Anand draws exhibition tie at Olympics

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Sydney: India's chess superstar Vishwanathan Anand played a 1-1 tie against Alexi Shirov in a two-game exhibition match at the Sydney Olympics, an effort aimed at getting an entry for the sport in future Olympic games.

The world chess body, FIDE, had especially invited Anand to play the tie against the Latvian-born Shirov, who now lives in Spain. It was part of FIDE's plans to popularise the sport in an attempt to get it included in the Olympics schedule. Chess already has its own Olympiad that is held every two years. Istanbul is to host this year's event.

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had got special permission from the International Olympic Committee for staging the match. Anand is hopeful of chess getting an entry into the Olympics. "That will be good for the game," he said.

"I have been to some Chess Olympiads, but never to an Olympics like this. They are quite different," he said after the match. "Obviously one concentrates totally on chess and the other has so many sports," he said.

"The atmosphere here is fantastic. It was pretty exciting. I loved walking around the city, which is looking great," said World no. 2 Anand, who won the World Cup in Shenyang, China, last fortnight. "It was a good feeling to win a world title," he admitted.

Anand's next engagement is the World Championships Cycle, which begins in New Delhi this November. "After a rapid event, my plan is the World Championships in Delhi. I will be playing there after a long time, so I am looking forward to it," added the champion, who is in Sydney along with his wife, Aruna.

Anand hopes to witness India's last hockey league match against Poland Tuesday before leaving Sydney. "I want to cheer them and see them going to the semi-finals," he said.

India Abroad News Service



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