Cover Story: Vishwanathan Anand “The Gentlemen Player”

The world of Indian Chess is ruled by the King of great resolutions. Chess in India can never be described without the name of India’s first Grand Master Vishwanathan Anand, he is the man who has always scripted the entirely new version of success. Anand stormed into the world of International Chess 21 years ago and had always hit the rock bottom. Born on 11^th December 1969, in Chennai, Vishwanathan Anand started playing chess at the early age of 6. Anand learnt chess from his mother Susheela. Anand manifested his talent of grasping faster at a tender age that made him do excels in Chess. Vishwanathan Anand started as a shy mastermind, but eventually evolved a methodical player who knows how to hold his nerves against any opponent. 

Vishwanathan Anand has always kept his spirits high. The legendary player of the era has done the wonders with his incredible rounds of play. Anand’s magic on the board has drawn into the great international experiences and have blown away the thoughts of other legendary players. In 1988, Soviet Grandmaster Efim Geller visited Coimbatore to play in a tournament. Galler was a Chess Legend and was holding the record of beating great Chess Giants. But, in Coimbatore, Geller lost to a little- known 18 year old boy.  When Geller went back to Moscow Chess Club, his peers teased him asking, ‘So we heard that you lost to a boy in India?’ Geller replied, ‘Boy? I think I lost to a world champion.’ That boy was Vishwanathan Anand. Such a magic Anand has portrayed in his career. 

Anand’s rise in the world of Indian Chess was spectacular. The National level success came early to him when he won the National Sub Junior Chess Championship in 1983 at the age of fourteen. Anand became the youngest Indian to hold the title of International Masters at the age of fifteen. Vishwanathan Anand was known as the ‘Lightning Kid’ as he played his games at blitz speed. It was in 1988 when he became India’s first Grandmaster. 

Playing at the highest level never altered the style of Anand’s play. Vishwanathan Anand has always arrived in Style. One incident that depicted his positive approach towards his game was in April, 2010 when a group of chess strategists in Bulgaria was trying to make Anand feel like a loser. They opened a barrage of taunts to get him to become nervous before his title against Tapalov in the hope that he might make mistakes and lose. The taunts were firing upon him with the bawdy words regarding his age, technique and temperament. The 12 game match was to be played in Topalov’s home, Anand faltered in the first game and lose it. But, Anand came back into the match and took an early lead. In the end, it was Topalov, who failed to hold nerves and lost to Anand. The world champion shrugged off the win, took his team for a dinner and just moved on.  This act of Vishwanathan Anand portrayed the best sportsman spirits. 

Vishwanathan Anand believes that being Paranoid is the wisest thing that one can do. Anand loves to be objective and prefer to change the things before he feels that they are absolutely necessary. Anand describes 2003- 2005 as the years of chess enjoyments as there were no world championships and there was no clock ticking. Vishwanathan Anand is the player who is born to make the nation proud. Anand received the Padma Bhushan award in 2000 for being the first Indian to win World Championship. In 2008 Anand received the Padma Vibhushan award from the government of India.

  

Vishwanathan Anand is the embodiment of success and high performance. In spite of his great achievements and marvels he has clinched, Anand, is known for his simplicity. Anand always applaud the support of his wife Aruna in his every step. Recently Vishwanathan Anand was honored by Japan. Now a minor planet is named after the name of Vishwanathan Anand and is known as 4538 Vishyanand. Rendenko from Japan named the planet after Anand as he is a great Chess player and is also an astronomy enthusiast.

The honors, recognitions and rewards are the common parts of Anand’s life. The thing that makes him different from others is his affirmative attitude and the Gentlemen approach to every game. Vishwanathan Anand is the man of great humanity that makes him truly commendable player of the era.