Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand has consented to be on the All India Chess Federation’s Advisory Board.

The re-elected AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan disclosed it after he called Anand in Chennai on Saturday.

“I am very happy to announce that Anand’s presence will go a long way in strengthening the initiative to bring on board some of the chess-loving people from the corporate sector. Above all, Anand’s guidance and inputs will be paramount.”

"With the cash-rich Indian Chess League on the anvil, we need the best of chess minds, industrialists, business-houses, etc to put their might behind the initiative. Soon we shall have more to share on this," he said.

Going by the pointers in the past six months, the Indian chess fraternity is hoping for a bigger involvement of chess-loving patrons like S. Kailasanathan (Managing Director, Microsense) and Anand Mahindra (Chairman, Mahindra Group), among others, in promoting the game.