Celebration time for Anand

By Arvind Aaron

TEHERAN, DEC. 28. Winding up the most successful trip of his career, Viswanathan Anand left here for Dubai on way to New Delhi and Chennai.

Anand's schedule for Thursday during his transit halt in Dubai was a visit to the NIIT centre. Anand said he had received $514,000 after the ceremony at which the trophies were presented. It was his third highest pay cheque in dollar terms, but in Rupees it could be one of the highest since the Rupee has lost value over the years.

Anand's celebration was a late night dinner at a five star hotel with his wife, his two seconds and a journalist. According to Anand's wife, Aruna, the day time stop over in New Delhi on Friday is to meet the President of India and have a press conference and meet people from NIIT before boarding a flight to Chennai.

The Indian community here celebrated Anand's victory after the closing ceremony was over. They wrapped Anand over in the Indian national flag and posed for group pictures. The enthusiastic Indians carried the Indian tri-colour, and school children waved paper flags and cheered each time Anand's name was mentioned at the closing ceremony.

The Indian Ambassador to Teheran, Mr Pripuran Singh Haer, and Mr. P.T. Ummer Koya, secretary of AICF, were given mementos. Their Spanish counterparts were missing.

One of the unannounced awards that Anand received was from UNESCO, an objet d'art in wood. He also received paintings, Persian carpets, etc, besides the title `15th World Chess Champion.' Anand also received a massive trophy and a gold medal. Shirov, who won the silver medal for being runner-up, received several gifts as well. He appeared moody during the ceremony but his ever-smiling new girlfriend WGM Victoria Cmilyte was making up for it.

Anand returns home after Asia's biggest chess achievement. There was no announcement about the next event but it should happen in November-December, 2001 but with 128 players.

A grand reception awaits Anand in Madrid on January 8 when he reaches Spain from Chennai. The Mayor of Collado Mediano, and the local community there would be at the Barajas Airport in Madrid to receive him, it is learnt.

Anand will play his next tournament at Wijk aan Zee starting January 12 as `world champion'. It will be interesting to see what protocol the organisers of the Corus tournament have for Anand and Kramnik. No unification match Meanwhile, according to GM Elizbar Ubilava, the FIDE President, Mr Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, has ruled out the possibility of any unification match between Anand and Kramnik.

There was talk about a World Prestige championship in July, 2001 during the event. The FIDE President told Ubilava that he intended to write to chess magazines and newspapers saying there was only one world championship and world champion and there was no need to call the winner FIDE World Champion. FIDE doesn't recognise Vladimir Kramnik as champion.

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