In our series ‘World Champion Born On This Date’, I take the privilege of introducing the most popular Chess player and the five times World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
Anand and his early days
Viswanathan Anand was born at Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu on 11th December 1969 to Sushila and Krishnamurthy Viswanathan. He learnt the basics of Chess from his mother but started learning the intricate tricks of the game himself at a very young age. His regular visits to Tal Chess Club in Chennai helped him improve very fast.
In February 1984, at the tender age of 14, Anand finished fourth in the National Championship and qualified to the Indian team. The same year, Anand made a mark on the International Chess map when he finished third in the World Sub-Junior Chess Championship held at Champigny Sur Marne in France in April 1984.
As the National Champion, I accompanied him as his Coach for the tournament. I still remember how astonished were the Coaches of Soviet teams – Grandmasters Alexei Suetin and Nona Gaprindashvili – by Anand’s positional as well as tactical judgement at such a tender age.
Viswanathan Anand- The Lightning Kid
In the Lloyds Bank Masters’ Chess Championship 1985, Viswanathan Anand scored a remarkable victory over Grandmaster Jonathan Mestel wherein he took only 10 minutes of time against 2 hr 29 minutes by the opponent. The BBC christened him ‘The Lightning Kid’ for this victory.
In 1987, Anand became the first Asian to win a Chess World Championship when he came first in the World Junior Championship held at Baguio City, Philippines. The same year he became India’s first Grandmaster.
A Phenomenal Rise
Viswanathan Anand’s progress after this was so rapid that it can be compared only with that of Karpov or Kasparov. In 1990, he qualified to the World Championship Candidates’ Matches. Winning the first match against Alexei Dreev secured him a place in the top 5 in the world, a position he maintained till 2016.
Though Anand failed to win FIDE World Championship Match against Karpov and Professional Chess Association World Championship Match against Kasparov, he had consolidated his position in the World Chess. In 2000, he became World Chess Champion for the first time by defeating Alexei Shirov. On winning this match, in their article on the Championship, the Chess Magazine ‘New in Chess’ called him ‘The Most Popular Player.’
After Kasparov’s retirement in 2003, the Professional Chess Association became non-functional and FIDE organised Unification World Championship in 2007 wherein Anand reigned supreme and became the World Champion for the second time. By scoring easy victories in matches against Kramnik (2008), Topalov (2010) and Gelfand (2012), Anand is now recognised as one of the ‘All Time Greats.’
In 2013, however, Anand suffered a defeat in the World Championship against young Magnus Carlsen. He tried to regain his title in 2014 but could not match Carlsen’s energy. Though Anand stopped playing Classical World Championship in 2014, he did win the World Championship again in 2017, though in Rapid time format.
Anand- Inseparable from Chess
I was able to closely watch Anand and his playing methods for several years in the 1980s and 1990s. Thereafter, Anand moved to Spain and his association with Indian Chess reduced considerably for over two decades. However, after almost three decades, I once again got an opportunity of closely studying him during the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2023 wherein I had the honour of being the Coach and Captain of his team.
Anand is now Deputy President of World Chess Federation of FIDE. He is also successfully playing the role of the Mentor of the Indian youngsters since 2022 under his ‘Westbridge Anand Chess Academy’.
At the moment, Anand is accompanying Dommaraju Gukesh at Singapore for the World Chess Championship Match against Ding Liren.
Learn from the Champion
Today I have chosen a well known game by Anand not only because it was awarded the ‘Best game of the World Championship, 2008’ but also because it has been analysed by Anand himself.
After the unexpected victory over Garry Kasparov in PCA World Championship 2000, Kramnik had earned a reputation as a ‘Match Specialist’. Under these circumstances, this game can be viewed as a great way to tactically overcome the preparation of a master of opening preparation!
Kramnik, Vladimir – Anand, Viswanathan [D49]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6!? 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6!
A wise decision to create complications at the cost of calculated risk of King safety.
13.0–0 Qb6 14.Qe2
14.Be4 was more common in those days, with the following possibility 14….Bb7 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.Nxd4 Rg8 etc.
14…Bb7!? 15.Bxb5! Bd6!? 16.Rd1 16…Rg8 17.g3! Rg4!N
Viswanathan Anand
Vladimir Kramnik
Anand revealed that he & his team had studied the alternative 18.Nd2 till the end! 18….Ke7!! 19.Bxd7, Rag8! 20.Bb5,d3!? 21.Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22.hxg3 Rxg3+ 23.Kf1 Rxd3 24.Bxd3 Qd4! 25.Nc4 Bb4 26.a3 Bg2+! 27.Kxg2 Qg4+ forcing a draw by perpetual check.
18.Bf4 18…Bxf4 19.Nxd4!?
‘19.Rxd4 was better but very complicated’. – Anand.
19…h5! 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22.Qd3 Rg7!?
Of course not 22…Bc8? 23.Rh7+– Or 22…f5? 23.Qc3+–;
Perhaps Kramnik expected 22…Bxg3!? 23.hxg3 h4! 24.Rd6
(24.Kf1? hxg3 25.fxg3 Rg5! wins for Black.)
24…Qc5 25.b4 Qe5 26.Rd8+ Rxd8 27.Qxd8+ Kg7 28.Qe7+ Kh6 29.Qf8+ Rg7 30.Qh8+ Rh7 31.Qf8+ with a perpetual check. But Anand was not in a mood to play for a draw!
23.Rxg7 Kxg7
At this stage, Garry Kasparov, who was keenly watching the match, left the tournament hall with a remark “Black is winning!” When countered with “But White is a Pawn up”, he replied “With a homeless King!”
The game went
24.gxf4 Rd8! 25.Qe2
25.Qc4? loses to Rd4–+
25.Qb3!? leads to 25….Kh6 26.a4, Rg8+ 27.Kf1 Rg2 28.Qe3 Qxe3 29.fxe3 Rxh2=
25…Kh6 26.Kf1 Rg8 27.a4!
27.f5? loses to 27….Bg2+! 28.Ke1 Bc6! 29.Qd2+ Kh7 30.Bxc6 Qxc6 31.Ke2 Qb5+ 32.Kf3 Rg4 33.Re1 Qc6+ 34.Ke2 Qc4+ 35.Kf3 Rd4–+]
27…Bg2+ 28.Ke1 Bh3!
28…Bc6 is enough for a draw but Anand was playing for a win as he was much stronger in tactics than his opponent.
29.Ra3?
29.Rd1! was forced.
The game could continue 29….Bf5!? 30.Qe3? Rg1+ 31.Bf1 Qa6! etc.
29…Rg1+ 30.Kd2 Qd4+ 31.Kc2 Bg4?
“Despite being 75 minutes ahead on the clock, by now I had caught up. I wanted to provoke f3” – Anand.
31…Bf5+! was better when Black has an upper hand in all the options for White.
32.Rd3 or 32.Kb3 Or 32.Bd3.
32.f3?
Returning the favour. “32.Rd3! was a golden opportunity, as Black has nothing more than 32…Bf5 33.Kb3 Bxd3 34.Qxd3 Qxf2 35.Qd8! securing a perpetual.” – Anand.
32…Bf5+ 33.Bd3
Viswanathan Anand
Vladimir Kramnik
33…Bh3?!
“33…Bxd3+! wins the house instantly” — Anand.
I leave it to the readers to analyse 34. Qxd3 & 34. Rxd3 and find out the winning sequence. Now back to the game.
34.a5 Rg2 35.a6 Rxe2+ 36.Bxe2 Bf5+ 37.Kb3
37.Bd3 loses to 37….Bxd3+ 38.Rxd3 Qc4+
Or if 37.Kc1,then 37….Qxf4+ 38.Kd1 Qd4+ 39.Kc1 Qe5!–+
37…Qe3+ 38.Ka2 Qxe2 39.a7 Qc4+ 40.Ka1 Qf1+ 41.Ka2 Bb1+ White resigned in view of 41…Bb1+ 42.Kb3 Qxf3+ etc. 0–1
