India · 2026-10-16 · 2 min read

Viswanathan Anand: the Tiger of Madras who made India a chess country

India’s first Grandmaster, and a World Champion whose success lit the path for a new generation.

Viswanathan Anand was born in Chennai in 1969 and learned chess from his mother as a child. He played very fast, so much that people called him the "Lightning Kid", and later the "Tiger of Madras".

In 1988 he became India’s first Grandmaster. That was a big moment: before him, many Indians thought a world-level chess career was not possible from India.

Anand won the FIDE World Championship in 2000, and became undisputed World Champion in 2007. He defended the title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010 and Boris Gelfand in 2012. In 2013 he lost the title to Magnus Carlsen in a match played in his home city, Chennai.

His biggest gift may be the next generation. Today’s young Indian stars grew up watching him, and his academy in Chennai has helped many of them, including D Gukesh.

The lesson for every young player: stay curious, keep a fast mind, and be gracious in both victory and defeat.