'There Is Great Depth In India's Young Chess Talent'

In individual sport, Viswanathan Anand is probably India’s greatest; the grandmaster has gone where no Indian has ever been before. In his book Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life—part autobiography, part about the lessons he has learnt from chess—the fivetime World Champion unveils his battles over 64 squares. In this interview to G.C. Shekhar he discusses the book, his game, being the nice guy and the future of Indian chess.

- G.C. Shekhar

A memoir or autobiography usually happens when one hangs up the boots. You are still an active player, ranked in the top ten. Why did you write it at this stage in your career?

My 50th birthday (on December 11) provided a convenient timeline. The project has been around for some time. Since the book is about my life lessons it doesn’t matter if I choose to play a few years more.

Is it easier for a chess player to discuss tactics, preparations and post-match analysis and draw wisdom from them than, say, a tennis player? Many of your conclusions can actually be applied in company board rooms or in management courses or simply in real-life situations?

I have done a fair amount of public speaking; it flows from that also. Certainly, chess teaches you lessons that you relate to, especially in the context of learning and artificial intelligence.

Do chess players need to keep reinventing themselves since their last game is recorded, analyzed and stored for future reference? Like when you surprised Kramnik with a Queen Pawn opening in Bonn?

Whether you take your existing repertoire and tweak it or you take a radically new area—both happen all the time. You cannot always have a new repertoire for every tournament and you try something new. So in chess, you go back and forth.

Elizbar Ubilava (Anand’s trainer) urged that you have to go beyond being India’s and Asia’s first and pursue the World Championship. Any tennis player would want to win the Grand Slam. Your book says you did not have the thrust. Did you lack that fire early on?