Chess: India’s ‘lightning kid’ out to defend title

Compete against Israeli Boris Gelfand in the $2.5 million series in Moscow.

NEW DELHI: Viswanathan Anand, the undisputed world chess champion since 2007, embarked yesterday on one of the biggest tests of his career as he defends his crown against Israeli Boris Gelfand in the $2.5 million series in Moscow. Anand, called the ‘lightning kid’ for his ability to make quick moves, he has been in a hurry all his life. He became an international master at 15, was crowned Indian champion at 16, won the world junior title at 17 and became the country’s first grandmaster at 18. The Indian government, taking note of the young man’s rapid rise, awarded him India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri a few months short of his 19th birthday.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2012.