D Gukesh reveals how Viswanathan Anand boosted Indian chess with a key COVID-19 transfer: ‘It was a fantastic second’
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World chess champion and Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh credit Viswanathan Anand for enjoying an important position within the sport’s speedy development in India. He revealed how Anand’s key initiative through the COVID-19 pandemic helped younger gamers develop and elevate Indian chess to new heights.
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5-time chess world champion Viswanathan Anand has been the inspiration for nearly all chess gamers, however it isn’t simply his off-field achievements which have helped India flip right into a chess powerhouse. Present chess world champion
D Gukesh on Saturday touched upon WestBridge Anand Chess Academy’s (WACA) position within the rise of Indian chess in recent times.
Anand arrange the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy in partnership with WestBridge Capital through the COVID-19 pandemic. It began performing from January 2021 with 5 chess gamers. The primary batch of mentees included Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, R Vaishali and Raunak Sadhwani.
Gukesh from that batch
gained the World Chess Championship in December 2024, beating Chinese language Grandmaster Ding Liren, whereas Praggnanandhaa gained the ‘Wimbledon of chess’ Tata Metal Masters 2025
in February this 12 months.
Praggnanandhaa’s sister Vasihali additionally lately grew to become the
third Indian lady Grandmaster.
In 2024, the Indian males’s and ladies’s groups
additionally gained gold medals on the Chess Olympiad for the primary time.
‘To debate chess with Vishy Anand is motivating’
Gukesh, whereas showing on the India At this time Conclave, defined how Anand’s WestBridge Anand Chess Academy had led to the rise of India as a superpower on this planet of chess.
“I believe lots of elements play a job right here (Gukesh mentioned whereas speaking concerning the rise of Indian chess). I believe one of many greatest contributions, surely, is what Vishy (Viswanathan Anand) sir has been doing, not solely along with his achievements, not solely being an inspiration, however round 2020 December, he partnered with WestBridge to launch WestBridge Anand Academy. I’m a component, I’m a scholar within the academy and Vishy Sir’s imaginative and prescient was to pick the highest proficient kids at the moment within the lockdown as a result of there have been no tournaments occurring,” Gukesh mentioned.
“It was all on-line and lots of people weren’t working as onerous. So it was a fantastic second for us to really take that benefit. It was tremendous thrilling for me, and I’m positive lots of kids, as a result of getting in contact with Vishy sir, to debate chess with him repeatedly, was so motivating that the lockdown, the pandemic, didn’t really feel like a waste of time. We had been truly working tremendous onerous,” he added.
Earlier this month, Gukesh moved to the career-best world rating of three. He has an Elo ranking of 2787 and can look to cross the 2800 mark, making him the third Indian to take action.
