Linares Chess Championship is my next target: Anand

Patna:

World Champion Vishwanathan Anand on Thursday said his next target is to win the Linares Chess Championship to be held in February next year.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the launch of NIIT MindChampion Academy in Bihar, Anand said after capturing the minds of urban India, the game now needs to be taken to rural areas.

Reminding his association with Bihar, he said though it was his first visit, he had an old connection with the state as his father spent a brief stint of his study life here.

"My father studied at Jamalpur in Munger district and it is a great pleasure to be here in Patna," said the Grandmaster.

Asked whether cricket has overshadowed other sporting disciplines in the country, he said the government has been fair to all sports.

"The amount of media attention chess gets now-a-days is quite big compared to 10 years back," Anand said.

On the MindChampion Academy, he said it was being launched in 400 schools which would help students learn both computer and chess as they help in improving academic performance and analytical power.

"The Academy has been introduced in over 5000 schools across the country during the past six years with over 1.75 lakh students participating in it," Anand said.

On the occasion, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said India had won seven world titles in the year 2008 and the credit should go to the chess maestro, who had popularised and revolutionised the game in the country.

Modi also announced that there would be a hall in the upcoming indoor stadium at Kankerbagh in Patna only for chess activities.