Viswanathan Anand is India's first Grandmaster. He
became Grandmaster (GM) in 1988 at the age of eighteen. Viswanathan
Anand was born on December 11, 1969. He won the National Sub-Junior
Chess Championship with a score of 9/9 in 1983 at the age of fourteen.
Anand became the youngest Indian to win the International Master Title
at the age of fifteen, in 1984. He won National Championship at the age
of sixteen. In 1987, Anand became the first Indian to win the World
Junior Chess Championship. Anand won the FIDE World Chess Championship
in 2000 after defeating Alexei Shirov 3.5 - 0.5 in the finals at
Teheran, and became the first Indian to do so. He is one of only four
players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list.
Viswanathan Anand has won many awards and honours. He won Arjuna Award
in 1985, Padma Shri in 1987, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991, and
Padma Bhushan in the year 2000.
