Sports

'Kasparov Was Incredibly Rude'

Gulu Ezekiel meets GM Vishwanathan Anand in Madras

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'Kasparov Was Incredibly Rude'
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STROLLING across the sands of Besant Nagar beach in Madras, a short walk away from thehouse where he lives with his parents, Vishwanathan Anand is in areflective mood. It isbarely two months since he fought and lost the good fight against Grand Master GaryKasparov in the finals of the Professional Chess Association (PCA) world championship inNew York. And as he looks back on that momentous event, the local lad has about him theair of someone who tried his best shot, but fell short of the final mark. For the timebeing. However, if there was any trauma involved, it was obviously left behind in the BigApple.

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It isn’t easy living up to the reputation of being one ofIndia’s finest sportsmen. Especially if you have just returned after challengingrenowned chess legend Kasparov. So what if you could not win. The media surge remains atits peak, as is revealed outside Anand’s residence. A local sports photographer waitspatiently for a session with Anand even as a Calcutta journalist fires a volley ofquestions at him. With characteristic humility, the champ faces it all. His skills, afterall, are not only confined to the chessboard. He is articulate and media-friendly as well.Both qualities that go towards making a world-class player.

How confident was he going into the final? Says Anand: "There isalways the risk of being over-confident when you are preparing to face a weakerplayer." He hastens to add self-effacedly: "Of course, I did not have thatproblem in the run-up to the final. Kasparov is hardly the kind of opponent you can beover-confident about playing." The two had met across the table before, though neverin the finals. But Anand asserts it made little difference to his pregame mental set-up asKasparov had played with the advantage of white for 90 per cent of their previousmeetings. As for Dutch psychologist Albert Toby, Anand clarifies he was present in NewYork more as a friend and someone Anand could talkto rather than for any professionalreason.

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Kasparov is rated as the world’s greatest exponent of chess,someone who has stood unchallenged for 10 years now. Drawing the first eight games musthave been something of an achievement for the challenger. "Well, the idea was not topush anything early. Just get settled and wait since it was going to be a marathon tie.That worked according to plan." About opinions from experts that the advantagehadswung in his favour at that stage, Anand chuckles ruefully. "Grand Masters tend to gofor sound bytes when analysing games. Even I have done that on occasion," he says,gamely acceding to our photographer’s request to clamber onto a catamaran parked onthe beach. "I know this may sound funny coming from the world runner-up, but I feelmy game still requires more depth."

The challenger’s opinion on the king and his giant ego? "Idon’t think Kasparov wants to be seen as arrogant, it’s just a matter of beingsuper-confident. But Kasparov, the chess player, cannot separate himself from Kasparov,the human being." In that respect, feels Anand, Kasparov and American genius BobbyFischer share some traits. Chess is the be-all and end-all of their existence. "Youbring to chess facets of your personality and what you are. I have interests other thanchess, like music and world and current affairs. I also have many friends around the worldwith whom I like to keep in touch. "

Perhaps it is the very fact that Anand is not unidimensional andtunnel-visioned which makes him that much more sore over Kasparov’s petulant reactionto his stunning defeat in the ninth game. "I remember after winning that game I toldthe chief arbiter that I had pulled the whiskers of a tiger." It rang true. Kasparovdid return with a roar. And in more ways than one.

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"Till then we were polite and courteousto each other. But in the10th game he turned incredibly rude. What was the need to slam down pieces and bang thedoor every time he went in and out of the room? His behaviour was atrocious. Ironically,he had the upper hand early in the game and there was no reason to act in thatmanner." And though Anand asserts he returned to nor-mal by the end of the game, hestill holds the view that players should have more respect for one another.

Back home, Anand expertly juggles the attention he attracts fromjournalists, hordes of whom seem to have descended upon him at the same time. Anand’sparents, who have contributed in a major way to his growth as a player, have to be gentlypersuaded to join their son for at least one photograph. Mr Vishwan-athan, however, firmlyputs across the point that they do not wish to share in the media attention that their sonis garnering.

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What of the future? Anand plans to continue playing both in the FIDEand PCA world cycles. He is currently taking a break—though not for long—beforereturning to tournament play in1996 when he will participate in three events early in theyear. "Nigel (Short) took a rest of six to seven months after losing to Kasparov. ButI do not want to get too rusty," he reveals. The next challenger cycle is after all,barely two years away and Anand is surely the wiser and richer for the New Yorkexperience.

 And talking of riches, just how much did Anand earn from hismatch against Kasparov? The PCA had decided two months earlier that 10 per cent of theearnings of both the winner (US $ 1 million) and the runner-up (half of that) would lapseinto their coffers. This fact, however, was revealed to the press just before the end ofthe tie. While that and the 40 per cent which was deducted as US federal taxes (as well asvarious expenses) cut heavily into his share, Anand says there was still "somethingsubstantial" left and he had no complaints on that score.

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DESPITE losing in the world final, Anand does not consider himself thesecond-ranked player in the world."In a sense there is no such thing as a number two.Even the number one slot is uncertain. This is because the positions may vary throughoutthe year depending on the points we claim in various tournaments, much in the way of theprofessional tennis tour. Gata Kamsky, Short, Anatoly Karpov...there are many of usslotted together."

The time is already running out for the interview and so isAnand’s patience. ("It never takes just five minutes to takephotographs.") Yet he complies gracefully to the next question: what does he thinkwas the vital difference between the challenger and the champion? "Mainly experience.He has been much better prepared over the last 10 years. Since he is exempt from playingthe Candidates matches (to decide the challenger), he does not have to show his game-planwhile I have had to open my preparations to others in these matches. And finally, while heis used to finals of 20 games, for me 12 games is the maximum I have played. Chess is agame after all, where the mental and physical aspects complement each other."

"What am I doing here? Let’s forget about chess." Anandadmits this thought crossed his mind once too often when he sat across Kasparov makingmoves that ultimately proved too costly. They, however, remained brief flashes offrustration. New York is history. Anand’s 26th birthday is round the corner. December11 to be precise. Chances are he will be world champion before he turns 30. And thatshould be history of a different, much sweeter kind.

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