Viswanathan Anand at a tournament in the Netherlands last year. He was said to be annoyed at the deceptionHe is India’s first grandmaster, a five-time chess world champion whose rankings put him on a par with the best ever to move a rook, pawn or bishop in anger. However, when Viswanathan Anand, once known as the “Lightning Kid” for his fast play, came up against the Indian tech entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, 34, spectators were soon shocked by the pattern of play. SponsoredAnand, 51, was roundly defeated in the online tournament, prompting speculation that his powers were on the wane. Kamath, who has idolised Anand since he began learning chess as a child, admitted deploying a computer algorithm and a team of experts to help him win the 30-minute match.

Source: The Times June 15, 2021 15:56 UTC