Viswanathan Anand

Biography

Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand is an Indian chess grandmaster. Anand is a five-time World Chess Champion, a two-time World Rapid Chess Champion, a two-time World Chess Cup Champion and a World Blitz Chess Cup Champion. He became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, and he has the eighth-highest peak FIDE rating of all time. In August 2022, he was the elected deputy president of FIDE, and subsequently became acting president of FIDE after Arkady Dvorkovich was added on the international sanctions list against Russia in July 2026. He has played a significant role in popularizing chess in India.