2671), Vidit (Santosh Gujrathi, 2669), Sasi (K Sasikiran, 2658). There is easily a good solid 26 bunch (2600-plus rating points) and Hari has broken through to 2750. Maybe some more will follow," the wizard said.

Anand was involved in the 2016 Sinquefield Cup, part of the Grand Chess Tour, in St Louis (USA) at around the same time that Sindhu went about her exploits in Rio. "The time zone was the same, so I was closely following the Olympics," Anand said. "Even otherwise, you can always follow from wherever you are. That's been for quite a while. Actually, I follow a lot of sports simply because of being in OGQ and coming and meeting people when you get a fresh perspective," Anand said.

As a board member of Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), Anand contributes immensely in the direction that the Indian sport is headed to.

The Chennai-based GM finished a creditable joint second in St Louis. Eight of his nine games ended in draws. He was pleased with his current form, though, and wants to build on that.

"The chess world is constantly evolving. New players are appearing, new things are happening. You have new styles of play, You have to keep on working and keep on top of those trends. I am happy with the last couple of results, both the Moscow Candidates (March 2016) and Leuven (Part of Grand Chess Tour, June 2016) and then St Louis. I think that is reasonable. Nothing to go crazy about. They have been good solid performances. I hope to build on that.

It is nearly three decades since Anand became a GM and the passion for the sport has not changed a bit. "I like playing, simply," he said when asked what kept him going after having achieved so much. "I like playing chess. And, if you are going to do something, you might as well do it well. I don't feel I have to drive myself all the time.

"There are always new goals. I would like to qualify, try for the next world championship cycle, I have to try and qualify for that. Every tournament I play, I try to do well."

One might think that there is no physical activity in this mindsport. But Anand does his routine of staying fit including a walk along the beach in Chennai and other activities that keeps himself fresh.

"You cannot have a healthy mind without having a healthy body," Anand said. "Whatever you do, it is important to be physically fit to maintain yourself, especially of the consequences you see of not taking care of your health."

The current generation of sportpersons are more aggressive with the will to win at all costs, not just merely participating in tournaments. Anand felt it was the same in chess.

"I would think so," he said when asked if the mindset of chess players were similar to other sports. "It is not so much as the rules of the game. It is the competition between individuals."

As for aggression, Anand said: "Everyone's benchmark has changed. It is creeping upward. It doesn't change from night to day. It creeps upwards. Once somebody has done something, the next generation will think further beyond. That's true in chess, that's true in every field."

For those who deviated from their goal, Anand had some advice. "You relax, give yourself some rest. And, try to concentrate again. (In doing so) you block distraction."