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2010
NIIT WELCOMES WORLD CHESS CHAMPION AND NIIT MINDCHAMPION VISWANATHAN ANAND

Anand does a hat trick by winning three World Chess Championship titles back to back

Chennai, 24 May, 2010: NIIT, leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest IT trainer, welcomed World Chess Champion and NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand upon his arrival in Chennai today after his scintillating win over his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov. Defending champion Anand emerged as the undisputed king of chess yet again by winning with black against Veselin Topalov in the last 12th Game of the World Chess Championship that concluded at Sofia on May 11, 2010.

Viswanathan Anand defeated Veselin Topalov with consummate ease in the final game of the 12-game match in 56 moves. He won the game with a 6.5-5.5 score, almost weaving a ‘Black Magic’ net in the final game. Anand had earlier won the championship in 2000 and 2007 retaining his title in  2008, and now in 2010. He is the only non-Soviet to retain a title 2 times successfully.

Besides being the first Asian to win the World Championship in 2000, Anand now has the distinction of creating a hat trick with three World Championship titles in 2007, 2008 and 2010. He is the only person in Chess history to have won a World championship title in all formats: match, knock-out and tournament.

On this remarkable accomplishment, Viswanathan Anand said, “This victory is very special as it has been the toughest match that I have ever played. But I am happy that I kept the pressure till the end and could live up to the expectations of millions of Indians.”

“I am optimistic that young Indians will rule the game of chess in the years to come. The zest and the talent that youngsters’ have displayed in NIIT MindChampions indicate that our country has huge potential. I am confident that the forthcoming NIIT MindChampionship will witness participation of over million students across India.”  

Congratulating Anand on his phenomenal achievement Mr. Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman NIIT, remarked, “This is indeed a very proud moment for every Indian. I heartily congratulate World Champion and NIIT MindChampion Anand and sincerely hope that he will play an active role in grooming future World Champions through NIIT MindChampions Academy.”

Interestingly throughout the 12 game Match, unlike his previous match against Kramnik, Black was not able to dominate, except in the last game. It was a superb victory by Anand, taking advantage of Topalov´s misjudgment of the position and the Bulgarian´s  displeasure at facing Anand in the tie breaks. It is curious that Anand has been able to win his  two World Championship matches with the black pieces.  

Starting 1999, NIIT’s association with World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, including contractual extensions- is the longest running Brand Ambassador contract in the history of Indian sport.

About NIIT MindChampions’ Academy

The NIIT MindChampions’ Academy (MCA), a not-for-profit initiative has been set up as a joint initiative with Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and NIIT Ltd, with the objective of promoting Chess in schools to enable development of young minds. Studies have shown that Chess improves concentration and diligence, thus helping students perform better academically.

Established in 2002, the Academy has fostered over 7000 Chess clubs with over 8,50,000 students as its members, in schools across the country. Anand has personally traveled to Agartala, Guwahati, Hyderbad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Raipur, Chennai, Hyderbad, Kolkata, Pune and other cities across India, spreading the message and motivating the school students to start playing Chess. NIIT Mind Champions’ Academy conducts an Annual Event around the month of December and January, known as Chess Master for these school children across India in the NIIT network.

 About NIIT

NIIT Limited, leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest IT trainer, offers learning and knowledge solutions to over 5 million students across 40 countries.

Leading IT magazine Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT, the ‘Top IT Training Company’ award successively for the past 17 years, since the inception of this category. Rated among India’s Business Superbrands 2008, NIIT’s Individual Learning Business offerings include industry-endorsed programs for students seeking careers in IT - GNIIT, Edgeineers and Global Net Plus for IT professionals.

NIIT has provided computer-based learning to over 12,000 government and private schools. The futuristic NIIT eGURU range for schools is a holistic education package that comprises of Interactive Classrooms (an embedded Teaching Learning Material, that uses elements of interactivity, automation and web links library); Math lab (technology tools that enable school students to learn and explore mathematical concepts); IT Wizard (equips the students with core computer knowledge and IT skills); and Quick School (an Education Resource Planning solution for school management).

For working professionals, NIIT Imperia, Centre for Advanced Learning, offers Executive Management Education Programs in association with Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, IMT Ghaziabad and IIFT Delhi.

NIIT Institute of Finance Banking & Insurance (IFBI), formed by NIIT with equity participation from ICICI Bank, offers programs for individuals and corporates in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance.

NIIT Uniqua, Centre for Process Excellence, addresses the increasing demand for skilled workers in the business and technology services industry by providing training programs in relevant areas. This is a part of NIIT Institute of Process Excellence, a NIIT-Genpact venture.

NIIT’s Corporate Learning Solutions, offers integrated learning solutions (including strategic consulting, learning design, content development, delivery, technology, assessment and learning management) to Fortune 500 companies, Universities, Technology companies, Training corporations and Publishing houses.

NIIT delivers a tailored combination of catalog learning products, technology and services through Element K offerings. These include: vLab®: hands-on labs, instructor-led courseware, comprehensive e-reference libraries, technical journals, and KnowledgeHub™: hosted learning management platform. This makes NIIT the first and the best choice for comprehensive learning solutions, worldwide.

Ushering in a new model in higher education is the not-for-profit NIIT University, established in 2009 with a vision of being the leading centre of innovation and learning in emerging areas of the Knowledge Society. Nestled in the foothills of Aravali, in Neemrana, Rajasthan, the picturesque 100 acres fully residential green campus has been developed as an institute of excellence based on the four core principles of providing industry linked, technology based, research driven, seamless education.

For media queries, please contact:

Prateek Chatterjee, NIIT Ltd, Ph: (Cell) +91 9910201085, (Dir) +91 124 4293041

Email id: prateek.chatterjee@niit.com

Or

V S Govindaraj, Candour Communications, Ph: (Cell) + 09444343515

Email idzendi555@gmail.com