INTERVIEW WITH VISWANATHAN ANAND - I

Who : Viswanathan Anand
About : World Chess champion, 2007
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viswanathan_Anand

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Viswanathan Anand
Interview Date: October, 2007
Place: IIT Delhi Campus, New Delhi

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Viswanathan Anand happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH VISWANATHAN ANAND - II

Who : Viswanathan Anand
About : World Chess champion, 2007
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viswanathan_Anand

How it happened : Interview with Viswanathan Anand
Interview Date: October, 2007
Place: IIT Delhi Campus, New Delhi
Pics: None

His humility and his unassuming demeanor, for a man of his stature, end up surprising you. His subtle, though terrific, sense of humour is even more unexpected. And when you are with him, you can’t help but feel you are with a great, great man. Not to mention, perhaps, one of the greatest sportspersons our country has ever produced. Viswanathan Anand, who recently became the undisputed World Chess Champion was recently in Delhi and he took out some type exclusively for us, to talk about chess, victory, Gary Kasparov and much, much more. Nikhil Taneja has the exclusive interview.

Nikhil Taneja (NT): After your victory, you had wondered as to how your reception would turn out to be when you came to India. Are you contended with the adulation so far or do you still feel the Indian media is prejudiced towards cricket?
Viswanathan Anand (VA) : Well, let me put it this way. My words were probably slightly misconstrued. The reporter asked me about what kind of reception I am expecting and I simply said We’ll see what happens. It wasn’t really a sort of challenge to the Indian people (laughs) or something like that. And the reception has been fantastic, both today(at the NIIT Mind Championship Press Conference) and at the airport a couple of days ago but I think it’s time to move on. The last two days have been fantastic and I have no complaints at all.

NT: You had said once that after you became a Grandmaster, you lost the next few games simply because you didn’t know what to aim for next. Now that you are World No. 1, how are you going to view the games you play now?
VA: I think this time it wont be a problem. The Grandmaster title is somewhat different in the sense that your goals are there and it doesn’t matter what the rest of the field does. So the moment you are aiming for a GM title, you go to a tournament and see what a GM norm is and that’s the only thing you are aiming for. You don’t care if somebody goes 2 points above or somebody finishes behind you. Whereas, I hope at least, winning the World Championship wont change my way of thinking that much at least. Also because, now I am thinking that I want to finish first in the next tournament as well, not that I want to score so many points, irrelevant of what the rest of the field does. But of course, complacency is always a danger but I think I am experienced enough to stop it once in a while and recognize it when it’s happening.

NT: What would you say is the difference between your previous world title and the current one?
VA: I don’t really distinguish between the two personally, but of course, I can’t ignore the fact that the status of the World Championship in the Chess World has changed. In 2000, there were two parallel cycles. Thankfully, since last year, that is no longer the case. So, while I personally know what I did in Delhi and what I did here, I think the Mexico event, the Undisputed World Title, is an added element.

If you’ve missed something for 5 years, then you really want it back. And having missed it also in 2005, in between at least, I had the excuse that there were no events. But in 2005, it started very promisingly and then I kind of fizzled out. So this time I was determined not to let that happen.

NT: What would you say ranks higher, beating Gary Kasparov or winning the world championship?
VA: With the faces he made in that video, I’d say, pretty close!(laughs) But no, honestly, beating Kasporav. (chuckles) Because he always made some great expressions!(laughs again)

NT: Would you like to defend your title against Gary Kasparov if he comes out of politics?
VA: If he’s interested, I am definitely open to it. And you know, if he changes his mind about chess, he’s got a match waiting. I think it would be very interesting if he returned and for me, it would be a nice challenge. I can promise him it will be less physically dangerous to him than his current occupation (laughs).

NT: At this stage of your career, what do you think are the mistakes you are yet to overcome?
VA: First of all, I still make a lot of mistakes. On a good day, you will get away with it. Perhaps, you have hit upon something your opponent can’t exploit and so on. But it’s only at tournaments you see this. At home, it’s very difficult to get into the tournament tension and analyse. But at Mexico, I made a note of some of the mistakes that happened and I’ll definitely be working on it. But this is a continuous process. Even in the most successful tournaments and it’s usually while you are playing a game, and it might even be a really good game, you’ll know that I brought something wrong, I did this wrong and I did that wrong and you have to mentally note it down. After the game finishes, you usually make a list. If I get a week or two where I can concentrate on it, I’ll definitely work on it.

NT: You had mentioned that when you were younger, a lot of senior players like Karpov and Kasparov used to find it very difficult to cope up with defeat to you. Now that you are one of the senior players in the game, with what frame of mind do you play a game with a younger player?
VA: I think Karpov and Kasparov knew this probably instinctively but John None once told me that when you are playing these young prodigies, it is very important that you beat them the first few times. Because they remember all their lives (laughs). I sort of know what he means. Because there are still some guys I’ve lost to, that I have remembered for many many years (chuckles). But what he was also saying is that as they get stronger, if they don’t remember that you beat them once or twice, they start to beat you very easily. So once I play someone young, I make a big effort in the first few games (chuckles). I think Kasparov and Karpov did this instinctively. Though they themselves are separated by each other by 12 years. Kasparov and me are separated only by 5. In fact, I would say, Karpov made the same effort with Kasparov!

NT: So what do you thing is your wife’s biggest role in your victories?
VA: It’s difficult to reduce your wife’s role to one thing but I think she basically just about cover’s everything else that’s not related to chess preparation. And she’s almost started including that as well (chuck). But generally, during a tournament, she blocks everything else off. So she cuts off anybody in the outside world, and you get into this situation when you are just able to concentrate on the game and think about nothing else and that’s a very nice situation to be in. Because when you are 100% in something and there are no distractions, and these could be 100s of little things, like she’ll plan the ticket itinerary herself, take care of all the arrangements so that I don’t have to think about 100 little details.

And second thing is I think she has gotten good at figuring out my mood during tournaments. So she also knows when to say something, when not to say something, when saying something is useless anyway, all those sorts of things. Like couple of times I lose the games and she tries to give me advice and I say, well, I am in no mood for advice, advice is useless, I knew it before the game that if I knew how to do it, I would have done it. And she says, you are going to get angry even if I keep quiet, so I might as well say it! But then we can laugh about it afterwards. But I think by now she is also used to some of these defeats (laughs). Thankfully, they are happening less.

I remember one time, she told me don’t rush anything. Because when you are tense, you tense sometime you make a movie immediately because you can’t wait to find out what the opponent has. And it’s difficult and she had seen me do it a couple of times. And she told me this knowing it’s a crucial game. It was of no use! (laughs) Every time there was a critical moment, I’d think for a while and then I couldn’t take it anymore and I’d make a move. After move 40, I remembered what she told me. It was too late actually! So it didn’t really help in that game but this was a problem I managed to avoid for the rest of the tournament. So that helped a lot!

NT: Russia has always produced a great amount of world class chess players. What is it about the Russian system that propels all chess players to such a level?
VA: I think as important as the Russian system is, I mean, they have an organized system of coaches, the very fact that if you are born in a Russian city, the chances are that there will be a Grandmaster in your city whom you can go for advice. It’s sort of this proximity to strong chess players that breeds more chess players. But I think in India, we need to start developing conditions for that. Clearly, we are way behind the Russians but essentially, the same sort of critical mass is coming here as well.

NT: Who would you say was your most difficult opponent in terms of intimidating tactics?
VA: Umm.. Generally, the computer, because it just sits there and it’s so calm and it doesn’t do anything and it annoys! With most players, at least you can read their minds and it’s a two way thing. With the computer you don’t have that option.

NT: What’s the difference between a computer opponent and a human opponent?
VA: Well, first of all, a human is dynamic. If you do something, he can adjust his strategy accordingly and so on. And we are both trying to trick each other. Okay, the no. of things a human can do is generally greater, but a computer calculates pretty brutally and you get no feedback from it. It’s an alien opponent; you can’t gauge anything from it. So it’s a totally different experience playing the two.

NT: How have computers changed the face of chess as it was?
VA: I think, not only in chess, but in general in the world, computers are changing the face of the world. And the second thing is that computers make you enormously productive. I mean, I am able to work on chess in a way that I couldn’t work on before. Instead of finding one new idea a day and spending all day on it checking all its variations, I am able to find 15 ideas a day and check them faster. And I think you have to learn to work with these tools.

NT: What do you think is the future of chess in India?
VA: I think it’s very bright. If you see the numbers we have in 2007 NIIT Mind Champions, we are already looking at 150,000 and hopefully we can build up. And we have crossed 5000 schools. The future is very bright.

In fact, that’s one of the things we are trying to do it. Incidentally, since chess is very good for academics, it helps you in problem solving and trains your mind in many ways. I think the NIIT Mind Champions Academy is the perfect way to do this.

NT: What do you think should be done to promote chess in India?
VA: I think things like we are doing in NIIT Mind Championship should be done by more organizations. You know, this year we are going to reach potentially a million and a half students. Now, once you have done something like that, your growth in the future is also assured. So, I would attach a lot of importance to such an initiative.

NT: Don’t you think it’s high time the government takes some steps to promote chess?
VA: Definitely. But I think the government has to do that for every sport it thinks is promising, it has to allocate some resources for that. But I hope they will see the results we have in chess and allocate resources accordingly.

NT: So who are the best players we have right now?
VA: At the men side, there are 5 players who are going to play in the world cup. I think that’s a very important milestone. On the women’s side, you have Humpy, who is doing miracles and she is progressing very well. I’d say, overall I am quite content with the way Indian chess is going. After Turkey, she is breaking 2600 now. And she is coming along very well. And the thing I like about her is that she keeps working hard. She doesn’t get contended. I mean, already 2600 seperates her from a lot of other women. But she is still working very hard. Harika is also doing well.

NT: What advice would you like to give to the young chess players?
VA: I would say, just take it easy. Play chess for fun and enjoy yourself. Do the things you like in chess and the rest will take care of itself.

NT: At the end of your career, what would you like your record to read as?
VA: I don’t know. I think this is for other people to judge. Things will always come along. The first thing I can think of is simply to retain my title as long as I can. That would be one thing. But the main thing is I hope I continue enjoying it. It’s not only the world championship. I enjoy a lot of the rapid events I play. There are many events I look forward to , as long as I can keep that, I’ll keep going.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL SCHUMACHER - I

Who : Michael Schumacher
About : Formula One Legend
Website: http://www.mschumacher.com/ (Fan Site)

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Michael Schumacher
Interview Date: April 3, 2003
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Michael Schumacher happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL SCHUMACHER - II

Who : Michael Schumacher
About : Formula One Legend
Website: http://www.mschumacher.com/ (Fan Site)

How it happened : Interview with Michael Schumacher
Interview Date: April 3, 2003
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

There are people who say he isn’t good for formula one. Because as long as he is in formula ‘won’, he isn’t going to give anyone else a chance to win ! That just about sums up Michael Schumacher, the richest living sportsperson on earth. The aura around him is extraordinary. Seeing him live, shaking hands with him and talking to him seem surreal when you know that this person is the undisputed king of the formula one sport.

Nikhil Taneja(NT) : After having driver the Bahrain track quite a few times now, where would you say this track is lacking and where would you say that it is better than other tracks?
Michael Schumacher(MS) : I wouldn't say there's any reason to say that it's lacking because it's very good in terms of run-off areas. We have seen a lot of offs during the days. I don't know if any of us have hit the wall, I don't remember. I don't think so, because the run-off areas are so good and it's technically demanding, so from a race driver point of view, it's a success.

NT : Which one track would you say is the most challenging you have ever raced on and how would you compare Bahrain to that particular track?
MS : I think everybody knows I'm in love with Spa, so that stays number one, but this is not far off.

NT : But could the Sakhir circuit rival your favourite Spa-Francorchamps?
MS : Even Spa was new once and had no history, so we have to give it time where the new tracks are concerned.

NT : So what do you think of the Bahrain Grand Prix 2004 ?
MS : I think everybody here has done a superb job. They have prepared a circuit for us which was very interesting to drive, technically very difficult, a big challenge. As well, the organisation in terms of pits and space availability, it was just superb. The welcome of the fans, all the people here, was very warm so it was a very, very nice experience I guess we all had here and we look forward to coming back.

NT : This is your third win in a row this season. How were you feeling in the cockpit ?
MS : It was hard work because the brakes were sort of marginal and we had to keep an eye on the tyres. You saw both tyre companies were fighting with blisters so you had to drive on a fine line, not push it too hard, not overdo it otherwise you would fall into this problem and that makes it look less spectacular. But I thought I finished just a couple of seconds ahead of Rubens rather than half a minute.

But it was a superb weekend. We worked our way through, it was tough at times, we looked reasonable on Friday, had a bit of difficulty on Saturday to get the balance right as conditions changed but in the final moment we had everything spot on, we managed the first row and we managed the first and second position - that is obviously the dream result.

NT : So what has impressed you most in Bahrain ?
MS : Well… the people seem very nice and warm-hearted and the organisers have done an incredible job to build this facility in a relatively short space of time.

NT : You are already six time World Champion and it seems you are all set to become the seven time World Champion. Is there anything, according to you, that you have yet to achieve?
MS : I don't' want to talk about what might happen or what might not happen, but the fact is that I love the sport and may I keep going as long as I love it.

NT : This is just a little humour: How many speeding tickets have you managed on the road?
MS : Usually they come afterwards, when the results are taken from all the photos. I haven't seen any photos taken of me! I haven't seen any photos yet, so...(laughs)

NT : In the end, how different is fruit juice from champagne?
MS : Smells better afterwards ! (laughs)

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

INTERVIEW WITH RUBENS BARICHELLO - I

Who : Rubens Barrichello
About : Formula One Driver
Website: http://www.barrichello.com.br/index.php?l=2

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Rubens Barrichello
Interview Date: April 2-3-4, 2003
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Rubens Barrichello happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH RUBENS BARICHELLO - II

Who : Rubens Barrichello
About : Formula One Driver
Website: http://www.barrichello.com.br/index.php?l=2

How it happened : Interview with Rubens Barrichello
Interview Date: April 2-3-4, 2004
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

He has been the team mate to Michael Schumacher through thick and thin – usually through thick ! But you can’t call him second fiddle. He is one of the greatest drivers in formula one, in his own right. He might not win every grand prix, but he does make his presence felt… and how !

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : You backed up Michael with a great team performance and Ferrari were very dominant today. How was your car?
Rubens Barrichello (RB ) : My car was great. Unfortunately the rain, we had some drops at the start, didn't come my way again, just like Malaysia. I hoped that some short-term rain might help just because my brakes were a little bit too cold and I needed to warm them up but at the same time I needed to save fuel a little bit on the out lap. I almost had to avoid Michael on the first corner and then he was very, very fast for the first couple of corners. So he got a gap and it was difficult to follow but I was within two or three tenths. I knew as my brakes were coming better that I would have a chance to race with him a little bit closer but unfortunately I had a small problem on the pitstops and he opened up the ten seconds. Even though I got it sometimes to eight seconds it was difficult with traffic and so on and he was fast anyway so it was just that ten seconds it was difficult to get back.

NT : Did you have any worries with the brakes, especially after Malaysia?
RB : Mmm, no. We had to be conservative, we had to look after them, but in a way, my brake pedal stayed quite consistent.

NT : There is an interesting feature in your brilliant career. When you because formula open champion in 1989 in your first season on the European tracks, you weren’t actually 18, which was the minimum age required for contesting. And to contest, you used your father’s identity card ! Tell us more about it.
RB : Well, I had no age. Incidentally, my father and I share the same name and same birthday, so it was the only way to do the first six races !

NT : How do you look back on the first two grand prixes of this season ?
RB : Our car was fast enough in the first two races !

NT : You have driven this track quite a few times now. Where would you say this track is lacking and where would you see that it is better than other tracks?
RB : For me, I think that the only thing that the track is actually lacking is that we need more races. It's brand new, the track will get better, so it's not lacking anything. It's just that as we have more races here, I think the track will eventually get even better. So there's no downside right now.

NT : Which one track would you say is the most challenging you have ever raced on and how would you compare Bahrain to that particular track?
RB : Everyone has a challenge, I think this one is pretty good on challenges, even though there are not many high speed corners, but it's really difficult to get it right and even though in turns five and six you don't brake as much, it's still a nice corner.

NT : This is just a little humour: I would like to ask you guys how many speeding tickets have you managed on the road?
RB : I had one last week in Brazil but I was talking with my Vodafone at traffic lights and then they gave me a ticket for that. I sent it to Vodafone.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

INTERVIEW WITH JENSON BUTTON - I

Who : Jenson Button
About : BAR Honda's star driver at Formula One
Website: http://www.jensonbutton.com/

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Jenson Button
Interview Date: April 2-3-4, 2004
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Jenson Button happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH JENSON BUTTON - II

Who : Jenson Button
About : BAR Honda's star driver at Formula One
Website: http://www.jensonbutton.com/

How it happened : Interview with Jenson Button
Interview Date: April 2-3-4, 2004
Place: F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, in the Paddock area
Pics: Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix

Incredibly talented and exceptionally down-to-earth. He doesn’t seem like the guy who has just had back to back podium finishes in two formula one grand prixes ! But that doesn’t make him a lesser superstar. He is enjoying the adulation as long as it lasts – and mind you, it has all just started !

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : How do you feel after the race ?
Jenson Button (JB): Fantastic. It’s great to be back on the podium and this one was a little bit more difficult, we had a little bit more luck. But yeah, we have worked very hard and it has helped.

NT : You started off your career at the young age of 8 with karting at the British Super Prix. Was it out of your own interest or because your parents asked you to ?
JB : Umm… I loved racing. I always used to watched my father race in rally karts, and I used to get very bored as a child so my father brought me a motorbike. After two days, he brought me a go kart and I loved it. So we went racing and so, yes, it was my decision. I loved to race and win.

NT: You debuted as the youngest British F1 driver in history. How was the feeling and how far did it increase expectations from you ?
JB : Well it didn’t change anything, you know. It’s more for marketing and the press kits but personally, it doesn’t change anything. If you have got enough experience to be on formula one, it doesn’t matter what age you are.

NT : When you were on a holiday your girlfriend in Mexico, you received a call from Prost asking you if you would like to test for them. Since that there has been no looking back. Talk us through your journey since that phone call to your formula one debut.
JB : Umm… Prost caught me unaware when I was a holiday in Mexico and asked me whether I would like to test their car… just to test and see how it worked. Obviously, I flew straight back home. Within two days, I was in the Prost car. And, umm… the test went very well. I was quick and enjoyed the test and so it was a reasonable test.

A few weeks later I got a call from Frank Williams, of BMW-Williams, to say that they want to test me again to see how it would go. Not for racing… I didn’t think so anyway. Again, the test went very well and at the end of the week, they said I had to drive… Frank said I had to drive ! Up until that day I didn’t know if I was going to be racing or testing or what with Williams… they never actually told me. And well, yeah, then Frank told me that I would be racing for the BMW-Williams team for 2000.

NT : What are your memories of your debut in Grand Prix in 2000 ?
JB : Umm.. very interesting, because I crashed in practice and had to start last in the race (chuckles) ! So yeah, I was a little bit nervous but also very excited. And the race went well. I was up to sixth position but my engine expired so I was never to finish. But yeah, I could have scored points in my first race which would have been good.

NT : On a scale of 1-10, how much would you rate the Bahrain track and why ?
JB : I think the track is good. I think it is made for some good racing. And also, the layout, I think is very good, I like it. I would give it an eight.

NT : So what do you think the track is lacking in ?
JB : I think the only thing I would change is the dust. I think there is a lot of dust off line. But they are obviously going to be changing that for the next year.

NT : What are your expectations and goal for this season at present ?
JB : I think it is to be quicker than Renault, you know. To move forward, and try and be a little more close to the Ferraris, you know. We are not going to beat them in the next race, but to be closer is our present aim.

NT : So how different is fruit juice to champagne?
JB : We smell like ladies now. (Laughs).

NT : You came first in the third and fourth practice sessions but you were still third in the race. What do you think you still have to do to finish first?
JB : We were very quick on Saturday morning but we lost a lot of time when we got to qualifying. I don't really understand what the reason was but that's something we really need to look at in the data. It's all gaining experience for us. This is our third race with Michelin tyres and working out how they work is not as easy as it seems. We're gaining experience and hopefully by the next race we can make another step forward.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)