Vishwanathan Anand

Who is Vishwanathan Anand?

Vishwanathan Anand is a 52-year-old Indian chess prodigy. Vishwanathan Anand is regarded as one of the most versatile players, with a lengthy career that began when he was 14 and continues to this day. He is known as “Vishy Anand” because he has won almost every major chess competition in the world and has remained one of the world’s best players.

Because of his faster style, he was dubbed the “lightning kid” in the 1980s.

Vishwanathan Anand- Childhood, Education, and Chess

Vishy Anand was born on December 11, 1961, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to Sushila Vishwanathan, a housewife, chess enthusiast, and socialite, and Krishnamurthy Vishwanathan, a retired general manager of the southern railways.

Anand has two older siblings, Shivakumar Vishwanathan (13 years) and Anuradha Vishwanathan (11 years).

His mother, Sushila, was a chess enthusiast who taught him the game as a child.

He learned the fundamentals of chess in Manila, Philippines, where his father worked as a consultant for the Philippine National Railways from 1978 to 1980.

Anand attended Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School before graduating from Loyola College in Chennai with a Bachelor of Commerce.

More Facts About Vishwanathan Anand

Vishwanathan Anand – Chess Genius, World Champion, Early Career

Anand won his first competition when he was 14 years old, the national sub-junior championship.

Anand won the Asian Junior Championship and the International Master title in 1984. (I’M).

He also made his debut in the Indian National Team to compete in the Olympics at the age of 15 and earned his second International Master’s degree (IM).

Vishwanathan Anand as a young man at a match in France

Anand was the youngest Indian to be awarded the title of IM.

He won the national chess championship twice when he was 16 years old. At the age of 18, he was promoted to Grandmaster.

At the age of 18, India awarded him the Padma Shree in recognition of his achievements.

Anand made his World Chess Championship debut in 1993 when he qualified for his first-ever Candidates Tournament.

He was defeated by Anatoly Karpov in a close match.

Anand excelled in the qualifying rounds of the FIDE and PCA world championships in 1994-95.

In FIDE, he lost in the quarterfinals, and despite putting up a strong fight against Garry Kasparov, he lost the game.

Similarly, in the 1998 FIDE Cycle, Karpov was given a direct entry to the finals, which sparked a slew of controversy.

Anand won the Candidates Tournament, advanced to the finals against a well-rested Karpov, and lost the match.

Anand Vishwanathan went on to win numerous competitions throughout his career, which is still active.

He has won Advanced Chess Tournaments, Corus Chess Tournaments, Melody Amber Chess Tournaments in Blindfold, and Rapid Chess Championships multiple times.

He is the only player in history to have won both the Blindfold and Rapid Chess competitions in the same year.

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Championships around the world

Anand’s actual participation in the Chess Championship, as well as his journey to the No. 1 position in the chess championship, began in 1995 when he competed in the World Chess Championship.

After defeating Oleg Romanishin, Micheal Adams, and Gata Kamsky, he faced then-World Champion Garry Kasparov. Garry won the competition after a tough 14-match battle.

Previous champions such as Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik did not compete in the 1998 World Chess Championships after a new structure was introduced.

Anand competed in the competition and came close to winning but did not.

Vishwanathan Anand won the world championship in 2000, in his home country of India and Iran.

Not only does he benefit from playing on his home turf, but his new strategy and planning appear to have worked.

He won the tournament without dropping a single game.

Vishwanathan Anand finished as a co-runner in the 2005 FIDE World Chess Championship, while Grandmaster Veselin Topalov won the title.

Anand automatically qualified for the 2007 championship as a result of his 2005 results.

When he entered the competition, he was the top-ranked chess player in the country and a crowd favorite.

In 2007, he won his second World Championship, the FIDE World Championship.

He went on to defend his title against Kramnik in the 2008 Championship.

Chess legend Garry Kasparov praised Anand, saying,

An outstanding result for Anand and chess.

Vishy deserved the victory in every way, and I’m thrilled for him.

It will be difficult for the younger generation to push him aside…

Anand completely out-prepared Kramnik.

Despite travel and flight difficulties, Anand successfully defended his title in 2010 when his opponent, Topalov, eventually gave up the match after being cornered in the game.

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After 2010, Vishwanathan Anand demonstrated that he was a force to be reckoned with when he successfully defended his title for the third time at the 2012 World Chess Championship against Boris Gelfand.

The event took place in Russia, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was so impressed by their match that he invited them both to his residence.

Vishwanathan Anand lost the World Championship in 2013 to Magnus Carlsen, a young rising star who also won the Candidates Tournament.

Anand attempted to reclaim his World Championship from Carlsen in 2014 but was unsuccessful because Magnus remained the reigning champion.

Anand has also competed in Rapid Chess Tournaments.

In 2003, he won the prestigious FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship with relative ease, even defeating Kramnik, his frequent rival.

He also won Corsica six consecutive years, Chess Classic nine consecutive years, Melody Amber Chess five times, and the rapid portion seven times.

Anand with tennis player Magnus Carlsen and cricketer Saurabh Ganguly

Anand with Magnus Carlsen and cricketer Saurabh Ganguly FIDE World Rapid Chess 2017 was one of Anand Vishwanathan’s most recent victories, as he defeated Vladimir Fedoseev by 2-0 in the tiebreaking final match.

Vishwanathan Anand is a well-known chess player.

He was the winner of numerous championships and competitions.

Sofia Chess Championship 2010, 73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament, 20th Amber Tournament, 2011 Bilbao Masters – Grand Slam, Moscow World Championship, London Chess Classic, GRENKE Chess Classic Baden-Baden 2013, etc.

Anand Vishwanathan was ranked first in the world by FIDE for the first time in April 2007.

He was in charge until July of 2008.

Anand regained the top spot in 2010, but Carlsen surpassed him in 2011.

He has been described as the most versatile player in the history of the chess championship.

When asked about Anand, his opponent and rival, Kramnik, said,

“I always thought of him as a colossal talent, one of the best in chess history.”

Vishwanathan Anand’s Achievements, Records, and Honors

Anand has had a long career and has received numerous national and international awards over the years.

National Honors in India

• In 1985, he received the Arjuna Award for Outstanding Indian Sportsperson in Chess.
• Padma Shri – India’s fourth highest civilian award, bestowed in 1987.
• In 1991-1992, he received the first Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honor.
• Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award given by the Indian government in 2000.
• Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award given by the Indian government in 2007.

Other National and International Recognition

• In 1987, he received both the National Citizens Award and the Soviet Land Nehru Award.
• In 1998, he received the British Chess Federation’s “Book of the Year” Award for his book My Best Games of Chess.
• Anand received the Chess Academy Award in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008. The Chess Oscar is given to the best player in the world each year, as determined by a worldwide poll of leading chess critics, writers, and journalists conducted by the Russian chess magazine 64.
  Sportstar’s 1995 Sportsperson of the Year
• In 1998, he received the Sportstar Millennium Award from India’s leading sports magazine for being the sportsperson of the millennium.
• NASSCOM awarded him the “Global Strategist Award” in 2011 for mastering many formats of World Chess Championships.
  After winning the World Championship, he smiles.
• She was beaming with delight after winning the World Championship.
  J. Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, presented Anand with a cheque for Rs 2 crores for winning the
• World Chess Championship for the fifth time.
• In 2012, he was named “Indian sportsperson of the year” and “Indian of the year.”
• In 2014, Anand was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship for his efforts in developing economic, scientific, and cultural ties with Russia.
• On January 8, 2015, Anand was honored with the top country award at the Spanish embassy in Delhi.
• On April 1, 2015, 4538 Vishyanand (provisional designation 1988 TP) was named after Vishy.
• In 1996, Vishwanathan Anand married Aruna Anand. Akhil Anand, their son, was born in 2011.

Vishwanathan Anand and Aruna Anand, his wife

When he has free time, he enjoys reading, swimming, and listening to music.

His interests remain as simple and straightforward as the man himself.

He avoids political debate and is entirely focused on his game.

Anand has been playing chess for over two decades and is widely regarded as one of India’s most talented players.

He’s also known as “The Tiger of Madras.”

NIIT and Instaforex have both sponsored Vishwanathan Anand.

His net worth is estimated to be between $5 and $7 million.

Vishwanathan Anand’s net worth in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency BitCoin.

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Vishwanathan Anand – Social Media

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