He’s a chess icon normally known for his fast play, not his fast food. But that could be about to change as GM Viswanathan Anand appears in a commercial for the restaurant giant Subway.

Fresh from appearing in the inaugural Global Chess League, the 53-year-old Tiger of Madras is starring in a 30-second TV commercial airing across India to promote the popular sandwich chain.

Admin paneer sub khaane gaya tha 😅 pic.twitter.com/4BqLUX3LdU

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) July 10, 2023

Having entered a branch of Subway, Anand is shown sweating—profusely—over what opening choice to make for his sandwich filling. As a genius finding himself in some form of foodie zugzwang, Anand’s mind is working too hard.

“It’s a condiment checkmate!” Anand says when confronted by the options, before bolting for the exit and running into a glass door. “Even a genius can find it hard to order a sub,” the voiceover says in Hindi, before suggesting Anand may have found it easier if he’d ordered from Subway’s “Hotsellers” range of ready-made sandwiches.

Anand’s ad has now been viewed nearly a million times on Twitter, and the reaction was mostly positive.

Caption this. pic.twitter.com/ZieHMu1j6b

— Jesse February (@Jesse_Feb) July 11, 2023

It’s not the first time a world champion has appeared in a TV advertisement with the theme of a chess grandmaster being unable to perform a task that lesser minds find easy.

In 2001, GM Garry Kasparov famously took part in an ad campaign for Pepsi that aired during Super Bowl XXXV. Kasparov beats a super-computer and then dismisses it as just “wires, nuts, and bolts and stupid by nature”.

Seeking refreshment, the thirsty grandmaster walks into a room and attempts to use an intelligent Pepsi vending machine that is seemingly insulted on behalf of its silicon friends. The machine shoots a can at Kasparov before delivering the pay-off line: “Your move!”

In both adverts, the grandmaster stars end up left rather ungraciously on the floor.

For Anand, the question of what he would have chosen for his filling is left open. But we’re guessing it could have been fried liver?