By IANS
Kolkata : World number one and Indian chess ace Viswanathan Anand Thursday indicated that the introduction of new technology in chess would only assist in improving the quality of the game rather than lowering the performance level of young talents.
"The new technology is here to stay. It always opens new avenues," Anand said here while speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of Imperia remote-classroom technology, a unique learning medium that will enable youngsters to gain an audio-video interaction from different cities across the country.
"Creativity is about finding new things. Nowadays, there are new possibilities to improve the game which were not present during my time," he said.
Anand, however, warned that new technology would not be a universal success unless the basic loopholes are taken care of.
He said computer assisted chess does not grant a youngster access to the practical and traditional aspects of the game.
"Practical chess is very important. Computer can be a good training tool. But a kid needs to play against real opponents to be aware of the mental stress and nervousness that the game carries with it," he said.
Nicknamed "Lightning Kid" for playing the game at a blitz speed, Anand would now solely concentrate on the World Championship in Mexico in September.
"It's an important event. I'm currently working on all the aspects of my game and hope to continue my success there."
Anand, who became the youngest Indian to win the International Master Title at the age of 15 in 1984, said: "It is good to see that more youngsters are becoming Grandmasters (GMs) and International Masters (IMs) globally. But it is also important to look into the quality of the game."
"The growing numbers of GMs and IMs are a good sign for the growth of the game worldwide. A lot of players are coming up and the competition is becoming good and tough. So with the increasing number of players the base of the game is getting broadened and the game is also going up," he said.
But the world No.1 had a word of caution as well and said: "For the time being it is good for the game but we have to be careful in future. We need to have a balance between everything."
In the recent past, the world body FIDE has lowered the number of points a player should get to be a GM or IM.
On his recent success, Anand said: "Winning Linares and getting the World No. 1 position on the same day was special. It was a treat. It was a special day for me."