Gukesh’s crisis this year is just the nature of the game: Anand

Yet, Anand’s name carries greater value.

- Shahid Judge

Dressed in the yellow jersey of the Ganges Grandmasters franchise, with his name and the number 64 neatly emblazoned on the back, Anand — a five-time world champion — is the only male player competing at the event to have been a world No.1.At 56, India’s first Grandmaster—he earned the title in 1988 — may have deliberately reduced his playing time, but he remains an active figure and is the current world No.12.

“Chess players are geared to get feedback from the games. Learning, relearning... But the fact that I still like the game enough that I want to do it,” Anand told HT. “Motivation is very important and the willingness to relearn.”

Anand has seen the chess evolution from close quarters. Ever since his breakthrough in the 1980s, he has remained a leading figure. He was the path-breaker who showed India the dream of playing in the upper echelons of the game. He also had a role of ushering in the new generation of Indian stars that are dominating the sport.

He's seen and done it all. And through that experience, he knows all too well the individual struggles the current crop is facing. Especially the slump plaguing reigning world champion D Gukesh.