Viswanathan Anand has seen the Indian chess grow from no-Grandmaster to 85 GMs and counting. He is the inspiration behind India becoming a chess superpower, ultimately winning two gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

Having experienced the sport as a player, Anand has moved to the other side of the board and will be involved in the upcoming World Championship Final Match between D. Gukesh of India and China’s reigning champion Ding Liren in Singapore in November-December this year as an administrator.

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Anand is the vice president of FIDE and says the upcoming match is the next big thing for Indian chess and FIDE alike. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Q: You are semi-retired now so how do you see your future involvement with chess and what aspirations do you have in this regard?

Anand: I think my current state is that I play, but not as much as I used to. I think that will continue to be the case, but I enjoy playing, so I continue to do so.

Q: What is your opinion about the upcoming World Championship Final Match between D Gukesh and Ding Liren? The World Championship match this year is the next big thing for Indian chess after your win over Kramnik in Bonn in 2008?

A: It’s definitely a very big moment for Indian chess and it’s also a very big moment for FIDE (world governing body for chess). We got a very, very good bid from Singapore and to have Google as the title sponsor, I think for FIDE, it’s quite a feather in our cap and we are looking forward to really executing that event very well. And I think the fact that it’s a match between Gokesh and Ding, is just icing on the cake.

Q: Having been part of the World Championship as a player and now as one of the organisers from FIDE. What is more challenging for you?

Anand: I did not see this new role coming when I was playing in Bonn. But life surprises you.

Q: You have seen the growth of chess in India since you became the country’s first GM. Now we have 85 Grandmasters. How big a role did the players’ families have played in this chess revolution?

Yes, from 88, the growth has been colossal. And it’s the families that played a big role. They have been very patient, the parents who try to get their children to fulfil their dreams. There are lots and lots of parents like this and it’s only because of their support that the sport goes on in a way. But also it’s very good coaches, very good academies.

Slowly, India has built up all the requisites and that’s why I think we’re seeing this explosion of talent.

Q: The federation has a big role to play in this growth. But considering the way things are going in AICF, what needs to be done there so it propels the growth further?

Anand: The federation is always there in the background, it provides the structure, it gets the events organised, clockwork, and it keeps the whole thing moving.