At the Sanmar Group’s Annual Day held some time ago, Viswanathan Anand, the World Chess champion, spoke with refreshing candour while drawing subtle parallels between his chess career and the challenges of corporate life.

Speaking with wit, he recalled that for a chess player, known for planning many moves ahead on the board, he was left embarrassed on one occasion when he forgot to greet his wife on their wedding anniversary.

He spoke of his passion and enthusiasm for the game from a very young age, his admiration for the late Bobby Fisher (until whom the sport was dominated by the Soviets) and his early inability to become a Grand Master (GM) despite committed participation. He then took time off, set clear goals and completed his Class XII Board exams. Success came to him when he least expected it, true to the dictum “Focus on the process, results will happen”.

Anand spoke of the usual paradox that bedevils most winners, the relative ease of reaching the top, but the difficulty of staying there. However, his love for the game pushed him to sort out his weaknesses, while his opponents posed severe hurdles, as he grew in stature in the world of championship chess post-2000.

Of the challenges he faced, he spoke of the difference between matches and tournaments. In tournaments, you could pick your opponents, to meet the larger goal of winning the tournament; winning matches was hence tougher. This would be similar to business situations, where you create winning business portfolios or, in a similar context, of “losing the war, winning the battle.”

He talked of his experience of building a team with people of different cultures and backgrounds, with whom he could bounce off opinions, strategy, and logic as he prepared for a match. This again is much similar to industrial philosophy where a ‘second view’ is examined. Chess is similar to business, where the dynamics of the environment change rapidly at times. He also stressed the need to be flexible. As you learn and unlearn, you realise that nothing is cast in stone in a changing situation and the penchant for learning takes precedence.

He emphasised the need for emotional connect, the need to believe in yourself, and keep your spirits up in bad times, the need to visualise and reinforce the mind with stories of past victories acting as catalysts to pull yourself together in weaker moments.

Later, he anwered queries in an interview:

What lessons for life do you gain from chess and vice versa? Do you see parallels between corporate and chess strategy?

Of course, chess is very much a mirror image of corporate strategy. You are trying to constantly gain the mindspace of your opinion. Each one’s profession shapes how he chooses to lead his life. Chess has taught me a lot and given me rich experience.

We know that visualisation plays a major part in sporting success. Can you throw some light on this and other methods of preparation, and how they may have changed through the decades?

I am what you can call the crossover brigade in chess. We started out with books and board and now we use only computers to work, analyse and research. For chess, memory plays a key role and any added gift is a plus. I am known to be intuitive and have a keen sense of potential danger. Chess is all about catching your opponent in unchartered territory.

As a corollary, chess being such an intense mind game, how do you switch off when you are not playing or want a break from thinking of chess?

I deliberately try to shut my mind from chess when possible. So we take vacations or, now, I tend to spend more time with Akhil. I am also fond of astronomy and mathematics.

What keeps you motivated at this stage of your career? What do you do to stay hungry when you have done it all?

I don’t really sit back and think about what has been achieved. I rather like to play from game to game and maximise my result.

Chess by itself is complex and intense, so I try to avoid the additional baggage. But sometimes when people put you along with the all-time greats, that’s a special feeling. You can’t deny it.

You said you admired Bobby Fisher most among chess champions. Can you tell us why?

What he achieved in 1972 was unthinkable in that era. He had a special feeling for chess and played with a lot of flair and style.

After active chess, what, besides the initiatives in which you are already involved? Will there be a greater involvement in spreading the chess movement in schools? Writing/commentating on chess?

Definitely, but I am not thinking about it. (Courtesy: Asterix, the journal of the Sanmar Group)