Birthday special: Interesting trivia on Viswanathan Anand

On India’s chess king Viswanathan  Anand’s birthday, we bring to you some interesting facts about the former world chess champion

On India’s chess king Viswanathan Anand’s birthday, we bring to you some interesting facts about the former world chess champion.

Viswanathan Anand. Pic/ AFP-Getty Images

• Viswanathan Anand is a five time World Chess Champion. He won it 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

• He is India’s first Chess Grandmaster. He earned the title in 1988.

• He is also the first Asian player to win the World Chess Championship.

• Anand remains the only world chess champ to win the championship title playing in all formats such as a tournament, knockout and match.

• Viswanathan Anand is fondly called 'Vishy' and is known as the 'Tiger from Chennai'.

• He is known to be the finest rapid chess player of his generation.

• Anand has won the Chess Oscar on six occassions (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008).

• He has also won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1991-92.

• Viswanathan was the first Indian sports player in history to win the Padma Vibhushan award in 2007.

• He held the no. 1 rank in chess championship four times (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011).

• He is currently ranked 6th in the FIDE World Chess Championship rankings.

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