by Christian Rohrer
26. August 2009 07:47
by Christian Rohrer
26. July 2009 18:44
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| Viswanathan Anand |
Andreas Schiendorfer, editor of the online magazine
In Focus, is renowned for his lively interviews. Back in 2006, on the occasion of the
Lichthof Chess Champions Day, he conducted a
widely read exchange with Garry Kasparov. So we were very pleased to arrange for Andreas to interview Viswanathan Anand, the current world chess champion and one of the chess legends slated to attend our jubilee events. In the piece, Anand speaks about a whole gamut of topics, ranging from the history of chess through the skills required by the chess player, to his World Championship Match against Topalov. Our hearty thanks, both to Andreas and In Focus, for agreeing to conduct this interview!
Interview conducted by Andreas Schiendorfer
Mr. Anand, the game of chess was invented in Asia many centuries ago. What role does chess play in Asia today, and specifically in its country of birth: India?
Viswanathan Anand: It is traditionally believed that chess came from India. We have instances of chess in our books on mythology. In fact, one of the most celebrated works on politics and war strategy published in 4 BC refers to Chaturanga or the 4 parts of a king's army. Chess travelled through Persia and then to Spain. In fact, in 2007, Time magazine had asked me to do an article on chess. I was fascinated to discover that many countries refer to chess in their historical texts. In May this year, I was invited to the Austrian national library in Vienna, where they have many great works on the topic. More...
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