SPORTS
For all his distinction on the 64 squares, Anand has also brought to the game a gentlemanly refinement that has eluded world champions down the ages.
Growing up in Chennai, in the 1970s and early-1980s, I used to frequent the Mikhail Tal Chess Club at what used to be the Soviet Cultural Centre. And although I did not then — or ever since — play the game with any distinction, it was there — amidst a flurry of thunderous checks and crafty stratagems — that I fell headlong in love with the Queen of Mindsports. It was also there that I bore first-hand witness to the prodigious talent that underlies Viswanathan Anand’s subsequent ascension as the foremost King of Chess.
Anand was a roly-poly schoolkid back then, just about taller than the long tables on which club members squared off for laid-back skittles or rapid-fire shootouts with just five minutes on the clock. In every other sense, however, he was among the tallest players on the circuit, and already something of a star, and took particularly perverse delight in humbling then-reigning International Masters, especially in the lightning-fast version of the game in which he excelled.
One of the more subtle strategies in chess is to advance pawns down the centre of the board and control territory, and players delight in the opportunity to “fill the gaps” in the opponent’s defence with some aggressive pawn-pushing. In the vernacular languages that the Tal club’s playing hall resonated with, the expression “fill the gap” — which pawn-pushers would shout out like a war cry to punctuate their penetrative moves — acquired unsubtle sexual connotations.
For a while, the club considered asking members to go easy on the double entendre as a concession to the presence of the new “kid” on the block, but it was already too late. For by then, no one was more joyfully shouting out the “fill the gap” war cry than the delightfully innocent ‘Lightning Kid’ Vishy Anand!
For all his distinction on the 64 squares, Anand has also brought to the game a gentlemanly refinement that has eluded world champions down the ages. Former champion Garry Kasparov once said that “the beautiful thing about chess is that it teaches you the humility of defeat.” But although Kasparov has a place in history as one of the most flamboyant players of all time, he couldn’t always summon the stately deportment, the endearing “humility”, that so signally characterises Anand.
Of former Cuban chess maestro Jose Raul Capablanca, it was famously said that “there is no greater gentleman in chess. No one can lose as graciously as he does, or win in a more detached manner.” But even he was embroiled in a very bitter professional rivalry (that oftentimes bordered on the personal) with former Soviet champion Alexander Alekhine. The latter himself was a notoriously poor loser: at a tournament in Vienna in 1922, he resigned somewhat spectacularly against his opponent — by hurling his king across the room!
For all the popular perception of chess as a pacific game played by genial old blokes, it’s been characterised down the ages by much physical violence. Grandmaster Nigel Short once said: “Chess is ruthless: you’ve got to be prepared to kill people.” About two years ago, a new hybrid version of the game — called ‘chessboxing’ (a fusion of chess and boxing) — was conceptualised precisely to capitalise on the fact that chess perhaps has something in common with bloodsports.
Even in the modern era, rivalry between chess players have tended to spill over from the 64 squares. In 1977, for instance, Viktor Korchnoi and Tigran Petrosian squared off in a ‘Match of Hate’: at one point, the organisers had to install a board under the table to stop the two Grandmasters from kicking each other!
It is in this context that Anand’s double distinction — as the King of Chess who also breaks the stereotype of the cranky, cantankerous, nerdy chess buff — is striking. Above all else, his ascendance is testimony that nice guys sometimes finish first.
Deepinder Goyal reveals customers' reaction to wife Grecia Munoz delivering Zomato orders
Infosys founder Narayana Murthy flirts with Sudha Murty in viral video from Kapil Sharma show
Ajay Devgn's fans don't want Singham Again to become a blockbuster: 'Rohit Shetty jab tak hai...'
Types, Most Popular and Where to Buy Peptides for Bodybuilding
Luxury in the City of Light: SABO Boutique Hotel Brings Elegance to Varanasi’s Sacred Ghats
Virat Kohli, Babar Azam could play for same team as Afro-Asia Cup set for revival
Shaping the Future of Web Apps: Full Stack Developer’s Expertise in API Design and Cloud Deployment
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Software Performance and Security
Mastering Linux for Superior Sound
Amid divorce rumours of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, Aaradhya praises mother in viral video
AI in Data Warehousing: Future Trends and Innovations
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio IPO worth Rs 840960 crore in 2025: All you need to know
After India's 0-3 loss against New Zealand, Shah Rukh Khan calls Gautam Gambhir...
BIG revelation on Imane Khelif, Olympic gold medallist boxer's medical repot leaked, it confirms…
Meet man who built Rs 152000 crore company, donated Rs 100 crore, now set to lead US firm as...
Visa Uncertainty: Impact of US polls on global talent
Virat Kohli turns 36: IPL franchises send heartwarming birthday wishes to legendary India cricketer
Meet Sanjay Verma, the new DGP of Maharashtra who replaced Rashmi Shukla
Anushka Sharma shares FIRST photo of Akaay, Vamika to celebrate Virat Kohli’s birthday
CAT 2024 admit card to be out today at iimcat.ac.in; know release time, steps to download
Vikas Divyakirti UPSC Tips: Check strategy to crack IAS exam, aspirants should study for...
Video of Pakistani man putting hand into chained tiger's mouth goes viral, social media reacts
Shalini Passi reveals her husband's connection to Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan, they were..
SC upholds validity of UP madrassa law, says it does not violate principle of secularism
US Presidential Elections 2024: What time do the polls close; when will the results be known?
Elon Musk shares controversial post on X amid US election results, video goes viral
Mukesh Ambani's company earned Rs 15393 crore last week, his net worth now stands at...
Chhath Puja 2024: Know about Kharna, Sandhya Arghya, Usha Arghya, date, timings and puja vidhi
Virat Kohli Birthday: Legendary batter turns 36, here's a look at his incredible milestones
When Ratan Tata met his first true love after 50 years, went for dinner together, know who she was
Samantha Ruth Prabhu hits back at trolls who body-shamed her: 'If you guys...'
Two fall prey to Narayana Murthy and Mukesh Ambani's deepfake videos, lose Rs 80 lakh: Report
North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward sea ahead of US election
Deepika Padukone romances Hrithik Roshan in Bikini, looks sizzling hot in UNSEEN viral video
Chhath Puja 2024: Top 50 wishes, What'sApp messages, quotes to share with your loved ones
Meet Caroline Emmons, Ratan Tata's 'first love' with whom he couldn't marry due to...
Who is Rohan Jaitley, frontrunner to replace Jay Shah as BCCI secretary?
World’s most expensive human tooth is valued over Rs 3000000, it belonged to…
Viral video: Little girl’s adorable dance to Lisa Haydon’s 'Manali Trance' impresses internet, watch
SC to deliver its verdict on pleas against Allahabad HC order scrapping UP madrasa law today
DNA TV Show: Why Election Commission changed Assembly by-elections' dates
Days after imposing fine on Anil Ambani, Sebi now issues Rs 130 crore demand notices to...
Thailand announces indefinite visa-free entry for Indian travellers
Meet daughter of billionaire, who studied in UK, now works in Rs 32770 crore Indian company as...
MUDA case: Lokayukta police summon Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for questioning on...
This city is 4000 years old, belongs to bronze age where 500 people lived, it is located in...
Kamala Harris has been the President of US before? Here's when and how
What is elimination inflammation diet that helped Vidya Balan lose weight?
Shah Rukh Khan feels breathless after quitting smoking: Know withdrawal symptoms, how to manage them
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal takes action on vendor for mislabelling mushrooms at Hyperpure warehouse
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance shares fell by 3%, loses Rs 50205 crore in one day due to...