Highlighting the appeal of chess for all, visiting Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand last week played against 19 children at the same time during an exhibition event in Nicosia.

“Chess is like a language,” Anand said. “None of you think about what exactly you’re going to put in a sentence: a verb, a preposition, or a noun. You just speak.

“It’s the same in chess. It should be natural and then the right moves will start to come into your head on their own. The ability to work hard and keep your concentration during the game will be learnt gradually,” he told gathered youngsters.

Before the exhibition game started, participants had the opportunity to ask the chess master questions about his career, his mindset and motivation.

Answering one child’s question, Anand said “practice is the main thing to success.”

Shortly afterwards the exhibition game began with Anand playing against the 19 children and teenagers, making one move on each board and noting down both his and the opponents moves.

In a remarkable moment, 14-year-old Andreas Kyriakides held Anand to a draw, earning praise from both the grandmaster and spectators.

“Even the youngest players gave the former World Champion a real challenge,” Artem Sadovsky, International Master and Head of Freedom24 Chess Academy, organisers of the event, said.  

Some other players managed to hold their ground for quite a while, and their pride in doing so was clear.

“Seven-year-old Anya Vasileva played remarkably well, despite a complicated pawn structure. Anand glanced at her board several times, clearly impressed by how confidently she held her ground,” Sadovsky said.

Head of SIMBA Trainers Academy Mark Bryan was also impressed with how focused the children were.

“People often forget how much effort it takes to achieve a goal, while I am very pleased to hear Anand speak about the importance of daily practice and commitment to improvement,” Bryan said.

After playing the 19 games, Anand chatted with all the participants signing autographs and posing for photos.

Grandmaster Anand is a five-time World Champion and World Chess Federation (FIDE) Deputy President, he is also the first Indian Grandmaster and the only chess player in the world to win the top title in competitions with three different formats.

“My older brother and sister played chess, so I asked my mum to teach me as well. I was very lucky because my mum is a good chess player and when I was six years old, I started going to a chess club near my home,” he said.

The event took place within the framework of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, held with the partnership of Freedom24.