Viswanathan Anand takes a break to focus on World Cup
Former chess world champion Viswanathan Anand is taking some time off as he wants to to focus on the next month's Rapid & Blitz Chess tournament in St Louis. The 47-year old is not having a great year, with him achieving only modest results in all of the tournaments. However, he made it clear that retirement is not on cards.
The year so far
The five time world champion started the season on a bad note, finishing eight in a 10 member Altibox Norway Chess Open. With a slight improvement, he finished third in the Zurich Chess tournament, and lost to Wesley So in the finals of the Leon Chess tournament. He finished eighth in the Leuven Grand Chess tournament in Belgium earlier this month.
Anand to face Garry Kasparov in August
In St Louis, Anand will meet multiple time world champion and Russian legend Garry Kasparov, who announced his comeback after a 12-year of retirement. Previously, they have played 78 games against each other, with Kasparov having a 27-8 lead. Remaining 43 ended in draws.
"I still believe that I can win tournaments"
In a recent interview, Anand said that he draws inspiration from 35-year old tennis player Roger Federer, who won his 19th Grand Slam this month. Anand added, "I try to learn from him (Roger). People like Federer tell you that you can still hang in there. I still believe that I can win tournaments and keep doing well"
Anand aims for World Cup in September?
Anand also said that he is focusing on qualifying for the Chess World Cup in September. He said, "My first aim is to qualify for the World Cup, which is a tough and unpredictable tournament. It is a very strong event."
