Viswanathan Anand - the former global chess champion from India.

Viswanathan Anand (born 11 December 1969) is a former world chess champion and Indian chess grandmaster. In 1988, he became India's first grandmaster, and he is one of the few players who have attained an Elo rating of 2800, which he first did in 2006.

Viswanathan Anand (born 11 December 1969) is a former world chess champion and Indian chess grandmaster. In 1988, he became India's first grandmaster, and he is one of the few players who have attained an Elo rating of 2800, which he first did in 2006.

Anand has won the world chess championship five times. He won the 2000 FIDE World Chess Championship in a six-game tournament against Alexei Shirov, a title he held until 2002. In 2007, he won the uncontested world championship, which he successfully defended against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010, and Boris Gelfand in 2012. He lost the title to challenger Magnus Carlsen in 2013, and after winning the 2014 Candidates Tournament, he lost a rematch to Carlsen in 2014.

Who Is Viswanathan Anand?

Viswanathan Anand born December 11, 1969 in Madras [now Chennai], India. Indian chess master who has won the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) world championship in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. 

At age 17, Anand became the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship. Anand won his first major international chess tournament in 1991, beating out world champion Garry Kasparov and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. Anand's first attempt to win FIDE's global chess title ended in the quarterfinals of the FIDE Knockout World Chess Championship in 1991. Anand lost to Karpova in a sequence of "fast chess" tie-break games in the final match in 1998, which was boycotted by many of the top players due to the event's unconventional structure. He is the youngest Indian to hold the international master title, as well as the youngest player to achieve the international grandmaster title.

He holds the world's No. 2 chess rating and is ranked No. 1 by FIDE. He was the first non-Russian to win the world championship since Bobby Fischer renounced the title in 1975. In 1987 and 1988, he won the first of three straight Indian national championships, as well as the Indian National Sub-Junior Championship in 1988. The vast majority of fans did not see Anand, or any of the FIDE champions since Kasparov, as legitimate. A series of agreements between FIDE and the "traditional" world chess champion resulted in the legality of this tournament as a title event.

Anand defended his championship against Kramnik in a 12-game match that took place from October 14 to November 2, 2008. Anand drew the 11th game to win the match with a score of 3 wins, 7 draws, and 1 loss on October 29, 2008. Anand defended his world championship in 2010, defeating Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the 12th and final game of their encounter. In 2012, he played Israel's Boris Gelfand in the championship round, but Anand won the quick tiebreaker round to retain his title. After the 12th game, the two players were deadlocked, but he won the Rapid Tiebreaker round.

In 2013, Anand successfully defended his world champion title against Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who won the 12-game tournament after the ninth game. The next year, Anand and Carlsen faced off again for the global championship, which Carlsen won.

Anand, called as the "Lightning Kid" in India, is noted for his fast tactical calculations, which he has demonstrated by winning multiple "speed chess" tournaments. Vishy Anand: My Best Games of Chess was released in 1998 as a collection of his games, which he updated with fresh games in 2001.

Viswanathan Anand Personal Life:

Nickname 

• Vishy
• Lightning kid
• Tiger of Madras

Date of birth - 11 December 1969

Age (as of 2020) - 51 years old

Birthplace - Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu

Zodiac sign - Sagittarius

Nationality - Indian

Hometown - Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu

School - Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Egmore, Chennai

College - Loyola College, Chennai

Educational Qualifications - Undergraduate degree in business, Bachelor of Commerce.

Religion - Hinduism

Address - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Collado Mediano, Spain

Hobbies- Swimming, reading, and music listening

Family 

• Father : Krishnamurthy Viswanathan (Southern Railways retired general manager; died on April 15, 2021, after a brief illness.)
• Mother : Susila (housewife)
• Brother : Shivakumar ( Manager at Crompton Greaves in India)
• Sister : Anuradha (Professor at United States University of Michigan)
• Wife/Spouse : Aruna
• Son : Akhil (born on 9 April 2011)

Marital Status - Married (marriage date 1996)

Viswanathan Anand Est. Net Worth:

Viswanathan Anand's net worth is estimated to be at 47 crore rupees. He makes around one crore rupees through brand endorsements, while his own assets total up to twenty-one crore rupees. The prize money for the World Championship, which he has won several times, is Rs. 16 crores.

His collection of luxury automobiles is estimated to be worth over 2 crores. BMW and Range Rover are among Anand's automobiles. He owns a luxurious home in Chennai. In 2013, Viswanathan Anand's prize money was expected to reach $2 million. He has worked with companies such as AMD India, Union Bank of India, Parle-G, Crocin, and others.

Viswanathan Anand Awards And Titles

.1985 - Arjuna Award, Outstanding Indian Sportsman (Chess)

1987 - Soviet Land Nehru Award, for appreciation of outstanding services rendered to the cause of peace and friendship

1987 - Padma Shri, youngest ever recipient

1987 - National Citizens Award, for distinctive contribution in the field of Chess

1988 - Shri Rajiv Gandhi Award Outstanding sports person - Presented during the Great Freedom Run to mark the 40th Anniversary of India’s Independence.

1988 - "Kala Praveena" Conferred Doctorate (Honoris Causa) From the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad

1991-92 -  Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, first ever recipient

1995 - K K Birla Award, person of the year

1997 - Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1997

1998 - British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award, award presented for "Vishy Anand - My Best Games of Chess."

1998 - Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1998

1998 - Sportstar Millenium Award, from India's premier Sports magazine for being the sportsperson of the millenium

2000 - Padma Bhushan, for being the first Asian to win the World Championship

2003 - Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2003

2004 - Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2004

2007 - Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2007

2007 - CNN IBN Sportsperson Of The Year

2008 - Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India, for his World Championship Title and No.1 World Ranking

2008 - NDTV Indian Sportsperson Of The Year.

• After winning the Asian Junior Championship in 1985, he received the International Master (the youngest Indian to attain this achievement at the time).
• In 1985, Arjuna Award was presented as the highest sports honor.
• In 1988 she was named Grandmaster.
• Award for National People and Nehru of the Soviet Country 1987
• Awarded by the Government of India in 1987 the fourth highest civilian honor "Padma Shri"
• Government of India's 1991 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
• "Chess Oscar" won six times in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008
• The government of India honored the third highest civil prize "Padma Bhushan" (2000)
• In 2007 the chess player ranked world number 1
• Given by the Government of India in 2007 with the second highest civil prize "Padma Vibhushan"
• 2000-2002 (FIDE) and 2007-2013 world champions.
• Award given in 2011 by NASSCOM for the Global Strategist Award
• In 2012 it was dubbed "Indian sportsman of the year" and "Indian of the year"

A notable Indian chess player, Viswanathan Anand. He reigned five times in the World Chess Championship. At the age of 18, Anand was Indian's youngest Grandmaster in 1988. Born in Tamil Nadu, India, on 11 December 1969. In three modes - Tournament, Match and Knockout, he's a great master.

The title is also held in three different sizes as world champion. In 2010 and 2012, he won the World Championship.

In the year 2000, Alexei Shirov was victorious in the title of Chess World Champion. Six times throughout 1996-2008, he dominated the 'Chess Oscar.' Anand elevated the chess game to new levels and recorded its name in the game history. He inspires the chess players who are ready to control the chessboard. Ravi Agrawal, former Indian chess player, states that he believes in devoting his entire force to failure and learns from odds, which may better prepare a person to merit his or her ambitions. He wishes Anand a happy and fruitful life in the future.

Interesting Stuff About Viswanathan Anand

• He learnt chess from his mother and from a family acquaintance at the age of six. The Bottom of the Wall
• He had finished the game in 15-25 minutes during his childhood and his contemporaries took 2-3 hours.
• For one year he moved to the Philippines to strengthen his chess abilities and to continue his training.
• He won the Hong Kong Junior Asian Championship in 1985
• He rejected the honorary doctorate from Hyderabad University
• He loves Moscow, the home of chess across the world
• He is NIIT's brand ambassador
• A minor planet in the universe (discovered in 1988) Has been named after him 'Vishyanand' by 'Michael Rudenko' working in 'International Astronomical Union'
• He is interested in statistics, history and astronomy
• He regards his intuition as his strongest feature.
• He has given his gold medal to a philanthropic group called "The Foundation" in order to benefit underprivileged youngsters.
• He wrote the book 'My Best Games of Chess,' which received the British Chess Federation's 'Book of the Year' award in 1998.
• During a match at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Hyderabad in 2010, he beat 39 chess wizards at the same time, with one remaining drawn.
• He drove 40 hours to attend the World Chess Championship in August 2010.
• On November 7, 2010, he was invited to a meal with US President Barack Obama by India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
• On December 24, 2010, he was welcomed as a guest of honor by Gujarat University, when 20,486 chess players set a new world record by playing chess in a single location.
• After winning the 2012 World Chess Championship in Israel, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited him to tea.