Chess legend Viswanathan Anand shares life and chess lessons in new children’s book

Chess legend Viswanathan Anand’s children’s book "Lightning Kid" shares 64 life and chess lessons from his journey, teaching young readers resilience, strategy, humility, and success, adapted from his memoir "Mind Master"

New Delhi: Legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand is set to be out with his new children’s book, “Lightning Kid: 64 winning lessons from the boy who became five-time world chess champion”, as he deep dives into the most dramatic moments of his life and career along with 64 bite-sized lessons — one for every square on the chessboard.

Written along with Susan Ninan, the book, published by Hachette India, is adapted for young readers from Anand’s bestselling memoir, “Mind Master”.
It is scheduled to be released on January 13.

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“When I was six, I remember saying that being a world champion was the most normal ambition. But looking back, becoming something is very easy; how you keep it and learn from it is the difficult part, especially when things are going well. It’s when you are succeeding that the alarm bells should ring. But as humans, we often wait for failure to have the courage to take the risk.

“This book is my story, of how I have learnt and still learn from chess, because the lessons do help on the board, but they often also come from off the board, in the bigger game called Life,” said the 56-year-old chess grandmaster in a statement.

From growing up as a young prodigy in Chennai, known as “Lightning Kid” for his blazing-fast moves, to becoming a global legend by taking on the toughest chess players, Anand’s journey is packed with game-changing twists, masterful tactics and nail-biting matches.

The book tries to encapsulate all this and more, whether it’s learning how to stay calm under pressure, bounce back after a loss or think several moves ahead.

“This is the tale of a true champion — and a guide to thinking big, staying humble and playing your best game,” reads the description of the book, which also features rare photographs from Anand’s personal archives.

“Lightning Kid”, priced at Rs 399, will also be presented at the Jaipur Literature Festival, The Hindu Lit For Life, and Kolkata Literary Meet this month.