Essays

Viswanathan Anand, popularly known is "Vishy, the Tiger from madras’, is the first Asian to win the World Chess Championship title. Born on December 11, 1969 in Chennai to Krishnamurthy Viswanathan, general Manager with Southern railways and his wife susheela, Anand started playing chess at the age of 6. He learned the game from his mother because his brothers did not have the patience to play chess with his. His parents encouraged him and used to take him to the Tal Chess club Young Anand had an exceptional memory power and an ability to graps things fast which made him excel in Chess.

Anand started winning titles from; a young age. He became India’s Sub-Junior Chess Champion at thirteen. In 19X4, 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, lie became the first Asian to win the World Junior Chess Championship at Baguio City, Philippines.

In 1988, Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster bywinning the International Chess tournament held in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The following decade proved to be the golden period for Anand as he registered continuous wins at coveted tournaments. In 1992, In' won the formidable Reggio Emilia tournament ahead of the Russian masters Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. He was the runner up In Kasparov in World Championship final in 1995. He beat Kasparov In the rapid chess tournament in September 1996 and Karpov in June 1997 in Hamburg Rapid Chess.

Anand outplayed the most popular chess software programme, Fritz in July 1999. He went on to become the first Indian to win the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000. Besides winning the Chess Oscar many times, he was the World Chess Champion in 2007 and 2008. In September 2007 Anand won that year's FIDE World Championship Tournament held in Mexico City. And in 2008, Anand retained his World Class Chess title with a draw against Vladmir Kramnik, Russia With this victory; he achieved the unique distinction of winning these ill three formats - knockout format in 2000, tournament format in 2007 and match format in 2008.

Anand is acclaimed as the 'Fastest Brain in the world'. His success in the world scene has made the ancient Indian game of chess, a mass sport in India. He is rated by the critics as one of the biggest natural talents ever in the history of chess. His hallmark lightening speed and intuitive play came to be recognized when he became the first Indian Grandmaster in 1987.

He won the prestigious Melody Amber, Blind & Rapid chess in Monaco in 1994, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2004 (Rapid), 2006 and 2007 (Rapid). The Leon Magistral for the seventh time, Corsica Masters five times and the Strongest Rapid Championship, the Mainz Classic a staggering eleven times. His results in rapid chess make him one of the greatest players ever in chess history,                        

If his talent as a Rapid chess player is legendary, his records in classical chess have been superlative. In January 2006, he became the only player in chess history to win the Corus Chess event 5 times in the tournament's 69-year history (1989, 1998, 2003, 2004 & 2006). He has also won the prestigious Linares Chess event 3 times (1998, 2007, 2008), Dortmund Sparkassen 3 times (1996, 2000 & 2004), Madrid Masters, Biel, etc.

One of the few non-Soviet players in the sport, Viswanathan Anand has been feted with many national and international awards. Anand has received Arjuna Award for Outstanding Indian Sportsman in 1985 padma Shri Award in 1987, National Citizens Award and Soviet Land  nehru Award in 1987, Shri Rajiv Gandhi Award to Outstanding sport  Person  in 1988, Honorary Doctorate from J.N.T.U, Hyderabad in 1988,  Rajiv  Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-92, K.K. Biria Award in 1995,  sporttar Millennium Award in 1998, Padma Bhushan Award in 2000,  ‘jameo deo Oro', the highest honour given by the Government of  lanzarote in Spain in 2001, Chess Oscar six times (1997, 1998, 2003,  2004, 2007 and 2008), CNN IBN Sportsperson Of the Year in 2007,  NDTV  Indian Sportsperson Of The Year in 2008, and Padma Vibhushan in 2008. He was also given the British Chess Federation 'Book of the year’Award in 1998 for his book My Best Games of Chess.

Even after achieving splendid success, Vishwanathan Anand still remains mains simple in character. A graduate in Commerce, Anand is fond of reading, swimming and listening to music. He married Aruna in 1996, which supports him in his preparations for the tournaments. He lives in Collado Mediano in Spain with Aruna. Fluent in German, Spanish and French, Anand's travels have taken learn to more than 50 countries.  Anand is a keen follower of current affairs, world business and astronomy.

Known as the 'Gentleman Champion' in the chess world, GM viswanathan Anand has been signed by AMD as their Brand ambassador in India. Anand represents Vidyasagar (formerly known as the Spastics Society of India) as its global ambassador, without charging a fee and hosts an annual fund raiser for Vidyasagar cadi year. He is also a spokesperson for AIDS (Avahan, Hill a Mclinda Gates counting). His pet project is (lie 'NUT Mind Champions Academy’ that aims to take chess to over a million children.

Viswanathan Anand is 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 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...

It is the personality of the mistress that the home expresses. Men are forever guests in our homes, no matter hom much happiness they may find there.                                                                                                                   —Elsie De Wolfe