Sorry Kasparov, I have no plans to retire: Anand

Basking in the glory of his fifth world championship title, Viswanathan Anand has ruled out even contemplating retirement any time soon, even if that comes as a disappointment to his illustrious Russian rival Garry Kasparov. HT reports.

Updated on: Jun 4, 2012, 24:22:45 IST

Hindustan Times | By HT Correspondent, Chennai

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Basking in the glory of his fifth world championship title, Viswanathan Anand has ruled out even contemplating retirement any time soon, even if that comes as a disappointment to his illustrious Russian rival Garry Kasparov.

"He has wanted me to retire since last year, but I will not oblige him. He is the man who regrets leaving chess. He misses the attention he got in chess and somehow wants to be there. Maybe he should play again," Anand said at a felicitation ceremony on Saturday organised by his sponsor. "For me, now the challenge is to prepare for the defence of the title, whenever it happens."

Having accomplished a very difficult victory over Boris Gelfand, Anand was ready for more challenges. "There are definitely no thoughts of retirement, in fact quite the opposite. (The victory) has given a huge boost to my morale.

He said: "Winning in Moscow meant a lot emotionally. It's not only about records. It's just that you hate losing and you love winning. I am looking forward to playing chess and winning."

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