Garry’s new move foxes chess mate

Q: Was he the greatest?

Anand: For most who followed the game, he was No. 1. But I thought it was after 1999 that Kasparov ruled. Prior to that, it was Bobby Fischer —although you cannot compare both. Fischer’s environment was not very conducive to the then existing scenario while Kasparov had an amazing record as far as statistics went and equally reassuring support.

Q: Do you think he will come out of retirement? Why?

Anand: I think so, but this is just an opinion. He is still the No. 1. Right now, maybe he wants to take a break to get over with other projects on hand (politics and writing books) or else it could be a simple case of ‘‘no desire left at the moment’’ — I can’t actually say.

Q: Does his announcement surprise you?

Anand: When I first heard that announcement, I was a little surprised. After the final day at the Linares tournament, I met him before going back to my hotel. Till then, there wasn’t any clue that he would do so. I thought something had been misinterpreted. Secondly, he’s been a vital part of the chess world. So it will take some time to believe that he will not be there any more. I hope he reconsiders his decision.

Q: Any one complaint you will always have against him

Anand: (Laughs)…I think now’s the time to only remember the positives.

Q: What were his major strengths as a player?

Anand: His capacity to keep working…thinking. He was very aggressive and had an interesting knack of working his way through. That showed in his game — getting out of tough situations, forcing the opponent to give away under pressure.

Q: On your rivalry with him

Anand: We had come pretty close and recently the gap had narrowed down even further. Our meetings were very special and the competition was worth looking forward. He was one of the most dangerous yet eagerly awaited opponent.

Q: Your vivid memories of the Russian

Anand: He was a controversial figure. But when faced with adversity, his was a classic case of ‘‘when the going gets tough…the tough gets going.’’ Garry always managed to motivate himself. He read and had a lot of interests in American politics, passionately involved himself in the affairs at the Kremlin, continued to criticise (Vladimir) Putin and at the same time ruled the world of chess. He always motivated himself with the fact that he was a Russian chess player and despite the number of victories he achieved…he was never satisfied.

Q: Any off the board meeting that would always remain in your memory?

Anand: Usually he never socialised. So there’s isn’t anything in particular. But I remember a group photo of ours (he, myself and other players) atop the World Trade Centre (WTC) building in 1995. It was like ‘‘we’re on top of the world.’’