Biography of Vishwanathan Anand- The Chess Grandmaster

Biography of Vishwanathan Anand– Vishwanathan Anand popularly known as ‘Vishy’ Anand, is an Indian chess grandmaster and former five-time World Chess Champion who has also won the Chess World Cup Championship twice. He became the first grandmaster from India in 1988 and also had the eighth-highest FIDE ranking of all time. Vishy Anand also became the deputy president of FIDE in 2022.

Overview Table for Vishwanathan Anand

Since we are on the Biography of Vishwanathan Anand, here is a table that gives an overview of the life of Vishwanathan Anand.

Aspect	Details
Full Name	Viswanathan Anand
Date of Birth	December 11, 1969
Place of Birth	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	Indian
Title	Grandmaster (GM)
FIDE Rating	Peak rating: 2817 (March 2011)
Notable Achievements	World Chess Champion (2000, 2007-2008, 2010-2013)
	Five-time World Champion
	First Asian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship
	First Indian Grandmaster (1988)
Awards and Honors	Padma Shri (1987)
	Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1991-92)
	Padma Bhushan (2000)
	Padma Vibhushan (2007)
Playing Style	Versatile, known for rapid play and deep opening preparation
Notable Rivals	Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Magnus Carlsen
Publications	“My Best Games of Chess”
	“Mind Master”
Notable Contributions	Promoted chess in India, inspired generations of players
Current Activities	Competing in international tournaments, providing commentary, and mentoring young players
Personal Life	Married to Aruna Anand, with one son, Akhil

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Early Life And Education of Vishwanathan Anand

The Indian chess master, Vishwanathan Anand, was born on December 11, 1969, in Tamil Nadu, after which he and his parents moved to Chennai, where he grew up.

• Krishnamurthy’s father was a general manager in the Southern Indian Railways, and his mother, Sushila, was a housewife.
•  Among the three children, Anand is the youngest. He is younger than his brother by 13 years and his sister by 11 years.

•  Anand’s mother taught him how to play chess when he was six years old, but he picked up the different parts of the game while living with his parents in Manila from 1978 to 1980.
• Anand did his schooling at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai and did a Bachelor in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai.

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Personal Life Of Vishwanathan Anand 

An integral part of the biography Of Vishwanathan Anand is his married life with Aruna Anand. He got married in 1996 and had a son, Akhil Anand, in 2011.

• Anand became a member of the board of directors of Olympic Gold Quest in August 2010.
• He was the special guest on the campus of Gujarat University on December 24, 2010, when 20,486 players set a new record for the most chess games played simultaneously at one location.
• Anand is also known as the ‘Tiger Of Madras’

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Early Chess Career Of Vishwanathan Anand

Year	Event/Accomplishment	Details
1983	National Sub-Junior Championship	Won with a perfect score of 9/9 points at age 14.
1984	Asian Junior Championship	He won in Coimbatore, earning his first International Master (IM) norm.
	26th Chess Olympiad, Thessaloniki	He debuted on the Indian national team, scoring 7½/11 and achieving his second IM norm.
1985	International Master Title	He became the youngest Indian to achieve the title at age 15, by winning the Asian Junior Championship again.
1986	National Chess Championship	Won the Indian national chess championship for the first time at age 16.
		Went on to win the national championship two more times.
1987	World Junior Chess Championship	Became the first Indian to win this title.
1988	Grandmaster Title	He became India’s first grandmaster at age 18 by winning the Shakti Finance International chess tournament.
	Notable Game	Awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, at age 18.
	Padma Shri Award	He qualified for his first Candidates Tournament, won his first match, and lost to Anatoly Karpov in the quarterfinals.
1992	30th Chess Olympiad, Manila	Competed at the Olympiad at age 22.
1993	World Chess Championship Cycle	Faced Garry Kasparov and lost the match 10½–7½ after an initial run of eight draws and winning one game.
1994-95	FIDE and PCA World Championship Cycles	In the FIDE cycle, lost to Gata Kamsky in the Candidates semifinal after leading early.   In the PCA cycle, he defeated Oleg Romanishin, Michael Adams, and Kamsky to reach the final.
1995	PCA World Chess Championship	Faced Garry Kasparov and  lost the match 10½–7½ after an initial run of eight draws and winning one game.
1998	FIDE World Chess Championship	Won the Candidates tournament and faced Anatoly Karpov in the final. Lost the rapid playoff after a 3–3 tie in the regular match.
		Notably, he described his challenge against Karpov as being “brought in a coffin” due to the advantage Karpov had.
2007	Linares Chess Tournament	He won the tournament, leading to his ranking as world No. 1 on the FIDE Elo rating list for April 2007.

Awards Won by Vishwanathan Anand

Here’s a table summarizing the awards and honours won by Viswanathan Anand throughout his career:

Year	Award/Honor	Details
1985	Arjuna Award	Awarded by the Government of India for outstanding achievement in sports.
1987	Padma Shri	Fourth highest civilian award in India, awarded at age 18 for his achievements in chess.
1991-92	Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna	India’s highest sporting honor, awarded for his contributions to chess.
2000	Padma Bhushan	Third highest civilian award in India, recognizing his achievements and contributions to chess.
2007	Padma Vibhushan	Second highest civilian award in India, awarded for his exceptional and distinguished service in chess.
2012	Indian Sportsperson of the Year	Awarded by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry).
2012	Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Special Award	Recognized for his achievements in chess, including winning the World Championship.
2014	Anandha Vikatan Cinema Awards	Best Sports Personality, recognized for his contributions and achievements in chess.
2015	NASSCOM Global Leadership Award	Recognized for his inspirational leadership and achievements in the field of chess.
2016	Honored with the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year	Recognized in the sports category for his achievements and contributions to Indian sports.

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