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There is more to book learning than what we believe at NIIT University. Learning that makes an indelible mark on minds and shapes futures is what we believe in. One indelible memory was recently when our distinguished guest, Viswanathan Anand, visited us. Anand is India’s first-ever chess grandmaster, having been a five-time world chess champion.
Anand’s campus tour was not an event—it was a life masterclass, a lesson in strategy and composure, straight from one of the most brilliant minds of our time. With his phlegmatic disposition and rapid intellect, he charmed every NUton with stories, lessons, and philosophies that extend far beyond the 64 squares of a chessboard.
Whether an engineering student, an MBA graduate, a data scientist, or a designer, the words spoken by Viswanathan Anand on his visit to NIIT University meant more than the topics. Through his calm temperament and rich heritage as one of the world’s greatest players of chess, Anand did not teach a subject lesson but a life lesson.
These are the more profound lessons he taught students, all of which he drew from the game of life and the game of chess:
Talent is God’s gift, but preparation is a decision. Anand stressed that even the best will be short-lived if they do not prepare well. He recalled examples in his playing career when hard work in preparation helped him gain an advantage, even over players who were thought to be more naturally gifted.
He asked students to set tough study, practice, and perseverance as their real instruments of success. Passing an examination, building a project, or beginning a business venture—rough work is what really sets high achievers apart.
Perhaps the most freeing of Anand’s lessons was releasing fear of results. He explained how, as it is in chess, results in life are finally determined by something beyond your control—by chance, timing, and other people’s decisions.
What you can manage, though, is your preparation, hard work, attitude, and choices that you make along the way. This attitude change allows you to work tension-free, be bolder in your actions, and learn from every experience, whether it results in a victory or defeat.
Anand talked at length about the importance of emotional calm. Under the intense pressure of championship chess, he learned early in life that the key to success was not always playing the better moves but sometimes remaining in a state of calm mind amidst stress.
He urged students to look beyond surprise wins and to cultivate the habit of remaining calm in the face of turmoil. He told them that real progress often comes as a result of failure, and individuals can take smart risks and speed up learning if they know the facts.
Anand concluded with a reflective metaphor comparing chess to life. Every move in the game of chess has the potential to open up possibilities or shut them down for all time. In life, just as in the game, foresight, wise decision-making, and timing are essential.
He encouraged students to map their careers with purpose, to balance the short-term as well as the longer-term consequences of their decisions, and never to underrate the power of one well-thought-out step ahead.
These learnings were not just about chess but also about life, leadership, and development. Viswanathan Anand’s insights have left a lasting impact on the NIIT University community, instilling students with the acceptance of discipline, courage, strategy, and awareness in all walks of life.
It was not his advice only that inspired me; it was the humility, sense of humour, and humaneness with which he dispensed it. Students appreciated his frankness in explaining failures and setbacks, bringing out the fact that even champions lose. It is what they do about it that makes them different.
Anand’s tales of overcoming defeats, evolving with new strategies, and transforming with the years resonated with every budding leader, innovator, and dreamer in the audience.
The presence of Viswanathan Anand created waves of inspiration at the NIIT University campus. His ability to break down intricate strategies and apply them to everyday situations led students to introspect about their own circumstances.
“Listening to him as a student was like cracking open the next level of my own game mentally.”
— A Newton of the BTech batch
The occasion was a fine representation of NIIT University’s ideology of industry-aligned education and learning through doing.
Viswanathan Anand’s lessons stayed in the heart of one long after the event, instructing pupils to be calm, think ahead, and never retreat from the next move.
As we continue our studies and personal development, let us always remember the wise words of the Grandmaster.
If you missed this incredible event or would like to reexperience the moments of glory, you can relive the session highlights here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T5oHZLC71Y&t=739s
Viswanathan Anand at NIIT University
