Early life
Viswanathan Anand retained his World title after beating challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel in a tense rapid chess tie-breaker. The victory also meant that he will keep the crown till 2014, when the next World Championship will be held. This was 42-year-old`s fifth World Championships title and fourth crown in a row. The Indian chess wizard bagged his first world title in 2000 before winning three in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2010. He has been the world champion since 2007. Zeenews.com’s sports team takes a look at the chess wizard’s illustrious career.
Viswanathan Anand was born on December 11, 1969 in a small town in the southern tip of India. His family later moved to Chennai, where he grew up and studied. Anand became an international master at the age of 15, was crowned Indian champion at 16, won the world junior title at 17 and became the country`s first grandmaster at 18.