Viswanathan Anand - Greatest ever Indian sportsman

Viswanathan Anand

( World Champion : 2007–present )

Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and highest rated player in the world.

It is difficult to compare Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev or Dhyan Chand who have played team sports with Anand. But if you use one criteria, which is how many countries play the sports, then you get an answer. A dozen countries play Cricket. Hockey – 51 countries. Chess is played in more than 150 countries. The fact that few counties play a sport/game means that the level of achievement is considerably less as the competing field is so much narrower.

In all respects, Anand’s achievement is greater compared to all other sports persons of India.

Anand has received many national and international awards.:-

1.  Arjuna award for Outstanding Indian Sportsman in Chess in 1985
2. Padma Shri, National Citizens Award and Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1987
3. The inaugural Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour in the year 1991–1992.
4. British Chess Federation 'Book of the Year' Award in 1998 for his book My Best Games of Chess
5. Padma Bhushan in 2000
6. Jameo de Oro the highest honour given by the Government of Lanzarote in Spain on 25 April 2001. The award is given to illustrious personalities with extraordinary achievements.
7. Chess Oscar (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008)
8. Sportstar Millennium Award in 1998, from India's premier Sports magazine for being the sportperson of the millennium
9. Padma Vibhushan in 2007
10. Global Strategist Award' for Mastering many formats of World Chess Championships by NASSCOM in 2011.

Chess, boxing and tennis are three of the famous sports played all over the world, unlike cricket which yet to be included in Commonwealth games.