Vishy Anand received huge support from his alma mater- Don Bosco, Chennai

World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand received special support from his school when it came to his chess. The Indian school system is known to be quite burdensome for kids who want to excel at sports and other hobbies. Often, parents have to take a call on allowing their children to make the difficult choice between a hobby that might not guarantee them a livelihood and studies that could take them to the top of a traditional profession.

No one bothered with sports, forget chess, when Viswanathan Anand was a school-going kid. Things have improved in India now as awareness grows particularly when it comes to a sport like cricket. There is considerable hype now that the World Chess Championship is going to be held in India.

Viswanathan Anand has been extremely fortunate with his schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai. It was an illustrious school in Chennai even in the 80s. It had excellent facilities for academics and sports. Its alumni already included some top sportspersons.

“Anand was a budding chess player and used to take part in many tournaments. I remember he used to come with his mother and his father was in the Railways at that time,’’ says Albert Sam, physical director of Don Bosco. Sports teachers Vijaykumar and Charles would often accompany Anand to chess matches in other schools and colleges. The vice-principal at that time, Father Simon, was said to support table tennis over cricket, but he liked Anand and encouraged him. Anand was known as a well-behaved student.

Viswanathan Anand had to miss classes quite a bit because of competitions and travelling. But, he received special support from his school for that. Perhaps, no other student was granted as much absence of leave from school as Anand. His support system also included his late mathematics teacher Lourdaraj who helped Anand prepare for the examinations.