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Viswanathan Anand Wins Leon Masters For The 10th Time

admin — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:43:20 +0000

File image of Viswanathan Anand© X (Twitter)

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand proved his mettle once again and defeated Spaniard Jaime Santos Latasa 3-1 in the finals to win the Leon Masters for a 10th time in Leon, Spain. The 54-year-old Anand, who lived in Spain for many years before shifting his base back to Chennai, proved yet again that this was one of his favourite hunting grounds. It was in 1996, or 28 years back, that Anand won his first title. The format featured four players with his compatriot Arjun Erigaise, the world number four, as the fourth seed and Bulgarian Veselin Topalov being the other two players in the tournament.

Each round featured four games of 20 minutes each with a 10-second increment after every move.

Arjun had lost to Santos Latasa in the second semifinals by a score of 1.5-2.5 which was considered a sensational victory for the latter given the vast difference in the ratings.

Earlier in the first semifinal, the legendary duel between Topalov and Anand had ended in favour of the Indian who won the third game before drawing the remaining three.

Though the scoreline suggests otherwise, Anand conceded that it was not so easy.

Santos Latasa pushed hard in the first game and in the second too, he had an extra pawn in a complicated game that ended in a draw.

Anand won the third game with black pieces out of an Italian opening. It was a balanced middle game wherein Anand was pleasantly surprised as the Spaniard went for a wrong trade that cost him two pieces for a rook and a couple of pawns.

The technical genius in Anand was soon at work as he kept on creating problems that became increasingly difficult to solve for his opponent. The game lasted 45 moves.

Santos Latasa faced an unpleasant task of winning on demand as black in the final game.

This is something that even the best in the world would not feel comfortable with and Anand got a fine position after trading the Queens early out of a Rossolimo opening.

Latasa kept looking for complications but Anand was determined and it was all over in 37 moves.

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“Have Heavily Benefitted From His Academy”: Gukesh D On Chess Legend Viswanathan Anand

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:14:06 +0000

Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh on Thursday thanked the legendary Viswanathan Anand for playing a huge role in shaping his career, saying “I wouldn’t have been close to what I am now if it wasn’t for him”. The 17-year-old Grandmaster scripted history on Monday by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto to become the youngest ever challenger to the world title, beating a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago. The triumph paved the way for Gukesh’s clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China later this year.

“Vishy sir has been a huge inspiration for 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 said at a press conference a few hours after his arrival here to a rousing reception from fans and schoolmates.

Gukesh has trained at the Westbridge-Anand Chess Academy which came into existence in 2020. Incidentally, before Gukesh, Anand was the only Indian to have won the Candidates, the last time being 2014.

Speaking about his much-anticipated clash against Liren, Gukesh said, “The biggest challenge against Ding would be how I prepare myself and being in the right state of mind since it will be a big match.

“There are a lot of expectations and a lot at stake. I have full belief in myself and will be going in with the same strategy. Hopefully, it will work out well.” The history-making teen was swamped by fans as he returned to an enthusiastic reception early this morning.

Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet him.

“I am happy to see what the victory meant to the country. I was delighted to see young kids full of energy and rooting for me the moment I landed in Chennai. It’s truly special and means a lot to me,” he said.

His mother Padma, who is a microbiologist, was at the airport to receive him. His father Rajinikanth had travelled with Gukesh to Toronto.

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NDTV Exclusive: Behind Gukesh's Rise, A "Risky Decision Opposed By Family'

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 02:37:52 +0000

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh became the youngest challenger to the world title following his triumph at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto earlier this week. The 17-year-old is the first Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Tournament. Speaking to NDTV, Gukesh’s father, Dr Rajinikanth said his decision to quit medicine practice has finally paid off. Rajnikanth, who is a surgeon, had quit his practice to help his son achieve his dreams.

“Initially it was a risky decision and the move was opposed by my family. But, in order to achieve something, we have to make such decisions. Looking back, i think it was the right decision. It could’ve been seen as a double-edged decision but luckily it helped us,” Rajnikanth told NDTV at Chennai airport on Wednesday night.

Recalling the moment of the decisive tie, Rajnikanth revealed that Gukesh had shifted his focus towards the tiebreaks as nobody was sure about the result due to the delay in broadcast.

“It was a tense moment as the game was fluctuating. We were not sure about the result and felt that he should better prepare for the tiebreaks next day. They wanted to have a walk and suddenly the organiser told me that the match was over. There was 15-min delay in broadcast so we weren’t aware of the situation,” he added.

Lastly, Rajnikanth credited the legendary Viswanathan Anand for inspiring young chess players in Tamil Nadu.

On Wednesday night, Gukesh received a rousing reception from fans at the Chennai airport upon his return from Toronto.

Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet the Candidates Chess Tournament winner.

“I feel very happy for this homecoming, this is a special achievement. I was in a good space since the beginning of the tournament, I had full confidence that I will emerge top in this tournament and luck was on my side as well,” Gukesh told the media at the airport.

“It’s good to see so many people enjoy chess…I thank the Tamil Nadu government. I thank my Appa, Amma, coach, friends, family, sponsor and my school for being alongside me and playing an amazing role in helping me win this tournament,” he added.

(With PTI Inputs)

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“My Kidnappers, Let Me Go”: Viswanathan Anand’s Post Viral. Provides Details

admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 14:18:56 +0000

Viswanathan Anand is not only a legend of Indian sport but he seems to have great sense of humour too. On Friday, the man who has been instrumental in making chess attractive for many Indian kids, posted an interesting plea on social media medium X. “At the Airport! My Kidnappers, let me go. @alexandrabotez @itsandreabotez,” he wrote. At first sight, such a post would raise tension. The comment went viral on social media too. However, Viswanathan Anand quickly started a X thread to allay any fears by his fans.

Alexandra Botez and Andrea Botez are chess players who also double up as content creators on social media. Viswanathan Anand’s post was in jest and it involved a chess move.

“Alexandra Botez told me I had to solve a chess position to win my freedom. Andrea asked what Black should play in this position. I told her Kd5, and they let me go,” Anand later added in a X thread.

“Extra explanation: Since this is a race, black should play Kd5 Slowing the white king march to the Queen side. And a quicker hostage release!” he added further.

Extra explanation: Since this is a race, black should play Kd5 Slowing the white king march to the Queen side
And a quicker hostage release!

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) March 1, 2024

Viswanathan is a five-time world champion. Anand also became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, and has the eighth highest peak FIDE rating of all-time. Last year he said that this is a golden time for Indian chess. Anand was quoted as saying that he was amazed by the fact that most of the current lot possesses a 2,700-plus Elo rating, especially below 20 years of age, terming it “special”.

“I’m throwing in the title early, but they are a golden generation. They are all in the 2,700-plus group (Elo rating). And they’re all under 20. That just does not happen; it’s really something special.

“And what this means, and the reason I call them the golden generation, is they’re going to spend the next ten years at the top. With varying career trajectories, of course, but they’re going to spend the next 10 years being rivals and colleagues and friends and everything.”In Friday, he posted an interesting line on X.

Recently, the chess legend grabbed the limelight at Lollapalooza 2024 by enthusiastically singing along in the crowd during iconic singer Sting’s performance on stage. He delivered classic lines from The Police’s hit song “Roxanne,” and a video capturing Mr Viswanathan’s joyous moment went viral, prompting widespread applause on the internet.

Viswanathan took to social media platform X to share his fanboy moment, he wrote, “When I was very young, songs like “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne” by The Police made a huge impression on me. Fast forward to now, and I can say I know most of their songs and Sting’s solo albums as well. They’ve been a constant on my playlist over the years.”

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“You Can’t Ask For A Better Team”: Viswanathan Anand On India’s Chess Squad For Asian Games

admin — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 16:15:43 +0000

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand on Tuesday said he could not have asked for a stronger Indian chess lineup in the upcoming Asian Games. Indian chess has been on a stunning upswing, and in the recently-concluded Baku World Cup, an unprecedented four Indian players advanced to the quarterfinals, with R Praggnanandhaa making history by becoming the youngest to win a silver medal. Adding to this wave of success, last week saw Anand’s 17-year-old protege, D Gukesh, ending his mentor’s 37-year-long reign as India’s No. 1 player.

Gukesh achieved an impressive Elo rating of 2758, surpassing the Indian legend by four points and marking a significant milestone in the country’s chess history.

“I’m always nervous to just look at the rankings and think, oh, we’re going to win this, we’re going to win that,” Anand said during a media interaction on the sidelines of Tata Steel Chess India here.

“There are other very good teams. Uzbekistan is good. Vietnam is good. China will field a great contingent. So we will have rivals, but you can’t ask for a better team than what we have,” he said about India’s Asian Games prospects.

“Standards in India have caught up with everywhere else. And still, I don’t want to explain this only in general terms. We must give credit to the individuals.

“This is a very talented group of individuals. Whether they outperform the previous generation is up to them and we will see. But we have a talented generation of individuals.” China will be spearheaded by the reigning world champion Ling Diren.

India have named a 10-member squad in men’s and women’s section with the likes of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna and Arjun Erigaisi leading the men’s challenge.

GM Koneru Humpy, a two-time Asian Games gold medallist, and Harika Dronavalli will lead the women’s challenge.

Speaking about India’s rise in chess, Anand said he never anticipated something like this would happen when he started his academy (WACA) three years ago.

“I have two colleagues in the top-20. First time, Gukesh is not only in the top-10 with me, he’s even ahead of me. Pragg is in Candidates, Gukesh can still make it into the Candidates. On top of that Arjun, Vidit, Hari a little bit behind, then Nihal.

“The reason I said this is a golden generation is because, with the exception of Arjun, who became 20 maybe two days ago, they’re all teenagers which means, very conservatively, for the next 10 years, every top tournament, we, as Indians, can hope for one of our players there to watch and root for.

“So it’s a great time to be an Indian chess fan also, and just very, very exciting.” Anand further said the upswing is similar to what Russia had 50 years back, and the challenge is to improve the women’s lineup.

“The Indian junior circuit, starting from under 12 all the way, is one of the best in the world. You’re never sure of your place. They motivate each other nicely, they exchange ideas. I’m almost tempted to say what it used to be in Russia or the Soviet Union 50 years back.

“In India we have one of the best ecosystems. If you want to play, there are lots and lots of people who will teach you. Then, for almost every stage, there are highly specialised people, coaches, having academies. What’s even more important is they get to interact with each other.” “We have a dream setup for youngsters. There’s still a challenge, how to get more girls in. It’s still slightly southern-focused, maybe Bengal and Maharashtra, but we need to spread it out elsewhere. But essentially, the ingredients are there.” “I’m very happy to have stepped aside and India is still being well represented in these tournaments. It’s exciting to watch and the game is growing, this is all I can hope for really.”

Carlsen always hungry for success

Asked what makes Magnus Carlsen so tough to beat, Anand said: “He always had a natural ability to make fewer mistakes. I think someone said that he doesn’t often find the best move, but he will almost never make the worst move.

“He might make the third best move and it’s good enough, but he’ll almost never blunder. And it’s true that it’s hard to remember games which he has lost easily.

“The other thing for me which is impressive is that he keeps his motivation so high. Not only for big events, he plays also minor events. He seems to have a hunger for chess that is special.

“He’s not unique in the second regard, but he’ll just sit and play bullets for hours. And he’ll play some casual tournament and he’ll do this. He’ll play tournaments he’s already qualified for and things like that. He just keeps a very high motivation,” Anand signed off.

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Tharman Shanmugaratnam joins growing list of Indian-origin leaders dominating world politics

admin — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 06:12:52 +0000

With Tharman Shanmugaratnam winning Singapore’s presidential election, he joins a long list of Indian-origin leaders who are dominating politics at important world capitals.

Mr. Shanmugaratnam, 66, received 70.4 per cent of the votes in the presidential election held on Friday.

“Singaporeans have chosen Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam to be our next president by a decisive margin,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said as he congratulated Tharman on Saturday.

He is among several leaders of Indian heritage who have ascended to the highest echelon of public service globally.

His victory signifies the rising influence of Indians across the globe.

Growing influence in U.S.

In the United States the growing influence of the Indian-American community can be seen in the success of Kamala Harris, who became the first woman and the first coloured Vice President of the country.

She was a senator for California from 2017 to 2021. Harris, a Democrat, also served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. She was born to Indian and Jamaican parents in California.

In the crucial midterm elections in November, a record five Indian-American lawmakers from the ruling Democrat Party ¬ Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Shri Thanedar ¬ were elected to the US House of Representatives.

Harmeet Dhillon, a prominent politician in California, recently contested the election for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Indian-origin leaders like Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy have launched their bid for the White House in 2024.

Rishi Sunak became Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister last year. He is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister. Goan-origin Suella Braverman is serving as his Home Secretary.

Claire Coutinho is the second Goan-origin minister after Braverman in the Sunak Cabinet.

She recently got a big promotion as his new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary.

Under Sunak’s predecessor, Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, Priti Patel was the Home Secretary. Alok Sharma was the International Development Secretary in the Johnson Cabinet.

Ireland’s Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Eric Varadkar is also of Indian origin. Varadkar is the third child and only son of Ashok and Miriam Varadkar. His father, a doctor, was born in Mumbai and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Antonio Costa has been the Prime Minister of Portugal since 2015. He is half Indian and half Portuguese.

Anita Anand is the first Hindu to become a federal minister in Canada. Anand assumed the role of President of the Treasury Board on July 26, 2023, as part of a major cabinet shuffle.

Anand’s parents were Indians. Her father was from Tamil Nadu and her mother was from Punjab.

Apart from Anand, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet has two more Indian-origin members– Harjit Sajjan and Kamal Khera.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan is the first person of Indian origin to become a Minister in New Zealand. Born in Chennai to Malayali parents, she is currently the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

Christine Carla Kangaloo, the president-elect of Trinidad and Tobago, was born into an Indo-Trinidadian family.

Pritam Singh, an Indian-origin lawyer, and author, has been serving as Leader of the Opposition in Singapore since 2020.

Devanand “Dave” Sharma became the first person of Indian origin to become a Member of the Australian Parliament in 2019.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana, was born into a Muslim Indo-Guyanese family in Leonora.

Pravind Jugnauth has been serving as the prime minister of Mauritius since January 2017. He was born into a Hindu Yaduvanshi family in 1961. His great-grandfather migrated to Mauritius from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the 1870s.

Prithvirajsing Roopun, the president of Mauritius since 2019, was born in an Indian Arya Samaj Hindu family.

Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi has been the president of Suriname since 2020.

Santokhi was born in 1959 into an Indo-Surinamese Hindu family in Lelydorp.

Wavel Ramkalawan has been serving as the president of Seychelles since October 2020. His grandfather was from Bihar.

According to the 2021 Indiaspora Government Leaders List, more than 200 leaders of Indian heritage have ascended to the highest echelons of public service in 15 countries across the globe, with over 60 of them holding Cabinet positions.

With more than 32 million people of Indian origin (PIOs) globally, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Indians are the largest community population in the world.

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D Gukesh Replaces Viswanathan Anand As India’s Top Chess Player After 37 Years

admin — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:32:07 +0000

As per the FIDE ratings effective September 1, D Gukesh’s rating is 2758© FIDE

Teenaged Grandmaster D Gukesh has replaced the legendary Viswanathan Anand as India’s top chess player after more than three decades. Anand has been India’s No.1 since July 1986. The 17-year old Chennai GM, who recently lost in the quarterfinals of the FIDE World Cup in Baku to Magnus Carlsen, moved ahead of Anand to be ranked No.8 in the world. Gukesh broke into the top 10 of the FIDE rating list for the first time. Anand, a five-time world champion is currently ranked No.9.

As per the FIDE ratings effective September 1, Gukesh’s rating is 2758 while Anand’s is 2754.

Gukesh has gained three places in the rating list since August 1.

Another teen prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, who made the world take notice of him by reaching the World Cup final where he lost to Carlsen, has risen to No. 19 in the list with a rating of 2727. He is India’s No.3 player behind Gukesh and Anand.

There are five Indians currently in the top 30 and that includes Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (no.27) and Arjun Erigaisi (no.29). The experienced P Harikrishna is 31st.

Gukesh had overtaken his idol and mentor Anand in live world (FIDE) rankings during the World Cup in Baku.

Anand, who has been the India No.1 since 1 July, 1986, has relinquished the top spot after over 37 years.

“Gukesh D won again today and has overcome Viswanathan Anand in live rating! There is still almost a month till next official FIDE rating list on September 1, but it’s highly likely that 17-year-old will be making it to top 10 in the world as the highest-rated Indian player,” the international chess federation (FIDE) had said in a tweet after Gukesh defeated Azerbaijan’s Misratdin Iskandarov in the second round of the World Cup recently to go past the chess maestro in live ratings.

Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa, who have been picked as part of the Indian squad for the forthcoming Asian Games, will take part in a preparatory camp in Kolkata and then participate in the Tata Steel Chess India tournament from September 5.

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Grandmaster Koneru Humpy Excited About Young Indian Chess Brigade

admin — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:52:26 +0000

She knows what it takes to achieve success at a young age as the world’s youngest female GM Koneru Humpy on Wednesday said the recent success of young Indians at the World Cup will take the legacy of Viswanathan Anand forward. R Praggnanandhaa became the youngest player at 18 to be a World Cup runner-up last week. In the course of his campaign, he also sealed his berth in the eight-player Candidates Tournament, which would determine the challenger to world champion Ding Liren, in the chess’ ultimate battle in 2024.

The recently-concluded World Cup in Baku saw four Indians in the quarterfinals with D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi being the others.

“Definitely, he (Praggnanandha) has done a fantastic performance in the World Cup, and we have seen all his performance. Also, Gukesh is doing well, along with Arjun and Nihal (Sarin). All these are very talented bunch. Each one has different talents that cannot be compared,” said Humpy, who was the world’s youngest female GM at 15.

The two-time Asian Games gold medallist, who won India’s first silver medal at the World Blitz last year, is here to compete in the Tata Steel Chess India starting on Friday.

India will hit 100 GMs soon

Excited to see India’s chess landscape changing, Humpy said it’s quite ‘positive’ and ‘vibrant’ and that India would hit the 100 GM mark soon.

India produced its 83rd Grandmaster — Aditya Samant — in July this year.

“People always believed that India is more popular for cricket, but we are changing it. Chess is also becoming equally important. In every household, we hear the names of the top players, so it makes a big difference,” she said.

“Chess has changed drastically, I would say. Earlier, I would not see any spectators following… Now I see a lot of corporates coming to the sport, supporting the talented players, and also we see a huge fan following base whenever there is an international meet or when a grandmaster plays a very nice game.

“We see a lot of encouragement coming up. This was not there 10 years ago. This was quite new for chess. It’s very positive and vibrant. Soon we will be going to hit the 100 GM mark as well,” she said.

Humpy will be in action in the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz which will be held in women’s and open formats.

In the women’s field, she will compete in a star-studded field comprising reigning women World Champion Ju Wenjun, Anna Ushenina, Harika Dronavalli among others.

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