Sportskeeda's Top 10 Indian sportsmen of the year 2017

#8 Viswanathan Anand (Chess)

Anand defied the odds to win the World Rapid Chess Championship

A last-minute entry to this list, Anand's achievements at the global stage over the last 30 years are second to none. The 48-year-old, who is a five-time world champion in the classical format, did not have the best of years by his illustrious standards and even took a break in the second half of 2017 after a string of disappointing performances.

Fans began to wonder -- is it finally curtains for the Madras Tiger, as the question of retirement became an albatross around the veteran's neck. However, in the last week of the year, Anand came back from the doldrums to win the title at the World Rapid Championship in Riyadh, his first World Championship title in the format since 2003.

He remained unbeaten throughout the 15 rounds of the competition, recording some fine wins, including one against arch-rival and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. In the tie-breaker, he was up against Russia's Vladimir Fedoseev, which he won 2-0 with a flawless performance.

Anand showed he was far from done and will be hoping to kick on from this showing and start 2018 on a strong note.