Vishwanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand, born in Madras, is the best player India ever produced and was ranked in the world`s top ten since the early 1990s. He has unusually quick sight of the board, is noted for playing fast, and is one of the best-liked grandmasters on the circuit. In 1995 he dropped a PCA world championship match to Kasparov despite taking an early lead by drawing the first eight games and winning the ninth. In 1998 he dropped a short FIDE title bout to Karpov in overtime after achieving a 3-3 tie. Later that year Anand won Linares ahead of Kasparov and five other top rated stars, yet he declined another shot at the PCA title because of contractual obligations to FIDE.