Even in chess you need to be on right side of age: Anand

Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand has had a mixed 2016.He won the Leon Chess Rapid Masters tournament and had a very good Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Tal Memorial tournament and the London Chess Classic. He lost the Candidates tournament where, despite beating eventual winner Russia’s Sergey Karjakin, Anand ended up joint second. He finished fourth in the 2016 Grand Chess tour, resulting in him not securing a direct qualification for the Grand Chess tour of 2017.And at the age of 47, he is in no mood to relent.“My ambitions are high. I’m going to play a lot of chess,” Anand said after the London Chess Classic recently.Anand, who became a Grandmaster at 18, was called Lightning Kid then.The former No.1 ruled the world from 2007 to 2012 as the undisputed king, with his famous wins coming against Russian Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov in 2010 and Israel’s Boris Gelfand two years later, all at the World Championships. In fact, Carlsen even helped Anand prepare for the finals against Kramnik and Topalov.Anand is now considered just off his peak and is a generation older than his Norwegian rival, who is 21 years younger to him. Carlsen had beaten the Indian for his first world title in 2013 in Chennai and then again in the 2014 final in Sochi.Before the Chennai event, Anand had a 6-3 win-loss record in 29 matches against the Norwegian, but Carlsen comfortably dethroned Anand, winning 6.5-3.5.But does age matter in chess?“In general, age is no criteria for a chess player, but yes, age has an impact on critical thinking and overall game. I would love to be younger,” Anand, who will play the World Rapid and Blitz championship in Doha starting today, said.Carlsen, 26, who is on an upswing and will be taking part in Doha event, also echoed Anand’s view. “I agree with Vishy. It’s a combination of youthful energy and knowledge. It is easier to deal with pressure when you are young because the lack of experience is easier to deal with, as compared to lack of energy and motivation, which is a part of older age,” the young champion said.Talking about his recent performances and the targets for next year, the Indian GM said, “I have had a reasonably good 2016, nothing spectacular, but I have my moments. There are positives to take out from 2016.“Next year I am not playing much in the first quarter of the year, but rest of the year is hectic. I hope to perform better next year,” said Anand, who has been a part of all the world championship finals since 2007.This is Anand’s third trip to Doha and he is excited to explore the new sights in the country.“I am coming to Doha after a gap of around 21 years and I can see the changes in the country’s landscape. It has a sizeable number of Indians and I am looking forward to visit a new place during my stay here,” he said.