With internet, chess finally connecting as a sport: Anand

Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand believes that with the advent of the internet, chess is finally connecting with the common people.

"Now with the advent of computers, everybody sitting at home can tell what is the best move of a position. What is happening is anybody watching the game atleast knows what the trend is and that changes everything. And finally it is connecting like a sport. So internet has been good for chess," Anand told reporters here at the Blender's Pride Fashion Tour.

"With videos you can evaluate, you can see much worse and much better. It is like time-travel. It brings everything to life."

Anand also said he was not quite prepared for the Rapid and Blitz events last year as rarely the formats are played nowadays.

"In Rapid and Blitz we are playing five games regularly. If you are not fully concentrated and something goes wrong you can lose three or four before you can recover and fall off pace very fast. In Raid and Blitz you need to settle down very quickly.

"My form has not been good in the last few months it's a combination of both that I somehow seemed to have prepared for the wrong kind of tournament," he said.

"When I used to play Rapid, I was a lot younger and Rapid and Blitz demand your reflexes. These tournaments do not happen nowadays, expect for the Worlds and you don't know it, till it is here. I think I should have done more training for it, but then I didnot do anything special last year but there I did much better. I patched it up in the end but I was not prepared this time."

Speaking on unwinding during a match, Anand said: "Get up from the game, go for a short walk, stretch yourself, may be have some tea or coffee, fruits, close your eyes sitting in the players area. Important thing is to not to disconnect too much.

"What you are trying to do is to break with the emotions but not with the subject matter."

Anand, who has been roped in as the fashion speaker for the Fashion tour, said: "It is interesting coming into this tour, interesting chance to listen to people from other paths of life -- fashion designers, directors and so on and just see how they approach the subject. Thing is how you carry off style but in a personal way, personal style, how do you project confidence, how do make it stay with you through the day," he said.

The 45-year-old said he will be preparing for the Candidate tournament from around mid-February as he has got other tournaments to focus on.

"I will start my preparations from mid-February. Whatever time is left before the Candidates will work on that, but I don't think I can drop a month. There is a break in January hopefully can utilise that time," the 45-year-old said.