Games, food, fun: Chess community gathers at Vishy Anand’s house for special day out
Legendary Viswanathan Anand hosted some of the top Indian chess players at his home for Pongal on Sunday 12 January.
The likes of R Praggnanandhaa, current world champion D Gukesh, and Vidit Gujrathi were present for a day of hearty breakfast, fun and games at Anand’s house.
Anand, who is a mentor to the current crop of Indian chess players not only celebrated the country’s recent success in the chess world but also conducted a special games session for Vidit and his fiance Nidhi, who are set to get married later.
Viswanathan Anand posted a short video of the day out on his social media on Thursday, 16 January. In the video, Anand’s guests can be seen enjoying the gala time. Vidit Gujrathi said in the video that this was his first time in Anand’s house and hoped that the Pongal breakfast would become a yearly tradition.
One of the videos from the gathering went viral on Sunday, where the Chess Olympiad champions were seen dancing with Anand. Despite initial hesitation, the chess prodigies, including Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa, followed Anand’s lead, showcasing their moves alongside their mentor.
India’s Recent Rise in the Chess World
The Indian chess contingent has done some incredible things over the last few years. Not only is an Indian Grand Master the World Champion in the classical format, the Indian team is also their reigning Chess Olympiad Champion in both men’s and women’s divisions.
Legendary India Grand Master Viswanathan Anand hailed India’s double gold win at the Chess Olympiad 2024 as the greatest in the competition’s history. Speaking to Revsportz after India’s win in the 2024 competition, Anand said that the competition had not seen this kind of domination before.
“Just unbelievable performance by India. The Indian men have dominated this Olympiad in a way that I am struggling to find, a counter-example too, of course, the days of the Soviet Union. But then the gap was so much bigger. Here they are outperforming people in their general rating bracket and comparable strength in multiple tournaments. And that the Indian team, all cylinders are firing,” Anand said about the men’s team after the conclusion of the tournament.