Viwanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand is an Indian Chess Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion who was born on 11 December 1969. He started playing national level chess at the age of fourteen where

he won the National Sub Junior Chess Championship. Another feather in his cap was when he won the title of International Master and was the youngest Indian to achieve it that too at the age of fifteen.

In 1987 he played Blitz Speed and became first Indian who won World Junior Chess Championship. It is not surprising fact that due to his hard work and intelligence that at the age of 18, Anand became India’s first Grandmaster. His hard work paid off when he was honoured with highest civilian award Padma Shri. He was just 18 when he received Padma Shri.

In 1998, Anand won three consecutive Advanced Chess Tournaments in Leon, Spain. In the same year, he also published ” My Best Game of Chess.”. In 2000, he won FIDE World Chess Championship for the first time in his career and established himself as the first Indian to win that championship after defeating Alexie Shirov in the final match held in Tehran. FIDE is an international chess championship where all the Chess Grandmasters players participate.

Another achievement by this great player is his victory in Corus Chess Tournament as well as Monaco Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Championships. By 2007, he was the World’s Top Rank Player.

Many great players have always praised Anand for his versatility as he is the only player who has won world chess championship in a tournament match, knockout match and rapid controls also.