The astonishing Viswanathan Anand looks back on his journey so far

Viswanathan Anand has been a model of brilliance, consistency and, well, niceness for decades. On the eve of the release of his new book, he talks about the journey so far

If there ever were a world championship for politeness, Viswanathan Anand would win it every year. If there were one for longevity, he would probably win that, too. But perhaps above all, Anand’s greatest quality is his honesty, of a kind that has helped him stay at the top of his sport for over 30 years. In 1995, when he lost his first world championship playoff to Garry Kasparov, Anand was quick to admit that he just hadn’t been good enough and that his game needed more depth. That was an odd thing to say for the second-best player in