Anand spoke to Chess 64 magazine after winning the Morelia-Linares tournament last month, that took him to the top of the FIDE rankings.
So Anand, how does it feel? Weary answering the same question?
Yes, I am elated. I was so focussed on the last round that I tried to keep this out of my head. But yes I am happy.
When you started at the Tal club, did you think one day you would be the point of reference in the chess world?
Not at all. In the Tal club I played blitz all the time. At some point we were three to four players trying to get to the GM title. When I became a GM somehow I thought I had achieved. Then after a year I realised that I have to look further and set new goals.
In India at that time we did not have access to a lot of chess information. This was the pre-computer era. At tournaments we would wait in line to get hold of a chess book. For us anything Soviet was like magic. We would always be in awe of the Soviet players. When my dad was posted to the Philippines, I had the chance to visit Baguio [a city in Philippines]. This was 1979. I never thought one day I would actually become World Junior champion there. Of course, at that point I never thought I would one day play players like Karpov, let alone defeat them.
Anand, you always had a normal childhood in spite of the fact your chess talent was discovered very early. How did you balance this?
Well, my parents were keen that I complete university. At that point professional sport was not really seen as a career option. I was extremely lucky to have a great school (Don Bosco) and college (Loyola College). In both places they encouraged me to play chess. I would return after a tournament and then the professors would come home to coach me and I would take the exam. By the time I left university I was in the world top ten. My parents were convinced that chess was my calling. I am the youngest in my family, so all eyes were on me all the time. So that had its moments of pleasure and pain.
Nowadays you see young children who decide to leave their education to take up chess. What is your view on this?
I think it is extremely important to have a balanced life. Hobbies, friends, entertainment etc. Most children multi-task pretty well. The only thing that they can do without is pressure to achieve quickly.
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