How to Master Anything—at Any Age: Lessons from World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand

Jun 26, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Viswanathan Anand, a five-time World Chess Champion, shares his journey of mastery and resilience. He discusses the importance of overcoming self-doubt and the role of confidence, particularly in youth. Anand reveals how he navigated career plateaus and adapted to the rapidly changing chess landscape. He emphasizes mastering core skills over chasing novelty, and how experience can reshape one’s mindset. His insights on longevity and reinvention resonate well beyond the chessboard, offering valuable lessons for anyone pursuing excellence.

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INSIGHT

Perpetual Improvement Wins

Chess is restless: styles and tools change rapidly, so you must keep improving constantly.
Pushing progress toward 'zero' imperfection, even if impossible, steadily raises your level.

ANECDOTE

A Turning Point At Forty

James Altucher describes checking top chess players at 40 and finding only Anand near his age, which inspired him.
That moment turned Anand into a symbol that high-level achievement can continue past 40.

ANECDOTE

Why He Skipped Norway Chess

Anand explains he stopped playing Norway Chess because part-time preparation didn’t work well for him.
He prefers commentary and finds on-off training makes tournament readiness difficult.

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Notes from James:

When I turned 40, I was depressed. I checked the top 50 chess players and saw only one person around my age: Viswanathan Anand. That moment gave me hope.

Episode Description:

I met one of my lifelong heroes—five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand—and got to sit down with him at the Norway Summit to unpack what it really takes to stay at the top… for four decades. We didn’t just talk about chess—we talked about life, legacy, improvement, and how to overcome self-doubt at any age.

Vishy and I broke down how talent evolves, why confidence matters more than skill early on, and how he battled through plateaus, age, and even failure to remain among the world’s elite players—well into his 50s. This episode is a masterclass in longevity, performance, and reinvention.

Whether you're into chess or not, Vishy's insights apply to anyone striving to master their craft, overcome obstacles, and stay in the game.

What You’ll Learn:

The real reason most people plateau—and how to push through it
Why youth is powered by “inaccurate self-confidence” (and why that’s not a bad thing)
How to adapt when the game—or the world—changes faster than you can keep up
What to do when your best effort still leads to loss
How to retrain your mindset after failure or self-doubt
Why reinvention is a lifelong skill, not a one-time fix

Timestamps:

00:00 The Relentless Nature of Chess

00:39 Meeting My Hero: Viswanathan Anand

01:12 A Personal Story of Inspiration

02:55 Interview with Viswanathan Anand

06:43 The Evolution of Chess and Personal Growth

28:57 The Role of Youth and Confidence in Chess

31:14 Concluding Thoughts and Future Prospects

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