This year, Chennai hosted the Chess Olympiad, a biennial chess tournament organised by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). India brought home nine medals, and saw stars, many of whom are teenagers, break out into the chess spotlight. Tamil Nadu has long been a part of Chess history. India has 75 grandmasters, of which 27 are from Tamil Nadu. So, where does the sport go from here? How does the government, and young chess fans, make use of the buzz around the sport? In this episode, The Hindu speaks with chess legend Viswanathan Anand, on the sport’s boom, the pandemic’s impact on training and how to get involved.
Guest: Viswanathan Anand, India’s first chess grandmaster, five-time world chess champion, Deputy President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE)
Production credit: Sonikka Loganathan and Srinivasan Ramani