Overjoyed by India’s stunning dual victory at the Chess Olympiad, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand stated that, while this is a promising start, much work has to be done for women’s chess in the nation. India made history on Sunday when its men’s and women’s teams won their first Chess Olympiad crowns, completing an incredible sweep of gold medals. However, although the men’s game has recently grown in popularity, with emerging Indian players like R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh making waves on the international scene, the women’s game has struggled to match this trend.
“This is an excellent start. “I believe there is still a long way to go because we must continue to progress,” Anand told PTI on the sidelines of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. “And more important, get more and more girls to play and I think exactly this result will inspire more girls to play, and that is the hope,” according to him.
The 54-year-old chess star, who has inspired the current generation of chess players making waves in the global arena, was overjoyed to see history being made by them. “First and foremost, there was immense pride in what had occurred. It’s not like the outcome surprised me; it had been the situation for a few hours before, so you prepare yourself.”
had great success.” “I liked being there. I appreciated listening to the anthems twice. And I knew that the entire world had taken notice of India’s performance,” he continued. Although India’s achievement in the Olympiad was laudable, Anand cautioned that other teams will evaluate their accomplishments and return stronger.
“Depending on which metric you use, you can say India is number one, number two, or number three maximum,” he remarked when asked how long it will take for India to catch up to Russia, the United States, and China. “That’s how sports are. Our success is not certain. But we have outstanding players who will contend for the top tournaments for at least the next decade. Anand believes that to sustain the country’s recent chess success, India needs to tap into grassroots potential.
“First, develop the game. Expand the base of the pyramid, so to speak. And help gamers of all skill levels. Events such as the Global Chess League contribute significantly to this since they provide numerous possibilities.
“Unexpectedly, you might play a far larger role than you anticipated. All of these will help the team win. But we want to see more of this,” he said. Anand will represent the Ganges Grandmasters in the Global Chess League, which runs from October 3 to 12, in London.n Listen to the most recent music, exclusively on JioSaavn.com.
When asked about the league, he stated, “I really loved the first league and am looking forward to the second. I’ve played in London several times and am quite enthusiastic about it. What do I believe will happen? I hope we will get to the final and then win it.”