Viswanathan Anand has no qualms in admitting he mis-calculated. Simply three years in the past, in December 2020, when he had began the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), he remembers pondering that the gamers he had taken below his wings — Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh and Nihal Sarin — would want 5 – 6 years to enter the elite membership of 2700-rated gamers. It’s an elusive membership within the sport, with present membership of 35 individuals.
Gukesh reached the fabled mark in July final yr inside two years of Anand’s prediction. Pragg adopted in July this yr. Arjun Erigaisi can be part of the membership, with Nihal simply six factors away.
“The explanation I say it is a golden technology is as a result of all of those guys are nonetheless youngsters — except Arjun, who grew to become 20 two days in the past — which suggests, very conservatively, for the subsequent 10 years at each high event as Indians we are able to hope for one in all our gamers to be there. It’s a good time to be an Indian chess fan,” Anand advised journalists on the sidelines of the Tata Metal Chess India event.
On Monday, Pragg had advised journalists at Kolkata that he feels he has the potential to be a world champion. It’s a measure of how a lot {the teenager} has grown in confidence.
“It’s good that he feels this assured. However once more, it’s a must to show it, and only a few individuals do. I don’t say that to mock him or something. He’ll should be conscious that there are lots of powerful steps forward. Even when your odds are excellent, you will want to tug it off. As a result of just one individual will get by way of and it’s a really excessive bar,” says India’s first grandmaster.
Till the technology of prodigies are able to clear that ‘very-high bar’, there are just a few extra steps they should take, believes Vishy.
“The (subsequent step) is akin to the distinction between being a vacationer at a spot and dwelling there. It’s good to qualify for the primary time. Then it’s a must to be constant, it’s a must to do it repeatedly. If you happen to carry on taking part in the Candidates, and also you’re established there, that’s the subsequent step (earlier than making it to the World Championship). Possibly with all of those guys that’s the problem, to carry consistency into it,” he says.
He additionally warns that whereas the jumps these guys have made are ‘spectacular’ now the opposite high gamers might be engaged on figuring them out.
“It is a very proficient group of people. Whether or not they outperform the earlier technology (of Indians), we’ll see. As soon as they scent the world championship, they’ll need it,” says the person who has worn the world champion’s crown 5 occasions.
Continuous chess
Whereas rather a lot has been spoken of how the present prodigies began very younger, bought good teaching early on and bought lots of early aggressive publicity because of the web, Anand factors out simply how a lot chess the present lot have been taking part in. He says he has round 4000 recorded video games within the database. Six-seven years in the past, he might look on the database and will inform which participant was younger based mostly on what number of video games they’d performed: those that had round 800 video games towards their names would inevitably be younger. In the present day gamers are including 500 to 600 video games a yr, because of the sport logging on.
With the present technology taking part in a lot chess, there’s additionally the worry of them getting fatigued.
“Fatigue is an enormous a part of chess in fashionable occasions. The gamers must pay lots of consideration to bodily health. All the highest gamers on this planet comply with it, these guys might want to do it as nicely,” he says.
“There’s such a factor as an excessive amount of chess. They might want to be taught to cease on occasion. Proper now they’re hungry for chess. The schedule they’ve arising could be very demanding. But when they need it, they need to go for it. It’s additionally completely different while you’re a young person. While you’re 19, nothing issues.”
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Though the subsequent technology has made the leap and is on its approach to fill his large footwear, Anand is all the time requested if he nonetheless needs to contend. If the present technology’s emergence will push him to play full tilt. He factors out that final yr he performed seven classical video games. This yr he’ll play even fewer.
“A part of me is tempted to play extra video games on a regular basis. A part of me additionally remembers why I eased off. There’s a rigidity. However basically, (if I wished to be a completely energetic participant once more) I’ll find yourself working tougher and tougher to maintain up however will get much less and fewer positive aspects. Like each different sport, chess is a bodily sport. I truly like these different roles. I give it some thought rather a lot, positive. However ultimately I’m completely happy the place I’m.
“I don’t really feel myself in competitors anymore. I’m very completely happy that I can step apart and India is being nicely represented in elite tournaments. That is all you possibly can hope for. I’d somewhat have this than one thing else. It is a excellent scenario. It’s sort of the way in which you wish to depart a sport.”