New Delhi: Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand is overjoyed by India’s Chess Olympiad gold double triumph as it marks a remarkable achievement in the history of the sport for the nation. But for Anand, there is still a lot more to work on in the chess sector in the country. Anand said that the victory is a promising start but there is still some work left for women’s chess in the country.
India scripted history in Budapest when both the men’s and women’s teams combined for a stellar clean sweep to secure their first-ever titles at the Chess Olympiad. The recent times have seen the men’s game seeing a surge in terms of popularity as youngsters like R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh are making headlines worldwide but the women’s game still struggles to come at level with this trajectory.
Anand spoke to news agency PTI at the sidelines of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League saying, “It’s a very good beginning. I think still a long way to go because we must continuously keep progressing. And more important, get more and more girls to play and I think exactly this result will inspire more girls to play, and that is the hope.”
Whole world took notice of India – Anand
The 54-year-old grandmaster, who has been an inspiration to the current young bloods creating waves in the international chess circuit, was delighted to witness them make history in the Hungary capital. Anand took “great pride” in the achievement and said that the result didn’t catch him by surprise because it had been the case for a couple of hours already.
The victory hit the right chords of his heart when he realised that the nation has become a double Olympiad champion. Speaking on his relation with the Indian contingent, he said – “I know all of them for many, many years, and there’s also the feeling of being with friends who had great success. I personally enjoyed being there. I enjoyed listening to the anthems two times. And I knew that the whole world kind of took notice of India’s performance.”
Viswanathan Anand heaped praise on the double gold effort by Team India at the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest but felt that women’s chess in India still has a long path to journey. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
