Viswanathan Anand

Biography (1969)

The first Grandmaster from India (born in 1969), and one of the most talented players of his generation, Viswanathan Anand, began his quest for the chess crown during the 1990-1993 championship cycle but lost the semifinal against Karpov. Ten years later, he entered the FIDE World Championship 2000 as the main favorite. He delivered on his promise by winning seven straight matches, including the final against Alexei Shirov (3½-½), and taking the title.The World Chess Championship 2007 was held in a double round-robin format with the undisputed World Champion Vladimir Kramnik participating. Viswanathan Anand won the event, becoming the only undefeated player in the competition. In the following years, he successfully defended his title by defeating Kramnik 6½-4½ (Bonn, 2008), Topalov 6½-5½ (Sofia, 2010), and prevailing over Gelfand in a tiebreaker (Moscow, 2012).In November 2013, Vishy Anand lost the match for the crown to Magnus Carlsen, but made a valiant effort to reclaim it. He brilliantly held the Candidates Tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk and secured first place one round before the finish. In September 2014, the second world championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand was a bitter struggle, but Carlsen won again.Anand is an astronomy enthusiast. The minor planet (4538) Vishyanand was named after him because of his exceptional achievements in chess and his passion for astronomy.

Notable game

This was Game 8 of the World Chess Championship held at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in 2012.

Play like a champion!

Black to move.

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Want chess advice?

# 1 / 5

You need to motivate yourself, no matter what—definitely when things are bad, but also when things are good. Otherwise, you risk becoming complacent.

Confidence is very important—even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not let your opponent see what you are thinking, then they may overlook the mistake.

Chess as a sport requires a lot of mental stamina, and this is what makes it different from a physical sport.

Chess players have a unique ability of taking in a lot of information and remembering relevant bits. So, memory and mental stamina are the key attributes.

Chess teaches you to avoid making hasty decisions when you’re tense, and also about self-control and being objective.

On Anand

Anand is absolutely great... maybe also a little bit underestimated. In terms of pure talent, I consider him the most talented player in the last, maybe, 50 years.

Vishy Anand always tricks you.

Anand is a fantastic chess player who brings honor to the sport and to his nation with his skill and his boundless good nature.