Viswanathan Anand feels proud to host World Chess Championship in Delhi

From the archive record

Viswanathan Anand says "It is said that the World Championship is going to be held in Delhi. It was a very very pleasant surprise for me and I am very happy that such an important chess tournament has come to India. I think chess is really been looking up in India for a long time now. It's been growing and my surprise was even more pleasant when I heard that NIIT was sponsoring this World Championship." Vishwanathan Anand is the harbinger of chess in India. Without his manoeuvres, it’s hard to imagine how chess would have advanced in the country. Every fire needs a spark, and the five-time world champion can solely be attributed to set off chess wildfire in India. He is a former World Chess Champion, the first chess icon from India, and is often regarded as the best rapid player of his gen