“Today… 20 years ago” – Viswanathan Anand comes up trumps in FIDE World Chess Championship 2000


“Today… 20 years ago” – Viswanathan Anand comes up trumps in FIDE World Chess Championship 2000

Vishwanath Anand 1

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Viswanathan Anand

On December 24, 2000, i.e. exactly 20 years ago, Indian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand made the nation proud by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 for the first time in his career. The then 31-year-old outlasted Spaniard Alexei Shirov in the final to take home the coveted crown becoming the first Indian chess player to clinch a world championship title.

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The FIDE World Chess Championship 2000 was held in two different venues – New Delhi and Tehran. The final of the event took place from December 20 to December 24. Anand was the favorite to win and the top-seeded player coming into the tournament. However, the magnitude of his achievement – becoming the first Indian ever to do so made his feat all the more special.

Viswanathan Anand posts tweet asking fans to guess

Viswanathan Anand took to Twitter today to posts a cryptic note saying, “Today…20 years ago. Any guesses?” hinting at his famous victory. As soon as he had tweeted it, his replies were flooded with messages from fans who recalled his memorable win. One of the greatest chess grandmasters of all time and an icon of Indian chess, Anand recently had announced the launch of his own chess academy to coach young chess players.

On his Twitter handle, Anand had said, “I am very excited to announce the launch of WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA). Very happy to partner with WestBridge Capital in realising a long dream of mine to nurture talent in India.“

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He had then added another Tweet explaining the program. “This will be a fellowship program that will aim to take our most talented junior chess prodigies to the top ranks. Sandeep Singhal at WestBridge Capital and I share the common philosophy that excellence can result from the right grooming, opportunity and training,” he had said before adding that he personally would monitor all young chess players’ progress.

Also Read: Viswanathan Anand announces the launch of WestBridge Anand Chess Academy