World Chess Championship: Anand, the nice guy who finished first

November 8, 2014

ChampionshipNew Delhi, Nov 8: "I've learnt from Anand but I think I showed him in a way that although he has taught me many things in the past, now it's probably my turn to teach him."

These were Magnus Carlsen's exact words after defeating Vishwanathan Anand in the FIDE World Chess Championship Match that was held in Chennai last year. The final scoreline read Carlsen-6.5: Anand-3.5. Carlsen won 3 games and 7 games were drawn. Anand could not muster a single victory.

But Anand was not done yet. He bounced back by winning the Candidates Tournament in 2014 and followed it up by winning the Bilbao Final Masters.

"This time it will be much closer than the last," says Arjuna awardee Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta, who has tagged Carlsen as his 'favourite'.

Anand has won 5 World Championships and has been the Numero Uno. He has won everything that the sport has to offer.

But his greatest achievement has been that he has single-handedly made chess popular as a sport in a nation of over 100 million cricket crazy citizens. The sport which took birth in India as 'Chaturanga' is played avidly today and followed in the country chiefly due to the contributions of this one man.

"Vishy (Vishwanathan Anand) has already influenced an entire generation of chess players. He is probably the best sportsperson that India has produced after Sachin Tendulkar," says Tania Sachdev, an International Master, while commentating during the 2013 match at Chennai.

India has had a 'rich' tradition of not excelling at individual sports. Exceptions to this have been very rare.

Ramesh Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes become known names in the tennis circuit, but couldn't reach the coveted top position. It has been the same with shuttlers Pullela Gopichand and Prakash Padukone. Athletes like Milkha Singh, PT Usha and Paan Singh Tomar won some medals at competitions that mattered.

But such cases are very rare and if we narrow this list down to people who have attained the 'pole' position in their respective sport and have had a prolonged stint at that position - we are left with just one name - Vishwanathan Anand.

He became India's first Grandmaster (GM) at the age of 18 in 1988. He was also awarded the Padma Shri that year.

Anand first qualified for the World Championship candidates' match in 1991. He had just started establishing himself on the international circuit. Yet, he won the eight-game match against Russian supremo Alexey Dreev in just six.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year's Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board's failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

Tax exemptions for International Cricket Council (ICC) events are listed as a requirement in host agreements and the BCCI was supposed to confirm they had secured one by May 18.

ESPNcricinfo, citing correspondence between the two bodies, has reported that the ICC has threatened to shift the tournament away from India over the issue.

However, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters that would not happen and that negotiations were continuing.

"There is no risk to the tournament," he said by telephone.

"That is a work in progress. We are discussing it with the ICC and we'll resolve it."

The BCCI encountered a similar problem when it hosted the event in 2016 when the government refused to provide a tax exemption, and there has been no change in New Delhi's stance despite the board's appeals.

Failure to secure that exemption in 2016 saw the ICC withhold an equivalent sum from India's share of revenue from the governing body's grants and it appears to be taking an even harder line this time around.

"There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket," an ICC spokesperson told Reuters.

"In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by."

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News Network
January 8,2020

Indore, Jan 8: Skipper Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 30 as India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 international in Indore on Tuesday.

The hosts rode a 71-run opening stand between KL Rahul, who hit 45, and Shikhar Dhawan, who made 32, to chase down their target of 143 in 17.3 overs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the first match was rained off.

Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took the wickets of the Indian openers but Shreyas Iyer, who scored 34 before falling to paceman Lahiru Kumara, and Kohli, who hit the winning six, got the team home.

The third match is on Friday in Pune.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Jan 10: Australian cricketer Shane Warne’s prized 'baggy green' cap raised more than A$1 million ($686,000) on Friday for bushfire relief efforts after the former leg-spinner donated it for auction.

Twenty-seven people have been killed and thousands made homeless in recent months as huge fires scorched through more than 25.5 million acres of land, an area the size of South Korea.

The baggy green is presented to Australian players when they make their Test debut and they receive just one for their entire career. The Aussie cricketer donated the cap to an online auction site on Monday. The auction closed at 10 a.m. on Friday (2300 GMT Thursday) with a final public bid of A$1,007,500.

"Unbelievable … so generous from everyone. Totally blown away," Warne said on Twitter shortly before the auction closed.

The auction attracted global interest and the price eclipsed the A$425,000 achieved by the late Don Bradman's baggy green when it was sold in 2003.

"We have been overwhelmed and it is a fantastic result," Marc Cheah, head of marketing for auctioneers Pickles, said.

"Other baggy greens have been auctioned and Don Bradman’s got $425,000 about 15 years ago, but the Don is the Don. He’s the greatest cricketer that ever lived," Cheah said in relation to the widely held recognition Bradman was the best batsman the game has produced.

"But Shane is also right up there and that drove a lot of traffic and momentum, while the cause is also very worthwhile."

Warne, 50, is one of many local and international athletes to support the fundraising for bushfire victims with several cricketers promising to donate a sum based on the number of sixes they hit in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition.

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