Years Before Normalcy Returns

Vishy Anand says impact of virus will last longer

- Rahul Rawat in New Delhi

Viswanathan Anand is used to spending time outside India for long stretches of time but little did he know that this time when he travelled to Germany, he would be stuck in a global lockdown.

Anand, a five-time World Chess Champion, went to Germany on March 10 to take part in Bundesliga Chess and was scheduled to return home the same month. But just before that the entire world shut itself down due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

“I am in a town near Frankfurt and had come here for some German league games. Firstly, the league got cancelled and then the flights. I am doing OK. I have friends here so there are no real issues for me, except that I am waiting for the flight to return home,” Anand told India Today from Bad Soden, a small town in Hesse, Germany.