10 Things You Never Knew About Viswanathan Anand. He is one of India’s most successful, yet low-profile sports personalities. Having won several championships and distinctions in a career that has spanned over three decades, Viswanathan Anand has, time and again, made the country proud. This 42-year-old Grandmaster’s latest conquest was winning the World Chess Championship for the fifth time.
In light of his latest achievement, here’s a look at some interesting and little known facts about arguably one of the greatest chess players of all time:
10 Things You Never Knew About Viswanathan Anand
Fact One: While in many people’s eyes he might be the greatest chess player in the world, Viswanathan Anand rates the late Bobby Fischer as the best of all time. Ironically, Anand doesn’t feature in his own list of the top 10 chess players of all time!
Fact Two: As neutral observers stay divided over who the current greatest chess player is–Anand or Gary Kasparov–Russian Grandmaster, Vladimir Kramnik favors the Indian. Kramnik stated in a 2011 interview, “I always considered him to be a colossal talent, one of the greatest in the whole history of chess.” He also added, “I think that in terms of play, Anand is in no way weaker than Kasparov.” In fact, he even went so far as to say, “In the last 5-6 years he’s made a qualitative leap that’s made it possible to consider him one of the great chess players.”
In other words, who cares what the majority opinion is, when Anand is revered by his successful peers and rated as one of the best of all time!
Fact Three: Viswanathan Anand, who hails from a Tamil family, has two siblings–an elder brother and an elder sister. He is the baby of the family seeing as how his brother is 13 and his sister is 11 years older than him!
Fact Four: In 1984, at the age of 15, Anand became the youngest Indian to win the title of International Master (IM). In chess, IM is the level players normally attain before they become Grandmasters.
Fact Five: Anand won his first National Chess Championship in 1986. He has won this title thrice in his career–from 1986 to 1988.
Fact Six: The title of Grandmaster was awarded to ‘Vishy’ in 1988, after he won the Shakti Finance International chess tournament in Coimbatore. As a result, he became India’s first ever Grandmaster. Since then, there have been several Indian chess players who have gone on to become grand masters–including female players.
Fact Seven: Anand was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1988 when he was just 18. Former Indian cricket captain, Mohammed Azharuddin was the only other sports person to have been given this honor that year.
Fact Eight: In the 2000 FIDE World Chess Championship in Tehran, Anand beat Latvian Grandmaster, Alexei Shirov to claim his first such title.
Fact Nine: Anand has won the reunified World Chess Championship–which has been taking place since 2006–four times. He has triumped in this championship in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Fact Ten: Although Anand has been making waves since the mid-1980, he finally earned the No.1 ranking in the FIDE Elo rating in April 2007. The Elo rating systerm is a complicated formula used to calculate relative skill levels of players in cerebral games like chess.
Anand’s highest Elo rating was 2817–the fourth-highest of all time! Among the currently active players, only five, including Anand, have recorded an Elo rating of 2800 and above.
In case you are wondering what excuse you need to give for losing your chess game here are a few tips and ready made excuses that you can use for pacifying yourself or others. The Top 10 reasons for losing at chess – choose wisely!
No one likes to lose at chess, but if you’re about to lose you might as well give a convincing reason. Most beginners and laymen assume that chess is a game of brains and that the brainier player will always wins.
However professional chess players know that being dominated by the opponent is just one way of losing and that there are other, more ‘plausible’ ways.
Here are a few of funky favorites, many of which we can still use and are relevant even today!
Top 10 reasons for losing at chess
1. Dog ate my score sheet;
2. Dead batteries in hidden transmitter; could not cheat.
3. Went outside for fresh air, forgot about the tournament;
4. Disturbed by own reflection in opponent’s sunglasses.
5. Still depressed over 1964 death of Fred Reinfeld;
6. Inexplicably confused ECO A30 line 14 footnote 8c with ECO A18 line footnote 7c; lost queen;
7. Unluckily paired with arch-nemesis going by the somewhat mundane name – G. Kasparov;
8. During game, pondered both sides of IPL controversy; lost on time;
9. Studied book ‘How to Beat your Dad at Chess’, was unprepared for other opponents;
10. After making move, accidentally punched opponent instead of clock.
Addendum:
11. Did not like my opponent’s face.
12. Opponent’s dress code was disturbing to say the least.
13. Slept off on the chess board as I was awake till late last night preparing for this game.
Let me know if you have any other excuses. We need to share them!
Here are some videos in the same vein. Hope you enjoy them.
And the best one till date: Remember to learn how to capture two knights with one move!!!
Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess
(also called – 90% rule for a reason)
Important Thumb rules for the opening stage
After almost two decades of teaching Chess, I observed some principles in chess need to be simplified. So…
Here are my Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess
Intro:
When a new student wants to join our academy for chess classes I ask him if he knows to play chess.
They confirm that they can beat their family members and due to that, they want to try chess as a professional sport.
Then I make them play with some younger students in the academy and they think that these tiny kids will be no match to them.
Then the fun starts.
Knowing the Important Thumb rules for the opening stage helps kids get a decent position in chess
These new students though much older than my junior students, get ripped apart slowly and they have a puzzled look on their face.
Having seen the puzzled look on most of the older kids when they lose to someone much younger than them,
I felt it was a gross injustice to the elder newbies who were lost due to a lack of knowledge of the opening principles.
I believe Chess must be first taught in chunks and only then can the full picture be slowly understood.
Memorize them and see your game improve or at least achieve some decent amount of coherence.
But before memorizing them, remember that they are also called 90% rules. That is because they are applicable only 90% of the time and depend on the position.
Caveat: Please take these rules with a pinch of salt and follow them with discretion.
Important Thumb rules for the opening stage
The simplest way to start the game is to occupy the center of the board with a pawn.
Start by advancing your central pawns (d-pawn and e-pawn) to control the center of the board. This helps in establishing a strong position and gives your pieces more mobility.
Develop your Knights and Bishops as quickly as possible (usually Knights before Bishops).
Bring out your Knights and Bishops to active squares as quickly as possible. Knights are often developed before Bishops, as they can jump over other pieces.
Castle early, usually on the Kingside, to make your King safe. This move protects the King behind a wall of pawns and activates the Rook.
Don’t move the same piece twice in the opening – except to make or evade capture. Each move should help in the development of your other pieces or control of the board.
Don’t bring the Queen out early, unless you can win something (or give a checkmate) by doing so. Instead, focus on developing minor pieces and securing a solid position before involving the Queen in attacking play.
The Rooks are the last pieces to be developed, They should be placed on open files or central squares not blocked by pawns, increasing their scope and control.
Don’t develop pieces by blocking your other pieces, instead, strive for a harmonious placement where each piece supports others and has room for maneuvering.
Don’t make too many pawn moves at the start of the game. Move your two central pawns, and sometimes also your c-pawn to fight for the center. Excessive pawn moves can lead to weaknesses and hinder piece development Also remember that pawns cannot move backwards!
Don’t move your f-, g- and h-pawns in the opening – you will need those to remain unmoved to defend your King when you castle on the Kingside. These pawns serve as a protective shield for the King after castling.
Be careful about grabbing pawns in the opening, when you are yet to develop pieces, fully. Such moves can lead toa loss of time or expose your pieces to attacks.
I cannot stress how important it is to adhere to these Important Thumb rules for the opening stage in chess – at least till you have a decent rating of say 1500. Till then these thumb-rules will serve as guideposts and will help you navigate through the black and white jungle.
If you are above 1500 elo rating then I suggest you look at this video
Each and every chess game consists of a pawn centre that will usually decide the nature of game play and the strategic principles that will need to be followed. There are 5 basic types of pawn centers in chess. Mastery of these will lead to a better game. The 5 Pawn Centers in chess include the:
Closed Center;
Open Center;
Fixed Center;
Mobile Center;
Fluid Center.
Applying this knowledge should help you develop your game plan of the battle.
The shape of your army (Pawn-structure) & their location on the battlefield (meaning the Ranks and Files), is of great importance in planning your strategy.
The games of chess are determined by ‘topography’ (positioning) of the Center Pawns of both armies – primarily the King Pawns (e-Pawns) and Queen Pawns (d-Pawns), though it can also include the Bishop Pawns (c- & f-Pawns), which occupy squares of the Extended Center.
If the Pawns block the Center, the Pieces are forced to approach the enemy’s camp from the Flanks (sides), encircling the enemy camp before launching their attack(s). This type of pawn a closed center is useful for Knights that have the ability to jump over enemy pieces.
If, instead, the Center is open – long-range pieces, such as Rooks and Bishops can target enemy pieces from a distance and within the safety of their own base.
A player must choose some kind of plan of play entirely in accordance with the type of pawn center.
Your game plan will help determine the following procedures:
Where an attack should be set in motion.
How the attack should be conducted.
How the defense should be organized.
5 Pawn Centers
Position 1: The Closed Center – Each player’s pawns are locked with the others, thus blocking the lines for Bishops and Rooks. See the diagram below.
What to do with a Closed Center position…
1. With the Center closed by the wedge of Pawns, breakthroughs usually occur on the flanks.
2. Players usually develop on opposite Flanks – their aim is to be the first to breakthrough.
3. If an attack happens on the Flank, the best tactic is to counterattack in the Center.
4. In some situations, you might be able to Sacrifice a Piece in order to demolish the blockage in the center.
Position 2: The Open Center – There are no pawns in the center and the lines and diagonals are free for the play of the pieces
What to do with an Open Center position…
1. Pieces become even stronger when there are no Pawns in the center.
2. Activate and coordinate your army
3. Focus on creating weaknesses in the enemy’s Pawn structure on either Kingside or Queen-side.
4. Look to mobilize your Rooks, with the goal of getting a Rook onto the 7th Rank.
Position 3: The Fixed Center – The position of the pawns in the center is fixed and it is not easy to alter their position.
What to do with a Fixed Center position…
1. Focus on Controlling the Center, reinforcing it with Pieces.
2. With the Center under control, target the weaknesses in the enemy’s position.
3. As the gaps appear in the enemy’s position (due to captures), send your Pieces into their camp.
4. Begin an attack on the Flank (whichever looks more profitable).
Position 4: The Mobile Center – One side has two or more united pawns in the center and endeavors to advance themanytime
What to do with a Mobile Center position…
1. Your first objective is to Control the Center.
2. Seek to create a Passed Pawn and strive for its Promotion.
3. If your opponent gains the Mobile Center, your plan should be to Blockade the enemy Pawns.
4. Capture those stuck pawns, then dismantle the Center.
Position 5: The Fluid Center –The pawn position in the center is not fixed. It may perhaps result in a position then transposes to one of the positions we have described above.
What to do with a Fluid Center position…
1. The position has not yet been determined.
2. Strive to create your preferred type (Closed, Open, Fixed, or Mobile), and play accordingly.
Viswanathan Anand
