World champion Viswanathan Anand checkmated people calling for his retirement, saying he will continue to play chess as long as he enjoys the game.
“Why should I retire when I have just retained my world title? I am already looking forward to the defence of my title in a couple of years,” he said here Sunday.
He plans to play in a tournament in Romania later in June.
Anand is not amused with suggestions by Russia’s Garry Kasparov that he is past his prime, and that his game has lost spark. “Kasparov is missing the limelight of being a player. It looks like he regrets retiring from the game. He retired in 2005, and he is trying to make me retire from 2011. At least he should have consulted me before asking for my retirement,” Anand told reporters.
Asked if he felt he deserves the Bharat Ratna, Anand said he would never canvass for it. Asked if he would like to become an MP like Sachin Tendulkar, he said he would “think about it as and when it happens”.