Happy that chess is thriving online: Viswanathan Anand

Chennai

“The most significant thing to happen in 2020 is that we have overcome the psychological barrier of making things online. Chess has been playable online for decades, but we are better prepared now. At present, people are open to the idea of doing things online and we should be open to utilise it fully. It would be very convenient and useful in the future,” said Anand during a webinar session hosted by the Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) on Sunday.

“We have to see how these can help organise tournaments. If one is open to experimenting, he or she should look to explore the possibilities available,” added the maestro. India No.2 Vidit Gujrathi said the ongoing pandemic has shown how popular chess can be.

“I have started to stream my matches online while competing in a tournament. What we can do is have more exhibition matches, where we don’t care about cheating. During one of the events, I saw 20,000 catch a match live. If organisations and players come together, we can have a lot more tournaments. Wish there are some in India.”

Meanwhile, World Chess Federation (FIDE) Director General Emil Sutovsky said India has huge potential, citing the positives that have happened in the last 30 years. “There is huge interest in the country. India is important to FIDE and has the chance to become a chess superpower.”