| ChessNews@mail.com 2005-03-13, 5:53 pm |
| Garry's new move foxes chess mate
Hope he reconsiders retirement decision: Anand
Posted online: Sunday, March 13, 2005 at 0042 hours IST
When Garry Kasparov signed off from competitive chess on Friday, he
left many of his close rivals surprised. Among them was Indian
Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. He still finds it amusing that the
competition between them has come to a tame end. In a rivalry spanning
more than a decade, Kasparov remained Anand's bete noire. The Indian,
who makes no bones about his resentment for the Russian, was still
looking for an opportunity to settle the scores until the announcement
came.
Speaking from Spain in an exclusive interview, Anand told K SHRINIWAS
RAO that he did not rule out the possibility of Kasparov returning to
active chess once again. Excerpts:
Q: Was he the greatest?
Anand: For most who followed the game, he was No. 1. But I thought it
was after 1999 that Kasparov ruled. Prior to that, it was Bobby Fischer
-although you cannot compare both. Fischer's environment was not
very conducive to the then existing scenario while Kasparov had an
amazing record as far as statistics went and equally reassuring
support.
Q: Do you think he will come out of retirement? Why?
Anand: I think so, but this is just an opinion. He is still the No. 1.
Right now, maybe he wants to take a break to get over with other
projects on hand (politics and writing books) or else it could be a
simple case of ''no desire left at the moment'' - I can't
actually say.
Q: Does his announcement surprise you?
Anand: When I first heard that announcement, I was a little surprised.
After the final day at the Linares tournament, I met him before going
back to my hotel. Till then, there wasn't any clue that he would do
so. I thought something had been misinterpreted. Secondly, he's been
a vital part of the chess world. So it will take some time to believe
that he will not be there any more. I hope he reconsiders his decision.
Q: Any one complaint you will always have against him
Anand: (Laughs)...I think now's the time to only remember the
positives.
Q: What were his major strengths as a player?
Anand: His capacity to keep working...thinking. He was very aggressive
and had an interesting knack of working his way through. That showed in
his game - getting out of tough situations, forcing the opponent to
give away under pressure.
Q: On your rivalry with him
Anand: We had come pretty close and recently the gap had narrowed down
even further. Our meetings were very special and the competition was
worth looking forward. He was one of the most dangerous yet eagerly
awaited opponent.
Q: Your vivid memories of the Russian
Anand: He was a controversial figure. But when faced with adversity,
his was a classic case of ''when the going gets tough...the tough
gets going.'' Garry always managed to motivate himself. He read and
had a lot of interests in American politics, passionately involved
himself in the affairs at the Kremlin, continued to criticise
(Vladimir) Putin and at the same time ruled the world of chess. He
always motivated himself with the fact that he was a Russian chess
player and despite the number of victories he achieved...he was never
satisfied.
Q: Any off the board meeting that would always remain in your memory?
Anand: Usually he never socialised. So there's isn't anything in
particular. But I remember a group photo of ours (he, myself and other
players) atop the World Trade Centre (WTC) building in 1995. It was
like ''we're on top of the world.''
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