Vishy Anand's five triumphs in Wijk aan Zee

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
1/19/2025 – Vishy Anand’s legendary career is inseparable from his extraordinary achievements at the prestigious Wijk aan Zee chess tournament. With five tournament victories spanning three decades, the Indian grandmaster showcased his brilliance in a field of the world’s best players. As the 87th edition unfolds, we look back at Anand's remarkable performances, from his debut triumph in 1989 to his enduring displays in the Corus era, cementing his legacy in one of the most iconic chess events in the world. | Photo: Rob Bogaerts / Anefo (1989)

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A true household name

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.

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.

Viktor Korchnoi, Viswanathan Anand

Vishy Anand facing Viktor Korchnoi with the black pieces at the 1990 Hoogovens Tournament | Photo: Fotoburo De Boer

Viswanathan Anand

Vishy Anand during round 7 of the 2019 Tata Steel Masters | Photo: Alina l'Ami

1989: What a debut

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.

Wijk Aan Zee Chess Tournament

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1.e41,166,62354%2421---
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Be6 7.c5 g6 8.Bb5 Bg7 9.Ne5 Bd7 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Re1 Be8 13.h3 Kh8 14.Bf4 Ng8 15.b4 f6 16.Nf3 Qd7 17.a4 a6 18.Bh2 g5 19.Qe2 h5 20.Qe6 Qxe6 21.Rxe6 Bh6 22.Nd2 Bd7 23.Ree1 g4 24.Nb3 e6 25.hxg4 hxg4 26.Re2 Ne7 27.Bd6 Rfe8 28.Bxe7 Rxe7 29.b5 axb5 30.axb5 Rxa1+ 31.Nxa1 cxb5 32.Nxd5 Rf7 33.Nb6 e5 34.d5 Bf5 35.Ra2 Bf8 36.Nb3 Rb7 37.Ra6 Kg7 38.d6 Rf7 39.Na5 b4 40.Nbc4 Bd3 41.Rb6 Ra7 42.c6 Ra8 43.c7 Bf5 44.Rb8 Ra6 45.Ne3 Be6 46.Re8 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2515Miles,A25201–01989B13Hoogovens1
Anand,V2515Sokolov,I25801–01989C73Hoogovens9
Anand,V2515Benjamin,J25451–01989B63Hoogovens12

1998: Battling with Kramnik

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.

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.

Wijk Aan Zee Chess Tournament

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1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.d4 0-0 10.Bf4 Nbd7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Nd4 Ne4 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Qd2 Nf6 15.Red1 Qd5 16.b4 Be7 17.Qb2 Ng4 18.f3 Nf6 19.Rac1 Rfd8 20.Bc7 Rd7 21.Bh3 Rxc7 22.Rxc7 Bd6 23.Rcc1 Be5 24.Bg2 exf3 25.Bxf3 Qd7 26.Qd2 h5 27.Nc6 Qxd2 28.Rxd2 Bxc6 29.Bxc6 Rc8 30.b5 h4 31.Rcd1 hxg3 32.Rd8+ Rxd8 33.Rxd8+ Kh7 34.hxg3 Bxg3 35.Ra8 Bd6 36.Rxa7 Kg6 37.a4 Ng4 38.Be8 Ne5 39.a5 Bc5+ 40.Kh1 bxa5 41.Ra6+ Kf5 42.b6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2770Van Wely,L26051–01998E17Hoogovens2
Anand,V2770Topalov,V27401–01998C78Hoogovens5
Polgar,J2670Anand,V27701–01998B90Hoogovens6

2003: Outright winner

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.

Wijk Aan Zee Chess Tournament

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4 Nf6 9.h3 Nb4 10.Be2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 0-0 12.Nc3 c6 13.Re1 Nbd5 14.Qb3 Nb6 15.Bd3 Be6 16.Qc2 h6 17.Rxe6 fxe6 18.Qe2 Qd7 19.Bd2 Bd6 20.Ne4 Nbd5 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.Re1 Rad8 23.a3 Rfe8 24.Bb1 c5 25.Ne5 cxd4 26.Qd3 Ne3 27.Nf3 Ned5 28.Bxh6 Nf4 29.Bxf4 Qxf4 30.Ba2 Rd6 31.h4 Qh6 32.Bc4 Qh7 33.Qb3 d3 34.Rd1 d2 35.Qb4 Red8 36.Ng5 Qc2 37.Bb3 Qc6 38.g3 Qb6 39.Nxe6 Qxb4 40.axb4 Rc8 41.Kf1 Kh8 42.Ng5 Rd4 43.Nf7+ Kh7 44.Ng5+ Kh6 45.Nf7+ Kg6 46.Ne5+ Kh7 47.Nf3 Rxb4 48.Nxd2 Rd8 49.Bc2+ Kh8 50.b3 Rbd4 51.Ke1 b5 52.Nb1 Re8+ 53.Kf1 Rxd1+ 54.Bxd1 Ne4 55.Bc2 a5 56.Na3 Nd2+ 57.Kg2 Rb8 58.g4 b4 59.Nb1 Nxb1 60.Bxb1 Rc8 61.Bf5 Rc3 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Topalov,V2743Anand,V27530–12003C42Corus2
Anand,V2753Karpov,A26881–02003B12Corus5
Shirov,A2723Anand,V27530–12003B12Corus10

2004: A second win in a row

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.

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.

Wijk Aan Zee Chess Tournament

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Bf5 9.c4 c6 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Nd7 14.Qf5 Nb6 15.Ng5 g6 16.Qh3 h5 17.g4 Qd7 18.gxh5 Qxh3 19.Nxh3 Rfe8 20.Bf4 Bxf4 21.Nxf4 g5 22.Nh3 Na4 23.Rac1 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Nxc3 25.Re7 Kg7 26.Rc7 Ne2+ 27.Kf1 Nxd4 28.Nxg5 Kh6 29.Nxf7+ Kxh5 30.Rxb7 Nf3 31.Rb5 Kg6 32.Rxd5 Nxh2+ 33.Kg2 Kxf7 34.Kxh2 Ke6 35.Ra5 Kd6 36.f4 Rg8 37.f5 Ke7 38.Rxa7+ Kf6 39.Ra5 Rg4 40.a4 Rb4 41.Kg3 Rc4 42.Kf3 Rh4 43.Ke3 Rg4 44.Kd3 Rf4 45.Ra8 Kg7 46.Ra7+ Kf6 47.Ra5 Rh4 48.Kc3 Rf4 49.Kd3 Rh4 50.Ra8 Kxf5 51.a5 Kg6 52.a6 Kg7 53.Ra7+ Kf6 54.Kc3 Re4 55.Rh7 Ra4 56.a7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Viswanathan Anand2766Alexey Shirov27361–02004C42Corus Group A6
Viswanathan Anand2766Jan Timman25781–02004B67Corus Group A11
Veselin Topalov2735Viswanathan Anand27661–02004B80Corus Group A12

2006: Catching Topalov in the end

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.

Wijk Aan Zee Chess Tournament

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1.e41,166,62354%2421---
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g4 b5 12.g5 b4 13.Ne2 Ne8 14.f4 a5 15.f5 a4 16.Nbd4 exd4 17.Nxd4 b3 18.Kb1 bxc2+ 19.Nxc2 Bb3 20.axb3 axb3 21.Na3 Ne5 22.h4 Ra5 23.Qc3 Qa8 24.Bg2 Nc7 25.Qxc7 Rc8 26.Qxe7 Nc4 27.g6 hxg6 28.fxg6 Nxa3+ 29.bxa3 Rxa3 30.gxf7+ Kh7 31.f8N+ Rxf8 32.Qxf8 Ra1+ 33.Kb2 Ra2+ 34.Kc3 Qa5+ 35.Kd3 Qb5+ 36.Kd4 Ra4+ 37.Kc3 Qc4+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Sergey Karjakin-Viswanathan Anand-0–12006B90Corus Group A1
Vassily Ivanchuk-Viswanathan Anand-0–12006A35Corus Group A3
Viswanathan Anand2792Peter Leko27401–02006B90Corus Group A5
Viswanathan Anand-Boris Gelfand-1–02006B90Corus Group A13

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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