India's prospect of throwing another world champion in chess looks bleak

During a train journey to Kerala in the late 1980s, a well-meaning, elderly gentleman asked Viswanathan Anand what he did for a living. When Anand, who had then just become India's first and the world's youngest Grandmaster at 18, replied that he was a chess player, his baffled, co-passenger retorted, "Unless you're Viswanathan Anand, you cannot make a living out of playing chess." Funnily, close to three decades hence, the observation does not seem wholly misplaced."It felt nice then. I did not reveal my true identity though," quips the world No 8.
Seldom has a player so wholly redefined the contours and made such a lasting impact in any sporting discipline in the country like Anand. While Sachin Tendulkar and Leander Paes occupy gilded pedestals in their respective fields - cricket and tennis - neither of them was first in their sport. While scaling the heights, Anand has been a tremendous inspiration for scores of talented Indians to take up chess.
Currently, apart from Anand, four Indians - P Harikrishna (No 14), Parimarjan Negi (No 82), Surya Shekhar Ganguly (No 89) and B Adhiban (No 99) - find themselves in the top-100 of the world rankings. While there's no denying a boom of the sport in the country lately, becoming a world No 1 or winning a world title is possibly more about individual genius than systemic assistance. Norway, home to reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen for instance, has little to do with chess culture, support or following. Much like Anand, the Nordic prodigy made it big with little help from the system.
While the likes of Harikrishna and K Sasikiran have been waiting in the wings for more than a decade now with the former within touching distance of upstaging Anand as India's No 1 player, which is likely to happen eventually, the prospect of the country throwing up another world champion looks far-fetched, at least for now.
"When Anand took up chess, it was considered insignificant, almost a non-sport. His success turned existing perceptions on its head. It was only after he became Asia's first world junior champion that the sport became more appealing both to the masses and the classes. Broadcasters and newspapers took notice, and chess found its way into the homes and conscience of the country. Much like Bobby Fischer convinced the rest of the world that the Russians were not invincible, Anand breathed hope and lent the sport in India a brand new identity," says Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay.
Following his loss to Garry Kasparov in 1995 after the latter broke away from FIDE and a controversial defeat to Anatoly Karpov thereafter, Anand went on to win his maiden world title in 2000, beating Alexei Shirov in Tehran, Iran. His ascent, breaking the barriers of Soviet domination and subsequent four world titles was just what India, bereft of world beaters in individual sport needed.
Yet, it may well be time to recognise that with chess getting younger as a sport with every passing year, players in their 40s are seen as outliers, a fact the 43-year-old from Chennai willingly concedes. "My performance has been fluctuating. The average age in chess has been dropping over the last seven or eight years. The youngsters are really breaking in. Actually they are right there if you see the current top 10 players," Anand told TOI late last year.
The effects of advancing age on Anand in recent years, parrying with questions on his retirement, have understandably been telling on both his style of play and results. Having lost the world title contest in the previous two occasions, he braces for yet another grueling Candidates tournament next month, which would determine reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen's next challenger. It's hard, however, to continue to repose the same measure of faith, given his far from consistent recent results. Winning another world title seems like a mirage now for the seasoned pro.
When one peers into the immediate future of the sport in the country in the aftermath of Anand's exit, an unsettling void stares back.
Indian senior team coach R B Ramesh, however, refuses to rest the blame for the impending scenario sans Anand to systemic failure. "Anand is an exceptional talent. It's a lot like asking why we don't have another Sachin Tendulkar. Such players are few and far between and it's ok if they do not come often. Also, the invasion of technology has been a game changer. Earlier, it was a smaller pool of players with lesser competition and information was not easily accessible. Now everyone has access to everything, the contest is stiffer and the quality of players is a lot better."
Legacy is an uneasy word for the five-time world champion. Strange, considering he has more of that than most of the country's other players put together. Possibly, it could be deduced to his eagerness to stay in the moment. "Your legacy is for others to write. Preferably after you're gone," Anand says.