Celebrating the Chess King

Celebrating the chess king – Viswanathan Anand
TNN, May 15, 2010, 12.00am IST

Fans of Viswanathan Anand, who are celebrating his victory, feel that the city and nation could do more to honour his achievement …

For someone who tamed the lion in his own den, it is indeed an irony that his win isn’t being celebrated enough in his own h ometown. Yes, we are talking about Viswanathan Anand and his splendid win over Veselin Topalov… and the rather lukewarm response that it has garnered in Chennai. Says TV personality and former cricketer Bosskey, “ While Anand’s win is a phenomenal achievement, unfortunately, not many people in Chennai are even aware of it. Anand’s win has certainly not created the buzz it should have created. Even colleagues at my office give me a blank look when I quip on this. ”

One reason that many, including Anand’s fath er, cite is that the media has been busy highlighting the debacle of the Indian cricket in the T-20 World Cup. “ It’s a pity to see cricket eating up all other sports, ” Anand’s dad was quoted in an interview. And Bosskey is on his side. “It is indeed sad th at a loss in cricket is talked more than a win in any other sport. I’ll compare cricket to Rajinikanth. Even if the superstar has mild fever, it will generate headlines. The same goes for cricket and cricketers, ” he says.

While acknowledging Anand’s “magnificent” win, cricketer Thirush Kamini, reasons that it’s got to do more with the sport rather than the sportsmen involved. “ It’s common knowledge that cricket is immensely popular in India and that’s perhaps why Team India’s debacle in the T-20 championsh ip is talked about to a much greater extent,” she says.

Even D V Sundar, secretary of the All India Chess Federation, brushes aside such comparisions. “ All of us agree in one thing — cricket is a passion in our country. So, no point in comparing cricket w ith any other sport, let alone chess.” Instead, he chooses to focus on the brighter side. “ Winning at 40 shows Anand’s resilience. It only shows the concerted efforts taken by the man. To remain among the top five for two decades is no mean feat. This is s omething that is unparalleled in Indian sport,” he states.

Here is the full article.