Viswanathan Anand remembers SP Balasubrahmanyam’s great help when he was 13

“Really sad to hear about the passing away of such a great yet simple person. He was my first sponsor! He sponsored our team Chennai Colts in the national team championship in 1983. One of the nicest persons I have met. His music gave us such joy #RIPSPB,” tweeted the legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand soon after SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on Friday. This tweet has prompted many to talk about how SPB came to sponsor Anand.

Speaking to ESPN, Anand revealed that the Madras District Chess Association was broke in 1983 and so, it was unable to sponsor the Madras Colts team, of which Anand was a part, for the National Team Championship.

This is when Aarudhra came to know about the situation from a friend in the sports field. SPB happened to be recording a song at a Chennai studio with the lyric writer at that time. Aarudhra asked SPB to write a blank cheque. SPB did so without any questions asked. At that time, SPB didn’t know that his money would help the 13-year-old Anand. Years later, Anand would become an international player par excellence.