New Delhi: For nearly two decades, Vishwanathan Anand was the lone Indian who rubbed shoulders with the top names of world chess. But it has changed in 2024 with the emergence of D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa, who have taken the chess world by storm.
In April, Gukesh became the youngest winner of the prestigious Candidates Tournament and five months later, played a leading role in India’s golden sweep at the 45th Chess Olympiad.
If Gukesh defeats Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship that begins in Singapore on Monday, it would be the icing on the cake of Indian chess.
The seeds of India’s transformation into a chess superpower was sown by Anand when he launched the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy in December 2020.
Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, his sister R Vaishali, Nihal Sarin and Raunak Sadhwani were among the first batch of talents who were granted fellowship. Three of them, including Gukesh, were in the Indian team that won the Olympiad in September.
In the process, Gukesh overtook Anand as the country’s top-ranked chess player, a position he held for a mind boggling 37 years.
“Vishy sir has been a huge inspiration to me, and I have heavily benefitted from his academy. I am truly grateful to him and wouldn’t have been close to what I am now if it wasn’t for him,” Gukesh had said, in tribute to Anand.
Anand – a decorated champion
Taking to chess at the age of six with his mother being his first tutor, prodigy Anand went from strength to strength at various age-group competitions.
He earned the nickname ‘Lightning Kid’ after winning the Asian Junior Championship in 1984, becoming the youngest Indian to become International Master and then becoming the country’s first chess grandmaster aged 18.
After challenging for the title throughout the 90s, Anand won first of his five world titles in 2000 when he beat Russian-born Spanish GM Alexei Shirov. He followed it up with a win over Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik in 2007.
Three more world titles followed, over Kramnik in 2008, Topalov in 2010 and Israel’s Boris Gelfand in 2012. After six years of becoming a word champion, Anand’s reign would end in 2013 when Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
The 54-year-old Anand remains the benchmark for any Indian chess player and continues to be the inspiration for one and all.
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