'The Heart And Mind Have Performed Their Roles'

Super Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand is not short on motivation and the chess wizard is now eyeing the elusive 2800 Elo rating.

Anand also wants to learn more about his own game and experiment new openings.

"Reaching 2800 in the Elo is surely where I want to be. I was really close to it last time. This time, I want to be sureto get there," Anand said in a press statement in Chennai.

Anand, who will be in India tomorrow, said he had to reinvent his play and personality to firmly entrench himselfin the top three in the world of chess.

Anand was in fine form during the last one year which saw him attain 100 per cent success winning almost all events thathe competed in compared to 2001, which had some "bad results".

"In 2001, I did have some bad results. It is not that  you do not try hard but the results do not come. Somehow thefine balance between natural play, freshness and motivation seemed to go a bit awry," he said.

But now, Anand feels he has proved himself to the critics with his string of successes last year.

"Post-Prague, my chess seems to have got better and I am enjoying myself. I did not start off as clear favourite inmany events. I would lose a game and then fight back and then win the event itself. I think when people say that I lackfighting spirit or aggression, these could be examples that prove otherwise."

On his successful performances last year, Anand said, "I thought I had to try a bit more. I learnt new openings and howto play different chess and just squeeze whatever the position has in it. Somehow it worked. I tried to concentrate 100 percent but also learned to relax 100 per cent. Both the heart and mind have performed their roles".

Anand's win in Prague was easily one of the best of his career though his triumph in the World Cup in October atHyderabad, was also no less an achievement.

At Hyderabad, he started off slowly and his loss to his compatriot Krishnan Sasikiran put him in a must-win situation to qualify for thenext stage.

The Prague tournament included all top players and the Indian master, known for his mastery in Rapid Chess, was ableto put his intuition and quick reflexes to good use to clinch the title beating AnatolyKarpov.

Anand considers the match between the Russians and the Rest of the World as one of the most historical ones. "It wasa special event and comes with a lot of historical mysticism. To play in Moscow is always a special feeling. To be the loneIndian in the Russian multitude and still get respect is always a motivation. The event will surely pass into historybooks, where the Russian chess supremacy was truly shaken. I am sure the Russians are hungry for revenge and so are we to put in a similar performance," the astute master of 64 squaressaid.

Anand will compete in two important events in the next six months. He plays Peter Leko and Vladimir Kramnik in adouble round robin event in Dortmund and a rapid event against Judith Polgar in Mainz.

PTI