Viswanathan Anand celebrates his 51st birthday on December 11 and he is considered as one of the greatest sporting personalities from India.
When it comes to the game of chess, India always had a rich heritage. However, along the way, the country lost its way in chess. For a long time in the modern era, the Soviet Union dominated the game, followed in sporadic moments by the USA. India just had one International Master in Manuel Aaron. However, in 1988, there came a youngster from Chennai who received no formal coaching in Chess. In his countless hours spent at the Mikhail Tal chess academy in Chennai, this youngster tried honing his skills. His mother was his coach. However, in 1988, he created history as he became India's first Grandmaster. His reputation was sealed when he defeated both Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, two legeds of the game in one touranment to win it.
In many ways, Viswanathan Anand has broken down so many barriers in his three-decade long chess career. He became the five-time world chess champion, has been in the top 10 for 30 years. Let that sink in. From the young and the old, he has defeated them all. In 2017, in a format which is favoured to youngsters, he won the World Rapid title. He has won the Chess Oscars, Olympiad Gold and has even won tournaments blindfolded. Thanks to Anand, there are now 66 Grandmasters and more are coming in the pipeline. Youngsters have all gotten a chance to dream, only because of Viswanathan Anand. On the occasion of his 51st birthday, here are some great moments from the career of Viswanathan Anand, the greatest sportsman to have ever come out of India. Happy Birthday, Vishy!
1. Happy Birthday Viswanathan Anand
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Viswanathan Anand joined an elite bunch of players when he became the first Grandmaster from India. However, it was in 1991 that Viswanathan Anand showed that he could beat the big boys on the world stage. In 1991 Reggio Emilia, Viswanathan Anand defeated Garry Kasparov and also topped the tournament ahead of Anatoly Karpov. By getting the better of two legends of chess, this wonderkid was making heads turn and the world's attention was on India. In 1995, Viswanathan Anand got a chance to play in the World Chess Championships against Garry Kasparov at the iconic World Trade Centre in New York. Against all the odds, Anand won the fifth game and was leading 5-4. However, Kasparov resorted to dirty tactics, which included slamming the door which resulted in Anand's loss of concentration. The tactic worked and Kasparov managed to win the remaining games to deny Anand his first world championship. (Image credit: Twitter)
2. Happy Birthday Viswanathan Anand
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However, Anand would go on and create history in 2002 when he defeated Alexei Shirov in Tehran by 3.5-0-5 to win his first world chess championship. It was a fitting moment for Viswanathan Anand and it fulfilled years of pain and heartache. Viswanathan Anand was now the world chess champion and finally, India had someone on the world stage who could conquer any obstacle. (Image credit: Twitter)
3. Happy Birthday Viswanathan Anand
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Viswanathan Anand's remarkable journey continued as he won the World Cup in 2002 and also became the undisputed world champion in 2007 and 2008. When he won the Round Robin tournament in Mexico in 2007 as well as beating Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Viswanathan Anand had achieved greatness beyond anybody's measure. Viswanathan Anand became the first and only champion to have won the world championship in three different formats. He also secured the world number one ranking and he also briefly went past 2800 ELO points. Now, the benchmark of 2800 ELO points is like having an average of over 100 in Tests for a cricketer.
In 2010, Viswanathan Anand was faced with his greatest challenge not from the opponent but from the elements of nature. When the Iceland volcano erupted, flight services were thrown out of gear. Anand, in order to reach Bulgaria, took a 40-hour road-trip where he watched the Lord of the Rings trology along the way. When he reached Sofia, he requested a postponement but the officials flatly refused. Despite everything being against Anand, he won the world championship for the fourth time by beating Vaselin Topalov. (Image credit: Twitter)
4. Happy Birthday Viswanathan Anand
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In 2012, Viswanathan Anand became the world champion for the fifth time when he defeated Boris Gelfand in Moscow and it cemented his spot as one of the greatest in the world. Viswanathan Anand was already the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award while he also has won the Arjuna and Padma Vibhushan. In addition to many titles, Viswanathan Anand's fifth world title resulted in him being named 'Indian of the Year' by a prominent network. (Image credit: Twitter)
5. Happy Birthday Viswanathan Anand
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The emergence of Magnus Carlsen saw Anand losing his title in Chennai in 2013. Despite winning the right to face Carlsen again, he lost in 2014 in an even tougher fight. However, in 2017, Viswanathan Anand stunned the chess world when he won the World Rapid Chess title in Riyadh. Viswanathan Anand had shown the world that he can never be written off. After the Olympiad gold in 2020, Viswanathan Anand has sealed his reputation as one of the greatest in this business. It is because of his exploits that India has seen a revolution with chess and the number of people who want to participate. (Image credit: Twitter)
