Hyderabad, Dec 19: Indicating that he is still hungry for success, Viswanathan Anand stated Friday that he is not quitting the game anytime soon and is preparing to play more tournaments in the coming year after a decent 2014. When asked if his best is yet to come, Anand said: “I hope so. I try to be optimistic.”
The five-time chess World Champion said he was happy with his performance in the year that is drawing to a close as he won three tournaments, although he acknowledged that in the World Championship, he could not capitalise on the self-created opportunities.
“I am happy with this year. I played well in many tournaments. I won three events. I hope the trend continues,” Anand pointed out.
Anand said he created ‘more chances’ during the World Championship, which he lost to Magnus Carlsen of Norway at Sochi recently, but unfortunately failed to make use of those.
Describing Carlsen as one having a ‘practical style’, Anand said: “He is not someone who spends a lot of time in warming-up and playing long openings.”
On his plans for the coming year, Anand, who won the London Chess Classic a few days ago, said: “I will be playing more tournaments in general. My focus is really shifting to tournaments.” Asked if he would like to go into coaching, the Grandmaster said he has not thought about it. “But it is difficult at present,” Anand said.
PTI