New Delhi: Winning five World Cup Championships is no ordinary achievement and what Viswanathan Anand has been doing for the last two decades had been incredible. So tributes has been pouring in for the chess maestro from all quarters, including the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers fellow chess contemporaries and the most recent to heap praises on the champion was none other than Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

MS Dhoni said Anand was an idol for all sportspersons. “Anand is an inspiration for all sportsperson. I had a rare opportunity to meet him once and found he was extremely humble and down to earth. What he has done recently is simply incredible. And what he has been doing consistently is marvellous," said Dhoni.

Meanwhile the union sports ministry has announced a Rs. 10 lakh cash award for Viswanathan Anand, crowned the World Chess Champion for the fifth time in Moscow on Wednesday.  Anand beat Israel's Boris Gelfandin a tie-breaker.

"We have a cash award for any sportsperson who wins in Asian Championships, Worlds, Olympics or any other major event. So, on the basis of that we have decided to give Rs. 10 lakh as a cash award to Anand. It is a standard policy followed by the ministry," Sports Minister Ajay Maken said here on Thursday.