New Delhi, April 16
After five-time champion Viswanathan Anand’s one-sided loss to Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen in the World Championship match last November, many critics just wrote him off, saying that he was past his prime.

But the 44-year-old “Vishy”, as he is famously known among his fans, roared back to form in the 2014 Candidates Tournament to earn back his right to challenge the Norwegian for the World title. Anand remained unbeaten in this double round-robin tournament, scalping some of the biggest names of world chess like Levon Aronian of Armenia, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.

So what exactly changed with Anand? The Tribune caught up with the man himself for an exclusive chat during his recent visit to the capital. Excerpts….

After losing the World Championship match to Magnus Carlsen, your critics had started writing you off. How difficult was it for you to come out of that phase and keep yourself motivated?

I simply just can’t explain what kind of efforts I had put in to come out of that phase. I took a lot of time not thinking about chess. Maybe, the time spent away from chess was actually very helpful.

How much family support played a part in finding your rhythm back? Do you think your decision to stay away from chess and spend time with your son Akhil helped you in becoming more relaxed?

It was very enjoyable period. I enjoyed my time with Akhil in the remaining weeks of November. For a while, I had no thoughts about my loss and that way, you heal emotionally much faster. I enjoyed my time with my family. I wouldn’t say everything got back to normal after that loss because in London Chess Classic, you saw the after-effects (Anand lost to Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the quarter-final). In Zurich Chess Classic, I felt better but the results were not impressive. In Bundesliga, I did slightly better. After Bundesliga, I flew back to India and did not look at chess at all for roughly two weeks. I started looking back at chess only when I got to the Candidates Tournament.

Was it more about recovering emotionally from the World Championship loss rather than getting battle ready for a tough 2014 season?

It was a very testing period for me. The result had knocked the stuffing out of me. Even in 2013, there were good and bad moments but I felt the bad moments more intensely than the good ones and that was the unfortunate part. (After the loss against Carlsen), I had simply stopped following chess for a while. It was an unpleasant phase and I prefer not to look back at it anymore.

The win at the Candidates tournament came at a very dark time of your career? Where do you rate this particular title triumph in your illustrious career?

Well, first of all, it’s a great result. By any yardstick, it’s a good result, but having said that, there are some results which you really treasure. This one I will treasure for a long time.

Where do you think it went wrong against Carlsen in the World Championship match?

If you look at my game, my approach was starting to slip. Some errors had crept in my approach towards the game and I had started missing the plot slightly. Well, I do not want to go into the details again. In my previous World Championship matches, I was much more focused because you had the whole team, but even that kind of concentration did not help me much last year. I have no reasons to keep reliving that match. I really wanted to forget it. I would like to play Carlsen as a fresher.

There has never been such a rivalry than the one between the two mighty Russians, Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. Can we expect such rivalry between you and Carlsen?

Well, who knows, but we are just into our second match. Those guys were constant companions for five years or something.

You had hinted last year that one could expect change in your team of seconds. What’s the status?

I did not confirm or deny it. I have a fairly good idea of what I want to change and what kind of work I want to do. The bidding procedure for the venue and month for the World Championship match will finish by the end of this month. I would first like to have these two confirmed, then I’ll decide on my team of seconds.

You are no longer the world champion. Have you made peace with this thought?

Everything you do, you suffer a bit in the beginning, and then slowly, with time, everything gets settled down. The fact that I had played the Candidates Tournament, I can understand that I am no longer the world champion.

Panaji, April 16
Indian Super League has got endorsement from top footballers and leading lights from other sports, like cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, but some I-League clubs are still wary of the tournament scheduled to be held in September-October.

Eight franchises of the high-profile ISL were unveiled on Sunday with a host of celebrities from cricket and Bollywood emerging bid winners and top footballers, current and past, have hailed the league to be organised by IMG-Reliance as an event which has the potential to revolutionise the game in the country.

Some I-League clubs, under the umbrella of Indian Professional Football Clubs Association, however, have been opposing the ISL. Goan club Churchill Brothers is among those still wary of the impact of the ISL on Indian football.

“This league will harm Indian football. There cannot be two leagues in the country which is struggling to qualify for the World Cup,” Federation Cup winners Churchill Brothers' CEO Valanka Alemao told PTI. “Majority of the clubs in the country have opposed this league, except for few like Dempo Sports Club. ISL has flouted all the rules of the FIFA,” Alemao alleged, adding that the international football body follows the system of promotion and regulation for the clubs.

“India is hosting FIFA U-17 World Cup. We should have been talking about building a team rather than having such a league. India should have a 10-year vision to qualify for the World Cup,” she said. “A country like Japan has proved that one can qualify for the World Cup with proper vision,” she added.

New Delhi, April 16
Indian men’s hockey team slumped to its first defeat in the ongoing European tour, losing 2-1 to Belgium in a hard-fought third build-up game played at Naarden, The Netherlands.

The men’s team slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Belgium in the third build-up game in Naarden, The Netherlands. courtesy: Hockey.Be

Both the teams started on an attacking note, but it was Belgium who managed to open the scoring in the 17th minute when Tom Boon fired in from a penalty corner.

In the second half, India did not allow the Belgians to convert any of the chances that came their way and in the 58th minute, the visitors finally managed to draw parity when Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner.

Putting great pressure on the Indian side, the Belgians immediately scored in the next minute, this time from a field effort by Boon. India had earlier annihilated Leiden Hockey Club of The Netherlands 7-0 in the first build-up game at Oegstgeest, before playing out a 3-3 draw against HGC Hockey Club in their next game of the tour.

The tour is in preparation for the FIH Men’s World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, from May 31 to June 15. India will next take on The Netherlands on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi, April 16
The seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with an emphatic 41-run win for Kolkata Knight Riders over Mumbai Indians, as Jacques Kallis set the tone with a 46-ball 72 before Sunil Narine completed the task with four wickets.

Opting to bat, KKR rode on Kallis and Manish Pandey's 64 to post a competitive 163/5, before restricting Mumbai Indians to 122/7 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, with Narine returning match-winning figures of 4/20.

Lasith Malinga was the pick of bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/23. But the Lankan slinger’s effort was not enough, and neither was Ambati Rayudu's 40-ball 48.

Brief scores: KKR: 163/5 in 20 overs (Kallis 72, Pandey 64; Malinga 4/23); MI: 122/7 in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 48; Sunil Narine 4/20). — TNS

Abu Dhabi, April 16
Delhi Daredevils captain Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of their IPL campaign opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Thursday as his finger injury is yet to heal completely, according to a report.

Pietersen, who was bought by Daredevils for USD 1.5 million (Rs 9 crore), had sustained an injury on his right hand little finger during fielding drills with Surrey at The Oval in March.

“Kevin still a few days away so he won't be considered for tomorrow. It is obviously a setback because he’s an important player in our set-up and an important player in any team. It is a difficult situation,” Daredevils assistant Eric Simons was quoted as saying in the British media. This means that Pietersen's post-England career will have to be delayed. He was sacked in the wake of England's 0-5 Ashes whitewash in Australia last winter, which made him available for a full IPL season for the first time. Pietersen had last week played down the problem with his little finger as a “niggle”.

He, however, missed DD's practice match against Hyderabad in Dubai on Monday. It is yet not clear when Pietersen will be available.

“I think we’ll take it one day at a time and see how it progresses each morning but he definitely won’t be considered for tomorrow,” said Simons. “He has done some work with the bat, some drills but nothing too strenuous. It’s obviously disappointing for him as it is for us.” — PTI

Today’s match

RCB vs DD
Live on Sony Six 8pm

New Delhi, April 16
Australia were blanked 0-4 by India in their away tour last year, but their all-rounder Shane Watson today said that his side would be hard to beat when the same opponents tour Down Under for a four-match Test series later this year.

Watson’s optimism stems from the fact that the team composition and environment is different to the one that suffered a humiliating loss in India as indicated by the fact that they defeated ICC top-ranked South Africa 2-1 in the latter's backyard recently.

“We're playing some very good tough Test cricket. We beat South Africa on their home soil which was a huge achievement for us as well. So under all these conditions, we're certainly going to be hard to beat,” Watson said.

“It's certainly a totally different unit to what we were in the Test series we played in India. We had a lot of issues that were going on in and around our team. So it's certainly a very different environment now that we've got,” he explained. Watson was referring to the suspension of himself and three other players by the team management from the third Test at Mohali for failing to complete homework assignment after the heavy losses suffered by the visitors in the first and second Tests and Chennai and Hyderabad respectively.

He feels India's plight in Australia in adapting to wicket conditions would be similar to theirs in this country. “Indians would have to come over and adjust to the pace and bounce and wickets, with how we are as a team. We are a much better and tighter unit and playing smarter,” he said. — PTI

New Delhi, April 16
Rising woman pugilist Jamuna Boro took merely over a minute to book a pre-quarterfinal berth as Indian boxers continued their fine performance in the World Youth Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, today.

Boro won against Lesotho's Ntsike Mofalali in a Technical Knockout (TKO) in her opening featherweight 57kg bout. The Indian forced two knockdowns within two minutes of the bout's start which Mofalali could not withstand. In fact, the boxer from Lesotho collapsed in the ring when counting was on following the second knockdown after a ferocious display by Boro.

Boro will now be up against the winner of the clash between Ukraine's Anhelina Bondarenko and Azerbaijan's Maryam Jabrayilova.

The men have also been performing well in the event, which has for the first time, combined the competition for both the genders. Late last night, Sandeep Kumar (60kg) defeated Latvia's Ralfs Ausmanis 3-0 in a clinical performance. He will now square off against Czech Republic's Lukas Dekys.

Earlier, Asian silver-medallists Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Neel Kamal Singh (75kg) were among the fours Indians who were handed first-round byes in the tournament, which would double up as a qualifying event for the Youth Olympics to be held in Nanjing, China from August 16 to 28. Manjeet (69kg) and Manju Bombariya (75kg) are the other Indians to get a bye in the tournament. — Agencies

Chandigarh, April 16
Jeev Milkha Singh, who was in Dubai for two weeks solely to concentrate on his game, is relaxed and confident heading into the $2.75 million Malaysian Open that will be played at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club this week. “I have enjoyed some time off and feel rested and relaxed. I am looking forward to playing this week,” said Jeev.

Jeev will play the first two rounds with Scot Hend and Louis Oosthuizen while the leading Indian in the World Rankings, Anirban Lahiri will tee off alongside Matteo Manassero and Alejandro Canizares.

Lahiri, who enjoyed a great outing at the EurAsia Cup last month, is upbeat about playing alongside the Europeans again in this co-sanctioned event. “I know that I can beat these guys. If I can focus on what I can do, it doesn’t matter what the field is. Coming into this week, I feel really good. I feel my game is in a good place. I’m in a much more positive frame of mind than the last few times I’ve come to this golf course,” he said.

Monaco, April 16
Claycourt machine Rafael Nadal recovered from a stuttering start to beat Russian qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-4 6-1 and reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

The world No. 1, whose eight-year reign in the principality ended last year, conceded an early break but eventually proved too much to handle for Gabashvili on centre court.

Nadal, who is on a 29-match winning streak on clay, fell 2-0 down but the Spaniard levelled in the sixth game by breaking to love. The contest effectively ended there as Gabashvili failed to keep pace with the powerful left-hander.

Eight-times French Open champion Nadal, who has a 49-2 record in Monte Carlo after losing to Serb Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, next faces Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Earlier, Roger Federer barely broke sweat as he breezed into the third round with a 6-1 6-2 thrashing of Czech Radek Stepanek.

The Swiss, who has a record 17 Grand Slam titles, will face another Czech, Lukas Rosol, after dismissing the experienced Stepanek in less than an hour on the Monte Carlo Country Club’s clay.

Fourth-seeded Federer, back in the principality for the first time since 2011, saved two break points and claimed his opponent’s serve four times in a quick master class. “I had a good start to both sets, then I was solid on my own service games. The next thing you know, you’re in the lead and you can hit freely,” said Federer. “It was clearly a good match to start my claycourt campaign.”

Earlier, eighth seed Milos Raonic of Canada was made to work to overcome South Korea’s Yen-hsun Lu 6-7(4) 6-2 6-1. Swiss third seed and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka beat big-serving Croatian Marin Cilic 6-0 6-2. — Reuters

Shanghai, April 16
Lewis Hamilton can chalk up three wins in a row for the first time in his Formula One career on Sunday but Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg will be doing all he can to deny him the hat-trick.

Returning to the Chinese circuit where he took his first pole and victory in 2012, Rosberg has been runner-up in the last two races but still leads the championship by 11 points after his season-opening success in Australia.

The pair served up a thriller in Bahrain 10 days ago and another wheel-to-wheel duel in China would be a further boost for a sport fighting back against criticism of its new regulations.

Hamilton, the 2008 champion, is ready to do his bit. “I’m in a really good place at the moment and walking around the garage too, you can see the positive energy within the team right now,” he said.

Rosberg will seize on any such slip-ups. The German ended his team mate’s bid for three poles in a row with the quickest lap in qualifying in Bahrain and then showed just how little separates the two on track. “The layout seems to suit my driving style, it’s a track I enjoy racing at and I want to be back on that top step of the podium this weekend.” — Reuters

Shanghai, April 16
Sahara Force India say the podium finish in Bahrain was not a “one-off” thing since the car was very consistent and the aim is to repeat the performance at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

In a terrific show at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sergio Perez finished third and Nico Hulkenberg was fifth as the team catapulted to second in the constructors’ championship with 44 points, one more than third-placed McLaren.

Team Principal Vijay Mallya said they have shown in the first few races that they have a very competitive car this season.

“Bahrain was not just a one-off and we’ve been improving with each race. It’s our best ever start to a season, which always gives me a great sense of satisfaction, but we won’t sit back; we are always trying to improve. The aim is to repeat the podium,” Mallya said. “But each race is different and the field is so competitive that it’s impossible to predict. Some tracks will suit us more than others but I want to see us up there fighting towards the front.”

Perez was hopeful of continuing the good show. “The target is to move on, keep improving and target more podiums. Bahrain was the first real opportunity I had to develop the car through the weekend without any issues so it felt like my season really started there.” — PTI

London, April 16
Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski struck twice in a laboured 3-1 win over West Ham United on Tuesday as the FA Cup finalists maintained their push for a Champions League place by moving back into the top four.

Germany international Podolski equalised before the break and capped a fine display with the third goal, after Olivier Giroud had put Arsenal in front 10 minutes into the second half, as Arsene Wenger’s side worked hard to claim the three points.

The result takes Arsenal up a spot to fourth on 67 points with four games left, one place and one point ahead of Everton who have a game in hand against mid-table Crystal Palace on Wednesday as the Champions League qualification race hots up.

West Ham’s Matt Jarvis gave the resolute visitors a deserved 40th minute lead over a tired-looking Arsenal when he nodded home a loose ball in the area.

The home side’s response was swift, though, and they levelled in the 44th when Podolski found space in the Hammers box and his precise, driven finish beat goalkeeper Adrian.

Giroud made it 2-1 when he controlled the ball sublimely with his left foot before striking a low shot through Adrian’s legs with his right after 55 minutes. Podolski then blasted in his second after being set up by Aaron Ramsey’s precise header from a Giroud cross to seal the win in the 78th minute. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Don't underestimate Rohit as captain: Wright
Dubai: Heaping praise on Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, coach John Wright said that the youngster was "one of most natural captains" and under-estimating him as a leader would be a mistake. "Rohit is one of those guys who just jump into the role and fit into it like a glove," Wright said. "His tactical decisions have been great, which is very important on the field. But leadership is all about performance, and Rohit has led the team from the front. He has done an outstanding job and I don't think he should be underestimated," he added.

Bat & ball signed by Kohli up for auction
New Delhi: As the cricket lovers gear up for the seventh edition of the IPL, Collectabillia.com gives an opportunity to the fans to own a unique piece of history -- a personally signed Virat Kohli bat and ball. The product encapsulates the flamboyancy of India’s rising star that will definitely carve out a special place in the owner’s heart. Collectabillia.com is ready to add their unique flavour to the excitement of the occasion by presenting an exclusive opportunity to own moments from previous editions of the Indian Premier League. The bidding for this product will last a week and bids will start at Rs. 1. The United Arab Emirates is hosting the high-profile T20 event’s first leg from April 16 to 30 owing to a clash of dates with the general elections and security concerns.

6 states call for BCCI's emergent meeting
New Delhi: At least six affiliated state units, including Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have sought an emergent working committee meeting of the BCCI on Sunday to discuss matters related to the SC case regarding the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal. The SC said that N Srinivasan cannot head BCCI till he comes out clean in a probe conducted against him and 12 others, including India-capped cricketers, whose names have been mentioned by Justice Mudgal Committee report in the IPL betting and spot fixing scandal. KK Sharma, Officiating Secretary, RCA, in a letter to BCCI Acting President, Shivlal Yadav, said that they are unaware of who is instructing the Counsel appearing for the Board in the SC. “We have noticed the observations of the SC during today's hearing. We are unaware as to who is instructing the counsel appearing for the Board. The issues have never been discussed at a Board meeting and no meeting has been convened in this regard," Sharma said.

Play hard, play fair, says Gavaskar
New Delhi: BCCI interim President Sunil Gavaskar stressed on the importance of playing the game according to MCC Spirit of Cricket -- Play hard, Play fair -- during Captains & Coaches meeting ahead of IPL-7. Gavaskar chaired the pre-IPL season Captains & Coaches meeting yesterday. “Sunil Gavaskar stressed to the captains, the importance of their teams playing the game according to the MCC Spirit of Cricket - Play hard, Play fair,” a BCCI release said. “He also addressed their position as role models for followers of the game , as they built their respective careers. He reinforced the core message that integrity was non-negotiable.”

Lajong edge 10-man Md Sp in nine-goal thriller
Kolkata: Shillong Lajong FC came back from behind, riding on a Cornell Glen hat-trick, to edge out 10-man Mohammedan Sporting 5-4 in a high-scoring I-League thriller at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today. Relegation-wary Mohammedan Sporting took a fifth-minute lead through Ashim Biswas but all hell broke loose after goalkeeper Luis Barreto tripped Boithang Haokip inside the box to be sent off in the 12th minute. The Shillong outfit exploited the numerical advantage beautifully with Trinidad and Tobago recruit Glen (16th, 43rd and 74th) firing in a treble, while Subash Singh completing the Mohammedan misery with a double (29th and 69th). The local challengers put up a valiant fight led by Joshimar d'Silva Martins' brace (47th and 79th) and a solitary effort by Penn Orji (34th) but it was not enough. The result pushed Mohammedan Sporting to the bottom of the table (21 from 23 matches).

Arvind, Sourabh reach pre-quarters of NZ Open
New Delhi: German Open winner Arvind Bhat and Malaysia Open finalist Sourabh Varma (in pic) advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of New Zealand Open with straight-game victories in the men’s singles competition of the $50,000 Grand Prix event in Auckland. The world No. 65 Arvind staved off the challenge from Hsu Jui Ting, ranked 164, by notching up a 21-17, 25-23 win in a match that lasted for 37 minutes. The Bangalore shuttler will square off with Malaysia’s Tang Jie Chen next. Sourabh thrashed New Zealand’s Dylan Henton 21-11, 21-12. The World number 31 Indian will next take on 14th seed Kuei Chun Shih of Chinese Taipei.

Gupta loses to Iturrizaga in final round, finishes 4th
Dubai: Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta missed out on a podium finish after losing to Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela in the 9th and final round of 16th Dubai International open chess tournament that concluded today. Having done all the hard work, Gupta fell at the final hurdle and had to be content with a fourth place finish on 6.5 points. Romain Edouard of France won the tournament defeating top seed Anton Korobov of Ukraine in the final round. The French Grandmaster ended on eight points out of a possible nine.

Pistorius case to be adjourned until May 5
Pretoria: The judge overseeing Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial has granted an adjournment from Thursday afternoon until May 5, citing scheduling concerns raised on behalf of the state. The prosecution, with the backing of the defence, had asked for a delay because an assistant prosecutor is involved on another case and other members of the legal team had planned holidays.

Deschamps to pick WC squad with Euro 2016 in mind
Paris: Didier Deschamps will make his World Cup squad selection with the 2016 European Championship in mind, the France coach said on Wednesday. Deschamps suggested he had to balance a desire for glory in Brazil this June with long-term success. “I’m also projecting myself to what we can expect at Euro 2016,” he said. France qualify automatically as hosts of Euro 2016. — Agencies