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When I started out playing chess as a kid I thought I should be world champion. As a kid you have no idea what that means and you only sort of picture it. It is hard to imagine that I waited all those years and it happened in a late stage of my career.

Viswanathan Anand

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Viswanathan Anand
Age: 54
Born: 1969
Born: December 11
Chess Player
Writer
Madras
Vishwanathan Anand
Thought
Started
Championship
Ideas
Stage
Champion
Hard
Sort
Chess
Mean
Imagine
Picture
Years
Happened
Career
World
Idea
Careers
Means
Late
Kids
Playing
Waited

More quotes by Viswanathan Anand

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Nowadays, when you're not a grandmaster at 14, you can forget about it
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When there's an important tournament going on, I try and stay in a bubble. It's easy that way because then you don't have to worry about anything else.
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Psychology plays a big part but I always say psychology will only be a differentiator when the players are of equal technical strength.
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For me, chess is not a profession, it is a way of life, a passion. People may feel that I have conquered the peak and will not have to struggle. Financially, perhaps that is true but as far as chess goes, I'm still learning a lot!
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There are some things we do much better than computers, but since most of chess is tactically based they do many things better than humans. And this imbalance remains. I no longer have any issues. It's bit like asking an astronomer, does he mind that a telescope does all the work. He is used to it. It is just an incredible tool that you can use.
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The Internet gives you access to a lot of material, and it's fun to sit and read. I go to something like Wikipedia and look at different topics... I find the subject fascinating. I like to read about concepts and mathematicians.
Viswanathan Anand
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I love travelling and going on wildlife safaris. I have an interest in astronomy. I like reading on current affairs, business and science. I love doing nothing if I can help it.
Viswanathan Anand
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I like to keep myself physically and mentally fit before any important match. I usually take a short nap just before the game and do not practice immediately before the tournament.
Viswanathan Anand
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Before a match, I do not follow any chess news except the games.
Viswanathan Anand
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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.
Viswanathan Anand
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In any match, there are few critical moments where there's no second best decision. The rest of the moves are intuitive.
Viswanathan Anand
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If revenge motivates you, go for it! But the main thing is to set your game in order.
Viswanathan Anand
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Parents, first and foremost, it is important to... understand and recognise the activities your child is naturally gravitating towards. It's important also to ensure that your child likes what he or she is doing. I believe in exposing children to as many hobbies and extracurricular activities as possible.
Viswanathan Anand
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I have a love for astronomy Aruna, my wife, and I love travelling, so whenever we get an opportunity, we set off to explore places that have tickled our interest. We are also wildlife enthusiasts.
Viswanathan Anand
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I keep forcing, I keep learning new things in the game, and so far I have been taking challenges as they come.
Viswanathan Anand
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Grandmasters decline with age. That's a given. There is nothing special about the age of 40, but age eventually takes its toll. That much is clear. Beyond that it's about how long you can put off the effects and compensate for them. Mistakes will crop in but you try to compensate for them with experience and hard work.
Viswanathan Anand
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My practice schedule is not constant and changes a lot and depends on my moods also.
Viswanathan Anand
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If you have a strong opponent, a competition is stimulating. I am generally most open to ideas when I have had a bad result. In chess, too, players specialise. This specialty then becomes an entry barrier.
Viswanathan Anand
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It is very difficult to play a single blitz game! You want to play for a long time. So I tend not to do that anymore.
Viswanathan Anand
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There are two aspects to being competitive one is to do with sports, and the other is about technical skills. Being able to recollect the moves and apply them when necessary is a critical aspect.
Viswanathan Anand