Vishwanathan Anand with a fan after a week’s quarantine in Bangalore (Source: Varun Aiyar/fb)
Indian chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, who was stuck in Germany for over three months due to the global lockdown, feels that the coronavirus pandemic is like playing a game of chess against a computer, which shows no emotions.
In a conversation with Grandmaster Surya Sekhar Ganguly, as reported by Times of India, Vishwanathan said, “There is no emotion in your opposition (Covid-19 virus). It’s like when you take on a computer. In an over-the-board game, you can feel your rival is under pressure when you play a good move, but that doesn’t happen while facing a computer. It just keeps playing its game.”
Explaining how he drew the analogy, Vishwanathan said, “It’s the same for Covid-19. Wearing the mask and avoiding contacts doesn’t necessarily mean you have gained an edge. The challenge remains the same and you can get infected on the sixth or seventh day, as the virus refuses to back away.”
The 50-year-old had been stuck in Germany for over three months due to the travel restrictions and lockdown imposed to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. After competing in the Chess Bundesliga, he managed to reach Bangalore where he had been kept under quarantine at the Taj Hotel.
He then headed to his hometown Chennai where he followed home quarantine for two weeks. Anand was staying near Frankfurt and was doing online commentary for the Candidates tournament which was called off mid-way due to the pandemic and led the Indian team in the Online Nations Cup early this month.