Viswanathan Anand Profile
Achievements:
- Became India's first Grandmaster in 1988
- Became the first Indian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000
- Won , the Chess Oscar many times
- World Chess Champion in 2007 and 2008
Viswanathan Anand been the epitome of chess in India and has gained worldwide recognition. In a glorious career spanning 25 years (and still counting), Anand has taken Indian chess to new heights. He has registered success in both the national and the international levels and has been entitled to a number of prestigious awards, for his excellence in chess. Born on 11 December 1969 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Viswanathan Anand is the role model for the aspiring chess players of India and has proved to be the prominent figure in the field of the sport, since the beginning of his career.
Early Years Of Career In Chess
Viswanathan Anand's rise in the Indian chess world is dramatic. He gained national recognition at an early age, when won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship in 1983, at the age of fourteen. In the following year, he became the youngest Indian to be entitled to the International Master (IM) Title. He became the National Chess Champion at sixteen, and went on to receive the title twice more, thereafter. In 1987, Anand became won the World Junior Chess Championship, which made him the first Indian to reach the height.
Entry To World Chess Championships
In 1988, Viswanathan Anand became the first Grandmaster of India, by winning the International Chess tournament held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This achievement won him one of India's most prestigious civilian awards - the Padma Shri. The following decade proved to be the golden period for Anand. It was at this time, when he registered continuous wins at coveted tournaments. He entered the World Chess Championship competitions in 1993 and rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the World Chess, including Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
Personal Life
A graduate in Commerce, Viswanathan Anand is fond of reading, swimming and listening to music. He is married to Aruna, with whom he is living in Collado Mediano, Spain.
Notable Wins
Early Years Of Career In Chess
Viswanathan Anand's rise in the Indian chess world is dramatic. He gained national recognition at an early age, when won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship in 1983, at the age of fourteen. In the following year, he became the youngest Indian to be entitled to the International Master (IM) Title. He became the National Chess Champion at sixteen, and went on to receive the title twice more, thereafter. In 1987, Anand became won the World Junior Chess Championship, which made him the first Indian to reach the height.
Entry To World Chess Championships
In 1988, Viswanathan Anand became the first Grandmaster of India, by winning the International Chess tournament held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This achievement won him one of India's most prestigious civilian awards - the Padma Shri. The following decade proved to be the golden period for Anand. It was at this time, when he registered continuous wins at coveted tournaments. He entered the World Chess Championship competitions in 1993 and rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the World Chess, including Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
Personal Life
A graduate in Commerce, Viswanathan Anand is fond of reading, swimming and listening to music. He is married to Aruna, with whom he is living in Collado Mediano, Spain.
Notable Wins
- 1986: Arab-Asian International Chess Championship
- 1987: Sakthi Finance Grandmasters Chess Tournament
- 1988: 5 Hoogovens Chess Tournament
- 1989: 2nd Asian Active Chess Championship, Hong Kong
- 1990: Gold Medal in Asian Zonal Championship
- 1990: Manchester Chess Festival, Manchester
- 1990: Triveni Super Grandmasters Tournament, Delhi Joint
- 1991: World Chess Championship, Brussels Quarter Finalist
- 1992: Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament, Reggio Emilia
- 1992: Goodrich Open International Tournament, Calcutta
- 1992: Alekhine Memorial, Moscow
- 1993: PCA Interzonal, Groningen
- 1994: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco
- 1994: World Championship Candidates Cycle, Linares
- 1994: PCA Grand Prix, Moscow
- 1995: PCA Candidates Final, Las Palmas
- 1996: Dortmunder Schachtage, Dortmund
- 1996: Credit Swiss Rapid Chess Grand Prix, Geneva
- 1996: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
- 1997: Torneo de Ajedrex, Dos Hermanes
- 1997: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco
- 1997: Aegon Man vs Computers Chess Event
- 1997: Chess Classic Rapid Tournament, Frankfurt
- 1997: Invesbanka Chess tournament, Belgrade
- 1997: Credit Suisse Classic Tournament, Biel
- 1997: Knock-Out Championship, Groningen
- 1998: FIDE World Chess Championship (Finalist)
- 1998: 60th Hoogoven's Schaak Tornoi, Wijk Aan Zee
- 1998: Torneo International De Ajedrez, Linares
- 1998: Torneo Magitral Communidad De Madrid, Madrid
- 1998: Siemens Nixdorf Duell (Rapid), Frankfurt
- 1998: Fontys-Tilburg International Chess Tournament
- 1999: Wydra Memorial Chess (Rapid), Haifa
- 1999: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
- 2000: Wydra International Tournament (Rapid), Haifa
- 2000: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
- 2000: Fujitsu Siemens Giants Chess (Rapid), Frankfurt
- 2000: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica
- 2000: Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund (Joint with Kramnik)
- 2000: FIDE World Cup, Shenyeng
- 2000: FIDE World Chess Championships, Teheran and New Delhi
- 2001: 2nd Torneo Magistral, Mexico
- 2001: Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez, Leon
- 2001: Duel of the Champions (Rapid)
- 2001: FIDE World Chess Championship, Moscow (Semi Finalist)
- 2001: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica
- 2002: Eurotel World Chess Trophy, Prague
- 2002: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
- 2002: FIDE World Cup, Hyderabad
- 2002: Corsica Masters (Rapid), Corsica
- 2003: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee
- 2003: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco
- 2003: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz beat Judith Polgar 5.0:3.0
- 2003: Corsica Masters, Bastia
- 2004: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee
- 2004: Dortmunder Schachtage, Dortmund
- 2004: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz beat Alexei Shirov 4.5:2.5
- 2004: Corsica Masters, Bastia
- 2005: 18th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon
- 2005: Chess Classic, Mainz
- 2005: FIDE World Chess Championship Tournament, San Luis (Runner-up to Topalov)
- 2006: Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk Aan Zee (Joint with Veselin Topalov)
- 2006: Melody Amber Tournament, Monaco (Joint with Alexander Morozevich)
- 2006: 19th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon
- 2006: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
- 2006: Mikhail Tal Memorial Blitz Tournament, Moscow
- 2007: Morelia-Linares Super Grandmaster Tournament, Linares
- 2007: 20th Magistral Ciudad de Leon Chess, Leon beat Topalov
- 2007: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
- 2008: Morelia-Linares Super Grandmaster Tournament, Linares
- 2008: Chess Classic (Rapid), Mainz
Awards
- 1985: Arjuna award for Outstanding Indian Sportsman in Chess
- 1987: Padma Shri, National Citizens Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award
- 1991-1992: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
- 1998: British Chess Federation 'Book of the Year' Award for his book 'My Best Games of Chess'
- 2000: Padma Bhushan
- 2001: Jameo de Oro the highest honor given by the Government of Lanzarote in Spain
- 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008: Chess Oscar
- 1998: Sportstar Millennium Award
- 2007: Padma Vibhushan
