Secret service: Players set for gruelling time

CHENNAI: Just before the 2013 World Chess Championship, Viswanathan Anand caused quite the stir by naming his seconds in the pre-event meet. “And I’m not going to return his favour.” Normalcy was quickly restored for elite chess players seldom reveal the identity of their seconds before an important event. “Don’t want to go too much into the dates; I will just say we have done our bit,” he said. “It’s existed for a long time because you do not want to give your opponents the smallest of clues,” he tells this daily. Those are the kind of clues you don’t want your opponents to know.” The aspect of secrecy — almost akin to an espionage operation — isn’t just unique to Ramesh.