Viswanathan Anand returns home to tumultuous welcome

Hordes of enthusiastic fans and a quote-hungry media jostling for a byte greeted world champion Viswanathan Anand on his arrival here in the early hours on Friday.

Anand, making his first visit to his home city after becoming the undisputed world chess champion, was received by a huge crowd that included schoolchildren and Tamil Nadu State Chess Association officials.

As soon as he came out of the airport with wife Aruna after midnight, there was jostling among the crowd to have a glimpse of the world champion.

Anand looked tired but relieved as his mother Sushila Viswanathan welcomed him. He also appeared surprised by the large crowd that had turned up to greet him, saying, "The reception and enthusiasm of the fans is fantastic.”

“I hope none of you gets killed in the melee,” he quipped before he was whisked away home in a car with a siren blaring.

The waiting media personnel could not get more than that from the world champion, who is the lone Grand Master to win the world chess title in all three formats of the game.

After winning the 128-player knockout format at Tehran in 2000, Anand won the tournament format in Mexico in 2007 before winning the traditional match-play format in Bonn last month.