Cleared/MadanCoimbatore: International chess grand master Vishwanathan Anand calls his relationship with the city "very deep". Anand said some of the most important moments of his chess career were in Coimbatore."It was in Coimbatore in December 1987 that I became a grandmaster. It was here, at a tournament sponsored by the late N Mahalingam, that I got my first rating. It was also here that I won my first Asian junior championship," said Anand, who was in the city to inaugurate a chess academy at Kumaraguru College of Technology.The chess champion also fondly recalled his relationship with the late chairman of Sakthi Group, N Mahalingam, and how much the man worked to promote chess and chess players in Tamil Nadu. "I would say N Mahalingam was a rock on which Tamil Nadu chess was built on. He was a chess lover who took a personal interest in promoting the sport," he said. "I also had a personal relationship with Mahalingam. Whenever I enjoyed a good result, my mother and I would go meet him, tell him about my result and discuss my progress. He would offer us some very nice snacks during those meetings," he added. N Mahalingam, was the president of the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association.The champion also spoke about the importance of constantly practising and playing chess to excel in it. "When it comes to chess, it is important for players and enthusiasts to keep on practising in order to understand new concepts or methods. In chess it is hard to explain concepts, only when you play and try it out can you understand it," said Anand. "Good chess players have to play often and keep practising," he said.He hoped that the new academy called the Dr N Mahalingam Chess Academy would become a chess hub in the city. "It should become the first place people think of for upcoming chess players," he said.He also spoke about the growing career opportunities and fame that chess holds for upcoming players. "India is not a one sport nation anymore and people do recognize chess as a popular sport. And the government too does a lot to promote the sport," he added.

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