Mumbai: In all the euphoria and waves of emotion to have hit Indian chess at the closing ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, there was one that has stayed with Viswanathan Anand even days later. One that also made the magnitude of the achievement flash across the wizard’s mind.
“I remember the (Indian national) anthem finished once, and then a few minutes later, we had the anthem again,” Anand said. “And that was a pleasant realisation.”
That India had swept both gold medals at the Olympiad, with the Open and women’s teams going where no Indian group had ever before. That Indian chess had scripted history and also turned a chapter. That Indian chess had gone from being largely carried by one man for years to now having two champion teams.
It was only fitting, therefore, that that man was also present in that moment to carry the trophy. Moments after handing the trophy at the prize distribution ceremony to D Gukesh and his band of men who bossed the Open section, they passed it along to five-time world champion Anand, who held and raised it aloft.
“They (Indian players) had been passing the trophy around, and that I could get my hands on it as well was very nice,” Anand said in Mumbai on Thursday after a meet-and-greet event of the Global Chess League.
“You enjoy it at many levels. You enjoy it as a player. You enjoy it as a fan. You enjoy it as an Indian. It’s just a pleasant feeling. You’re not thinking very much at that point. You’re just there in that moment and smiling along.
“The whole thing was very nice, just putting the medals — splitting the work with Judit (Polgar) — around them.”
Even more so for Anand because these were, as Garry Kasparov put it, “Vishy’s children” who had grown up to become history-makers.
“Uh,” Anand took a pause when asked of that comment, before saying, “I guess I’m sort of flattered. I won’t pretend no.”
“You just feel very happy, knowing many of them for many, many years,” he added. “And, putting the medals around them and being there and celebrating with them is very nice. Also, you know what it means for the country, winning two golds in the same year.”
Anand was quick to remind that India could well have won gold two years ago in Chennai too. But Budapest was different. The unbeaten men “never had a moment when they felt the slightest threat”, showcasing the depth that Indian chess possesses currently. It made Anand wonder if this was “a high-water mark”, while also acknowledging that this “talented generation constantly surprises with what they can do”.
“In Chennai, I think it would still have had the feeling of a slight accident, you know, a pleasant surprise. Here, very quickly, by the fourth round, I had the feeling — which team is going to stop us?” he said. “That we won with four points… it feels unreal.”
The triumph by the women was equally impressive for Anand, because it was not quite as smooth (India lost the eighth round and drew the ninth).
“I say unexpected because I don’t think their dominance was as big. But that’s why I find their accomplishment very impressive because they had difficult moments, unpredictable moments when it could be snatched away,” he said. “And then to win it outright is a great achievement.
“And it’s very important, because I think for chess to grow in India, it has to become popular with… I want more girls to play chess and this is a long-standing goal for everyone. So this is a big thing.”
Over decades, Anand has engineered and witnessed the evolving strength and popularity of chess in India, with “barrier after barrier” being crossed. In that context, the frequent leaps of late — Indians shining at the Candidates and the Olympiad — doesn’t surprise Anand, even though the pace of it may.
“I wouldn’t have predicted a lot of the things that started from last year. That we would have three Candidates in the men’s and two in the women. And then one of our players would win the Candidates. Then we would win the Olympiad. So, I’m almost not sure whether to be surprised or not in November,” he said.
That’s when Gukesh will have a shot at becoming the world champion, against Ding Liren. And that’s the kind of things Anand expects the present bunch to continue doing.
“I see this group, right now composed of Pragg (R Praggnanandhaa), Gukesh, Arjun (Erigaisi), to some degree Vidit (Gujrathi)… I expect them to compete for the world title in the future,” Anand said. “I hope that will keep chess in the spotlight in India. It’s a compelling story. It’s not just that they are Indians. They play very exciting chess. You can enjoy it at many levels.”
