Kasparov's interview

He talks brilliant when it's all about chess, nothing more. Politics? forget about it. He may not admit it, but it it is pretty obvious that in this interview, a big part of him still yearns to return on the chessboard. Perhaps finally realizing that he's political involvement and ambition is nothing but a farce.

https://webcast.chessclub.com/blog/2008/12/10/kasparov-in-london/

The King's Queen

It is said that behind every man's success, is a woman. But for Aruna Anand, playing a role of a wife to her husbands conquest was not in anyway can be compared to those Josephine's role to Napoleon--sacrificing his queen.


The woman behind the master

Shubha Shetty-Saha
Sunday, April 06, 2008 17:30 IST

Aruna Vishwanathan plays many roles in hubby and chess maestro Vishwanathan Anand’s life, apart from being a dutiful wife
She gave up a job in advertising to help her sportsman husband, chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, build his career. “Since chess is a very tough sport and takes up a lot of his mental energy, I just try to make things easier for him. I handle his correspondence and logistics. Since time is at a premium, I ensure he enjoys his free time and also relaxes,” says Aruna Vishwanathan.

Aruna says after her marriage it was a natural progression for her to take care of her husband’s work. “As he played more and more tournaments, the stakes kept getting higher. He needed to give his 100 percent to his game. It was practical that we share the work. So I travel with him too, as we both enjoy travelling,” she says.

As a sportsman’s spouse, you get affected by his victory and defeat, perhaps even more than him.

“When the going gets tough, you have to learn to let go and not put your feelings first. When Anand has had a tough tournament he always tells me, ‘It must have been really tough for you.’ I think it is these moments that bring two people together.” However, there is one thing that Aruna could do without, “The tension!” she says.

Even though she independently handles his work, she needs to consult him for everything. She says, “From the colour of the walls to more important matters, we discuss everything. Even when he is playing, I make a list of things we need to talk about when he is free.

Here is the full story.

Topalov: 'I think this is a very good time for chess'

2005-2006 FIDE World Champion talks about chess after Kasparov's retirement; also his thoughts about the wunderkid from Norway, 17 year old Magnus Carlsen, his up coming world championship match with Gata Kamsky and a New Year's present from he's girlfriend.

Interview with Yuri Vasiliev

So are you starting to feel that you are once again playing like you did in San Luis, and can crush everyone again?

I would say this: it is not always right to play for a win in every game. At certain moments I simply lose my head, as they say, I just want so much to win. And this sometimes leads to defeats. I need to control myself better.

Everyone is talking about Carlsen at the moment. What do you think of him? Who does he remind you of?

Magnus plays beyond his years. Excellent positional understanding, good endgame play. Ruslan Ponomariev, when he won the [FIDE World Championship] title at 18, had a similar style.

Kasparov made many interesting suggestions. But he also found himself up against the “united majority”. Do you miss Garry?

Strange as it may sound, I think that Garry’s retirement was a positive thing for the remaining players. The point is not that he was very strong, and retired when he could still have won the title back, but that he had always dominated all the attention of the mass media and sponsors. Without Kasparov, a tournament was of no interest to anyone. But as soon as he retired, the attention of the press, and those interested in putting money into chess, switched to the remaining players. Have you noticed how many new tournaments are springing up nowadays? This never happened in Kasparov’s day. In countries where there is a serious contender for the title, they organise tournaments to support him. When Kasparov retired, many people were afraid that interest in chess would wane, but in fact, it has grown. Read full story>>