The Greatest Sportsperson India has seen, Viswanathan Anand, has acknowledged the contributions made by his 'Human Cluster' , in his title defense against Topalov. A very interesting choice of words - Human Cluster.
Despite the talk about computer and chess databases over riding human creativity in Chess, it is vivid that team work still plays the most important part in the making of a World Champion, as this interview with Anand shows.To rope in Kasparov, Kramnik and Carlsen, three cranky geniuses, in your team is a phenomenal achievement for Anand - maybe more difficult than retaining his crown.
It helps of course when you read the interview, if you can try and understand the mindset of a Chess World Champion, what goes into preparing for a World Title Defence, the intense rivalry amongst the top Chess Grandmasters and the fact that most of them are cranky with limited inter personal skills one way or other. Even if you dont, it is worth a read from a Management point of view. (picture source www.chessbase.com)
By the way, how many of us have such a 'Human Cluster' around us?
