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On the occasion of the International Chess Day, Viswanathan Anand took to social media and dropped a clip in which he was seen wishing the auspicious event to his fans. Anand, who is currently 55, came into the limelight after scripting history in 1988, after becoming India’s first Grandmaster at the age of 18. He also possesses the eighth-highest peak FIDE rating of all time.
Anand dropped the video for the International Chess Day, in which he spoke about the value of chess not just as a sport, but much more than that. He said, “Happy International Chess Day to everyone who has fallen in love with the 64 squares. Some of us play chess to relax. Some of us play for a living but all of us play chess because it is fun. Chess taught me the importance of practise and hardwork, the importance of concentration but it taught me the joy of playing a good game and winning.
"On International Chess Day, why don’t we all find a friend and teach them how to play the game of chess so make your move today because every move counts. Happy International Chess Day,” he added.
Watch the video here:
Viswanathan Anand’s notable achievements in chess
In 1991-92, Viswanathan Anand became the first recipient of the Khel Ratna Award, which is India’s highest sporting honour. He also got the distinguished Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest Civilian award. He is the first sportsperson to become the recipient of the prestigious honour.
He also won the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000 and 2001. In April 2006, Anand entered the record books as the fourth player in history to cross the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE rating list. He also became the undisputed world champion in 2007. In 2022, Anand was the elected Deputy President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Anand's last tournament was the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship held from June 10 to 16, 2025 in London, where he played for Team Freedom.
