Viswanathan Anand – Chess Grandmaster
Viswanathan Anand is one of the biggest stars of India. He is the only person in history to have won International chess championships in all 3 formats – knockout, match and tournament. He achieved this feat when he knocked out world champion Vladimir Kramnik in 2007. He then went on to defend his position in 2008. His unassuming ways, and his keen sense of strategy and knowledge of the game has made him climb higher heights with each progressive year since he won the international Grandmaster championship in 1984.
Early years
Viswanathan Anand’s career began when he was young. His mother was a chess player herself, although she never played at international levels. She inculcated the interest for puzzles and love for chess in him since he was a child. Together, they solved many puzzle books together. After a point, the company which made the books had to send a letter to the deadly duo, begging them to take as many books as they wanted, but not to send any more solved ones back. In his childhood, he played various state and national level chess championships, at blitz speed. This meant that he had the whole game figured out, and had masterminded the moves he and his opponents would make within minutes of each game. Such skill can only be demonstrated by a person who is exceptionally intelligent.
Anand’s foray into success
Chess is not like other games. Unlike other sports, which are usually tests of the player’s skill and physical prowess, chess tests a person’s mental abilities. In order to be able to win at Chess, you need to not only be intelligent, but you will have to be exceptional. Your mind has to be able to figure out the various possible moves your opponent can make, and counter strategies as well. Viswanathan Anand’s style proves that he is a true mastermind. Vladimir Kramnik was especially famous for his psychological manipulations. This means that he used to play on his opponents mind with the help of subtle gestures and body language, which would divert the opponent’s moves from being attack oriented to being defensive. Viswanathan Anand faced him for the first time in the 1998 FIDE cycle. Due to circumstances, he had to unexpectedly play Vladimir. But Viswanathan Anand was already beginning to prove his true identity by then. He held his own, and drew the match. He did not win the tournament then. But with continuous dedication and redoubled efforts, he won his first FIDE World Championship in 2000. Ever since, his career graph has been meteoric, except for a small dip in 2008, when his world ranking slipped to number 5 from number 3.
Recent and future events
Viswanathan Anand has recently won the World Chess Championship 2010 against Veselin Topalov. He has once again, proved that he is the unbeatable Grandmaster. His style of playing has become legendary, and is the talk of the nation. Viswanathan Anand does not have to market himself. Like a true master, he knows the difference between being in love with the game Vs being in love with one’s own self. His dedication and sincerity has brought laurels to the country, and inspiration to everyone. He has once again helped in proving that the only thing that really matters is how good you really are.
The world Chess championship 2012, which will start in 2011 with the candidate matches, will be his next test. Will the grandmaster win again? As citizens of the country, we all support him, and wish him all the very best for his next game. We hope that his powerful streak continues, and that his brilliant mind continues to shine as brightly as ever.
By: Anindita Chatterjee
Tags: Chess, FIDE World Championship, Grandmaster, Sports, Sports India, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, World Chess Championship
