08/01/2026
!!!Viswanathan Anand makes a âCameoâ Appearance at ICA Teaneck!!!
It happened!
It happened!
The fifteenth world champion of chess, and one of the greatest chess players of all time, as well as current FIDE interim president (what is it with GM Kudrin and presidents?), the âTiger from Madras,â the âLightning Kid,â the one and only Vishi Anand did it!
In the thirty years that the ICA has been around this is by far one of our most epic moments.
When we reached out over the weekend we didnât know what to expect from the former world champion.
It has been approximately 40 years since one of our ICA coaches, GM Kudrin, faced off against a teenage Anand at the World Open in 1986 and to commemorate the occasion we wanted Sergei to
do a lecture for the stronger
campers about the game.
The idea was to surprise everyone (including GM Kudrin) with a video message from his adversary in this encounterâŚ
âŚand it happened!
GM Anand recorded a wonderful 2 minute video for our camp, with specific commentary and an additional challenge for the campers to solve.
We filmed it all, including GM Kudrinâs reaction, and plan to present the video in approximately 2 weeks (when coach Yaakov comes back from vacation).
Ironically, the three campers GM Anand mentioned by name in the video (make sure to check it cause the world champion predicted it!), all had a very successful week. Brothers Michael and Max not only tied for first place in their tournament section, but also solved GM Anandâs additional challenge question from the video (about GM Kudrinâs missed win).
Camper Ben for his part managed yet another Simul Draw against GM Kudrin! (also as GM Anand predicted!) While the game wasnât as exciting as last time a draw is a draw when playing a GM!
Additional congratulations to camper Evan, who also managed a draw against GM Kudrin in the simul! Unlike Benâs theoretical duel in the Italian, Evan fought like a tiger out of a Caro Kann, playing a solid defensive game and pouncing when GM Kudrin missed the winning shot. The position took a turn in Evanâs favor as he then held an extra pawn against a GM! Unfortunately, the pawn was doubled and since Evan didnât like his chances in the endgame he offered a draw out of a slightly better position that GM Kudrin was only too happy to accept.
An unforgettable week of chess camp! Stay tuned for the video lecture on our youtube channel!
A huge thank you to GM Viswanathan Anand for going the extra mile with the video, GM Sergey Kudrin for mentoring the kids this Summer, and all our wonderful campers for working hard to improve and become the smarter generation!
