Anand sees bright commercial future for chess

Newly-crowned world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand forsees bright commercial prospects for the game in terms of sponsorship.

"I am sure that more and more industry majors would be venturing into sponsoring chess players and tournaments in the near future in the country, thanks to the tremendous public interest and media blitz the game was getting of late," Anand, who is the brand ambassador of IT major NIIT, told a select group of reporters in Madras on Saturday.

He said there is defnite scope for the game to emerge as an enjoyable indoor event if it is packed and marketed properly, adding he had seen good audience turnout for some rapid games organised abroad with giant chess boards and entertaining commentaries during such events.

Anand said the popularity of chess has gone up by leaps and bounds in the country in recent years and today it is one of the mainstream sports.

"You should keep on selling it, if the tempo is to continue and the game to grow," he said.