An evening with Vishwanathan Anand.

I am just one of those lesser mortals who was granted the chance of a lifetime to meet the undisputed World Chess Champion. Not that I did something extraordinary for this honour... just that he happens to be the brand ambassador for AMD and came visiting us in our Bangalore office. From what I had read about him, I was anxious to see how a person, inspite of having reached the pinnacle of success, could be so down-to-earth. And he surely did not disappoint me. There was just a slight buzz in office when we realised that he had come in, and was having a meeting with the higher-ups. No pomp and fanfare.. None of the starry entourages.. Just Vishy. 

Vishy, as he is lovingly called by one and all, had come to AMD for a visit. There was genuine appreciation and applause all around when he entered. He is clearly one of the most popular sportspersons that India has ever produced. He looked so simple and at ease amongst us all. It was dificult envisioning how such a nice guy could royally massacre scores and scores of competitors...

We got to spend some time knowing more about the chess wizard.. also four bravehearts dared to take him on, in a game of chess... Need I even mention about who won? After a short quiz, hosted by the man himself, the court was thrown open. Thats when I got the opportunity to interview him.... not a very enchanting and interesting one though..

Me: How many players have you competed against, simultaneously, in blindfold chess?

Vishy: Five. Even though I won it, I will mostly never do it again.

Me: Why not?

Vishy: Its very exhausting.

After a brief photo session, it was time to bid adieu...