Viswanathan Anand: Hard work and talent complement each other

The common misconception among most budding chess players in the 80s was that a phenomenal talent like Viswanathan Anand whom everyone was rooting to be Indias first GM and later World Champion need not work hard like other regular chess players The current crop of youngsters may be thinking on similar lines and it is just these milestones and roadblocks in a champions journey that are effectively explained in Anands new book Mind MasterI hate to undermine the worth of talent Unquestionably talent exists Its no myth or hokum However talent isnt everything Knowledge and growth dont come easily You have to be willing to put in the hours and the effort sometimes even without visible progress because one day unexpectedly the results will flower Anand says in his bookThe Classical title at Bonn in 2008 against Vladimir Kramnik firmly shut up critics who had dismissed Anands previous titles as not worthy to be listed amongst the Classical Champion legends Here the surprise and risk factor in changing his opening from the Kings pawn to the Queens pawn the methodical study before unleashing this unanticipated weapon pushed Kramnik on the back foot right from the word go Anand beautifully summed it up The Kings pawn opening was closely entwined with my insignia as a playerViswanathan Anand watches a game of chess played by kids at an event in Mumbai in 2017Its also the square I autographed when fans at tournaments laid out their chessboards before me Its where my opponents would hope to find me I had no doubt that Kramnik too was likely to anticipate the same Almost like an epiphany it struck me that I could in fact play Kramniks own pet Opening the 1d4 against himIn an interaction with Sunday midday the chess legend shared some tips for budding chess playersEdited excerpts from the interviewTell us about the importance of writing down notes and impressions after a gameIt is very important after a game to immediately write down your impressions and analyse things as you tend to forget a lot of details most importantly your thought process during the game There are times when you make mistakes while evaluating a positionmdashyou go down false alleys and return back with time loss or instances when you are unsure of how to proceed Its worst when you had thought of promising continuations but discarded or dismissed them offhand at the game The memory is generally stronger in that one hour after the game and you may be able to scrutinise these aspects more objectively More the delay lesser the recall Initially I started this habit more to please my mother but later jotted down my opponents reactions their quirks irritating habits etc that would distract me I often keep revisiting my notes which may look like a manual of sorts It is a habit that I maintain till dateHow should youngsters analyse their gamesI used to analyse with my opponent immediately after the game Generally when you analyse with your opponent the glimpses into his thought process can be eyeopeners Of course these days chess engines dont miss out on anythingTell us about the study time needed for pattern recognition and reinforcing ideasIt is critical to set up topics that you should learn but its difficult to decide the repetition times as that varies from player to player The best thing to do is to keep learning and practising the same kind of position regularly till it stays imprinted in memoryHow should parents of young players select a coachFor me the most important criteria for a coach is that he should be affectionate because comfort and compatibility are essential to inculcate learning Obviously the regular criteria as to his playing ability and references go without saying but beyond that evaluation depends on the stage the child is in When I started playing at the World level my first few coaches were more like friends who were added for help but then Elizbar Ubilava and Peter Heine Nielsen Anands former coaches brought in more professionalismBeing a lightening kid yourself what would be your advice to youngsters who have a tendency to play fastI would advise them to basically to go with the flow You need to evaluate and reevaluate what works best for you If you think that you are blundering a lot of positions then you have to consciously slow down I cannot provide a blanket recommendation since children have different playing styles and strengthsHow should parents nurture a chess talentParents should be supportive It is difficult initially to judge how talented or how good a child is If the child wants to do something else after some time it is best to leave the board Some decisions in life like priority related to academics will come later on but basically you have to check whether the child is enjoying his chessMethodical training or self study whats your adviceThis decision comes at a point for players who are seriously into chess and intend turning professional Initially it is difficult to spend more time but whatever amount of time you are comfortable with should be enough Some minimum time is required but if you are not able to compete and face a backlash at the board then its best to leave You dont have to force yourselfWhat are your suggestions to youngsters on setting goals and chasing titlesIts nice to say that one should not chase goals but everybody does It is helpful to have goals since they allow you to focus on something Try not to be too obsessive about them though Remember children can excel at unexpected moments but when things dont work out dont press the panic button I won my first World title in 2001 lost it the next year and regained it in 2007Should young chess players pursue other hobbiesIt is healthy for children to have a lot of interests It is not a recommendation that kids should be physically fit to play good chess but I recommend physical fitness in general and of course it helps in their chess Children should have a broader outlook and be interested in many subjects Thats true of every sphere of lifeDo talent and hard work go hand in handYou cannot reach any destination without hard work In fact you wont recognise the existence of talent unless you pursue your hobby diligently Your talent enhances or grows when it is coupled with hard work and it is something that bonds with the right parents and coach Without curiosity and inquisitiveness you lose the ability to be opportunistic or expand your knowledge base Whether talent makes hard work irrelevant or hard work makes talent irrelevant is an unfair argument Talent and hard work arent conflicting forces orbiting in separate galaxies They are complementary and provide each other with sustenanceWhat is your advice to those who dont progress or run into walls despite working hardIf you run into walls try to go around them If you have problems in a particular area first try to work on that change your style bypass the obstacle by either experimenting or improvising Learn something newMind Master Winning Lessons from a Champions Life by Viswanathan Anand as told to Susan Ninan published by Hachette India will be available in bookstores and online from December 11Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates