One of the fun things about Viswanathan Anand is how broad his repertoire is. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he’s played just about everything — but a few systems come back again and again, and they tell you a lot about how he thinks. Here’s the map of what the five-time World Champion actually plays, with the key positions you can set up yourself.
With White: a lifelong 1.e4 player
Anand opens with 1.e4 and has done so for most of his career. His flagship answer to 1…e5 is the Ruy Lopez — the “Spanish” — one of the oldest and most respected openings in the game. It fits him perfectly: it’s rich, flexible, and rewards deep understanding rather than a single memorized trap.
The Ruy Lopez gives White a small, lasting pull and a huge variety of plans — you can play for a slow squeeze or a direct kingside push. It’s exactly the kind of opening a universal player loves, because it doesn’t lock you into one type of game. Learn the whole system in our Ruy Lopez guide.
With Black vs. 1.e4: the Najdorf and beyond
Against 1.e4, the young Anand was a Sicilian Najdorf player — one of the sharpest, most combative defenses in chess. Black concedes some space and invites White to attack, betting on active piece play and a fierce counterattack. For a lightning-fast calculator, it was a natural home.
As his career matured he added more solid options too, most notably the Petroff Defense (also called the Russian Defense), which meets 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 with 2…Nf6 — an ultra-reliable choice that has long been a favorite of world champions when they need to neutralize White’s initiative.
The Najdorf shows off Anand the attacker; the Petroff shows off Anand the pragmatist. Both are part of the same toolkit. You can explore the Sicilian family — including the Najdorf — in our Sicilian Defense guide.
With Black vs. 1.d4: the Semi-Slav that won a title
Against 1.d4, Anand’s most historically important weapon is the Semi-Slav Defense. This is the opening that powered his 2008 World Championship win over Vladimir Kramnik, where he scored crucial victories with the black pieces in the ultra-sharp Meran and anti-Meran lines.
The Semi-Slav belongs to the broad Queen’s Gambit family, where Black builds a solid pawn chain and then looks for active counterplay. Anand has also dipped into classical Queen’s Gambit Declined structures when he wanted a rock-solid game — including the Lasker Variation he used to win the decisive final game against Topalov in 2010. Get the lay of the land in our Queen’s Gambit guide.
The rest of the toolbox
Because Anand is a genuine universal player, his repertoire has always been wider than any one label:
- Nimzo-Indian Defense: a flexible, strategically rich answer to 1.d4 that many elite players (Anand included) trust.
- Caro-Kann Defense: a solid, respectable reply to 1.e4 that he’s turned to for a sturdier game.
- A willingness to surprise — Anand has been known to reach for offbeat systems in big matches to sidestep an opponent’s preparation.
That variety is a strategic choice, not indecision. If your opponent never knows which of five openings is coming, they can’t prepare a knockout blow against any single one.
What Anand’s openings teach you
The through-line in Anand’s repertoire is understanding over memorization. He plays openings that lead to positions he gets — where his calculation and preparation do the heavy lifting. Whether it’s the strategic depth of the Ruy Lopez, the tactical chaos of the Najdorf, or the fighting balance of the Semi-Slav, every choice fits his strengths.
If you’re building your own repertoire, that’s the lesson: pick openings that match your style, learn the ideas rather than just the moves, and give yourself a couple of options so you’re never predictable.
FAQ
What opening does Anand play with White? He’s a lifelong 1.e4 player, and his main weapon against 1…e5 is the Ruy Lopez.
What does Anand play against 1.e4 as Black? In his attacking prime he favored the Sicilian Najdorf; he later added the ultra-solid Petroff Defense as a reliable equalizer.
What is Anand’s most famous opening? The Semi-Slav Defense — he used it to win crucial games with Black in his 2008 World Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik.
Does Anand only play sharp openings? No. He’s a true universal player who also employs solid systems like the Petroff, the Caro-Kann, and the Nimzo-Indian when the situation calls for it.
Keep exploring
See these openings win real games in Anand’s best games, understand the mind using them in his playing style, or head back to the full profile. You can also browse all chess players.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.