Hyderabad: Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand received a stunning welcome, worthy of a rockstar, on Friday in Hyderabad. The total surprise on the champ’s face was there for the world to see as he toured two city schools part of an NIIT-backed programme to inject chess’ problem solving characteristics into academics.

“I didn’t want to go on about how chess is played, but this was loud, yes and flattering,” the former World Blitz Chess champion said, after he went table-to-table with schoolchildren from the Delhi Public School, Nacharam, and over at Kennedy High, Bachupally.

At DPS, hundreds of children lined the corridors overlooking the school’s atrium, to catch a glimpse of the champ. “Chess boosts problem-solving abilities,” he said. “Chess is especially helpful if you want a better grasp of mathematics or even the sciences,” added Anand.

The year has been “not totally okay” for the champ, but he’s confident of better days to come. “How do I recover from a bad game? Well, it’s important not to dwell on defeat... it’s important to move on. My calendar for 2015 is still being made; I have tournaments coming up in Bahrain and Zurich,” he said.

He was also peppered with questions from students, and many just wanted to know how “one can focus so much”. “It’s passion... it’s just that. You like something, you give it your best shot. I have been playing since I was six... my mother introduced me to the game. I have not looked back since,” revealed Anand.

The thunderous welcome at Nacharam, gave way to a concert crowd outside where many were jostling for a better view of Viswanathan Anand. One tiny genius even tried borrowing a senior student’s glasses because he thought they’d help... from at least a 100 feet away.

And others were just happy hearing him on the mic. But what’s not to like? Calm, composed and probably one of the finest idols we have in the country currently.