Editing Viswanathan Anand (section)

== World Chess Championships ==

=== 1995 ===
{{Main|Classical World Chess Championship 1995}}
[[File:Kasparov-10.jpg|thumb|In 1995, Anand faced [[Garry Kasparov]] for the world championship in a match held at the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]].]]
In 1993, the newly formed [[Professional Chess Association]] (PCA) held a 54-player, 11-round [[Swiss system tournament|Swiss-style]] qualifying tournament in [[Groningen]] on 19–30 December, an equivalent of FIDE's [[Interzonal]]. Anand scored 7½/11 to finish tied for first and secure a berth in the [[Classical World Chess Championship 1995|1994 Candidates' Tournament]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chessfocus.com/tournament-results/1993-groningen-pca-qualifier |title=1993 Groningen PCA Qualifier chess results |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201044014/http://www.chessfocus.com/tournament-results/1993-groningen-pca-qualifier |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[single-elimination tournament]], Anand handily dispatched Adams and [[Oleg Romanishin]] in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, held in New York City and [[Linares, Jaén|Linares]]. Facing Kamsky in a 12-game final match held at [[Las Palmas]], Anand lost Game 1 on time in a winning position but recovered with wins in Game 3, 9, and 11 to secure a 6½–4½ victory and a match against reigning champion Kasparov for the world chess championship.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/9496pcix.htm |title=Candidates Matches: 1994–1995 cycle |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629090336/https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/9496pcix.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the first Candidates' Tournament victory of Anand's career.

The 20-game championship match was held from 10 September to 16 October 1995 on the 107th floor of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in New York City. The match started with a then-record eight consecutive draws before Anand broke open the match in Game 9, pressing and eventually breaking through Kasparov's Sicilian Defense with a powerful exchange sacrifice. But Anand scored just half a point in the next five games, losing twice to Kasparov's [[Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation|Sicilian Dragon]] defence, and eventually conceded a 10½–7½ loss.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/03/nyregion/kasparov-steamrollers-a-lackluster-anand.html |title=The New York Times: Lasparov Steamrolls a Lackluster Anand |newspaper=The New York Times |date=3 October 1995 |last1=Byrne |first1=Robert |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201044011/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/03/nyregion/kasparov-steamrollers-a-lackluster-anand.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Afterwards, Kasparov commented on Anand's  psychological approach to the match:

{{Blockquote|Anand lost the match in five games, Games 10 to 14. I lost many games in a row to Karpov in the first match I played with him, but I don't think he was that much better. It was a great experience for me. Anand wasn't paying enough attention with his team to the fact that he was playing the World Championship. He has never played such a strong opponent for such a long event. You can't compare his match with Kamsky in April to the match we have played here... I'm criticizing the strategy. He could have played without a fixed strategy and adjusted during the match. The chess preparation was excellent, but there was some psychological advice not appropriate<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic53.html |title=The Week In Chess 53 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201044015/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic53.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 1995
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16 !! 17 !! 18 !! Total
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''[[Garry Kasparov]]'''|Russia}} || '''2795'''
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1
|style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ || '''10½'''
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|Viswanathan Anand|India}} || 2725
| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 7½
|}

=== 1998 ===
{{Main|FIDE World Chess Championship 1998}}

In a radical departure from previous years, the 1998 world championship was a 100-player [[single-elimination tournament|knockout tournament]], with each round consisting of two-game matches and ties resolved by [[fast chess|rapid and blitz]] games. Controversially, Karpov, the defending champion, was seeded directly into the final, held just three days after the conclusion of the three-week tournament. This format gave Karpov a significant advantage in rest time and preparation;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://scroll.in/field/946491/book-excerpt-when-viswanathan-anands-father-lost-a-bet-against-him-becoming-world-chess-champion |title=[Scroll.in] When Viswanathan Anand's father lost a bet against him becoming world chess champion}}</ref> Kasparov and Kramnik both declined to participate as a result.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic139.html#Kasparov |title=The Week In Chess 139 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=14 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214041800/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic139.html#Kasparov |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic161.html#2) |title=The Week In Chess 161 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=14 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214151715/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic161.html#2) |url-status=live }}</ref> The latter explained his absence bluntly: "Is it fair to expect Sampras to only play one match and defend his Wimbledon title?"<ref name="outlookindia.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/castle-in-the-air/204902 |title=[Outlook India] Castle In The Air? Twice against the Super-Ks, Anand has faltered at the summit}}</ref>

As a result of Kasparov's withdrawal, Anand entered the tournament in [[Groningen]], Netherlands as the #1 seed. After dispatching future FIDE champion [[Alexander Khalifman]] in the third round, he scored quick victories over [[Zoltán Almási]], [[Alexei Shirov]], and [[Boris Gelfand]] to advance. In the final against ninth-seeded Michael Adams, held on 30 December, both players drew their first four games. A visibly tired Anand,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic164.html#2) |title=The Week In Chess 164 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=26 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226175804/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic164.html#2) |url-status=live }}</ref> having played 21 games in 23 days, eventually prevailed in a [[Armageddon (chess)|sudden-death]] blitz game to secure a 3–2 victory.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic165.html#2)) |title=The Week In Chess 165 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203162133/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic165.html#2)) |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | date=13 January 2007 | title=V. Anand – M. Adams (FIDE Wch KO) 1997 | medium=Video | location=Groningen | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3jIi2dNONw  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/n3jIi2dNONw| archive-date=12 December 2021 |url-status=live| via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Immediately after defeating Adams, Anand arranged a flight with his team to the [[International Olympic Committee]] museum in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland to play Karpov in a six-game match for the FIDE world title. With just four hours of pre-match preparation, Anand lost Game 1 after Karpov surprised him with a bold queen sacrifice on the 31st move. But he won Game 2 in 42 moves from a disadvantaged position after accepting a sharp exchange sacrifice and outplaying Karpov in the resulting endgame. After losing Game 4, Anand entered the final game of the match needing a win to force the match into a playoff. Playing white, he opened with the [[Trompowsky Attack]]. Karpov defended well until 28...Qd8?, a critical mistake that lost him a piece and the game.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/20-years-ago-anand-vs-karpov))) |title=[ChessBase] 20 years ago: Anand and Karpov fight for the World Championship }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In the first rapid playoff game, Anand secured a significant advantage on the board before a calculation mistake (40...a4?) cost him the game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018844 |title=Anatoly Karpov vs Viswanathan Anand, WCC 1998: 1-0 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510085531/https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1018844 |url-status=live }}</ref> Karpov then won the second game with black to seal a 5−3 victory and retain the FIDE title.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic166.html#2))) |title=The Week In Chess 166 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115021120/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic166.html#2))) |url-status=live }}</ref> After the match, Anand reiterated his concerns with the unfairness of the tournament format.

{{Blockquote|It was almost as if I had been asked to run a 100-metre sprint after completing a cross-country marathon... Karpov waited for the corpse of his challenger to be delivered in a coffin. If anybody else other than Karpov wins, it's a world championship. Otherwise, it's not.<ref name="outlookindia.com"/>}}

Karpov, meanwhile, questioned Anand's temperament and remarked that he "doesn't have the character" to win big games.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://gulfnews.com/sport/karpovs-critical-remark-fired-me-up-says-vishy-anand-1.68498766 |title=[Gulf News] Karpov's critical remark fired me up, says Vishy Anand |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201185453/https://gulfnews.com/sport/karpovs-critical-remark-fired-me-up-says-vishy-anand-1.68498766 |url-status=live }}</ref> For his part, Kasparov dismissed the match as between "a tired player and an old player".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/98$w$.htm |title=1998 Karpov – Anand FIDE Title Match}}</ref>

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 1998
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! R1 !! R2 !! Points
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''[[Anatoly Karpov]]'''|Russia}} || '''2745'''
| 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || '''5'''
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|Viswanathan Anand|India}} || 2765
|style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 || style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 || 3
|}

=== 2000 ===
{{Main|FIDE World Chess Championship 2000}}

From 25 November to 27 December 2000, the FIDE World Chess Championship was a 100-player single-elimination tournament in [[New Delhi]], India and [[Tehran]], Iran. After winning the [[Chess World Cup 2000|2000 FIDE World Cup]], Anand entered the event as the #1 overall seed and one of the favourites to win alongside Topalov, Gelfand, and Shirov.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/anand-has-the-edge/article28056581.ece |title=Anand has the edge |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=17 December 2000 |last1=Rao |first1=Rakesh |access-date=8 February 2020 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034743/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/anand-has-the-edge/article28056581.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> Anand decided to join the event after skipping the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 1999|1999 edition]], due to ongoing negotiations for a title match with Kasparov that ultimately fell through.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic254.html#3 |title=The Week In Chess: Anand-Kasparov Match not this year |access-date=8 February 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217122818/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic254.html#3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kasparov and Kramnik, who defeated Kasparov in a match for the [[Classical World Chess Championship 2000|lineal world title]] earlier in the year, did not participate in the event. Anand's second and preparation partner for the tournament was Spanish grandmaster [[Elizbar Ubilava]].

Enjoying boisterous home-crowd support, Anand moved through the early rounds with relatively little difficulty, notching quick wins against [[Viktor Bologan]], [[Smbat Lputian]], and [[Bartłomiej Macieja]]. In the quarterfinals, he had four consecutive draws against defending champion [[Alexander Khalifman]] before winning a 15-minute tiebreak game to progress.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic318.html#2 |title=The Week In Chess 318: FIDE World Chess Championships |access-date=8 February 2020 |archive-date=26 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226004545/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic318.html#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Against Adams in the semifinals, Anand quickly drew Game 1 and took advantage of a positional blunder by Adams (20...c5?) to win Game 2 in 36 moves with white.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2000/12/14/stories/07140208.htm |title=Anand capitalises on Adams' fumble  |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=16 December 2000|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021113230920/http://www.hindu.com/2000/12/14/stories/07140208.htm |archive-date=13 November 2002 }}</ref> Quick draws in games 3 and 4 then saw Anand through to the final match.

{{Chess diagram
|tright
|Anand vs. Shirov, 2000 World Ch.
|  |  |  |  |  |  |kd|
|  |pd|  |  |  |  |  |pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |pd|bl|  |  |
|  |pl|  |  |  |  |pd|nl
|pl|  |  |kl|pd|  |  |
|  |  |  |pd|  |  |rd|
|rl|  |rd|  |  |  |  |rl
|Final position of the match.
}}

The final match played from 20 to 26 December 2000 in Tehran, pitted Anand against fourth-seeded Shirov, who was denied a chance to play Kasparov for the world title two years earlier. After a draw in Game 1, Anand entered a sharp line in the [[Ruy Lopez]] in Game 2, ultimately converting a passed pawn into a winning endgame after placing Shirov in [[zugzwang]] on move 41. Anand then seized control of the match with a 41-move win in Game 3 after neutralizing a rook sacrifice by Shirov on move 19,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2000/12/23/stories/07230202.htm |title=Anand moves closer to title with a win |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=22 December 2000|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040816121944/http://www.hindu.com/2000/12/23/stories/07230202.htm |archive-date=16 August 2004 }}</ref> and sealed victory in the match with another win in Game 4.<ref name="theweekinchess.com">{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic320.html#2 |title=The Week In Chess 320: Viswanathan Anand wins FIDE Championship |access-date=8 February 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217045357/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic320.html#2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anand's run to his first world championship saw him go unbeaten through the entire tournament, with eight wins and 12 draws. With the win, he became the first world champion from east Asia and the first world champion from outside the ex-Soviet Union since [[Bobby Fischer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/static/html/fl1801/18011110.htm |title=Anand's crown of glory |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=31 December 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208034452/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AMO583aCIAncJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Ffrontline.thehindu.com%2Fstatic%2Fhtml%2Ffl1801%2F18011110.htm+&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-d |archive-date=8 February 2020 }}</ref> In addition to the title of FIDE world champion, Anand received a $528,000 cash prize.<ref name="theweekinchess.com" /> Upon returning to India, Anand was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]] by the Indian government in recognition of his victory. Later, he gave his thoughts on his matches against Khalifman and Shirov:

{{Blockquote|The tiebreaker against Khalifman was more thrilling, because this was in the knockout stage. There was a stage when I felt that I was on the verge of being eliminated. We played a series of games one after another. It was touch and go. I could not prepare myself before every game in Delhi because I did not know who was going to be my opponent the next day. So I would prepare for a general game. But I knew that in the final I was playing against Shirov. I knew that he had not been playing well. If he had won six games, he had lost eight. So I knew if I could put him under pressure he would make mistakes. And that is what I did.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/dec/29anan.htm |title=[The Hindu] This is the real World title: Anand |access-date=8 February 2020 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407033244/https://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/dec/29anan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 2000
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! Points
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|[[Alexei Shirov]]|Spain}} || 2746
| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''Viswanathan Anand'''|India}} || '''2762'''
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 1 || '''3½'''
|}

=== 2005 ===
{{Main|FIDE World Chess Championship 2005}}

In 2005, Anand finished in a tie for second place at the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2005|2005 FIDE World Chess Championship]], won by Topalov.

=== 2007 ===
[[File:VAnand07.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Anand in 2007]]
{{Main|World Chess Championship 2007}}
The finish of the 2005 World Chess Championship qualified Anand for the 2007 championship, an eight-player double [[round-robin tournament]] held in [[Mexico City]] from 12 to 30 September 2007. In 2006, Kramnik took Topalov's place in the event after [[World Chess Championship 2006|his victory over the latter]] to reunify the world title.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/vladimir-kramnik-on-the-world-of-che-part-2- |title=Vladimir Kramnik on the world of chess (Part 2) |newspaper=[[ChessBase]] |date=1 June 2007 |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109141538/http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3899 |url-status=live }}</ref> Anand entered the tournament as the world's top-ranked player, and was considered a favourite to win alongside the defending champion Kramnik.<ref name="The Week In Chess 671: Mexico City">{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic671.html#2 |title=The Week In Chess 671: Mexico City World Chess Championship |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=14 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214130606/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic671.html#2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After a Round 1 draw, Anand drew first blood in the tournament, handily defeating Aronian with black in Round 2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/mexico-r02-anand-draws-first-blood-kramnik-beats-morozevich/8 |title=Anand draws first blood, Kramnik beats Morozevich |newspaper=[[ChessBase]] |date=14 September 2007 |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016014621/https://en.chessbase.com/post/mexico-r02-anand-draws-first-blood-kramnik-beats-morozevich/8 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the fourth round, Anand and Kramnik were tied for the lead with 2½ each.<ref name="The Week In Chess 671: Mexico City" /> But in the next three rounds, Anand separated himself from the pack with wins over [[Peter Svidler]] and [[Alexander Grischuk]], taking the lead.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic672.html#2 |title=The Week In Chess 672: Mexico City World Chess Championship |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517160510/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic672.html#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> He then held Kramnik to a draw in Round 10, and extended his lead to 1½ points with a 56-move win over [[Alexander Morozevich]]. In Round 13, Anand played precise defence and salvaged a lost rook endgame against Grischuk with black to retain his lead,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/mexico-r13-leko-wins-anand-squeaks-by-to-retain-lead/1 |title=Leko wins, Anand squeaks by to retain lead |newspaper=[[ChessBase]] |date=29 September 2007 |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016015722/https://en.chessbase.com/post/mexico-r13-leko-wins-anand-squeaks-by-to-retain-lead/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> and sealed the championship in the final round with a 20-move draw against [[Peter Leko]]. Anand's performance in Mexico City saw him pick up four wins and 10 draws, and he finished as the only undefeated player in the tournament with a 2848 performance rating.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic673.html#2 |title=The Week In Chess 673: Mexico City World Chess Championship |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216165528/http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic673.html#2 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was his second world chess championship, and first since the reunification of the title in 2006. As a result, he gained nine rating points to break the 2800 [[Elo rating]] barrier for the second time in his career in October 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/sport/article30193249.ece|title=King Anand|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=19 October 2007}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the post-event press conference, Anand commented on his final game and his feelings on winning the tournament:

{{Blockquote|This time there is no rival claimant, so obviously it is a fantastic feeling. You can imagine how I feel. This is something very special for me. I feel that here I played the best. You have to perform at the right moment-it's important that I peaked here. This tournament went like a dream... Yesterday I had to work really hard but today I just remembered Tal's saying that when your hand plays one way and your heart plays another, it never goes well. So I decided to be very solid and just go for the draw.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.uschess.org/content/view/7916/381 |title=[USCF] Anand World Champion |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=29 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229134738/http://www.uschess.org/content/view/7916/381 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

With the win, Anand became the first undisputed world champion to win the title in a tournament, rather than in match play, since [[Mikhail Botvinnik]] in 1948. In addition to the world title, Anand received a $390,000 cash prize.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/sep/30chess.htm |title=[Rediff] Anand crowned World chess champion |access-date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610083537/https://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/sep/30chess.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Rank!!Player!!Rating
!colspan="2"|1
!colspan="2"|2
!colspan="2"|3
!colspan="2"|4
!colspan="2"|5
!colspan="2"|6
!colspan="2"|7
!colspan="2"|8
!Points!!H2H!!Wins!!NS
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|style="background:#ccffcc;"|'''1'''||align="left" style="background:#ccffcc;"|{{flagathlete|'''Viswanathan Anand'''|IND}}
|style="background:#ccffcc;"|'''2792'''
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|1
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:#ccffcc;"|'''9'''|| style="background:#ccffcc;"| || style="background:#ccffcc;"| || style="background:#ccffcc;"|
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|2||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Vladimir Kramnik]]|RUS}}
|2769
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|8||1||3||54.50
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|3||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Boris Gelfand]]|ISR}}
|2733
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|1
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|8||1||3||54.25
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|4||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Peter Leko]]|HUN}}
|2751
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|7|| || ||
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|5||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Peter Svidler]]|RUS}}
|2735
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|6½|| || ||
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|6||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Alexander Morozevich]]|RUS}}
|2758
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|6||1||3||
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|7||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Levon Aronian]]|ARM}}
|2750
|0||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|0||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|6||1||2||
|- align="center" style="background:white; color:black"
|8||align="left"|{{flagathlete|[[Alexander Grischuk]]|RUS}}
|2726
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|½
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|1||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|½||style="background:black; color:white"|0
|style="background:gray" colspan="2"|
|5½|| || ||
|}

<small>Key: H2H = head-to-head, points against tied player; NS = [[Neustadtl score]]</small>

=== 2008 ===
{{Main|World Chess Championship 2008}}
{{AN chess|pos=secright}}
Anand convincingly defended the title against Kramnik in the 2008 World Chess Championship held on 14–29 October in [[Bonn]], Germany. The winner was to be the first to score 6½ points in the 12-game match.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.uep-chess.com/cms_english/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=2&Itemid=25 |title=World Championship 2008 |date=30 October 2008 |website=Universal Event Promotion |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111150427/http://www.uep-chess.com/cms_english/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=2&Itemid=25 |archive-date=11 January 2009 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Anand won by scoring 6½ points in 11 games, winning three of the first six games (two with black).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/oct/29anand.htm |title=Anand crowned World champion |date=29 October 2008 |website=Rediff.com |access-date=29 October 2008 |archive-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205043631/http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/oct/29anand.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> After the tenth game, Anand led 6–4 and needed only a draw in either of the last two games to win the match. In Game 11, Kramnik played the [[Najdorf Variation]] of the [[Sicilian Defense]]. Once the players traded queens, Kramnik offered a draw after 24 moves since he had no winning chances in the [[chess endgame|endgame]].

{{Chess diagram
|tright
|Anand vs. Kramnik, 2008 World Ch.
|  |  |rd|  |  |kd|rd|
|  |pd|  |  |nd|pd|  |pd
|pd|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |pd|  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |bd|  |  |
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |rl|pl|pl
|  |kl|nl|  |  |bl|  |rl
|Final position of the match
}}
:Anand (2783) vs. Kramnik (2772), Wch Bonn GER (11); 29 October 2008 (final game) <br />1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.f5 Qc5 10.Qd3 Nc6 11.Nb3 Qe5 12.0-0-0 exf5 13.Qe3 Bg7 14.Rd5 Qe7 15.Qg3 Rg8 16.Qf4 fxe4 17.Nxe4 f5 18.Nxd6+ Kf8 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 20.Kb1 Qe1+ 21.Nc1 Ne7 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Rxd2 Bh6 24.Rf2 Be3 (diagram) {{nowrap|{{chessAN|½–½}}}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1511876 |title=Viswanathan Anand vs. Vladimir Kramnik (2008) |website=[[Chessgames.com]] |access-date=9 April 2013 |archive-date=19 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619120352/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1511876 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Of Anand's win, Kasparov said, "A great result for Anand and for chess. Vishy deserved the win in every way and I'm very happy for him. It will not be easy for the younger generation to push him aside... Anand out-prepared Kramnik completely. In this way, it reminded me of my match with Kramnik in London 2000. Like I was then, Kramnik may have been very well prepared for this match, but we never saw it."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081031/jsp/sports/story_10040725.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103062155/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081031/jsp/sports/story_10040725.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 November 2008 |title=Garri: He deserved the win |work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]] |location=Kolkata, India |date=31 October 2008 |access-date=31 May 2010}}</ref> In 2010 Anand donated his gold medal to the charitable organisation [[Rahul Bose|The Foundation]] to be auctioned off for the benefit of underprivileged children.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/top-sportspersons-to-donate-memorablia/story-YVshFn7m6sH2Gu9ibj4PTN.html |title=Top sportspersons to donate memorablia |work=Hindustan Times |date=3 October 2010 |access-date=31 July 2016 |archive-date=14 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914005339/http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/top-sportspersons-to-donate-memorablia/story-YVshFn7m6sH2Gu9ibj4PTN.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 2008
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! Total
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''Viswanathan Anand'''|India}} || '''2783'''
| style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ || '''6½'''
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|[[Vladimir Kramnik]]|Russia}} || 2772
| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 4½
|}

=== 2010 ===

{{Main|World Chess Championship 2010}}

Before the 2010 World Chess Championship match with Topalov, Anand, who had been booked on the flight Frankfurt–Sofia on 16 April, was stranded due to the cancellation of all flights following the volcano ash cloud from [[2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull|Eyjafjallajökull]]. He asked for a three-day postponement, which the Bulgarian organisers refused on 19 April. Anand reached Sofia on 20 April after a 40-hour road journey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6269 |title=Chess News&nbsp;– A volcanic trip&nbsp;– with the Lord of the Rings |website=ChessBase |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-date=24 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524060324/http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6269 |url-status=live }}</ref> Consequently, the first game was delayed by one day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chess.com/news/anand-v-topalov-1-day-postponement-8078 |title=Anand v Topalov 1 Day Postponement |website=Chess.com |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-date=28 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528055957/http://www.chess.com/news/anand-v-topalov-1-day-postponement-8078 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The match consisted of 12 games. In Game 1, Topalov defeated Anand in 30 moves with a very sharp attack that broke through Anand's [[Grunfeld Defence]]. It was revealed afterwards that Topalov had found the line during his opening preparation with the help of a powerful supercomputer loaned to him by Bulgaria's Defense Department.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 November 2016 |title=The Greatest World Championships: Anand vs. Topalov, 2010 |url=http://worldchess.com/2016/10/14/the-greatest-world-championships-anand-vs-topalov-2010/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006112544/https://worldchess.com/2016/10/14/the-greatest-world-championships-anand-vs-topalov-2010/ |archive-date=6 October 2017 |access-date=28 July 2023 |website=worldchess.com}}</ref> Anand quickly responded with a win in Game 2, employing a novelty out of the [[Catalan Opening]] that was not easily recognized by computers at the time (15. Qa3!?, followed by 16. bxa3!). Anand won with the Catalan again in Game 4, only to drop Game 8 and leave the score level once again.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=10 November 2016 |title=History of the World Ch., Part XII: Anand Reigns Supreme |url=http://worldchess.com/2016/10/24/history-of-the-world-ch-part-xii-anand-reigns-supreme/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006111843/https://worldchess.com/2016/10/24/history-of-the-world-ch-part-xii-anand-reigns-supreme/ |archive-date=6 October 2017 |access-date=28 July 2023 |website=worldchess.com}}</ref> After 11 games the score was tied at 5½–5½. Anand won game 12 on the Black side of a [[Queen's Gambit Declined]] to win the game and the match. Topalov chose to accept a pawn sacrifice by Anand, hoping to force a result and avoid a rapid chess tiebreak round. But after Topalov's dubious 31st and 32nd moves, Anand used the sacrifice to obtain a strong attack against Topalov's relatively exposed king. Topalov subsequently [[resign (chess)|resigned]], allowing Anand to retain the world championship.<ref name=":0" />

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 2010
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! Total
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''Viswanathan Anand'''|India}} || '''2787'''
|style="background:black; color:white"|  0 ||1 || style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 || style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || '''6½'''
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|[[Veselin Topalov]]|Bulgaria}} || 2805
|1 || style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ || style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ || style="background:black; color:white"| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 0 || 5½
|}

=== 2012 ===

{{Main|World Chess Championship 2012}}
As a result of Anand's victory in 2010, he defended his title in the 2012 World Chess Championship at the [[Tretyakov Gallery]] in Moscow.<ref>[[Keene, Raymond]]. "Chess", ''[[Sunday Times]]'', 6 May 2012</ref> His opponent was [[Boris Gelfand]], the winner of the 2011 [[Candidates Matches]]. After losing Game 7 to Gelfand, Anand came back to win Game 8 in only 17 moves, the shortest decisive game in World Chess Championship history. The match was tied 6–6 after regular games with one win each. Anand won the rapid tiebreak 2½–1½ to win the match and retain his title. After the match, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] greeted Anand and Gelfand by calling both to his official residence.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/putin-viswanathan-anand-tea_n_1558764.html | work=Huffington Post | title=Putin Meets Chess Champ For Tea | date=31 May 2012 | access-date=14 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017221727/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/putin-viswanathan-anand-tea_n_1558764.html | archive-date=17 October 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+World Chess Championship Match 2012
|-
! !! Rating !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! Points !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16 !! Total
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|'''Viswanathan Anand'''|India}} || '''2791'''
| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ || 6 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ || '''8½'''
|-
| align=left | {{flagathlete|[[Boris Gelfand]]|Israel}} || 2727
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || ½
|style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 6 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 7½
|}

=== 2013 ===

{{Main|World Chess Championship 2013}}
Anand lost his title in the 2013 World Chess Championship in Chennai. The winner was [[Magnus Carlsen]], the winner of the 2013 [[World Chess Championship 2013#Candidates Tournament|Candidates Tournament]]. The first four games were drawn, but Carlsen won Games 5 and 6. Games 7 and 8 were drawn, and Carlsen won Game 9. On 22 November, Game 10 was drawn, making Carlsen the new world champion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-g9-magnus-44-beats-battling-anand |title=Chennai G9: Magnus .44 beats battling Anand |website=ChessBase |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-date=27 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327173754/http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-g9-magnus-44-beats-battling-anand |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2014 ===

{{Main|World Chess Championship 2014}}
Anand won the double round-robin FIDE Candidates tournament at [[Khanty-Mansiysk]] (13–30 March) and earned a rematch with Carlsen. He went through the tournament undefeated, winning his first-round game against Aronian, his third-round game against [[Shakhriyar Mamedyarov]], and his ninth-round game against Topalov.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessvibes.com/candidates%E2%80%99-r14-karjakin-second-after-beating-aronian-anand-undefeated|title=Candidates' R14: Karjakin Second and After Beating Aronian, Anand Undefeated|website=Chessvibes|date=30 March 2014|access-date=30 March 2014|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083836/http://www.chessvibes.com/candidates%E2%80%99-r14-karjakin-second-after-beating-aronian-anand-undefeated|url-status=dead}}</ref> He drew all his other games, including his 12th-round game against [[Dmitry Andreikin]], where Anand agreed to a draw in a complex but winning position.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/candidates-rd12-time-is-running-out|title=Candidates Rd12: Time is running out|website=ChessBase|date=27 March 2014|access-date=30 March 2014|archive-date=30 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330040722/http://en.chessbase.com/post/candidates-rd12-time-is-running-out|url-status=live}}</ref> He faced Carlsen in the world championship match in Sochi, Russia, in November.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fide.com/calendar.html|title=FIDE Calendar 2014|website=FIDE|access-date=30 March 2014|archive-date=28 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328220846/http://www.fide.com/calendar.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Carlsen won the match 6½ to 4½ after 11 of 12 scheduled games.

=== FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion 2003 ===
In October 2003, the governing body of chess, [[FIDE]], organised a rapid time control tournament in [[Cap d'Agde]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/2696-1187-anand-is-world-rapid-chess-champion |title=Anand is World Rapid Chess Champion |website=FIDE |date=31 October 2003 |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-date=6 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606153259/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/2696-1187-anand-is-world-rapid-chess-champion |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1276 |title=Chess News&nbsp;– World Champion Vishy Anand! |website=ChessBase |date=30 October 2003 |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109040014/http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1276 |url-status=live }}</ref> and billed it as the [[World Rapid Chess Championship]]. Each player had 25 minutes at the start of the game, with an additional ten seconds after each move. Anand won this event ahead of ten of the top 12 players in the world, beating Kramnik in the final. His main recent titles in this category are at Corsica (six years in a row from 1999 through 2005), Chess Classic (nine years in a row from 2000 through 2008), Leon 2005, Eurotel 2002, Fujitsu Giants 2002 and the [[Melody Amber]] (five times, and he won the rapid portion of Melody Amber seven times). In the [[Melody Amber]] 2007, Anand did not lose a single game in the rapid section, and scored 8½/11, two more than the runners-up, for a [[Performance rating (chess)|performance rating]] in the rapid section of 2939.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3766 |title=Chess News&nbsp;– Blindfold king Kramnik wins 16th Amber Tournament |website=ChessBase |date=30 March 2007 |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020150928/http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3766 |url-status=live }}</ref> In most tournament time control games that Anand plays, he has more time left than his opponent at the end of the game. He lost on time in one game, to Kamsky. Otherwise, he took advantage of the rule allowing players in time trouble to use dashes instead of move notation during the last four minutes only once, against [[Peter Svidler]] at the MTel Masters 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3121 |title=Chess News&nbsp;– MTel R9: Topalov on top after victory over Kamsky |website=ChessBase |date=20 May 2006 |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020151124/http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3121 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion 2017 ===

Anand won the 2017 [[World Rapid Chess Championship]], defeating [[Vladimir Fedoseev]] 2–0 in the final tiebreak after he, Fedoseev and [[Ian Nepomniachtchi]] tied for first with 10½/15 points.<ref name="thehindu.com">{{cite news|title=Viswanathan Anand wins World Rapid Chess Championship|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/viswanathan-anand-wins-world-rapid-championship-title/article22324482.ece|website=The Hindu|date=29 December 2017|access-date=16 April 2018|archive-date=31 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131092857/http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/viswanathan-anand-wins-world-rapid-championship-title/article22324482.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> He won the tournament ahead of Carlsen, his first victory in a world championship since losing the classical championship to Carlsen in 2013.