When Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand struck a heavy blow to Viswanathan Anands defence of the world title by winning Game No.7,the Indian grandmaster returned to his hotel located near the Red Square and switched off from the game. He did not brood about the loss. Rather,he tuned into the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. On the day I lost,I watched Fawlty Towers because you want to laugh your head off, Anand told The Sunday Express hours before travelling from Moscow to his hometown Chennai. On other evenings after the game,the World champion watched episodes of British comedy Yes Minister and reality show Only Fools on Horses,which involves celebrities trying their hand at equestrian events. To unwind in the evenings I would watch a mix of Yes Minister,Only Fools on Horses, the world champion said. His wife Aruna was around to ensure that Anand remained in the right frame of mind irrespective of the outcome of the days duel. When the games turned intense,42-year-old Anand,while waiting at the backstage,would hum Jamaican reggae artist Sean Pauls catchy number She Doesnt Mind till Gelfand completed his move. This song was played often when Anands entourage reviewed the days proceedings once back at the hotel. For Anand laughter proved to be the best medicine as his decision to watch British comedy after the loss in Game 7 lightened his mood and put him at ease with just five games remaining to catch-up. Anand responded by winning Game No.8 and went on to eventually defend his title in the tie-breaker last week. It was during one of his backstage reggae-crooning breaks that Anand spotted Gelfand make a big mistake in Game 8. Game 8 went beautifully. I assumed Boris (Gelfand) was trying to double his lead rather than sit on it. He was very motivated but something clearly went wrong. (Anand set a trap for Gelfand which entailed Gelfand making a blunder of playing Queen to f6). And then I went backstage. I was waiting for my move. I had seen Queen f6 but I was telling myself that is too naive to expect it to happen and then I suddenly saw him make a move from the back of the board. I looked up saw it was Qf6. I thought oh god! I came back,checked it for a few minutes and then just went for it. He thought for a while and resigned, Anand said while looking back at his campaign,which he described as the toughest encounter of his five titles. While he was considered the favourite going into the Championship,Anand disagreed. I never saw myself as a favourite. There were a lot of people who kept saying I was favourite but they simply missed the plot. I expected a tough,nerve-wracking match,and I got a tough,nerve-wracking match. It would have been insane to underestimate Boris and I dont think I would have done that. But I didnt come here clearly with high expectations. I came here as someone who expected to fight for his life.
