Look beyond cricket to become a global sporting power

The Bonn World Chess Championship title is the crowning glory of Viswanathan Anand’s quarter-century-old career. Anand is now the master of the game in knockout, tournament and matchplay, the three formats in which chess is played at the highest level. His success in matchplay, considered the forte of Vladimir Kramnik, the Russian grandmaster he defeated, is all the more remarkable because he won two games while playing with black pieces. Anand’s success is remarkable for other reasons also. India has an illustrious tradition in chess; the game originated here. However, this country had not produced a world champion until Anand took the world by storm by winning the World Junior Championship in 1987. His style of game, fast and aggressive, set him apart from the Russians, who till then dominated the game. Here was a player willing to take risks and fight to win. Anand made chess a more exciting game than it ever was in the 1990s. His rise captured the imagination of the Indian public and provided a big push for chess here. There has been a profusion of grandmasters in India since the advent of Anand. Anand’s success has pushed advertisers to look beyond cricket. That’s good for the game because chess, like all other sports in India except cricket, is short on funds. Sponsorships and ad assignments will help young grandmasters, like P Harikrishna and Koneru Humpy to raise their game. Shooters like Rajyavardhan Rathore and Abhinav Bindra have clearly shown that Indians can be world-beaters in disciplines other than cricket. It is important that India builds on these successes. For a country that aspires to be a global power, India’s record in sports is pathetic. Indian hockey is a pale shadow of its former self. Badminton and tennis have provided occasional sparkle. There is no reason why a country of one billion plus people should have such a limited presence in the world of sport. Countries of size — the US, China, Russia, Brazil, Japan — have done exceptionally well in sports to complement their influence in world affairs. World powers are those countries that have excelled in every sphere of human activity. Success breeds success; sporting glory rubs off on other aspects of living. It’s time that the rest of India takes a cue from Anand and makes the right moves.