LUNCH WITH BS: Vishwanathan Anand

The World No 3 discusses his next gambit as champion spotter and the state of chess as a sport over tea with Devangshu Datta

Childhood in the Phillipines gave him a taste for generic east-Asian fare, categorised as "Thai food" by most Indians. Many years of living in Spain have led to a weakness for olive oil-based cuisine. He remains vegetarian by preference and a teetotaller, bar the odd celebratory drink.

In this, as in so many other things, Vishwanathan Anand is true to his Tamil brahmin roots. Not that the fare at the NIIT canteen is designed to lead him into temptation. It's standard tea-fare