Mediaboss Marketing

When Viswanathan Anand left Chennai for Frankfurt in February, the city was waiting to see M.S. Dhoni back at Chepauk. The Southern metropolis was also talking about the latest Rajinikanth film, Darbar. All those classical music and dance stages were still alive, though the season had ended.

It was an entirely different Chennai that he returned to, some three months later. The IPL had been postponed indefinitely, cinemas had been closed, dancers and musicians didnt know when they would be able to get back on stage.

The novel coronavirus has changed the world, almost unrecognisably.

Anand is relieved and happy that he can finally be home again; that he can spend time with his wife Aruna and son Akhil, after being quarantined in Bengaluru on his arrival from Germany. He is also glad that he can play chess from his comfortable, familiar workstation at his home in Kotturpuram.

Yes, the five-time World champion wants to play in a tournament again, but he doesnt know when he can do it. I dont know when chess will return to where it was before, he tells The Hindu over the phone. It seems some countries are coming out [of the lockdown], but they are not completely out of danger, while others are still in an earlier stage.

He adds: Only when the vaccine comes, can we breathe easy. A part of me hopes that by August or September we will at least be used to this and no doubt there will be a lot of precautions still. It could well be next year; I am getting used to that reality.

He is also getting used to playing competitive chess online. He had done quite a bit of that while he was stranded in Frankfurt.

And he played some splendid chess, belying his 50 years consider his 17-move demolition of World No. 4 Ian Nepomniachtchi at the Nations Cup.

I was very happy with the win against Nepo, he says. The funny thing is when I was preparing this line in the morning, this particular variation came up and I thought I should familiarise myself with it. I also liked the way I played against Teimour Radjabov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ding Liren.

He is not surprised that online chess really took off during the lockdown. It has been around for many, many years, like video calls or working from home, he says. We didnt imagine we would be doing those things so often. I hope those people who are introduced to chess online will stay with it.

Anand thinks the Novak Djokovic episode is a warning for everyone. I heard that Serbia was doing well and that enough people had felt the risk had receded, he says. But then you see that what happened with the Adria Tour.

The World No. 1 organised the tennis tour, but before long tested positive for the coronavirus, along with three other players.

We should never take the virus lightly. says Anand. It is like playing chess against the computer. You cant completely understand the thing. All you could is to do, sit and focus on what you are supposed to do right, make your moves and hang in there.

Even if you are doing things right, you dont get points for that, all you get is that you are not infected today, but you have to take all the precautions tomorrow. So this new world of distancing and these new habits we picked up might last longer than we think.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

Not convinced? Know why you should pay for news.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Here is the original post:
Dont know when chess will return to where it was, says Viswanathan Anand - The Hindu