Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this conversation, Viswanathan Anand looks back on the moments that shaped his journey: the weight of becoming a Grandmaster in the 1980s, the long road to the World Championship, and the responsibility that came with carrying an entire country’s chess hopes on his shoulders.
He shares an intimate story of the night a new Indian World Champion was crowned — a moment that caught even him by surprise — and explains why the title still matters deeply to the younger generation, despite the rise of rapid, blitz, and online formats.
Anand also reflects on how chess culture has evolved: from rigid classical principles to a new, computer-driven generation that thinks differently, trains differently, and approaches the game without dogma.
In this conversation, Viswanathan Anand looks back on the moments that shaped his journey: the weight of becoming a Grandmaster in the 1980s, the long road to the World Championship, and the responsibility that came with carrying an entire country’s chess hopes on his shoulders.
He shares an intimate story of the night a new Indian World Champion was crowned — a moment that caught even him by surprise — and explains why the title still matters deeply to the younger generation, despite the rise of rapid, blitz, and online formats.
Anand also reflects on how chess culture has evolved: from rigid classical principles to a new, computer-driven generation that thinks differently, trains differently, and approaches the game without dogma.
