World Championship Challenger · 1995, 1998 · 🇮🇳

Viswanathan Anand

Before he was a five-time champion, Anand was the challenger who fell short twice. His losses to Kasparov and Karpov made his eventual championship victories all the sweeter.

Failed challenges

1969

Born (Chennai)

Later became champion

2000

Finally won title

1995: The Kasparov Wall

Anand earned the right to challenge Kasparov by winning the 1994-95 PCA Candidates cycle. The match, played on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center in New York, started well for Anand. He was creative and competitive, and the score was close through the first nine games. Then Kasparov found another gear. His opening preparation overwhelmed Anand, who had relied more on intuition and natural talent than deep home analysis. Kasparov won four of the last seven games to take the match 10.5-7.5.

1998: Rapid Heartbreak

Anand reached the FIDE World Championship final in 1998, facing Karpov in a knockout format. The classical games were drawn, sending the match to rapid tiebreaks where Karpov's experience at faster time controls proved decisive. Anand lost 5-3. Two championship attempts, two defeats. Many wrote him off. They were wrong.

Redemption

In 2000, Anand finally broke through, winning the FIDE World Championship in Tehran and New Delhi. He would go on to become undisputed champion in 2007 and defend the title three times. His early failures as a challenger made his eventual dominance all the more remarkable, proving that greatness is not defined by how many times you fall but by how many times you get back up.