In December 2024, an 18-year-old from Chennai became the youngest World Chess Champion in history. D Gukesh’s victory over Ding Liren in Singapore was a defining moment for Indian sport. Yet behind that win sat a quieter story — one that began years earlier at a chess academy in Chennai, guided by the man Gukesh has always called his hero. Viswanathan Anand’s role in Gukesh’s rise is not simply that of a supporter from the sidelines. It is the story of one generation building the next, and of a champion who chose to give away everything he had learned.
Anand is a five-time World Chess Champion, the first Indian grandmaster, and now FIDE Interim President. Those credentials matter because they explain what he brought to the academy environment he created for India’s young players. Fans who want to understand what India’s chess scene looks like today will find the full context in this piece on how Indian chess became a global powerhouse.
Who Viswanathan Anand Is
Before the mentorship story, the playing career deserves its proper place. Anand became India’s first chess grandmaster in 1988, at age 18. Over the following three decades, he won the World Chess Championship five times — in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He held the title across multiple formats, defeating players including Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov, and Boris Gelfand in title matches. At his peak, he was world No. 1 and the most feared speed player in the game.
What made Anand unusual was the longevity. He competed at world level across five decades of professional chess, adapting as the game changed around him — from physical board preparation to computer-assisted opening theory to the rapid and blitz era. His last major title, the World Rapid Championship, came in 2017, nearly 30 years into his career at the top.
By the time he stepped back from full-time competition, Anand had a richer set of experiences at the highest level than almost anyone alive. That depth was precisely what he brought into the classroom when he turned to mentorship.
The WestBridge Anand Chess Academy
In December 2020, during the pandemic, Anand launched the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy in Chennai. The timing was deliberate. Online chess had exploded in popularity, young Indian talent was emerging at speed, and Anand saw a clear gap between raw ability and structured preparation at the elite level.
The academy brought eight young Indian players into a training environment designed around Anand’s experience at world title matches. Gukesh was among them. So were R. Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, and Arjun Erigaisi — names that would rank among the world’s top players within a few years of their time at the academy.
The structure was not simply about chess puzzles and opening theory. Anand brought a champion’s mindset to the sessions. He knew what it felt like to sit across from Kasparov, Kramnik, and Carlsen with a world title at stake. He knew how to handle a bad position in a must-win game. He knew the difference between tournament preparation and championship preparation. That experience, more than any database or engine study, was what he passed on to the group.
Anand has been open about how he approached the role. He helped shape training modules and plans rather than acting as a second in specific games. The idea was to change how the players thought, not just how they prepared for a particular opponent.
Mentor, Not Just Role Model
Anand has been careful to distinguish mentorship from coaching. The distinction is worth understanding. He was not their opening preparation partner at tournaments, not feeding them moves over the phone before critical games. He shaped how they thought about chess, competition, and professional life at the highest level.
When Gukesh overtook Anand in FIDE live ratings in 2023 — the first time in over three decades that a younger Indian player had displaced him at the top of India’s chess rankings — Anand did not treat it as a loss. He called it “a fantastic achievement” and used the phrase “passing of the baton.” That attitude set the tone for how Indian chess’s golden generation understood its own story. They were not competing against Anand’s legacy. They were continuing it.
Anand was equally open about being surprised at how quickly the students developed. “I didn’t anticipate it,” he said in public. The pace of improvement from players like Gukesh exceeded even his own expectations. That admission matters because it tells you that the talent was real and self-driven — Anand provided the structure and the standard, but the students brought extraordinary ability of their own.
What Gukesh Took From the Academy
Gukesh has spoken about Anand as his hero since he was a child. That admiration gave the mentorship relationship a particular quality. Gukesh was not just learning from a veteran — he was learning from the person he had modeled his chess ambitions on.
By the time Gukesh entered the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament, the influence was visible in how he played under pressure. He won the Candidates becoming the youngest challenger in World Championship history. Then, in Singapore across December 2024, he recovered from a losing position in the final game against Ding Liren to win on the spot — the kind of composure in a must-win moment that takes years to build. That composure had a recognizable source.
Sindarov, who will challenge Gukesh in Geneva in November 2026 for the world title, described Gukesh as “one of the best players in the world.” That came from the person who beat him to the Candidates championship. It is a measure of how thoroughly Gukesh’s academy years translated into competitive standing.
The Role Model Effect
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said directly in public comments that “Viswanathan Anand as the role model has worked for India.” The idea is simple in theory and rare in practice. When young players see that someone from their country reached the absolute summit of a sport, they believe they can too.
Before Anand, India had Manuel Aaron as its first international master, but no grandmaster. Anand became India’s first GM in 1988. The country went from one grandmaster that year to 85 by December 2024. That growth is not a straight line from one fact to the other, but the connection is real. Anand showed it was possible, and then spent decades keeping that door open for everyone who followed.
FIDE later called him the “father of the Indian chess boom” — a phrase Anand received with characteristic modesty but that accurately describes his structural role in the story.
Anand’s Administrative Role
Since August 2022, Anand has served as FIDE Deputy President, and then as Interim President. His influence on chess, therefore, is not confined to training rooms in Chennai. He shapes the direction of the global game — formats, youth programs, outreach, and venue selection for major events.
When Geneva was confirmed as the host for the 2026 World Championship match between Gukesh and Sindarov, Anand welcomed the decision and noted it was reached after evaluating bids from several countries, including India. He said the choice was for “neutral soil.” His word, in that institutional context, carries real weight.
That combination — a champion who trained India’s next generation and also sits at the head of global chess governance — is unusual in any sport. In chess, it has been central to India’s transformation from a country with one grandmaster to one with 85 and a reigning world champion.
The 2024 Moment and What Comes Next
Gukesh winning the World Championship in December 2024 meant the second Indian after Anand had won the title. The lineage is direct. Anand was India’s first. Gukesh trained under Anand. The chain from master to student closed in the most visible way possible.
At the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, India won gold in both the open and women’s categories — the first time the country had achieved that double. Anand had a hand in shaping the men’s team that produced that result. His public reaction was straightforward: “It feels like a magical time for India.”
By the time the 2026 championship in Geneva approached, with Gukesh preparing to defend his title against Sindarov across 14 classical games, Anand’s role had evolved again. He was no longer the player in the room. He was the person who had made the room possible. That is a different kind of achievement — and in some ways, the more lasting one.
Key Takeaways
- WestBridge Anand Chess Academy: Launched December 2020 in Chennai, trained Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, and others
- Anand’s playing record: Five World Chess Championship titles across 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012
- Generational shift: Gukesh overtook Anand in FIDE live ratings in 2023 — Anand publicly celebrated it
- Role model effect: India went from 1 grandmaster (1988) to 85 grandmasters (2024) under Anand’s era
- FIDE role: Anand serves as FIDE Interim President, shaping the game globally
- The lineage: Gukesh became the second Indian world champion in 2024, trained by the first
FAQs
Did Viswanathan Anand directly coach Gukesh?
Anand mentored Gukesh through the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy in Chennai, launched in December 2020, though he describes his role as mentoring rather than formal coaching.
When did Gukesh surpass Anand in FIDE ratings?
Gukesh overtook Anand in live FIDE ratings in 2023, an event Anand publicly welcomed as a milestone for Indian chess.
How many World Championship titles did Anand win?
Anand won the World Chess Championship five times, in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
What is Anand’s current role at FIDE?
Anand serves as FIDE Interim President following a transition in the organization’s leadership.
Is Anand still involved in Indian chess development?
Yes. Beyond his FIDE role, Anand remains connected to the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy and continues to mentor India’s chess talent.
Conclusion
Viswanathan Anand’s role in Gukesh’s rise is as much about what he gave away as what he achieved himself. He opened the door, built the academy, shared three decades of championship experience, and stepped back when the students were ready. Gukesh winning the World Championship title in 2024 was the clearest possible proof that the approach worked. As Gukesh now defends that title in Geneva in 2026, the chess world is watching — and so is the man from Chennai who first showed India it could be done.