A round world in 64 squares: Viswanathan Anand and wife want to revisit South America, explore Africa

The Chess grandmaster feels experiences that catch you unprepared can be fun.

By Maleeva Rebello, ET Bureau | Updated: Feb 11, 2020, 10.23 AM IST

Vishwanathan Anand is a big fan of Mexico.

Chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand says his travels have taken him around the globe, helped him make friends and given him memories to last a lifetime.

First time solo
“It was around 1984. After I started travelling for competitions internationally, my mother would accompany me. On my third or fourth event, however, I was completely alone. I had a friend in the city whom I could call, and my parents had also made some arrangements. But I had to look out for myself.

“In 1986, I had gone to the erstwhile USSR for a couple of tournaments. I remember there being a language barrier, and having to break it to make new friends and connections.

The first time is hard, but you get along.

“It was after I became a grand master that I went to Switzerland all by myself in 1988. I remember having a lot of free time. I had a nice hotel room, and would go on long walks by the lake.”

Conversationally yours
“Experiences that catch you unprepared can be fun. While I was going to Kerala on a train, I got speaking to an elderly gentleman. He asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a chess player. He asked me if I had a job, and I told him no, that I was a chess player. He then said, in an affectionate tone, ‘Young man, sports is a risky career. Unless you’re Viswanathan Anand, it’s risky to be a chess player.’ I found it quite funny. I didn’t tell him who I was.

“It’s always nice to meet people, talk to them. If something doesn’t work out, you just need to ask for help. Especially in countries where you don’t know how things work, asking people will help. These experiences also expand your horizons.”

Friend for life
“There are many people I met in the chess world who have become friends for life. There are also people I met on longer journeys that I am still in touch with. “I met a musician friend of mine on a train. We wanted to go from London to Brussels, but there were some problems with the weather, and all flights were getting cancelled. So I took the train, and got talking to the guy next to me. He said he’s a musician and w a s g oi n g to a mu sic festival. It was nice talking to him. I learnt a lot about music from him. The frequency of our emails has dropped, but we still keep in touch occasionally.”

A trip cut short
“I played a tournament in Bangladesh, in Dhaka, when I fell sick and had to withdraw from the tournament and come back. This was in 1985. But generally, I stay and play till the end.”

Place I’d like to revisit

“There are many places I’d like to go back to. My wife and I have this general idea to go back to South America, more for tourism than for chess. We also want to travel around Africa. That is two continents, and lots of countries. We are big fans of Mexico, and we also liked our holidays in South Africa and Kenya a lot.

Cape Town, especially, is beautiful, and we got to go around the surrounding cape too. In both Kenya and South Africa, we enjoyed the wildlife a lot. We also made some nice friends, including our hosts. “Mexico has been our favourite. We loved the food, the culture, and had many pleasant experiences there. I have also been to Chile once and would like to go back.”

From Jodhpur To San Juan, Here Are Top 10 Travel Destinations You Ought To Visit In 2020

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All the travel junkies out there, if there is one listicle you must focus on, it’s this one. With 2019 travel goals (hopefully) met, it’s time to start planning for the 2020 holidays. Booking.com has delved into global booking trends to reveal 10 of the top emerging travel destinations for 2020.

Jodhpur from India has found its spot among the top 10 list, alongside some lesser known spots in Eastern Europe to under-the-radar spots in Asia. Commenting on the study, Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives for Booking.com said, “As we proceed towards a new decade, we will see travel becoming more and more sustainable and technologically-advanced, further aided by enhanced services and offerings that enable the modern day inquisitive traveller to experience the world.

81% of Indian travellers say that in 2020 they want to go somewhere that offers experiences they’ve never had before. From catering to their peaked interest in lesser known destinations to counter over-tourism, to customised travel recommendations, we want to ensure that the travellers have the most diverse selection of places to stay at as we help them prepare and plan their travel in 2020 and beyond.”

Here’s where you should be headed to satiate the wanderbug in you.