I joined B Com and had decided to take a degree before deciding on taking chess as a career. If things had not worked out, maybe, I would have told myself, one more year, I will try... one more year, I will try... and if after three or four years, if it was still not working out, then, it would be 50-50.
If you are happy with what you are doing, you move on with the decision you have taken.
Part 1: Vishy Anand, as never before!
I was happy I never had to make this choice. Within four months of joining college, I became a Grandmaster. Within a few hours of relishing my second year in college, I started getting the right invitations.
By the time the third year finished, I was going to play Karpov. In fact, I postponed my exams to September to play against him. I played Karpov in Brussels, came back and quickly studied to write my B Com exam.
My first Wijk Aan Zee tournament
I won my first Wijk Aan Zee tournament in 1989 along with three others. That was a memorable moment after a forgettable 1988.
If I remember right, 1989 was one of the mildest winters at Wijk Aan Zee. Most of the tournaments I got by with a sweater, but if you see me today, I will be in four jackets! The winters of 1996 and last year were the worst, I think.
Moving onto the World Championship
I won my first game in the Candidates match against Dreev in Chennai in 1991 and made the typical mistake of trying to sit on my lead, drew the second with great difficulty, lost the third.
Sometimes a defeat can be very good. This one was one of the best defeats I had because after that I didn't choke much. Then I won the last three games and won the match.
The match was originally scheduled for eight games and a tie-break, but I had already reached the score of four-and-a-half, and the match was called off after the sixth game. The organisers said I could stay in the hotel for four more days as it was booked till then. So, we stayed there for another four days.
I have not played a match in Chennai for many, many years. Nowadays I meet a lot of people who say how they used to take a bus to come and watch the match. It feels good to hear that.
By beating Dreev, I qualified to meet Karpov. I was told I was the first Asian to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Championship.
Image: Kirsan Illyumzhinov, President, FIDE, with Vishy Anand at the FIDE World Chess Championships at the Chelsea Football Club in November 2001. Photograph: John Gichigi/AllSport. Don't miss the final part of the interview tomorrow!
Meet the King!
Advertisement
