Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand, born in 1969, is an Indian chess player noted for the speed and clarity of his calculation. In 1988 he became India's first player to receive the grandmaster title. Grandmaster is the highest permanent title awarded by FIDE, the International Chess Federation, for results at international elite level.

His world titles

Anand won the 2000 FIDE World Championship during a period when rival world titles existed. After the championship was reunified, he won the 2007 world tournament and became the undisputed champion. He defended the title in matches against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010, and Boris Gelfand in 2012 before losing it to Magnus Carlsen in 2013.

His career was also exceptional in rapid chess, a form with much less thinking time than a classical game. His influence extends beyond individual results: his success gave chess greater visibility in India and preceded the rise of a large generation of elite Indian players.