Time for Anand to go Sachin’s way?

It is always hard to accept change. And we rarely do. Sachin announced his retirement; fans cried. ‘Nothing endures but change’ said Greek Philosopher Heraclitus. Every player denies that it’s time for his sunset moment. But, a great player is one who steps down as the midday sun than as the sunset on the western horizon. Anand is at a critical juncture in his life; he could go Sachin’s way and continue to be an ageless behemoth who’ll lumber around or gracefully pave the way for younger generation of talented players like Carlsen, Giri and Karjakin.

Circa 1988. India found its first Grandmaster in Vishwanathan Anand. Since then, he has been the beacon of hope and motivation for generations of aspiring players. Chess found a place in India. Ironic, considering that it originated in India! The Rajiv Khel Ratna Awardee came into his own in a world dominated by Russian Grandmasters like Gary Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Anatoly Karpov. Anand proved his mettle time and again, every time he was written off by critics by defeating his opponents. So much that he prepared himself for World Chess Championship 2010 by practicing against Kasparov, Kramnik and Carlsen. Yet he never got the respect he so rightfully deserved, the Indian crowd rarely acknowledging his achievements as much as Cricket. But, the Chess fraternity did and rightly so.

Every sport places a lot of demands on the body and the mind. Chess is one of those where mental stamina and power are of prime importance. But so does physical endurance as Grand-master Bobby Fischer rightly quoted ‘Your body has to be in top condition. Your Chess deteriorates as your body does. You can’t separate body from mind’. The last few years have witnessed the meteoric rise of young Grand-masters like Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri and of course, the youngest GM Sergey Karjakin. The trio has battled out against the upcoming stars as well as veterans like Anand and Kramnik. An agile mind and younger body, with tactics and strategies not thought out by the veterans, the younger breed is on a rampage. At an age of 47, Anand doesn’t have the capabilities possessed by the trio, as was visible in his match against Carlsen, who pounced on even the minutest of mistakes.

Retirement is a decision that is very hard to take, for any player. Among the top players as per FIDE, only 3 from Anand’s era remain – Kramnik, Gelfand and himself, only Kramnik being in top form. Retirement is a decision only he can truly take for himself, for no one knows him better than himself. It is always better to let the next generation take over the reins, unless they forcefully take it away from you. Sachin wanted to continue, but couldn’t compete against Kohli or Dhoni. Anand knows the pitfalls of staying too long at the crease. But for now, Anand will hum like Fischer ‘All I want to do, ever, is just play Chess’