CALCUTTA (India): Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand missed the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) final qualification spot at the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz tournament here on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Indian star finished joint sixth in rapid last Sunday, and seventh with 16/36 in blitz.
But Anand was magnaminous in his defeat and said that the setbacks have only made him stronger.
“I’ve learnt a lot from failure. It has made me stronger with each passing day. Next year, I’ll come back a lot stronger,” said Anand here on Tuesday.
Fails to overcome Carlsen at home
Current world champion (classic) Magnus Carlsen stamped his authority to win the overall GCT event with three games left to play.
The India leg witnessed the highly-awaited round seven clash between Carlsen and Anand on Sunday.
Both the legends were facing off on Indian soil for the first time since their World Championship match in Chennai in 2013.
“Right now. I don’t have plans to quit. I want to come back with a lot more positivity next year. The biggest thing for me is to stay in the match for which I indulge in it seventh months a year,” added the 49-year-old.
Missing the qualification berth for the upcoming Grand Chess Tour finals in London will continue to hurt him, but the Indian Grandmaster maintained a calm composure at the iconic National Library here.
“I neither get overwhelmed by success nor get bothered by failure which keeps me tension free.
Viswanathan Anand, chess Grandmaster.
Asked if chess should be made compulsory in schools, Anand said, “I’m not sure whether it should be made compulsory. I don’t see this becoming a subject in the near future. Having said that, a curriculum of chess being present in the school could motivate students to take chance about this game.”
Carlsen regains top spot in rapid
Meanwhile, Carlsen regained the world number one spot in rapid, and currently ranked world No.2 in blitz.
Defending rapid champion Hikaru Nakamura scored 23/36 to finish second.
Anish Giri of the Netherlands and Wesley So of the USA finished joint third with 18.5/36.
