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There are some aspects of work you need to keep working on and no matter what environment you are in. Continuous learning is very important. It's what I call 'competitive tension', which is about having a competition around.

Viswanathan Anand

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Viswanathan Anand
Age: 55
Born: 1969
Born: December 11
Chess Player
Writer
Madras
Vishwanathan Anand
Matter
Competition
Need
Aspect
Important
Environment
Needs
Learning
Work
Call
Continuous
Working
Competitive
Keep
Aspects
Around
Tension

More quotes by Viswanathan Anand

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My parents were very supportive of my chess. When I got home after a game of chess, having missed school or something, they always made me feel very welcome I didn't feel guilty at all about pursuing chess with such fervour. They never, for instance, perceived sports as a rival to academics.
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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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.
Viswanathan Anand
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Before a game, I avoid having a heavy meal so that I don't feel sleepy at the board. You eat to be healthy, and that generally takes care of everything. Also, you can't be too finicky, since at tournaments you tend to eat at restaurants here and there. But, as long as you're eating sensibly, it's all good.
Viswanathan Anand
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When I was about six, I saw my elder siblings play chess and pestered my mother into teaching me. Very soon, I was beating everyone at home, and they thought it would be good to join a club. So my sister would take me to the Tal chess club on Thursdays and weekends.
Viswanathan Anand
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In chess, knowledge is a very transient thing. It changes so fast that even a single mouse-slip sometimes changes the evaluation.
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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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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I would never suggest to anyone that they drop school for chess. First of all even if you can make it in chess, your social skills need to be developed there.
Viswanathan Anand
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I don't know how many calories an average chess player burns per game, but it often exceeds that of a player in ball games. It is not only the chess as such: You need to be fit and undergo complicated preparation.
Viswanathan Anand
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I think the draw quotient has always been high in world championship matches because the amount of effort people put into neutralizing each other's openings. It's just now with computers that it has reached a new level.
Viswanathan Anand
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In a way players at the top should try to promote the game in their own countries as that is the legacy that makes you feel proud. If you have not done that you have failed as a sportsperson.
Viswanathan Anand
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For me, each game is a new challenge, which has to be dealt with rationally and systematically. At that time, every other thought fades into oblivion.
Viswanathan Anand
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I'll take my five positions per second any day, thank you
Viswanathan Anand
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It is important that you don't let your opponent impose his style of play on you. A part of that begins mentally. At the chessboard if you start blinking every time he challenges you then in a certain sense you are withdrawing. That is very important to avoid.
Viswanathan Anand
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My job is to play chess, the game that I love. I achieve what I can in chess. That is what I focus on. Basically, I am always focused on playing the game, and this is important to me.
Viswanathan Anand
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You bring to chess facets of your personality and what you are. I have interests other than chess, like music and world and current affairs. I also have many friends around the world with whom I like to keep in touch.
Viswanathan Anand
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I attend to my fitness. I go the gym every day and try to maintain my physical fitness without that, it is tough to take challenges on the chess board.
Viswanathan Anand
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I think an important lesson from the game is that once you have made a move, you cannot take it back. You really have to measure your decisions. You think a lot. You evaluate your choices very carefully. There's never any guarantee about what's going to follow once you have made a decision.
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