Who had thought that a man from Chennai would bring new life to the game of chess in India? But Vishwanathan Anand did it in a splendid style.
He learnt chess at the tender age of 6 from his mother while in Philippines. Now the same boy has stamped his authority on the checkered game of 64 squares by bringing the much-awaited World Chess tide to India.
It is his performance which reveal all about him. He became the youngest national champion at the age of 16 and in 1987; he became the first Asian to win the World Junior Championship. He always desires to improve his game. He is a very cool and calm personality.
The Indian Government has applauded the performance of Vishy and awarded him many prestigious titles like the Arjuna Award, Padma Bhutan and Padma Shri. He has also been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Soviet Nehru Award. He received the famous International Chess Oscars for two successive years and became the first Asian to win the Chess Oscar.