Viswanathan Anand
India’s first grandmaster and one of the greatest players in history. Anand won the FIDE world title in 2000 and became undisputed champion in 2007, then defended it against Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand before losing to Magnus Carlsen in 2013.
He was the fourth player ever to pass 2800 and spent 21 months as world No. 1. He is also a many-time world rapid champion, and has won Tata Steel five times.
Still in the world top 20 in his fifties, he has served as FIDE’s Deputy President since 2022, and was its acting President from July to September 2026.
Career highlights
- Five-time World Champion, four of them undisputed
- India's first grandmaster (1988)
- Five-time Tata Steel winner
- Peak rating 2817, world No. 1 for 21 months
- FIDE Deputy President since 2022
Titles
- World Rapid and Blitz Championships: 2017
- Candidates Tournament: 2014
- London Chess Classic: 2014
- World Chess Championship: 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
- Tata Steel Chess Tournament: 1989, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006
From the winners lists on our event pages.
Viswanathan Anand in The Chess Herald
- Sindarov's Seconds: Abdusattorov, Vidonyak and Likely Madaminov
- FIDE Assembly Backs Chess960 Ratings and a Qatar-Georgia 2030 Pick
- FIDE Hands Out Its First Excellence Awards in Samarkand
- Weekly Recap: Samarkand's Double Olympiad and FIDE's Newest World Title Backer
- Freedom Holding Signs On as FIDE's Newest World Title Backer
Show all 20 articles
- Poland's Rollercoaster Ends in Gold at Samarkand
- Erigaisi Falls, but India's Bench Holds at Samarkand
- Anand Admits the Cracks Behind Samarkand's Record Olympiad
- Geneva's Return to World Title Chess, 22 Years On
- Samarkand's 400 Teams Break Budapest's Record by 20
- Weekly Recap: Bengaluru's Standings Keep Flipping While FIDE Builds Out Its Calendar
- Salesforce's FIDE Deal Is a Software Sale With a Chessboard Attached
- A Second's Difference: GCL's Prodigy Board Controversy
- FIDE's New Athletes Commission Echoes the IOC's Playbook
- GCL's Wild Day 3: Gambits Fall, Pipers Seize the Lead
- Carlsen Returns, But GCL Day One Belongs to Sindarov
- The Torch Passes Again: Sindarov's Win Over Anand Echoes a Familiar Chess Story
- India Used To Have One World-Class Player. Now It Has A Bench.
- The Business Case for GCL Season 4: Why Bengaluru, Twice, Makes Financial Sense
- Why Kasparov vs. Topalov in Chess960 Feels Like Unfinished Business
FIDE profile · Wikipedia
Profile last reviewed September 29, 2026. Ratings update monthly from FIDE.