Viswanathan Anand explains how chess and life are both similar and different: 'The way you play is related to...'

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand recently shared his thoughts on how chess reflects life, the recent dominance of Indian players on the global stage, and the sport’s potential inclusion in the Olympics. In a thought-provoking discussion, Anand highlighted how one’s approach to chess often mirrors their real-life decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Viswanathan Anand on chess and life lessons

Speaking during a conversation with TV9 Network, Anand reflected on the parallels between chess and real life, emphasising how personal tendencies and habits translate into one’s playing style. He laughingly admitted that it also helps him improve his habits to suit his game, but not all the time, since not everything is as important as chess.

“The connection goes back even earlier. The way you play chess is related to how you deal with anything in life. If you are impulsive off the board, you will be impulsive on the board. So, in chess we will have learnt some degree of either controlling your impulses or controlling your way of coming to decisions, but in life if I don’t have something of comparable importance like chess, then I don’t have that rigor and discipline. It’s harder to correct myself, you need a bad experience before you kind of correct yourself,” Anand explained.

“Over time I have realised that I am a much better chess player than I am at something else. My skills are high enough in chess that even if I make a couple of bad moves, I might still get away with it. I have realised that in other walks of life, I can’t expect that. You should not automatically assume because you are good at one thing, this will carry over in other areas,” he added.

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Anand on India’s dominance and sport’s future

The conversation also touched on the increasing recognition of chess on the global stage. Anand spoke about the growing discussions around including chess in the Olympics, which would mark a significant milestone for the sport if successful. He also shared his view on the growing dominance of Indian players in the chess world.

“It would be great for chess to be in the Olympics due to its stature, and while the World Chess Federation is working closely on it, multiple sports apply, and the IOC has various considerations, including the size of the Games; past chaos with two federations cost chess an opportunity 20 years ago, but its inclusion in the Asian Games and other global events could serve as a platform for eventual Olympic recognition, potentially starting with the Esports Olympics,” he added.

Highlighting India’s rising dominance in the chess world, Anand said, “India is already a chess superpower with 13 players in the top 100 and three in the top 10 as of the last January rankings. While not as dominant as the Soviet Union once was, India’s young grandmasters, most under 21, have a long future ahead. Their presence in the top rankings together fosters a unique blend of friendship and rivalry, pushing each other to achieve greater success."