With India’s D Gukesh preparing to take on reigning champion Ding Liren of China in the World Chess Championship title clash in Singapore in November-December, there’s no one better than a five-time world champion to decode what that moment means for India. Over four decades, as Viswanathan Anand, who was India’s first grandmaster, picked up five world championship titles, India has gone on to become a superpower on the chess board. The country's current chess poster boys — from Gukesh to Praggnanandhaa to Arjun Erigaisi to Vidit — have taken forward his legacy. On Tuesday, June 16, Anand will be the guest at the Express Adda in Chennai. Joining him will be his wife Aruna and Arjun Erigaisi, currently India's top-ranked player. They will be in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Amit Kamath, Assistant Editor, The Indian Express. The upcoming World Championship is India's best chance to regain the crown since Anand himself was upstaged by Norwegian phenomenon Magnus Carlsen more than a decade ago. India’s dominance on the 64-square battlefield was apparent at the recently concluded Candidates chess tournament, which saw five Indian players across the open and women's sections competing. The Candidates tournament decides the challenger to the sitting world champion. Though Anand has reduced his playing commitments, it's no secret who the current bunch of Indian Grandmasters and those coming through the ranks look up to. Anand's WestBridge Anand Chess Academy has played a role in pushing ahead the careers of several of these prodigies. The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Housing and Urban Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, cricket icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, and motivational strategist Gaur Gopal Das.
