Cruel to ask Viswanathan Anand to retire, insists his wife Aruna

Immediately after winning World title in Rapid and bagging bronze in Blitz, Viswanathan Anand tweeted, "Thanks everyone. Mildly put, I am very pleased with my play! Happy 2018. Now, it's family time until Wijk. This picture is for my wife. She has asked me to bring the medals back very safely. This is the proof!

Viswanathan Anand

Solid support
A subtle statement, probably aimed at those who had been gunning for his retirement last year. Aruna Anand, the strong, solid and silent support behind Anand since their wedding in 1996, however, was loud and clear against the players and journalists who kept harping on Anand's retirement even though the maestro had time and again clarified that he had all intentions of playing as long as he loved the game.

"Thankfully, it were those journalists who did not understand the chess world completely and have no clue about what Anand is doing. Right from the time Anand was six, he has been enjoying and playing chess and that is the only thing he has been doing all these years. To ask him to stop playing is simply being cruel!" She added: ‘If and when Anand choses to retire, it will be in a way which is most natural for him."

Birthday blues
Aruna pointed out that Anand has been losing every year on his birthday at the London Chess Classic. This was the third consecutive loss on his birthday (December 11) and he was miserable. Aruna mentioned that she has seen Anand work very hard and with much more focus and drive. He had a little laid back and relaxed attitude in the 1990s but Aruna stressed that Anand has worked very hard for everything and never got a free ticket, not even when he deserved one.

Clear-cut decisions
On a lighter note, Aruna thinks that his chess ability has influenced his decision-making in all spheres of life. His decisions are rapid and clear-cut. "We met for the first time and returning back home when quizzed by his mother, Anand instantly said ‘yes' and went back to play chess," concluded Aruna.