The Hindu Business Line : Checkmate!

Vishwanathan Anand, his wife Aruna, and mother, Sushila, share with our readers some aspects of the chess grandmaster's life, and the autobiography he is planning. The book, spiced up with contributions from both the women, promises to be interesting.

Every time he won or lost a game, Vishwanathan Anand would write down his impressions in his diary. The `fire' and emotions of the brush with his first chess manual were too strong to be held within, and so these too poured out on paper. As were Anand's various culinary jaunts during his travel abroad.

But why are you being told all this? Because in 2005 you'll be encountering all of the above in Anand's autobiography which is being published by Penguin India. The autobiography will be accompanied by a chess manual, "for those who are interested in the game and not in learning about me".

Now who wouldn't be curious about the origins of a former Rapid Chess World Champion and his life off the board? Or the man behind that poker face that breaks into an occasional smile? Anand takes a moment before he says, "In a sense the book is an evolution of the kind of person that I am today. But basically I think that it's a nice way to look back on all those years and reflect." As an after thought, he adds, "I still feel the emotions of those impressions when we played and hope to rediscover those joys."

Such as the times when he sits down to a game of cards with his family?

He lets out an embarrassed laugh. Both his mother, Sushila, and wife Aruna are unabashedly forthcoming about the one defeat that he is resolutely intolerant of. Sensing what's coming next, he simply says, "Don't ask me why, but losing a game of cards just bugs the hell out of me." But the two women continue undeterred. "Anand shouts at everyone if he loses a game of cards. You need to see his face then — he just hates to lose at a game of cards. So, I often wonder how he is able to take defeat in chess so calmly," says Sushila.

"When he loses a game of chess there's a fair amount of bad feeling, but when he loses a game of cards the outbursts are more immediate," pipes in Aruna. Anand doesn't counter the volley of words that fly back and forth, not even when Aruna says that the autobiography will deal in merciless detail with his less than lucky Rummy gambits!

But does the autobiography signal a curtains-down for the grandmaster? The question is barely asked before Anand says, "I hope that it will be more a ... (read dot, dot, dot) rather than a full stop."

Soon the conversation turns to the inevitable... chess. How does the game fare today in comparison to other sports like cricket? "Well, going by its popularity in numbers, you can see that it's growing a lot in India," he says. A lot of things have contributed to this sort of fame that chess enjoys today, not the least of which is the introduction of the Rapid Chess title. "Rapid chess has definitely increased the appeal of the game; the proportion is just right — it's about one to five/seven. And since the Internet is where the action is happening (all Rapid Chess tournaments are transmitted live on the Internet), it works for fans to have access to the game without having to waste too much time," he says.

From the player's end this means even greater mental agility and presence of mind on the board, now that the game's duration has shrunk to a couple of hours. "Well, I've been at Rapid Chess for close to 17 years now and in that sense the adjustment process is long over," says Anand. He feels that with more accessibility we are now catching up with the Russians, the once unrivalled champions of the game. "Unlike earlier, today everybody has access to information on the game, and as a result there's a kind level playing field. So I don't think that the Russians can maintain their dominance over the game indefinitely," he adds.

Speaking of information parity, Anand's chess manual is bound to kindle more interest in the game. "It's a good way to introduce people to the game and hopefully produce more champions," he says. But it won't be a boring, step-by-step induction; the book will be spiced up with a lot of personal experience, to "whet somebody's appetite for the game," as Aruna says.

The autobiography will contain, apart from Anand's narrative, the voices of people who have contributed to his meteoric rise.

"I think I will be asked to contribute to the part on his growing years," says the proud mother. That would be quite a tale, as we could see from a few gems she shared with us. "I didn't have any trouble teaching him. Anand just loved the game and we especially enjoyed discussing the competitions that he participated in and working out the solutions to the games."

She smiles at the recollection of the times when the family was in Philippines and she would make a note of all the games shown on TV to brainstorm over them the minute Anand got home from school. Who came up with a better solution?

Pat comes the reply, "Anand naturally."

"There came a stage when because he was winning most of the prizes, which were chess books, the organiser of the show had Anand choose his books to avoid repeating those already in his winner's collection," she laughs.

In fact, it was Sushila who accompanied Anand on all his tours "till he got married after which Aruna took over," she says. Aruna too does have her share to contribute to the autobiography, which she says is "going to be a straight-from-the-heart recounting."

Will her contribution take his fans closer to Anand, the man? "Maybe," and a half-smile were all she would offer.

Picture by Shaju John

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