RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by srinivasan mv on May 25, 2007 10:17 AM Permalink
Guys you do not understand what this Chess game is all about. If one plays a game with JM or Atlantis or anybody he does not get a score in his rating. And bye the way, what does he woe to Indian Government or the people . It is all his personal choice for the game and his hard work all through. If at all he has anything to reciprocate it is for his parents and his family members he has to thank.
Guys, you are all jealous about his achievements. If you are all like this, you will never grow up.
RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by Atlantis on May 23, 2007 10:13 PM Permalink
He is returning to India because now, he's milked his stay in europe. Now, he wants to make the best of the chess scene here... it will be a small wonder if he ties up or at some point starts taking over the all india chess federation. He maybe a good player but he has only played for himself. He can never be in the class of Kasparov or even Karpov, Topalov and Kramnik. While Kramnkik was leading his team from the front in the last olympiad, anand chose to miss the first round because of his 'personal' tournament engagement bringing in more dollars. Then, how come, his team performances are ALWAYS below par. Time we blew the myth. Move over Anand, make way for the kids...
RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by JM on May 23, 2007 11:01 PM Permalink
EXACTLY!! Thank you Atlantis!! Thanks for the one message that does not stink of hero-worship or un-objective banter.
Anand is nodoubt a great Chess player, but instead of hero-worshipping him lets look at both sides of the story!
RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by Bernie on May 24, 2007 03:35 AM Permalink
I guess I should know better than come in the middle when morons and empty pots make noises. But I am taking a chance here. Obviously the two of you know nothing about chess, do not follow strong Super GM tournaments and definitely do not know how ratings work in chess. Unlike in Cricket, Soccer and most other games, in Chess, earning rating points is very difficult. To become a Super GM, one has to perform consistently for years %u2013 which Anand has done exemplarily well for two decades. So if a player as strong as Anand plays in a rated tournament where his opponents are much weaker than him, he would have to have an almost a perfect score to maintain his rating. And this is not at all easy if you have played in any fairly-conducted chess tournament.
Now coming to your comment of Anand not playing in Olympiad for India... First of all, Anand has played for India in Olympiad (agreed, not frequently). But the reason is, even if he plays and wins games, because his team mates may lose, the team and hence he would still be paired with a player quite weaker than him every round. This would mean that even if Anand wins 60% of his games in the tournament, he might still lose his hard-earned ELO points. Let me give you two examples of this. Topalov, in the recently concluded Mtel Masters won the tournament, but lost rating points. That was because his opponents were quite lesser than him in ELO rating. Second example happened to Anand himself. In 2006 Olympiad, which happened right after a major and a tiring tournament Anand drew all his games (mind you, he did not lose even a single game) owing to fatigue and eventually in a single tournament lost a whopping 25 ELO points. At his strength it may take up to 4 to 5 tournaments to gain so many ELO points, but it is easy to lose them in just one. Thus owing to tight international schedule, training schedule, preparatory camps and such it is extremely difficult to squeeze in Olympiad in the yearly calendar of a Super GM.
All these reasons preclude all major Top 20 Super GMs from playing for their country every year. None of Kasparov, Karpov, Kramnik, Topalov, Leko, Judit Polgar, Ivanchuk, Morozevich and other slightly older Super GMs have been able to take part in Olympiad. It is just plain almost next to impossible to (1) Maintain the rating (2) Sneak Olympiad in their tight calendars. (3) Beat the fatigue (4) In any case, at the end of the day, Chess is an individual game. So it doesn%u2019t matter whether Anand plays as a team or plays as himself; he still plays for India. I am sure every person who knows a little about chess will agree with my comments.
Next your allegation of Anand not being able to win against Topalov, Kramnik, Kasparov and Karpov is unfounded. Well, Anand has a plus score against Karpov and Topalov. With Kramnik he has a plus score too owing admittedly to his better rapid game scores. Kasparov in his peak, although, was beating Anand. But the last few years before he retired -- which was when Anand got a lot stronger -- he has barely played Anand. So you must ignore him. And no one needs to give him a certificate. He is the world number 1 now! And all these people you are talking are themselves world number 1. So losing to them is not like losing to you. And consider these too... (1) When Anand came to the scene, there was no GM in India, now there are as many as 10 GMs in his wake. People started looking at chess as a professional career in India only after Anand. He has single-handedly changed the chess scene in India in barely 20 years. (2) Anand is world number 1, with almost no trainers, no seconds, no coaches and no camps compared to all the Super GM Russians. Do you know how many Chess Academies exist/existed in Russia/Soviet Union? (3) Read more about how Russians (former Soviets) tried to have World Champions in Chess only within themselves. (4) Materials that were available to Russians when Anand was in the making were not available to non Russians and Anand made it here despite that. (5) If Anand had training as good Kramnik's, perhaps he would be unbeatable. Anand is a self-made genius and that%u2019s that.
So next time check your facts before you speak too fast because half knowledge is too dangerous. Anand is a patriot probably better than you and me. He has a reason to stay in Europe. He has a reason not to play too often in the Olympiad (actually all Super GMs have the same reason) and that is not selfish.
RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by Rahul Sharma on May 25, 2007 07:18 PM Permalink
Bernie... Khud paka raha hai aur khud hi kaa raha hai.
RE:RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by vani kasiviswanathan on May 24, 2007 12:17 PM Permalink
Excellent, Bernie!! Thanks for this wonderful piece of information. It should clear all doubts of these 'sceptics'. As you correctly pointed out, many who post messages here, do without adequate knowledge of the game and the person. They don't realise that this creates wrong impression in the minds of other people. Media like this being a very powerful medium of knowledge exchange, we should take adequate care before we share our views.
RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by abhijit sarkar on May 24, 2007 01:02 PM Permalink
Well said Bernie!! That is a very good informative post I have seen here on Rediff...
RE:RE:Why does he refuse to represent the Nation?
by Ramkumar Murugesan on May 24, 2007 02:24 PM Permalink
That was one good analysis i have seen on Rediff.
Might be a lesson for all those who abuse others with little knowledge
