Of Karpov's critical remark and Anand's rise

Anatoly Karpov once critically remarked that Viswanathan Anand "doesn't have the character" to win big games. The observation "hit a raw nerve", says the Indian, who has since become a name as big as the Russian in chess world.

"Ah, well Vishy's a nice guy but he just doesn't have the character for a big win," was what Karpov had said about Anand after beating him in the final of the 1998 world championship.

Anand recalled the remark in his newly-released autography -- 'Mind Master - Winning Lessons from a Champion's Life'.

It was made to a journalist by Karpov, while Anand and his wife sat at the adjacent table, after the final.

"His words hit a raw nerve. It was a decidedly unpleasant feeling to be seen as a good player who lacked the conviction to win big," Anand writes in his book.

"I was working myself up to display my potential and this swipe only reinforced the conviction I already had deep within - nothing else mattered anymore, I just had to win a title now."
"We hadn't planned our travel to Lausanne in advance since the outcome of the Candidates tournament couldn't have been foreseen. FIDE, too, had made no arrangements for the winner to reach Lausanne from Amsterdam."
"It was New Year's Eve and flights were overbooked. We somehow managed to reach only to find out FIDE had booked all its officials into hotel rooms but made no provisions, whatsoever, to accommodate the winner of the 21-day-long knockout tournament."
"The defeat rankled like few had before... It was soon after my loss, that Karpov spoke of my inability to win a world championship title while still justifying his own credentials despite the brazenly undue advantage he had received. He had been fresh, well-rested and pottering around while I was almost 'brought in a coffin' to play him."