Gukesh lets his chess do the talking, says Anand

D. Gukesh, on Tuesday, met former World champion Viswanathan Anand to assess some of the games India's youngest Grandmaster has played.

Published : Feb 05, 2019 18:28 IST , chennai

The soft-spoken, to-the-point Gukesh said he was “happy” to meet Anand and that he had intended to discuss “some openings” and some games he had “problem with”.
The soft-spoken, to-the-point Gukesh said he was “happy” to meet Anand and that he had intended to discuss “some openings” and some games he had “problem with”.
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The soft-spoken, to-the-point Gukesh said he was “happy” to meet Anand and that he had intended to discuss “some openings” and some games he had “problem with”.

World’s second and India’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh (12) met, interacted, and traded moves on the chessboard with the former World champion and Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand at the latter’s residence here on Tuesday.

The soft-spoken, to-the-point Gukesh said he was “happy” to meet Anand and that he had intended to discuss “some openings” and some games he had “problem with”.

READ| A rousing welcome for Gukesh

Anand said: “He has just come back from Gibraltar. So, we had a look at some games that he played there. Also, well, one thing leads to another... You discuss a game, then you just start discussing some other tournament where something happened, and it just goes on. Like, we ended up seeing some games from the Isle of Man last year, and so on.

“And there are some lines he wanted to check. So, I've also been pulling out my notes and looking at some stuff. Generally, we're looking at the position and trying to judge it. I guess this is what a normal training session should look like."

According to Gukesh’s father Rajinikanth, Gukesh had played a lot last year without losing too many points across tournaments. Grandmaster B. Adhiban had expressed his amazement at this ability. Reacting to this, Anand said, “It shows a lot of consistency. And I think it's a healthy trait to have. I've seen as well that his level of chess is quite stable. It doesn't fluctuate quite hugely. That's good."

Asked if Gukesh playing a lot is a cause for concern, Anand said: “It's not a concern, many of his peers play as much as he does.

READ:  Gukesh becomes India's youngest Grandmaster

“But it's not a bad idea at some point for him to take a rest. I don't see why it has to be today or tomorrow. Also, I feel that for his freshness, it might be nice to take a break. Like, sometimes you come back much stronger if you took a break for a month or two months.”

On what he makes of Gukesh the person, Anand said, "Well, basically, he's a Grandmaster and he’s understanding. I don't have to explain stuff very much. We're mostly on the same page on many things. But he's very quiet. He's, you know, obviously one of these ‘My chess will do the talking for me’ kind.”

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