Indian Grandmaster Outfoxes Russian For World Crown

The Age

Friday October 31, 2008

Matt Wade

Cricket-mad Indians have another sporting hero to rank with Tendulkar. Matt Wade reports from Delhi.

INDIA is celebrating after one of its favourite sportsmen, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, was crowned world champion for the third time.

Anand beat his Russian challenger, Vladimir Kramnik, after a draw in the 11th game of the 12-game world championship series in Bonn, Germany.

Anand's previous three wins in the series gave him an unbeatable lead. "I've given one of my best-ever performances here in Bonn," he said after being presented with the champion's trophy.

His achievements have created huge interest in the game in India and the 38-year-old's triumph on Wednesday night received front-page coverage. The Times of India said he had "sent the country's spirits soaring with a performance that will sparkle in the annals of sporting history".

Dubbed "the Tiger from Madras" by his many Indian fans, Anand is credited with helping to end the postwar domination of international chess by players from the former Soviet Union. His previous world championship wins, in 2000 and 2007, were played under different formats, underscoring his versatility as a top player.

Anand has been a celebrity in India since 1988, when he became the country's first chess grandmaster at age 18.

India now has 16 grandmasters, and Anand's popularity has also made him a valuable commercial property. He is a brand ambassador for the NIIT Group, one of India's biggest computer training and software services firms.

N. Srinivasan, president of the All-India Chess Federation, said Anand's win was like a Diwali gift - a reference to the Hindu festival of lights celebrated this week.

"We are proud at his fantastic achievement," he said.

The involvement of Mr Srinivasan in chess highlights its clout in India. He is one of India's best-known industrialists and also owns the Indian Premier League cricket team Chennai Super Kings.

Dibyendu Barua, a chess grandmaster and head of the Chess Players Association of India, said Anand had become an "icon".

Sandeep Chitkara, a professional tutor at one of India's mushrooming chess academies, said: "I think chess can challenge cricket as India's favourite sport."

Early versions of chess were played in India more than 1000years ago. Last year a German research team concluded the game originated in Kannauj, a township in what is now the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

© 2008 The Age

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