New Delhi - Fans and family of India's Viswanathan Anand rejoiced Wednesday after the grandmaster retained his world chess title defeating Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in a dramatic finale, media reports said.
Anand, 40, won the title of the world chess federation FIDE with a stunning victory in the final of the 12-game duel against Topalov in Sofia on Tuesday.
The chess wizard from India's southern Chennai city, clinched an overall 6.5-5.5 victory to win his fourth Chess title. He had previously won the title in 2000, 2007 and 2008.
Anand told Indian news channels that the final game was the 'toughest-ever' in his career.
'Topalov's one of the strongest players in the world and also one of the grittiest .. I feel a decade older after this match,' he told the NDTV network from Sofia.
'I'm just relieved that I'm going to wake up tomorrow as the world champion,' an elated Anand said.
Anand's father, Vishwanathan Iyer, told reporters in Chennai that his son's persistence and determination helped him secure the title.
'When he lost the first game, it was a big upset. But he got back into the game very quickly and each and every game showed his talent,' he told the PTI news agency.
Anand victory came despite reaching Bulgaria with preparations in a disarray.
He made it to Sofia after a 40-hour road journey as volcanic ash in European skies disrupted the air route. His request for a three-day postponement of the championship was rejected.
'A champion shows his class and we are proud of his resilience and victory,' All India Chess Federation president N Srinivasan said.
Meanwhile, Anand's fans were congratulating him on blogs and websites.
'In a country which is little about sports and where cricket is all about money, ads, match-fixing and glamour, Anand has done India proud,' a fan wrote on the
NDTV website.
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