Born: December 11, 1969

Playing Style:

Anand is known as a strong all-around player, with great tactical acumen. He is also notable for the speed of his play; he often makes very accurate moves quite quickly, and only very rarely finds himself in time trouble. His quick play has made him a clear leader in rapid chess, where at times he has been dominant over even other world class players.

World Championship Matches and Tournaments:

1995: Lost to Garry Kasparov 10.5-7.5 (+1 -4 =13) in Classical World Championship match

2000: Defeated Alexei Shirov 3.5-0.5 (+3 =1) to become FIDE World Champion

2005: Tied for second with 8.5/14 in FIDE World Championship Tournament (won by Veselin Topalov)

2007: Won World Championship Tournament with 9/14 score to become Classical World Champion

2008: Defeated Vladimir Kramnik 6.5-4.5 (+3 -1 =7) to retain World Championship

2010: Defeated Veselin Topalov 6.5-5.5 (+3 -2 =7) to retain World Championship

2012: Defeated Boris Gelfand 8.5-7.5 (+1 -1 =10 in standard play; +1 =3 in rapid tiebreaker) to retain World Championship

Notable Accomplishments:

• Five-time winner of the Chess Oscar
• World Junior Champion (1987)
• Won or shared first place at Wijk aan Zee 5 times
• Won or shared first place at Linares 3 times
• Won or shared first place at Dortmund 3 times
• Won or shared first place at Monaco Amber Medley 5 times
• Won FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship (2003)