Viswanathan Anand did all that at the age of 48. He lifted the World rapid chess championship in Riyadh on Thursday.
The genial genius from Chennai, who defeated Magnus Carlsen of Norway earlier in the tournament, went on to finish on top with 10.5 points at the end of the 15th and final round.
The Indian master remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and also beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the ninth round to settle some old debts – avenging 2013’s World Championship loss to be precise.
Ecstatic after the win, Anand said, “The last two rapid events were nothing short of disastrous. I came here in a pessimistic frame of mind. But it has just been the most wonderful surprise. But I played well.
The 48-year-old said he felt good on the first day of the tournament as he played well and it reminded him of his glory days.
Congratulations to the man from the sixties, @vishy64theking, on his World Rapid title! I hope you dedicated this latest victory to everyone who has asked you when you were going to retire!
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 28, 2017
“It was on the first day I felt I was playing well. It was as if time had stood still. I was back in time a few years when I was dominating rapid chess tournaments. That gave me a lot of confidence. On top of that, I beat Peter Leko in a very nice game. I was in a good frame of mind,” he added.
His wife Aruna was delighted after the victory and said, “I was just very happy… almost wanted to be there when he did the fist pump.”