Grand Master

Sumit Dayal for TIME

Over the course of several hours in his Chennai home, Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand has held forth on Mitt Romney's chances of becoming President, the fate of the euro and the intricacies of Spain's "tiki-taka" soccer style. We've also talked about how he became — and has stayed — the world champion in the most cerebral game mankind has ever invented. Throughout the conversation, Anand has been cool, measured and unhurried. But now the afternoon has taken a surreal turn, and he's leaning forward in his chair, waving his hands and making faces. The smartest man I've ever met is...

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