Viswanathan Anand's victory had the chess world rejoicing.
GM R.B. Ramesh, GM, said “he was my inspiration. I have retired from the sport, but he continues to play and win. It's very easy to lose motivation, but he has maintained it. He's a trailblazer for every Indian sportsperson.
S. Vijayalakshmi, WGM, said “I think he is running short of formats to win as he has won titles on all formats! But Anand didn't have it easy. Gelfand was a worthy opponent. In the tiebreaker, Anand managed his time really well.
“It's a great win. I think it was a planned victory,” said GM Sasikiran.
B. Adhiban, GM, said “even before the championship, I was sure he was going to win. But I didn't expect it to be so close. I believed that the contest will end in the classical format. It's great that an Indian has won the championship.
S. Arun Prasad, GM, said “It was a very complicated match. Boris Gelfand, to his credit, put in a lot of effort. To fight with Anand is not easy. He did that. I am excited about the win. To beat Gelfand, who himself is a fighter, proves how strong Anand is. It's a brilliant effort.”
Mr. J.C. D. Prabhakar, President, All-India Chess Federation said, “As expected, Anand has won it and has done India proud.
“There were several anxious moments in the classical format, but he came back strongly each time. There will certainly be a big felicitation function to honour Anand.
D.V. Sundar, FIDE vice-president, said, “for somebody to comeback from a game down and then go on to win, Anand has shown tremendous fighting spirit. Manuel Aaron, India's first IM, said, “Great news. I only wish he had done it earlier and not allowed the contest to go to the tie-break stage”
