Indian billionaire says he cheated to beat chess champion Viswanathan Anand in charity match
- Nikhil Kamath, an online brokerage firm founder, admitted he had the help of ‘computers’ and ‘people analysing the game’ during the 30-minute match
- He apologised for causing confusion, saying it is ‘ridiculous’ that people had believed he could really beat a grandmaster
A young Indian billionaire has admitted to cheating in a shock win over five-time chess world champion Viswanathan Anand, saying it was for “fun and charity”.
Online brokerage firm founder Nikhil Kamath took on Anand during an online charity event on Sunday and caused quite a stir when he came out on top in a 30-minute rapid game.
The next day he admitted to using “computers” and the help of “people analysing the game” to gain the upper hand.
“It is ridiculous that so many are thinking that I really beat Vishy sir in a chess game, that is almost like me waking up and winning a 100m race with Usain Bolt,” Kamath tweeted.
“In hindsight, it was quite silly as I didn’t realise all the confusion that can get caused due to this. Apologies.”
Anand, acclaimed as the greatest player India has produced, played and beat a number of celebrity guests including cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and Bollywood actor Aamir Khan during the event.
The 51-year-old grandmaster appeared to play down the whole affair.