KOLKATA: Viswanathan Anand is no longer a regular player, but is wearing several hats now from being a mentor to an administrator. The five-time World champion is enjoying every bit of it.
"I'm happy to have stepped aside and find India still being well represented in these tournaments. The game is growing, this is all I can hope for really," he stated on the sidelines of Tata Steel Chess India tournament at Bhasha Bhawan in the National Library of India campus here on Tuesday.
And his happiness grows seeing a crop of youngsters like D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and others making a mark in world chess. Although Prag's qualification for the Candidates and Gukesh overtaking him to be the India No. 1 player speak volumes of these youngsters' credentials, Anand feels they still have miles to go.
"You need not be a tourist but live there (at the highest stage of the world stage). Making the Candidates is nice, but you have to be there consistently and establish yourself. You have to remember that the top players whom you have beaten will get back home, do their homework and come back stronger. So you need to keep raising your level," he stated.
Anand who himself had ruled world chess for years, knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level. "I will say you need intensity and stamina," he remarked.
The Chennai tiger feels that India is set to dominate the game in the coming years. "The reason I say this is a golden generation is because, with the exception of Arjun, who became 20 maybe two days back, they're all teenagers which means, very conservatively, for the next 10 years in every top tournament, we, as Indians, can hope for one of our players being there to be watched and rooted for," he said.
At the same time Anand is happy to see the country's chess structure falling into place. "In India we have one of the best ecosystems for chess. The Indian junior circle (from U-12 onwards) is one of the best in the world. I am almost tempted to say it's like what it was in Russia or the Soviet Union some 50 years back. Yes we have a dream set up for youngsters," he said.
However, he feels there's a need to push women's chess forward too along with spreading the game across the country. "I will say it's still mostly southern focus with some movements in Bengal and Maharashtra. But we have to spread it across," he opined.
