Chess Olympiad: On every board, India have strong players, says Viswanathan Anand

Mentor feels team will be able to deal with the pressure of expectationThe 44th Chess Olympiad is going to be different for the Indian team for many reasons. Even as Chennai gears up to host the country's first-ever Olympiad and is one of the favourites for a podium-finish, the Indian team will not be having the services of legend --- Viswanathan Anand --- as a player. The 52-year-old five-time World champion spoke to TOI on Wednesday about the significance of the event, India's chances and more. Excerpts:How do you see the Olympiad making a difference to Indian chess?It's a big event and I think it shows that Chennai can organize an event of this scale. Secondly, with players from across the world flying in --- it's a good way to project your city and it will be talked about a lot in the coming weeks. I give credit to the organisers for having done a commendable job. Ahead of the tournament, is there less pressure on you now that you are a mentor and not a player?Yeah, probably. I hope to be able to enjoy it in the capacity of a mentor and see how it goes. Many feel the Indian team without you as a player is weak. How would you react to that?I think we have a fine set of players. On every board, we have strong players who can deliver and we hope to come up with a good show. Do you reckon there is a lot of distraction for the Indian team with all the talk of podium-finish and expectations of a gold medal?I think it's inevitable. You can't pretend that it's an unwanted thing and its part of the modern world. We appreciate that there is a lot of attention ahead of the Olympiad and I am sure the players know how to block it out.

You have been mentoring the likes of Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi among other