I watch classic Rajinikanth films Chess wizard Viswanathan Anand on movies, family and his game

I watch classic Rajinikanth films

Chess wizard Viswanathan Anand on movies, family and his game

    The next few weeks are testing times for chess wizard Viswanathan Anand. For, he is busy getting himself ready — both mentally and physically — for his World Championship match against World No 1 Magnus Carlsen next month. In between all hype on the match, Vishy, as he is called, made it a point to spend time with his family for Navratri, a festival he loves. He gets talking on his upcoming match, inspirations and more. 

How are you preparing yourself for the big clash against Carlsen? It’s been months of preparation — both in terms of chess, and physical work. Now, it’s the last mile. So, I’m just taking it easy and getting ready for the match. 

You must miss Aruna and Akhil a lot when you’re away touring. How does Akhil react when you talk to him over the phone and when you’re back home, how do you bond with him? We like playing together; there are lots pillow fights at home! He has this book, Happy Hippo Angry Duck, that we love reading together. The trick is to pretend that we are reading it for the first time every time. His favourite pastime now is counting; so, we count anything these days. And, of course, there’s Tom And Jerry; while he cheers for Jerry, I support Tom. I love it when he wakes me up in the morning with my brush and says, “Brush teeth.” 

The fact that the match against Carlsen is happening in Chennai — is it an advantage or disadvantage? I have had very pleasant memories of playing in Chennai. I will treat this like any other match and that means just put the chess and training foremost. 

In your career, how have you handled pressure, during and before a match? What are some things you do to ensure that it doesn’t get to you? It’s very difficult to keep a checklist because always, the one thing you don’t want to think about will pop right into the head. I try to keep a cool face and for the rest, just rely on my game. 

How friendly are you with Carlsen? We are cordial to each other. 

In a previous interview, you mentioned that you rarely get time to watch movies, and that you last watched Rajinikanth’s Sivaji… 

Well, I watched Kahaani and liked it a lot. I hope to watch The Lunchbox soon. But I have been watching classic Rajini films like Billa, etc… 

Finally, would you consider this as the most important match of your career, and why? Each match I play is the most important one yet.

Viswanathan Anand