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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

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

Viswanathan Anand Profile

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