Viswanathan Anand is the world number one today. And while India has as many as 15 GMs — compared to just five in 2000 — none has managed to reach the dizzying heights of Anand. The FIDE’s decision to lower the ELO rating required for players to gain IM and GM norms has resulted in a sudden spurt in numbers as well as tournaments they are participating in. But the numero uno himself believes that complimenting the quantitative abundance with qualitative byproduct is the need of the hour.

“Everything is fine at the moment, as it has helped widen the player base. Not only that, it has also helped in increasing the number of professional players worldwide and the average age of IMs and GMs has also come down. But there has to be a balance in this process. There should be a check in maintaining the standard of competition while deciding the criteria for title norms,” said Anand during an online interaction with the media from Kolkata today.

Anand’s sponsor, NIIT, in a unique display of technological innovation, made it possible for the media, chess enthusiast and players, sitting in seven corners of the country, interact with the maestro and also test their cerebral skills on the 64 squares by turn. Who the winner was is anybody’s guess.

It was a mind-boggling affair as Anand manoeuvred his moves and also analysed the games in the process. The best was his analysis of his game against Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the Linares chess championships earlier this year.

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