Viswanathan Anand birthday: Know India’s Chess Icon Viswanathan Anand a little more
On Viswanathan Anand birthday on 11 December, let us share some interesting facts about Viswanathan Anand with you.
Viswanathan Anand is the Indian chess Grandmaster who dominated the world of chess for six years from 2007 to 2013. He has won many awards and titles and represented India on many international platforms. Due to his sheer domination in chess, Anand is also known as “Vishy” and “Tiger of Madras”. Without his skills, it’s hard to imagine how chess would have advanced in the country. He is a former World Chess Champion, the first chess icon from India, and is often regarded as the best rapid player of his generation.
Must Read: Some marvelous facts about Sunil Chettri you must know
Viswanathan Anand birthday – interesting facts about Viswanathan Anand
- He was born on 11th December 1969 in Tamil Nadu into a Brahmin family. He is the youngest of three siblings.
- Anand’s mother, Ms. Susheela, was a housewife and his father Mr. Viswanathan Iyer worked with the Southern Railways.
- His mother was a big fan of chess and she was the one who taught him the game when he was just five or six years old. Her encouragement and motivation helped him build the foundation of his career as a chess player.
- At the age of 14, he won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship in 1983 and at 16 he became the national chess champion.
Viswanathan Anand birthday – Viswanathan Anand biography
- He became the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship in 1987.
- In 1988, when he was 18 years old, he became India’s first Grandmaster.
- He did schooling from Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School before enrolling at Loyola College, Chennai.
- Anand won the FIDE World Chess Championship for the 1st time in 2000 after defeating Alexei Shirov in Tehran and became the first Indian to win the title.
- He is also the winner of the Chess Oscar in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008. The Chess Oscar is awarded to the best player of the year based on a worldwide poll conducted by the Russian chess magazine.
Must Read: Dhanraj Pillay – Biography, Achievements and Awards
Viswanathan Anand career facts
- During his initial years, he could play the entire classical game of chess in merely 15-25 minutes while his contemporaries would take up to 2-3 hours.
- Anand’s book ‘My Best Games of Chess’ got the British Chess Federation ‘Book of the Year’ Award in 1998.
- In 1985, he was given Arjuna Award for being an outstanding Indian sportsperson in Chess.
- Anand was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1987.
- He became the first recipient of India’s highest sporting honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-1992.
- He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2007, India’s second-highest civilian award.
- The five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand is the one-man chess industry in India.
- He competed in the 81st Tata Steel Masters tournament in January 2019 held in Wijk aan Zee. His score in the tournament was 7.5/13 which netted him a third-place finish.
Must Read:PV Sindhu Biography in Hindi
For more stories like interesting facts about Viswanathan Anand and related updates, do follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For watching our collection of videos, follow us on YouTube.