The World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand: Born December 11, 1969 is an Indian chess grandmaster and the current World Chess Champion.
Anand won the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000, at a time when the world title was split. His win in the World Chess Championship 2007 has made him the undisputed World Champion since 2007. In a 2008 article for Time Magazine, Anand expressed satisfaction that the World Championship title had come back to India, the country where Chess originated. He will defend his title in the World Chess Championship 2008 against Vladimir Kramnik in October-November 2008.
Anand has been top of the world rating list since April 2007, is one of four players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list, and has been among the top three ranked players in the world continuously since 1997.
In 2007 he was awarded the second highest civilian award of India, the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the first receipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-92, India's highest sporting honour.
Viswanathan Anand, or "Vishy" as he is known to his fans, became in 1984 the youngest Indian to earn the title of IM at the age of fifteen. At the age of sixteen he became the Indian Champion. In 1987, he became the first Indian to win the World Junior Championship. At the age of eighteen, he became India's first grandmaster. His prowess at quick-play chess earned him the nickname "The Lightning Kid.
Viswanathan Anand who turned 35 in December 2004, has throughout his career, for almost 20 years now, been way ahead of his times and peers. One of the best known non-Russian and Asian chess players, Anand has often been given sobriquets like “Lightning Kid” and "Vishy, the Tiger from Madras". Born on December 11, 1969, he picked his early lessons in chess, at the age of six from his mother, Susila Viswanathan.
Rating
In the April 2007 FIDE Elo rating list, Anand was ranked first in the world for the first time, and (as of July 2008) he has held the number one spot since then (technically, Kramnik was officially rated #1 for one list during that time, but their ratings were both 2799).
He is the sixth person to head the rating list since its inception in 1970; the other five being Fischer,Karpov,Kasparov,Kramnik and Topalov.
Awards
Anand has received many awards
- Arjuna Award for Outstanding Indian Sportsman in Chess in 1985
- Padma Shri, National Citizens Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1987
- The inaugural Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour in the year 1991-1992
- British Chess Federation 'Book of the Year' Award in 1998 for his book My Best Games of Chess
- Padma Bhushan in 2000
- Jameo de Oro the highest honour given by the Government of Lanzarote in Spain on 25th April 2001। The award is given to illustrious personalities with extraordinary achievements.
- Chess Oscar (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2007).
Sportstar Millennium Award in 1998, from India's premier Sports magazine for being the sportperson of the Millennium. - Padma Vibhushan in 2007.
