Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Viswanathan Anand
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Chess has several time control formats, and blitz chess is one of the fastest and most exciting. The FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship is an official world title event organised by FIDE, the international chess federation. The 2017 championship was especially memorable for Indian fans because Viswanathan Anand, already a multiple time world champion in classical and rapid formats, added another major podium finish to his career. This question checks whether you can recall which player took the bronze medal at the 2017 World Blitz event, an important piece of modern sports general knowledge.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To answer this question, you need to know the final standings of the 2017 World Blitz event. In that edition, first place (gold) and second place (silver) went to other top grandmasters, while Viswanathan Anand secured the bronze medal. The best way to approach such questions is to remember a few key highlights: Anand won the World Rapid title in 2017 and also reached the podium in blitz. These achievements are often grouped together in exam material, so linking the rapid and blitz results helps the memory.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the tournament mentioned, which is the World Blitz Chess Championship 2017.
Step 2: Recall that this event took place along with the World Rapid championship in the same overall competition period.
Step 3: Remember that Viswanathan Anand won the World Rapid title that year and also performed strongly in blitz.
Step 4: In the final blitz standings, Anand finished third, which corresponds to the bronze medal position.
Step 5: Match this fact with the options and select Viswanathan Anand as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
A good verification technique in sports GK is to connect facts that are often taught together. Many preparation books and articles mention that Anand had a dream performance at the combined Rapid and Blitz event in 2017, winning the rapid title and also reaching the blitz podium. Since the gold and silver positions are usually highlighted with different names, the Indian aspirant friendly point that is emphasised is that Anand took bronze in blitz. Once you recall that Anand is the only Indian among the given options and that he was on the podium, it confirms that he is the bronze medallist.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Baadur Jobava: A strong grandmaster from Georgia, but he did not finish in the top three at the World Blitz Championship 2017, so he is not the bronze medal winner.
Magnus Carlsen: He is a dominant world champion in multiple formats and a frequent medal winner, but in the 2017 edition the bronze position was taken by Viswanathan Anand, not by Carlsen.
Tigran Petrosian: The famous former world champion with this name is associated with classical chess history, and a modern grandmaster also shares this name, but neither is the bronze medallist at the 2017 event mentioned in the question.
Common Pitfalls:
One common mistake is to assume that Magnus Carlsen wins every world event and to mechanically choose his name whenever a chess medal is mentioned. Another pitfall is confusing the rapid and blitz events from the same year and mixing up gold, silver, and bronze positions. Some learners also misremember that Anand only won the rapid title and forget his blitz podium finish. To avoid these errors, remember the specific phrasing of the question, which clearly asks about the bronze medal at the World Blitz 2017 and not about the rapid title or some other year.
Final Answer:
The bronze medal at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2017 was won by Viswanathan Anand, making option D the correct choice.
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