Chess Legends to Battle it Out
It was proclaimed as the battle of the year and even the game of the decade between two arch nemeses. It had the spectators with their mouth agape and their eyes dazed in an awestruck manner. I am not talking about a gladiator match of the ancient Roman days or the football clashes between heavyweight premier league clubs; but I was referring to the fourth round game of the Tata Steel Chess tournament that took place between Armenian player- Levon Aronian and Viswanathan Anand of India. There weren’t any men in protective gear brandishing their swords and shields nor were there men in colored and uniform shorts charging into each other while fighting over a ball, there were only a couple of bespectacled men, observing the chess board while calculating moves in their head with incomprehensible acumen. Chess game is more a battle of wits and brain than brawn.
Anand is not referred to as a chess Grandmaster without any reason. Ever since his first grandmaster in 1987, Viswanathan Anand profile is filled with laurels and awards. He is a World class chess prodigy who has won the World Chess Championship a record five times in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. He has held that position since the year 2007. Besides these, he has won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion in 2003 and has held the FIDE World Chess Championship for three years since 2000. He is the winner of the Chess Oscars six times. Keeping tab of his spectacular performances and plaudits he has acquired over the years for his country, Anand was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92 and the Padma Vibhushan- which is regarded as India's second highest civilian award, in 2007.
Anand is all set to proceed to the fifth round of the Tata Steel Chess tournament where he will be clashing (mentally) against the Norway champion and World Number One- Magnus Carlsen. It is no secret that Viswanathan Anand and Carlsen have a personal rivalry going on as they have been alternating for the number one position for over a decade. It all started with Anand dropping down to the third position in 1996 after which Carlsen reigned supreme for a while till the November of 2010, when Anand claimed the title after beating Carlsen at the Bilbao Masters. The following year, Carlsen took over as Number one and it is yet to be decide if the history will repeat itself yet again at the fifth round of the Tata Steel Chess tournament.
