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Journalism of Courage
Viswanathan Anand’s decision not to play in the biennial Chess Olympiad for the third consecutive edition has left the Indian team high and dry. It is certain that in the forthcoming Olympiad in Elista (Kalmykia) in September, India will be like a rudderless ship without Anand as was the case with the National teams that plunged into deep waters in the last two Olympiads in Moscow (1994) and Yerevan (Armenia, 1996).
But in the light of the Indian team gaining in strength in the last 12 months with the emergence of young talents, it is widely believed in chess circles that the presence of Anand would bring back the halcyon days of India in the Olympiad.
The arguments in favour of Anand’s decision are many and could be debated on personal grounds. That he has a phenomenal 2,795 rating which is difficult to defend when playing against inferior opposition; that the Chess Olympiad is a team game and one swallow will not make a summer; that the Olympiad has no prize-money and so, for a professional like Anand,it is highly impractical to waste time.
Yet, these arguments could be countered now that it is a changed scene in World and Indian chess.
Argument one that Anand’s rating does not allow him to play in a big diverse field like the Olympiad does not hold water anymore. The World chess federation (Fide) has liberalised the rules governing Olympiad and has allowed players to request the body to omit their performance in the Olympiad for rating purposes before the event.
The rule is made specifically to lure players like Kasparov and Anand, who have reached special rating grades, which could be termed as `high risk zones.’
Argument one also has a counter-point, if one were to be harsh on Anand. For the record, despite the harsh laws and realities in the previous Olympiads, the King of chess, Kasparov, played for Russia whenever he was free from the hassles of his World championship commitment.
The only exception in recent years was 1990 when Kasparov could not play for the erstwhile Soviet Union becausehe was at that time playing his World title match against Anatoly Karpov in New York/Lyon.
The supporting factor in favour of point one is that the Olympiad is a very flexible event and the top players can always choose when to play and when to take a drop.
For instance, once the team knows that it is playing a comparatively weak opposition with an ordinary Grandmaster on the top board, Anand or his likes can sit out of that particular round. By this way, Anand can choose his own category and opponents if he wishes to.
If India can get a good start, then it is even possible that Anand would continuously get 2,675-strong players on the top board as at least 10 countries have elite GMs in their ranks. Now, in the changed circumstances, Anand can afford to flout practice and even act as a destroyer against ordinary GMs as he no longer faces the threat of a drop in his rating because of an unexpected draw.
