Chennai: Susheela Viswanathan, mother of five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, died here on Tuesday night. She was 79. She is survived by her husband, daughter and two sons. The last rites will be held at Besant Nagar crematorium on Thursday at 10 am. Susheela was more than a doting mother to Anand, the youngest of her three children. She first taught Anand chess when he was six years old and she continued to play an influential role in the path-breaking career of her son. On countless occasions, Anand had acknowledged the impetus provided by his mother to play chess.
It was she who took the future world champion to Tal Chess Academy in the city to help him learn the nuances of the game.Anand’s family moved to the Philippines in the late seventies after his father, a high-ranking officer in Indian Railways, was posted there on a deputation. In Manila, Anand’s fascination for chess grew because the Philippines capital was a hot spot for the cerebral game those days. Susheela was at hand to nurture it.
As an eight-year-old boy Anand kept winning a TV chess contest in Manila and the responsibility of noting down the question fell on Susheela as the programme was broadcast during school time. The organisers of the contest one day called up the chess whizz to their studio to take whatever prize he wanted because no one else stood a chance of winning as long as the Indian was in the fray!
Susheela was 64 the number of squares on the chessboard — when Anand won his first world championship in 2000. When the Tiger from Madras claimed his second title in 2007, his mother was relaxed. In an interview to this newspaper, she had said Anand’s title in 2000 was “special” for her. “First win always has its charm,” she added. When asked what was Anand’s secret of success, Sushila had said: “Apart from being dedicated and determined, Anand works really hard on his game. I think the secret of Anand’s success is his love for chess. When Anand started playing, we never thought he would go on to become a world champion. His passion has taken him where he is today. As parents, we gave him whatever he wanted and, in turn, he has given us all he could. Ours is a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Learning never ends in chess and she was acutely aware of the dictum. “Every game offers an opportunity to know a little bit more,” she had said. Anand’s exploratory journey in the sport hasn’t ended as he continues to chase fresh challenges.
Susheela accompanied Anand to all the tournaments in his younger days. She showered affection on Anand, like all parents are wont to do on their youngest offspring. A shared passion for chess brought them even closer. Even though Susheela was a capable hand at chess, she couldn’t pursue it with dedication as a result of her family commitments. In another interview to this newspaper, Susheela had recounted Anand’s interest in chess.
“When Anand was in school my biggest worry every day would be a knock on the door from the postman when he was having lunch. Those days we received all chess books by post and Anand would stop eating if the postman brought one,” she added. All-India Chess Federation president P.R. Venkatrama Raja has condoled Susheela’s death.
