Viswanathan Anand — The Evergreen

Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand's tenure among the world's top-10 enters its 27th year on Saturday

Numbers do not always tell the whole story. But numbers do play a significant role in helping to understand the magnitude of an achievement. Notably, numbers become indispensable when it comes to the story of a sportsperson excelling among the elite for more than a quarter of a century!

 

Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand's tenure among the world's top-10 enters its 27th year on Saturday. For the unintiated, the four-digit rating in chess denotes the playing strength of an individual. These numbeers — both ratings and world rankings — reflect Anand's  consistency and longevity against the bext chess-playing brains over a period of 26 years.

 

Tremendous feats

>> Since 1992, Anand has been in the top-10 at the start of every year.

>> He stayed in the top-5 for 16 straight years (July 1996 to July 2012).

 

>> He is the oldest World No.1 at 37 years, 3 months and 21 days.

>> Of the 13 players to have crossed 2800, Anand remains the oldest (36 years, 3 months and 21 days)