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Viswanathan Anand Biography
In World Chess Championship, Viswanathan Anand is a five-time winner. He is a versatile player and chess Grandmaster who dominated the world of chess for six years from 2007 to 2013. He is the only chess player who had won the world championship playing in Match, Tournament and Knockout formats.
He was born on 11 December, 1969 in Tamil Nadu, India. He has also earned a nickname “Lightning Kid”. He inspired generations to pursue chess game as the career. No doubt before Viswanathan Anand, nobody till now received commercial attention as an Indian Chess player.
Viswanathan Anand Wiki Profile
| Date of Birth | December 11, 1969 |
| Age | 54 Years (as on 2023) |
| Birth Place | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Nick Name | Vishy |
| Father Name | Krishnamurthy Viswanathan |
| Mother Name | Sushila |
| Wife | Aruna Anand |
| Current Title | Grand Master |
| Present Residence | Collado Mediano, Spain |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (April 2007) |
| Country | India |
| World ranking | 2 |
| Rating | 2786 |
Viswanathan Anand: Career and Journey of Chess Tournaments
In 1991, he won the Reggio Emilia tournament, finishing ahead of world champion Garry Kasparov and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. Do you know that for the first time, a non-Russian had emerged to become world chess champion?
– In 1991, his first attempt to win FIDE’s World Chess Championship ended when he lost quarter-finals to Karpov.
– In 1995, Viswanathan Anand in the PCA World Chess Championship played against Garry Kasparov and lost the match.
– He cleared the candidates round by defeating Michael Adams in 1998 and faced the reigning champion Karpov in the World Chess Championship finals.
– In 2000, he won his first title in World Chess Championship and beat Alexei Shirov.
– In 2002, he lost in the semi-finals to Russia’s Vassily Ivanchuk.
– In 2003, Viswanathan Anand won the World Rapid Chess Championship.
– In 2006, he became the fourth player in history to cross 2800-mark in ELO ratings.
– In 2007, he won the double round-robin tournament against most of the best players in the world.
– He won the World Championship in 2008 against Kramnik.
– In 2010, he won World Chess Championship against Veselin Topalov.
– In the 2012 World Chess Championship, he won against Boris Gelfand who was the winner of 2011 Candidates Matches.
– In 2013, World Chess Championship, Anand lost the game and winner was a 22 year old Magnus Carlsen who was the winner of the 2013 Candidates Tournament.
Let us tell you that he first earned the nickname of the “Lightning Kid” in India due to his quick tactical calculations and won numerous “speed chess” titles. In 1998, he had published a collection of his games, Vishy Anand: My Best Games of Chess and expanded it with new games in 2001.
More read: Biography of Virat Kohli
Viswanathan Anand Awards & Achievements
- Earned the title of International Master (the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at that time) after winning the Asian Junior Championship in 1985
- Bestowed with the highest sporting honour Arjuna Award in 1985
- Earned the title of Grandmaster in 1988
- National Citizens Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1987
- Awarded the fourth highest civilian honour “Padma Shri” by the Government of India in 1987
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by the Government of India in 1991
- Six times winner of “Chess Oscar” which he earned in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008
- Honoured with the third highest civilian award “Padma Bhushan” by the Government of India (2000)
- Rated as World No.1 chess player in 2007
- Bestowed with the second highest civilian award “Padma Vibhushan” by the Government of India in 2007
- World Champion from 2000 to 2002 (FIDE) and from 2007 to 2013
- Bestowed with the “Global Strategist Award” by NASSCOM in 2011
- Entitled as the “Indian Sportsperson of the Year” and “Indian of the Year” in 2012
Vishwanathan Anand Socail Profile
FAQs Related to Vishwanathan Anand
What is the Speciality of Viswanathan Anand?
Viswanathan Anand, (born December 11, 1969, Madras [now Chennai], India), Indian chess master who won the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE; international chess federation) world championship in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. Anand learned to play chess from his mother when he was 6 years old.
What was Vishwanathan Anand’s goal in life?
What was Vishwanathan Anand’s goal in life? Ans: His dream was to become a chess champion.
Who is the father of chess?
Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, widely considered the “father of modern chess,” extensively analyzed various double king-pawn openings (beginning 1. e4 e5) in his book The Modern Chess Instructor, published in 1889 and 1895.
Who is youngest Grandmaster in India?
India has gained its 79th Grandmaster with the title being awarded to 16-year-old Pranesh M from Tamil Nadu.