No worries: Anand safe and at home in Germany

CHENNAI: The coronavirus is causing havoc in Europe. Italy and Germany are the worst affected countries. Viswanathan Anand is at the moment held up in Germany. He was supposed to play the Bundesliga this weekend and later the Grenke Classic.

“Anand is safe in Germany. As a matter of precaution, he has cut off all social engagements. He is staying at the house itself. There is nothing alarming at the moment. I am in touch with him,” Anand’s wife Aruna told this daily on Sunday.

“The Bundesliga event that he was to play this weekend got cancelled. His next event is the Grenke Classic,’’ she added.

Anand has been travelling to Europe for several decades as a professional player and he lived in Spain for a long time. “Anand is taking precautions and being responsible to ensure that he is not at risk. he is also ensuring that others are not at a risk. As I said earlier, there is no need to panic. We are closely following the situation,’’ added Aruna. A source in the FIDE said that organisers of events will make sure that the players are safe.

“When top players participate in a tournament, the organisers are duty-bound to take care of them. Generally, the stakes of the tournament are very high, so the players are well looked after. There should be no reason to panic,’’ said the source.

It may be recalled that in 2010, Anand was stuck in Germany due to volcanic dust forcing the cancellation of most flights in that part of Europe. Anand asked for a postponement to the start of his world championship match against Veselin Topalov in Sofia. The Bulgarian chess federation and the organisers refused to give him time. So Anand reached Sofia for the match after a 40-hour road journey.