Viswanathan Anand's rise in the chess world is a story of timing, resilience, and quiet domination. He burst onto the international scene in 1985, climbing the ranks with remarkable speed. By 1994, Anand had already reached No. 4 in the world, firmly establishing himself among the chess elite.
But his ascent coincided with the reign of two of history's greatest players - Anatoly Karpov, World Champion for 10 years, and Garry Kasparov, who ruled for 15. Both men dominated the FIDE rating charts for decades, holding the top positions continuously from 1973 to 2005. Overcoming these "Super K's"is no small task.
During Anand's career, the chess world faced a unique division. In 1993, Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short broke away from FIDE to form the PCA (Professional Chess Association), creating two parallel World Championship cycles:
This split lasted until the 2006 reunification match, meaning that for over a decade, there were effectively two World Champions. Anand is one of the few players to have competed at the top of both systems, sometimes even in the same year.
Early in his career, Anand had to face Anatoly Karpov, one of the most formidable match players in history.
He met Karpov in two major matches, both of which he lost at the time:
These defeats were pivotal, representing Anand's early hurdles against the old guard. Over time, however, Anand turned the tables. In classical chess, he built a positive lifetime score vs Karpov (15–11) and also gained an edge in rapid and blitz. By the mid to late 1990s, Anand was consistently outperforming Karpov in tournaments and ratings.
Anand overtook Karpov in the FIDE rating list by 1995, cementing himself as Kasparov's main rival. For much of the mid--990s, the rating battle was essentially Kasparov vs Anand, with Karpov slowly fading from the top 2.
Kasparov remained undisputed No. 1 until his retirement in 2005. After Kasparov stepped away, Anand's consistency earned him the World No. 1 rating in April 2007. He held the top spot for 21 months across multiple periods, becoming the fifth player in history to be the world's top-rated chess player.
While Kasparov and Karpov dominated early in Anand's career, Vladimir Kramnik emerged in the late 1990s as another formidable rival. Kramnik famously defeated Kasparov in the 2000 Classical World Championship match in London, claiming the title and elevating himself as Anand's primary match rival.
Anand eventually triumphed over Kramnik in their 2008 World Championship match in Bonn, winning convincingly and claiming the undisputed World Champion title. Despite Kramnik's earlier success, Anand's tournament consistency and ratings, combined with this decisive match victory, allowed him to surpass Kramnik in both stature and the FIDE ranking. Together, Kasparov, Kramnik, and Anand defined a decade of elite rivalry, with Anand proving he could overcome some of the "Super K's" on the world stage.
Anand's career spans the transition from the Soviet era to the modern computer age. Now in his mid-50s, he remains a Top-20 player, highly competitive and deeply involved in nurturing India's next generation of chess prodigies.
As he prepares for another match vs Kasparov - there's a symbolic echo: decades after he first challenged Kasparov in New York. This time it is in St Louis, Missouri, where Anand once again has the chance to put the last of the "Super K's" behind him on the board.