Former world chess champion and, arguably, the most accomplished player in the history of the sport since legendary Gary Kasparov's retirement, Viswanathan Anand has made a sensational comeback with a stunning win in the Blitz section at the recently concluded Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2018 in the Indian city of Kolkata. 

The five-time world champion, who almost disappeared in the past few months, rose like a phoenix from the ashes with the most challenging format of the game at the most impressive chess event on his home soil.

In a strong field of some of the most exciting and promising youngsters in world chess, including Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, P Harikrishna, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and his compatriot and the world's third youngest Grand Master of all-time, Praggnanandhaa, a 48-year-old Anand, once dubbed as the king of speed chess, showcased that age cannot wither his talent, underlining the age-old saying that form is temporary but class is permanent.

The man, who will soon be turning 50, not only rubbed shoulders with the upcoming players but also reigned supreme in a format suited for youngsters because of its breakneck speed. With his vintage performance, Anand was able to turn the clock back, leaving the mesmerized chess pundits stuck in a time warp. 

Anand, who had earlier said in an interview the Times of India that, “When someone like a Federer does well on court, you feel you can do it too,” made some incredibly unique moves to outsmart his rivals, most of whom are almost half of his age. In fact, the showpiece encounter in Kolkata was between India's first-ever Grand Master Anand and the youngest one, Praggnanandhaa, a 13-year-old prodigy. 

This showdown between the glorious past and a bright future of Indian chess saw an aggressive Praggnanandhaa coming out all guns blazing against his cautious and ultra-defensive compatriot. However, his vintage performance outmaneuvered everything the whizkid threw at him and paved the way for a memorable comeback triumph at a time when his successor Magnus Carlsen is defending his world title against Fabiano Caruana.