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The annual chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, often referred to as the "Wimbledon of Chess", traditionally marks the start of the year for elite players. The 87th edition of the event has just commenced, featuring a stellar lineup despite the absence of Magnus Carlsen. Among the participants are recently crowned world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, world numbers 2 and 4, Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi, and defending champion Wei Yi.
Notably, 5 of the 14 competitors in the Tata Steel Masters hail from India. However, one significant name is missing: Vishy Anand, the legendary Indian grandmaster, who last played in Wijk aan Zee in 2020 as he is semi-retired from competitive chess at the age of 55.
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India's emergence as a chess powerhouse, highlighted by Gukesh's World Championship victory and the national teams' double gold at the Olympiad last year, serves as a timely reminder of Anand's legacy in the Wijk aan Zee tournament. Anand's 5 tournament wins, the second-highest tally behind Carlsen's 8, are a testament to his consistency and brilliance. Until 2017, the tournament declared co-champions in the event of a tie for first place - Anand shared the title on 3 occasions and won it outright twice.
Anand's first triumph at Wijk came in 1989 during his debut at the Hoogovens Chess Tournament, the event's original name. Then 19 years old and the third-lowest-rated player in the field with an Elo of 2515, Anand shared first place with three of the favourites (all rated above 2600), heralding the arrival of a prodigy on the global stage. His subsequent victories spanned the tournament's transitions, including a shared title with Vladimir Kramnik in 1998 during the last years of the Hoogovens era. During the Corus era (2000–2010), Anand claimed back-to-back outright victories in 2003 and 2004 and tied for the top spot in 2006 alongside Veselin Topalov.
In the Tata Steel era, which began in 2011, Anand never added to his collection of wins but continued to impress with strong performances. He secured second place in 2011 and shared third in 2013, while in his final appearance (so far) in 2020, just before the onset of the Covid pandemic, he grabbed notable victories against rising stars Alireza Firouzja and Jeffery Xiong. As we look back at Anand's five victories in Wijk aan Zee, we celebrate his remarkable achievements in one of the most prestigious chess tournaments in history.
Vishy Anand facing Viktor Korchnoi with the black pieces at the 1990 Hoogovens Tournament | Photo: Fotoburo De Boer
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Vishy Anand during round 7 of the 2019 Tata Steel Masters | Photo: Alina l'Ami
Anand made an impressive debut at the 1989 Hoogovens Chess Tournament, scoring 7½/13 to share first place with Predrag Nikolić, Zoltan Ribli, and Gyula Sax. At 19 years old, he was the third-lowest-rated participant but defeated four higher-rated players: Kiril Georgiev, Tony Miles, Joel Benjamin and Ivan Sokolov.
The tournament concluded with all four co-champions drawing their final-round games. Anand secured his place at the top with a 31-move victory over Joel Benjamin in round 12, ensuring he joined the leading pack. He drew his games against co-champions Nikolić, Ribli and Sax.
By 1998, Vishy Anand had evolved from the "Lightning Kid" of the 1980s into a universal player known for his excellent preparation and adaptability. Entering the Hoogovens Chess Tournament as the second-highest-rated player behind Vladimir Kramnik, Anand was among the favourites to win.
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Over the course of the single round-robin, he scored 8½/13, tying for first place with Kramnik. Anand achieved five victories and suffered one loss, falling to a 21-year-old Judit Polgar in round 6. In the direct encounter between the eventual winners, Anand (playing white) and Kramnik signed a 30-move draw out of a theoretical Sicilian Defence.
In 2003, Anand claimed his first outright victory in Wijk, finishing undefeated with 8½/13 points. Anand achieved four wins and nine draws, as this marked the only time he won the tournament without losing a single game. Judit Polgar, who had defeated Anand in 1998, finished in sole second place, also undefeated, just half a point behind.
A critical moment in Anand's campaign came in round 10 when he defeated Alexei Shirov with black. Playing a double-edged Caro-Kann Defence, Anand navigated the complexities of the position to secure a key victory.
The following year, Anand repeated his success, winning the tournament outright with the same 8½/13 score. Again entering as the second-highest-rated player behind Vladimir Kramnik, Anand faced strong competition from Peter Leko and Michael Adams, who finished tied for second, just half a point behind.
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Anand was undefeated with 5 wins after 11 rounds but suffered a setback in round 12, losing to Veselin Topalov with black. The loss allowed Leko and Adams to remain in contention going into the final round. However, while Anand drew his game against Ivan Sokolov with white, his closest rivals could only manage draws with black in their respective games.
In what was his final tournament victory in Wijk, Anand shared first place with Topalov in 2006, both finishing with impressive 9/13 scores. The two highest-rated players in the field, Topalov (2801) and Anand (2792), each achieved 6 wins and suffered 1 loss. Their direct encounter in the penultimate round ended in a draw, with Topalov playing white.
Heading into the final round, Topalov held a half-point lead over Anand. While Topalov drew his game with black against Leko, the Indian star caught his colleague atop the standings by defeating Boris Gelfand with the white pieces.
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