Exclusive: Viswanathan Anand backs Indian contingent featuring Arjun Erigaisi to shine at FIDE Chess World Cup

The FIDE Chess World Cup is all set to raise curtains on Friday (Oct 31) as 206 grandmasters compete in the third biggest tournament in the sport. While eyes will be firm of some of the big names, the tournament could serve as a qualification platform for the Candidates tournament and the World Championship. As the biggest carnival returns to India, WION’s Aditya Pimpale exclusively caught up with legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand as he reflected on the upcoming FIDE Chess World Cup and the Global Chess League.

Question: According to you, who is the favourite to win the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025?

I think of the Indians, Arjun needs to win this tournament the most. And perhaps one of the other youngsters from India, I mean, there are quite a few, they really need this to nail this qualifying opportunity. And from the others, I would pick Vincent Kyma. He's having a spectacular year right now, and he narrowly missed qualification. So I think he would really love to qualify here.

Question: What are your thoughts on Divya Deshmukh, the only Indian competing in the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025?

I think she's (Divya) very impressive. She's had a spectacular year and it really culminated in the World Cup, but subsequently as well. She's rising up the rankings and she's taking on these bold challenges. I mean, playing in the open section is going to be difficult, but I applaud her willingness to take part and push herself.

Question: What are your thoughts on Global Chess League (GCL)?

It's team-based. You get the best players from the world rankings, but with a huge Indian contingent as well. I mean, Indians are high up in the world rankings, so it fits naturally. We have men, women, boys, girls, the best of each category, and it's a very fast-paced format. It's a rapid format, but you'll have a very good visual presentation, very good commentary, very good graphics and fan engagement. And even the scoring system keeps the suspense till the end.

And I think we are trying to build on the success. So hopefully this event will be a big spectator success. We have to keep on trying to present the audience with new ways of engaging with the game, new ways to interact with the game.

Question: How do you make chess more and more accessible to the audience?

Maybe people who have not experienced chess before, but want to just try it now. It's a very serious topic. It has come to the fore now. Obviously, this tragic development forces us to look anew. And I know that FIDE is now developing some measures. We will also try to work closely with the online chess community, which is typically a lot of many independent platforms.

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But we'll have to try and work closely and make sure that we address these matters early. Also, I think next time, we will just be much, much more careful and try to involve ourselves at a much earlier stage. But it's also important to emphasize to people that they should not get too involved, not get too close to social media.

Question: What are your thoughts on the broader mental health perspective and how it should be implemented?

I think just seeing that things are getting so good at a younger and younger age, and that is very impressive to watch. But at the same time, as you pointed out, if they're getting younger and younger, then we have to make them aware and them and their parents should also be aware that there are, you know, mental pressures that will come, you'll have to interact with a lot of people and how to deal with fame, pressure. These things become very important, the role of the family, the role of the friends in balancing your perspective on the world, all these things become very, very important.