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Viswanathan Anand

Anand interview for TWIC with John Henderson

JBH: Vishy, 1998 was a good year for you; winning everything in sight. 1999 was a bad year; Kasparov returned with vengeance to dominate the chess year with some unbelievable performances. Is it time for you make a comeback this year to reassert your challenger status?

Anand: "I guess so, yes. But, to be honest, in 1999, whilst relative to Kasparov's performance it looked bad, it wasn't really such a bad year on my part."

JBH: Do you think you stand a good chance of winning Linares 2000?

Anand: "I don't know. I don't really think like that. I just turn up at tournaments and play my chess and see what happens. With tournaments like Linares, I think you play to the best of your abilities and see how everyone else performs. This was my attitude in 1998, so it's nothing new I've come up with. That's how I go: I turn up at tournaments, play my chess, try my best and see how it goes. I don't see the point of speculating too much. I just like to play and see how things develop."

JBH: At the Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee, a lot of the players complained that they lacked energy and found the going tough. They weren't really "in the mood" - maybe something to do with the flu bug that was circulating. Do you think that here in Linares that the players are "up for a fight"?

Anand: "In Wijk aan Zee you could clearly see that something was wrong. There were several games where I'd leave a pawn hanging then wake up and start fighting. But I noticed that I wasn't the only one with these problems. Somehow everyone was afflicted - except perhaps Peter Leko. Even Kasparov had very shaky Black's - but full credit to him, he scored +6, the rest of us [Anand, Kramnik & Leko] made +3. Well, as for this tournament, we'll just have to wait and see. It depends on how the games go in the first few days before you can tell these things. I think everyone is really motivated - they were also in Wijk but for some reason something was missing. I can't explain it. The same tournament in 1999 and 1998 were really spectacular affairs but this year the chess was really "crappy". So I hope that Linares goes better."

JBH: Moving on to your world championship match with Garry Kasparov, all the journalists here have heard it was going to take place last year, maybe this year. What are your own thoughts? When do you think it will take place? And if it does, what sort of sponsorship level do you think it will attract?

Anand: "I really don't know. Honestly, I think last year we had a very good chance. If the same team [Bessel Kok & Serge Grimaux] came back to me, I would give them another shot. Sometimes these things just happen and it doesn't work out - I don't know why. To be honest, I haven't had any contact with Serge Grimaux after that. I still haven't been told what actually happened and why the whole thing fell through."

"Basically, after September 1999 it was a bit of a let down for me. I'd been training for two months getting keyed up for the match when suddenly it got cancelled. I had the rest of the year off so I spent some time back home in India and had a good time. But nothing much has changed since then so I've no idea what sponsorship level it will attract now. Personally, I don't see why $3 million is overpriced if you have a team putting on a good event that can generate huge publicity relative to other sports like athletics for example. It's not the sponsorship level or anything; I think it's a question of finding the right deal."

"Also, it doesn't help that the chess world - to the outside world - looks like one "big mess" and that doesn't help matters either. I don't really know if it'll happen this year or not - I just don't keep on top of these things nowadays. However, if someone comes along with a realistic offer, then we'll talk. But I've not been telephoning Garry everyday or following the developments on this!"

JBH: Following on from that. I've read so many newspaper stories in the last year or so highlighting the growth of computer technology in India. This in turn has resulted in several Indians becoming multimillionaires in the Bill Gates league. If, say, one of them came along with a genuine offer to sponsor a match between you and Garry in your homeland, would you take it?

Anand: "I certainly would! But Garry has made it clear since our PCA match in 1995 that there would be a clause in all contracts that said any match between us wouldn't be played in Russia or India. This same clause was written into the 1998 contract. I personally would like to play in my homeland. And if it were, I'm sure it would be well organised."

JBH: It would be nice to see a top-level chess tournament in India like this one in Linares. I understand that some arrangements are being made for an event to take place this year, which you will take part in. Is that correct?

Anand: "The organiser of the proposed event said he was going to find the sponsorship for a top-level tournament in India. Naturally, I told him I would play if he got it together. As yet, he's still looking so we're still very much in the embryonic stage just now. But I hope it does happen."

JBH: Have you any message for TWIC readers?

Anand: "I'd just like to wish them - along with Mark Crowther - all the best and I hope they have a successful Linares tournament to follow."

JBH: Vishy Anand, thank you very much.