Sports
Watch the moment chess legend Viswanathan Anand added yet another feather to his cap.
Updated : Dec 29, 2017, 01:02 PM IST
The legendary Viswanathan Anand won the World Rapid Chess Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
Anand, who had beaten world champion Magnus Carlsen in the ninth round of the tournament on Wednesday, defeated Russia's Vladimir Fedoseev in the final round on Thursday.
The grandmaster from Chennai got the better of the 22-year-old Fedoseev to remain unbeaten through the competition. Both Anand and his young opponent had topped the standings with 10.5 points each at the end of the first 15 rounds.
In the final, the 48-year-old Indian took merely 29 moves to win the first game, and 38 to bag the second. This is Anand's first rapid chess title since 2003.
And @vishy64theking Won World Rapid championship.Surprising his naysayers everytime with astonishing comebacks. Country must give him his due by considering him for Bharat Ratana.He has done a lot for Chess & India.Congratulation. #RiyadhChess #c24live @sardesairajdeep @suhelseth pic.twitter.com/rJWqQ0LZ29
— Rajesh Bhatti (@rjsh8756) December 28, 2017
President of India Ramnath Kovind and chess stalwart Garry Kasparov were among the first ones to congratulate Anand on his feat.
Congratulations Viswanathan Anand for winning the World Rapid Chess Championship. Such determined pursuit of excellence across decades makes you an inspiration for all of us. India is proud of you #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 29, 2017
Congratulations to the man from the sixties, @vishy64theking, on his World Rapid title! I hope you dedicated this latest victory to everyone who has asked you when you were going to retire!
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 28, 2017
Anand himself was prompt in thanking everyone for their good wishes post his triumph. "Thanks all!! Feeling is like floating. My head keeps playing the song... we are the champions! The words ring so true. More on this moment after the blitz," he wrote on Twitter.
Thanks all!! Feeling is like floating. My head keeps playing the song... we are the champions! The words ring so true. More on this moment after the blitz!
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) December 28, 2017
On Wednesday, Anand won a major battle by topping Carlsen. The Indian, playing from the black side of the Nimzo-Indian defence, won the game in 34 moves thanks to an endgame in which his queen and bishop that controlled the long diagonal proved too powerful.
Anand started out in a very aggressive style using his queen and bishop which controlled the long diagonal. The India Grandmaster defeated the Norweigan in just 34 moves.
Anand won the World Championship in 2007 and went on to defend the title three times before Carslen, in 2013, dethroned him.
At the end of the second day, ten rounds have been played and Anand is sitting joint second in the table with 7.5 points alongside Peter Svindler and Hao Wang. Vladimir Fedoseev is at the top with 8 points out of a total possible 10.
Anand's sojourn in Riyadh isn't over, and he could cap off a most memorable year by winning the World Blitz Chess Championship which begins on Friday.