By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

SINCE becoming the world’s no. 1 GM Vishy Anand has dominated chess news, especially in his home country of India. Here are excerpts from his recent interviews:
On religion
Religion is a deeply personal issue for me, which is why I disdain its showy side. I believe that in matters of religion and spirituality, every individual has to discover his or her level of comfort and intimacy. I avoid the rituals and ceremonies associated with religion. That does not mean I stay completely remote; when I am in India I make it a point to visit a temple. I revel in the tranquility it offers and the beauty it symbolizes.
On prayer
I see prayer as an article of faith. When I pray I try to concentrate on the prayer itself, its cadences, its ebb and flow. I try to channel my energies toward it. Conviction and belief — that’s the essence of prayer. Just before a game, I try to keep a clear mind so that I can focus better. I’m the kind of person who plays fast and relies a lot on intuition, so being at peace with myself is vital. Saying my daily prayers helps me achieve this heightened state of mind.
On his calmness
I may look calm and sober when I’m playing, but that’s a façade. On the inside I can hear my heart pounding. Everyone brings a particular characteristic to the way they play. I bring my calmness to the table. Chess is warfare waged in solitude. In many ways, the game prepares you for the challenges that life hurls in your direction.
First victory over Kasparov, Karpov
I played Kasparov in 1991 in Tilburg. He was leading the event and we played a Sicilian. It was a wild game and I managed to materialize the advantage and win. It was a great feeling. Once the race for becoming India’s first grandmaster had finished, it was difficult to find the next achievable goal. I played Karpov in my first Linares tournament in 1991. I had just played Kamsky and I had taken 15 minutes and 50 seconds on the clock. My friend Maurice Perea came to me and said “Vishy tomorrow you play Karpov — remember, you have to think and play.” I thought for a second and said, “Okay Maurice, how about 16 minutes?” [Anand beat Karpov]
Ambition left in chess: To win the Mexico world championship. Favorite piece: the queen, but no clichés, please. Favorite world champion: Tal and Fischer; Tal for his style of chess and Fischer for what he was in 1972. Favorite place: changes every year — at present South Africa, for chess, Mexico.
Game of the week. Here’s the world’s new no. 1 against a living legend in a game annotated by Dutch GM Hans Ree who called it a work of art.
White: V. Anand
Black: A. Karpov
Queen’s Gambit Accepted
Las Palmas 1996
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e4 b5 This risky variation is out of character for Karpov. 5. a4 c6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. b3 Bb7 8. bxc4 Bxe4 9. cxb5 Nf6 Karpov spent a lot of time on an extremely dubious opening: 54 minutes on the first nine moves. 10. Be2 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Ne5 a6 14. Bf3 Karpov’s experiment is no success; it is very difficult for him to develop his queenside. Nd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Rb1 Qb6 17. Be2 axb5 18. Rxb5 Qc7 19. Bf4 Bd6 20. Bd3 Ba6 He has to give a pawn, otherwise he would lose quickly. 21. Bxh7+ But Anand doesn’t want a pawn, he wants to sacrifice and give mate. [American GM Larry Christiansen: “From a practical point of view this is absolutely crushing. No human being in the world could hope to defend successfully after this sacrifice with less than 10 minutes for 20 moves against Anand.”] Kxh7 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. Rb3 Bxe5 Not good. After 23...Bc8 Anand would play 24 Rg3 Qe7 25 Bg5 with advantage. The crucial line is 23...f6 24 Rh3 (the second piece) fxe5 25 dxe5 and now 25...Rxf4 (the third piece) 26 e6 is winning for white, but 25..Qc4 keeps it very unclear, according to Anand, who thought 26 Re1 would be the best way to play for a win. 24. Rh3 f6 25. dxe5 Qe7 26. Qh7+ Kf7 27. Rg3 Ke8 27...Rg8 loses after 28 Qg6+ Kf8 29 exf6. White’s attack is winning. 28. Rxg7 Qe6 29. exf6 Nc6 30. Ra1 Kd8 31. h4 Underscoring black’s inability to do anything constructive. Bb7 32. Rc1 Ba6 33. Ra1 Bb7 34. Rd1 Ba6 35. Qb1 Rxf6 36. Bg5 and Black lost on time. What Anand did in this game, few players would have done in his place. Taking the pawn would have given him reasonable winning chances with absolutely no risk. Instead, he sacrificed a piece, Bxh7+, which usually is trivial, but here it was extremely unclear. In one variation a second piece would have to be sacrificed, a third even. Few people thought it was correct; computer Fritz 4 thought it was absolute nonsense. A day later Anand said after long analysis that he would not have been in danger and would have winning chances in an unclear position, even if Karpov had played the best defense. But Karpov didn’t and he could not have done it in the 10 or so minutes he had left after Anand’s sacrifice. It was a joy to see Anand’s play. A quiet move with a pawn, followed by an unexpected queen switch across the whole board. This is Tal, someone said. This is Anand, I thought.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on g3, h4; Nb4, Qb8, Nf6, Kf7, Bg1
Black — pawns c3, c4, d7, e5, g6; Na5, Rc5; Bd1, Kf5; Nf8
White to play and mate in four moves.
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