My Favorite Sports Start

There are many famous personalities in the field of sports. In our country people generally love cricket and cricket players. But there are many other sports which are played and other players who have attained extraordinary heights in their respective fields. Among all the sports stars the person who appeals to me the most is the Indian chess player Vishwanathan Anand. In my opinion chess is a very difficult game. This is a mind game and everybody cannot play it. Anand is the first Indian and Asian to become undisputed world champion. He achieved this distinction in 2007. Not only this, he has also won a large number of other titles in this game. He has brought much glory and honour to Indian in the field of chess.

Vishwanathan Anand was born on December 11,1969 in Chennai. He began his training of chess at the age of six from his mother, Susheela. She gave him the first lessons in chess. Anand holds a degree in Commerce. His other hobbies are reading swimming and listening to music. He can speak many languages like English,Tamil,Spanish,French and German. He presently lives at Callodo Mediano in Spain with his wife Aruna. But he frequently visits India and loves his country. Anand is called by many names like ‘One Man Indian Chess Revolution , Boy Wonder,’ The Tiger of Madras’,etc.

Anand’s rise in the Indian chess world was meteoric. National level success came early for him when he won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship in 1983 at the age of fourteen. He became the youngest Indian and Asian to win the International Master Title at the age fifteen in 1984. At the age of sixteen he became the youngest National Champion in 1986. In 1987 he became the first Indian to win  the world Junior chess Championship and became India’s first Grandmaster.

Vishy, as Anand is sometimes called by his friends, burst upon the upper echelons of the chess scene in 1990s. He played chess at high speed.  In 1991 he made the quarter finals of the FIDE Candidates Tournament. Anand qualified for the professional chess association’s world Chess Championship final by winning the candidates matches against some of the great champions of chess in 1995. He won three consecutive advanced chess tournaments. In 1998 he became the first Indian and Asian to win Chess Oscar. In2000 he won the FIDE World Championship. In 2003 he won FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship. In 2006 he became the first Indian and Asian to cross 2800 ELO rating. In September, 2007 Anand became the World Champion by winning that year’s FIDE world Championship Tournament held in Mexico City.

Anand is one of the five players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list. Anand became the undisputed world Chamion in 2007 and defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, with this win, he became the first player in chess history to have won the world Championship in three different formats Knockout Tournament and Match. He then successfully defended his title in the world chess Championship 2010 against Vaselin Topalov.

Anand has received many awards for his extraordinary achievements in chess. In 1985 Anand got three awards Padma ,National Citizens Awards and Soviet Land Nehru Awards. He recieved Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-1992. He was the first recipient of this award which is India’s highest sporting honour. For his book my Best Games of chess, he got British chess Fedration Book of the year award is given to illustrious personalities with extraordinary in Spain in 2001. The award in 1998 he got sport star millennium Award from India  premier sports magazine for being the sports person of the millennium. In 2007 he was awarded Padma Vibhushan making him the first sportsperson tp receive the award in Indian history.

Anand has been giving extraordinary performances repeatedly in all the national and international championships. He is the inspiration for all the chess lovers. Following his footsteps many Indians have come forward in this field. He wants to make chess available in every nook and corner of the country. Anand regularly collaborates with young Indian chess players to help existing talent. In August 2010, Anand joined the Board of Directors of Olympic Gold Quest a foundation for promoting and supporting India’s elite sportspersons and potential young talent.