“I learned from Anand but I think I showed him in a way that although he taught me many things in the past, now it's probably my turn to teach him.”These were the exact words of Magnus Carlsen after defeating Vishwanathan Anand in the FIDE World Chess Championship match held in Chennai recently. The final score read Carlsen-6.5: Anand-3.5. Carlsen won 3 matches and 7 matches were drawn. Anand failed to secure a single victory. But these statistics in no way capture the true character of the legend that is Vishwanathan Anand. “I am very sad that Anand lost today. It's my favourite," says 13-year-old Nikhil, a budding chess player who came to Chennai to watch the World Chess Championship match between Vishwanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. Most chess enthusiasts across the country shares a similar sentiment. Anand won 4 world championships, was number One, etc... He won everything the sport had to offer, his greatest achievement was to popularize chess as sport in a nation beyond 100 billion cricket crazy citizens. “Vishy (Vishwanathan Anand) has already influenced an entire generation of chess players probably the best sportsman India has produced since Sachin Tendulkar,” says Tania Sachdev, a master. international who was commentating during the match. India has a rich tradition of not excelling in individual sports. The exceptions to this have been very rare of tennis, but fail to reach the coveted first position. This was also the case for shuttlers Pullela Gopichand and Prakash Padukone. Athletes like Milkha Singh, PT Usha and Paan Singh Tomar have won so...... middle of paper......rnament (FIDE 1768) The state of Braille chess in India is good, but Indian players are yet to find their feet on the global circuit. Tournaments and initiatives like these contribute greatly to the growth of the sport. This example amply highlights Anand's contribution to chess in India. It also highlights that sports other than cricket have a future in India. Furthermore, this is the first time a chess match has been broadcast live. This has been welcomed openly and the high TRPs are an indicator. “Even people who are not chess players are watching the game now. Now we hope we can take the game to the masses," said Grand Master (GM) RB Ramesh when asked how beneficial this match would be for the game of chess. VIshwanathan Anand is just a week away from turning 44, Carlsen on the other hand he is half his age and is already the highest rated player ever.