15 April,2011 08:30 AM IST | | Manisha Mohite
Chess championu00a0V Anand is over the moon after wife Aruna delivers a son. the world will see baby Akhil only after two weeks, he says
Viswanathan Anand may be the undisputed king of the chequered board but at his Chennai home now, there is another "king" or a new "ruler" as he excitedly pointed out in a telephonic conversation. World chess champion Viswanathan Anand (right) with wife Aruna
Anand and his wife Aruna were blessed with a baby boy on April 9 and have named him Akhil and the World Champion wasted no time mentioning that though the name Akhil has different meanings like 'all encompassing', 'whole' or 'complete', he liked the interpretation, 'ruler' or 'king'. A happy Anand also made his agenda clear for April ufffd whole and sole attention to his son and wife while chess would take a backseat for a while. "I even did all the shopping before the birth," chuckled Anand and also mentioned that Akhil would make a public appearance only after a fortnight or so.u00a0 Anand added he was glad this is not a World Championship year.
Anand is slated to defend his World title next year as with the new format, the preliminaries are scheduled for this year to find a challenger for him.
Aruna back home after the birth of Akhil, was also in a happy frame of mind. "It's a pleasant addition and though Anand had a hectic schedule in the last six months, he was present for all important doctor appointments," said Aruna. She added: "Right now we are extremely happy and exhausted at the same time, attending to the baby. This is a very personal time for us and we would like to cherish it privately."
Even as the internet was buzzing with this news, a few enthusiasts queried whether the baby would automatically or instinctively place the knights next to the rooks. Anand laughed and said that it was too early to make assumptions and predictions.
On a lighter note, when quizzed whether the baby resembled him or Aruna, Anand without a moment's hesitation said "me" and also informed that whenever this question would be asked, the answer would always be the same. When Anand married Aruna in 1996, a few European Chess players had written to him: 'Be prepared to drop a few Elo points after this momentous occasion' (Anand in contrast went on to gain a few).
But this time they are not singing the same tune. The first question is "are you getting any sleep?".
