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It is no doubt a consensus that Viswanathan Anand is currently playing the best chess in the world. On the heels of his recent demolition (+7 on 8½-1½!) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Indian Grandmaster is continuing his feast on the world's best. Results include: 1st place: Corus/Wijk Aan Zee (tying a record with 4th title), 1st place: Sparkassen Dortmund (beating GM Vladimir Kramnik in final), 1st place: Mainz Rapid (over GM Alexij Shirov 4½-2½) for a 4th consecutive title and a TV match victory over Bulgarian Grandmaster Veselin Topalov.
As a result of his stellar play in the past year, he was also awarded the his 3rd Chess Oscar, the most prestigious award for a professional chess player. In October, he will compete for the Indian national team at the Chess Olympiad in Mallorca, Spain. Perhaps Anand will eventually become the world's #1 player, but the world will have to wait at least until another cycle to see if he can become the undisputed champion. In what was truly a disgraceful omission, Anand was not part of the Prague "Chess Unity" Agreement… but the "Tiger from Madras" will see his day.
The Chess Drum, "The 'Tiger from Madras' on the Prowl!" 29 March 2003.
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