Moments after retaining the World Chess Championship title, Vishwanathan Anand told CNN-IBN that the 12th and the final game against Bulgarian Veseline Topalov was the toughest ever in his career.
"It's certainly the toughest match I have ever played. I certainly can't recall any other experience like this. Even during the course of the tournament, it wasn't that any one player was dominating. I knew it would eventually come down to the question of whose nerves held up and I am relieved that it was me," he said.
"I wasn't thinking of records, I was more keen on just staying alive. Topalov is an incredibly tough opponent and to have prevailed is definitely nice. This match took a couple of years out of my life.
"Preparing for a world championship is all about choosing the right direction. Sometimes, you are spot on but most of the times, it doesn't go that well and then you have to adapt and work during the match and change course.
"He managed to surprise me by his attitude towards this match. Earlier, he was hit and run, but this time he stood his ground and kept playing the same openings. Luckily we coped.
"His strategy for the game was to play every game till there was only king left or till a draw looked like the only result possible. Somehow, this puts a lot of pressure. I was putting 4-5 hours every day and on top of that there was the pressure of doing the openings. The flipside is that he puts a lot of pressure on himself as well, so I knew the right approach," he added.
Source : IBN
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