Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://www.chessreps.com/ Today I’m joined by an absolute legend of the game — five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand. We discuss where chess fits into Vishy’s life today, how he continues to compete with the new generation, and how both his own game and chess itself have evolved over the years. Could his younger self beat him today? Could the Candidates tempt him into one more World Championship run? Will the classical World Championship remain chess’s ultimate prize, or could the Esports World Cup — or even Freestyle Chess — eventually overtake it? We also talk about the upcoming FIDE presidential election and why Vishy decided to run alongside Timur Turlov. And of course, we finish with a blitz game — don’t miss it! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Vishy's X: https://x.com/vishy64theking Vishy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vishy.mindmaster/ My podcast with Vidit: https://youtu.be/JPQ99az19og My interview with Nihal Sarin: https://youtu.be/gxTx2Oaii6s My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs My podcast with Sagar Shah: https://youtu.be/XzCD_ghaALs My podcast with Arjun Erigaisi: https://youtu.be/3Nvfuk70v6g Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:00 — Who is Vishy Anand today? 05:01 — Competing with younger players 10:00 — How much does Vishy train? 11:48 — How Vishy’s game evolved 13:19 — Chess is different now 15:35 — Prime Vishy vs today’s Vishy 16:57 — Vishy back in the Candidates? 20:31 — Classical world title losing relevance? 25:01 — Esports World Cup vs classical chess 27:23 — A faster World Championship? 29:11 — Chess960 replacing classical chess? 32:25 — A day in Vishy’s life 35:05 — Why Vishy nearly left FIDE 36:41 — Vishy’s role in the FIDE election 38:53 — Why Vishy chose Timur Turlov 41:00 — How Vishy wants to be remembered 42:47 — Blitz vs Vishy Anand My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #vishyanand #viswanathananand #chess #indianchess #candidates #worldchesschampionship #fide #freestylechess #chess960 #chesspodcast #chesswithmustreader