from daijiworld's special correspondent

Panaji, Aug 21: By winning the Mainz Classic for an unprecedented sixth time, 'Viswanathan Anand has proved beyond doubt that he is undoubtedly the world's best rapid chess player, stated Sameer Salgaocar, Vice President of All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Monday.

Anand defeated young upcoming talent Teimour Radjabov at the last hurdle. He earlier defeated his arch rival and World Champion Vesselin Topalov in the finals of the Lyon tournament. With the sixth consecutive Mainz victory, Anand has carved out an indelible niche for himself in chess history', added Salgaocar.

'As the game of chess moves towards a shorter and more marketable version (similar to cricket), Anand's part in popularising the game in India and in the World will assume tremendous significance.

After Robert (Bobby) Fischer,  Anand has been the primary factor for the explosion of interest in chess throughout India and the Western world in particular' added Salgaocar.

'Anand has also been a guiding force for all the upcoming Indian youngsters. Right from Harikrishna to young Parimarjan Negi, they all look up to 'Vishy' as their role model both on and off the chess board.

His recognition as the Bill Gates Foundation Ambassador for AIDS and his contribution towards the Tsunami victims in Tamil Nadu is testament to the fact that Anand feels that his duties do not end in the playing arena but he has a tremendous sense of social responsibility as well.' Salgaocar concluded.