Chess has adapted well to shutdowns: Anand
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand feels chess has adapted quite well to the coronavirus-forced shutdowns around the world by simply going online just as he has been doing to stay in touch with family while being stuck in Germany for two months now.
Anand had opted to Germany in February to compete for SC Baden in the Bundesliga Chess. However, travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have ensured that he has been unable to return home.
"I would say Germany is pretty comfortable. I am in a little town. I've had a chance to go out a couple of times for a walk...of course, keeping a safe distance," he told PTI from his current base near Frankfurt.
"Also, (I) do some shopping and essential stuff like that. I've friends living nearby and that is a major comfort," he said.
The 50-year-old reflected on sports in time of worldwide lockdowns and said chess appears to have coped well.
"Nobody really knows what the impact (of COVID-19) on the economy will be. To begin with, let's take chess. Chess was already something that happened a whole lot on the web. So, it has been smooth to adjust to going completely online," he said.
"Even so, it really is a little of shock that so many tournaments got cancelled and many people are sitting in the home. playing chess on the web is large amount of fun
"(But) organising a chess tournament (online) requires some skill. Where do you place the arbiter? How would you monitor things? etc...yet chess has adapted relatively easily," he added.
For how he has been doing while being away from his family for such an extended duration, Anand said he has tried to remain positive by devoting time to some areas of his game, which he ignored earlier.
"I have an opportunity to do some chess work that I never had time for. I have lots of time to wander around the internet just looking for information upon this or that."
