A blunder from drawn position in the eighth game and now a missed opportunity in the 9th - things are not going well for Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship match against Veselin Topalov.
The Indian reigning World Champion got into a great position to force victory but failed to find the right moves and had to settle for a draw in rhe ninth game.
It was one of the best games of this match and Anand once again exhibited his superior preparation as he stumped Topalov with a novelty in Nimzo Indian Defence.
for the first time in this match Anand did not go for Catalan Opening with white pieces after it looked like Topalov had cracked the Catalan posers in the seventh game. And once Anand got the upper hand as he deviated from an old line and though his rival responded quickly, the Bulgarian spent lot of time on the next few turns to find the right moves.
However, Anand failed to find the right continuation to press home his advantage. The game lasted 83 moves and around seven hours.
The draw compounds problems for Anand as he now has only one chance of playing with whitw pieces in the 11th game while his rival has two in this 12-game match. The Indian now has to recover quickly as the last few games have not gone as he would have liked. Anand had grabbed the initiative by winning the fourth game but Topalov has crawled back into the match. Though it is clear that he has won the 1st and 8th game only because of blunders by Anand and not because of some great play by him, it is also evident from the last few games that the Bulgarian is slowly becoming more assertive as Anand continued to opt for systems that have been successful in the previous games.
Now Anand will have to uncork something in the next couple of games to put pressure back on Topalov. Though his skills in rapid chess are vastly superior to Topalov, Anand should not aim for the tie-break games as playing for draw would be a negative mindset that he should avoid. Topalov had taken greater initiative in the fifth, sixth and 7th games that ended in draw.
Anand looked like he was content with the way things were going. Maybe after taking the one point lead he felt he had done enough and draws would suffice.
Now that he has lost the initiative, Anand needs to stop Topalov from making a strong comeback. He has to take the bull by its horns in the next three games and seal the issue. Tie-breaker games could be dicey affair as the pressure on Anand will multiply manyfolds considering the strong local support for Topalov. In such a scenario, the rapid games would become a lottery despite Anand's known advantage in the shorter version of chess.
It's now or never for Anand. If he wins the 10th game, he will have white pieces in the next and can increase the pressure on Topalov in the 12th and last game.
Attachment includes the note and its objects
Thursday, May 6, 2010
SOFIA 2010 Marathon game 9 ends in draw
SOFIA 2010: Marathon game 9 ends in draw
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Mourinho, the master
By taking Inter Milan to the Champions League final, Jose Mourinho has once again proved that he is one of the best coaches in football. Though he is a bit eccentric and controversial with this comments and his style of functioning, Mourinho is very effective as proved by his success as Porto and Chelsea coach. His departure from the London club was not something that he would remember fondly, Mourinho by his success as made it clear that he has put that episode behind him and has got truly entrenched in Italian soccer.
In the Champions League final, Mourinho faces another great master in Louis van Gaal of Bayern Munich, a wily Dutch coach who is leading the German club's European revival in style.
The May 22 final would be a mouthwatering clash between two of the best coaches in European football, of two different stylesand it would be interesting to what whose tactics prove the better. Who will guide his team to victory? Mourinho? Or Van Gaal?
In the Champions League final, Mourinho faces another great master in Louis van Gaal of Bayern Munich, a wily Dutch coach who is leading the German club's European revival in style.
The May 22 final would be a mouthwatering clash between two of the best coaches in European football, of two different stylesand it would be interesting to what whose tactics prove the better. Who will guide his team to victory? Mourinho? Or Van Gaal?
Sofia 2010: Draw raises Topalov's hopes
Veselin Topalov wrested back the psychological advantage going into the third rest day in the World Chess Championship match against World Champion Vishy Anand on Saturday.
Anand maintained his one point advantage with the score 3.5-2.5 going into tomorrow's rest day. Anand starts with white pieces on Monday as the sequence of colours will reverse after six games in the 12-game match.
Topalov managed to hold Anand to a draw in the sixth game but what would matter more to his ego is the fact that he drew a game with black pieces that too in Catalan opening. It would be a big psychological boost for him because he had lost the two previous games in Catalan. Though he could have changed his defence today and opted for something else, Topalov went into the Catalan battle as it was important for him to fight off Anand in that system as two losses in the second and fourth games would have hurt his ego badly. The draw would have assuaged his feelings a bit and would go into the rest day a lot more confident about taking on Anand with black pieces in the seventh game.
As in the earlier two Catalan games, Anand sacrificed a pawn for some positional advantage and a chance to develop his pieces better. Anand deviated from the second game on the 10th move by playing his bishop to g5, which is a more aggressive move compared to Bd2 he played in Game 2. After queens were exchanged, Anand had two active knights that he used to create some pressure in Topalov’s territory. He got back the pawn and created some pressure as Topalov had to work hard to get his bishop active.
They reached equality after exchange of Anand's white square knight with Topalov's bishop.
Topalov sacrificed a pawn to create some pressure of his own but the advantage was not enough. Anand too played correctly as the game ended in draw after 58 moves.
Anand maintained his one point advantage with the score 3.5-2.5 going into tomorrow's rest day. Anand starts with white pieces on Monday as the sequence of colours will reverse after six games in the 12-game match.
Topalov managed to hold Anand to a draw in the sixth game but what would matter more to his ego is the fact that he drew a game with black pieces that too in Catalan opening. It would be a big psychological boost for him because he had lost the two previous games in Catalan. Though he could have changed his defence today and opted for something else, Topalov went into the Catalan battle as it was important for him to fight off Anand in that system as two losses in the second and fourth games would have hurt his ego badly. The draw would have assuaged his feelings a bit and would go into the rest day a lot more confident about taking on Anand with black pieces in the seventh game.
As in the earlier two Catalan games, Anand sacrificed a pawn for some positional advantage and a chance to develop his pieces better. Anand deviated from the second game on the 10th move by playing his bishop to g5, which is a more aggressive move compared to Bd2 he played in Game 2. After queens were exchanged, Anand had two active knights that he used to create some pressure in Topalov’s territory. He got back the pawn and created some pressure as Topalov had to work hard to get his bishop active.
They reached equality after exchange of Anand's white square knight with Topalov's bishop.
Topalov sacrificed a pawn to create some pressure of his own but the advantage was not enough. Anand too played correctly as the game ended in draw after 58 moves.
Friday, April 30, 2010
SOFIA - GAME 5 - Another Slav and draw
More than the moves on the board, the mind games were interesting as both Veselin Topalov and Viswanathan Anand tried to test each other in the 5th game of their World Chess Championship match in Sofia on Friday.
Both players tried to guess what the rival team has prepared on the rest day as they battled it out in Slav Defence, the same system that they played in the drawn third game. They rattled off the first 13 moves, all repeat of the third game, within 3-4 minutes, each trying to gauge what nasty surprises the rival team has prepared. Anand got a chance to improve his play from the previous Slav game and ended up with a better position for his pieces. Anand deviated first from Game 3 by moving his pawn to h5 instead of h6 and in the end it looked like he prevented Topalov from uncorking any surprise moves that his team had found in the last couple of days.
In the end, the result was the same, a draw, this time in 41 moves. In the third game they took two more moves and this time Topalov ended the game in draw by repetition of moves. Anand maintained his one point lead with the score 3-2 after five games.
The draw was good for Anand as he will now play with white pieces in the next two games – thus getting a chance to put pressure on Topalov by opting for some home preparation. Whether he would try the Catalan once again is the moot question that would be answered on Saturday. Also of interest would be Topalov’s response to Anand’s opening. He has been able to play his home preparation only in the first game in which Anand played very poorly and was unable to put to sword the Bulgarian’s actual preparation. Now as the match reaches half-way stage, Topalov has to do something drastic to wrest back the initiative. He has been able to capitalise on only one white game of the three as Anand played very solid chess to deny him any chances. Anand has won both of his white games so far.
On Friday too, the Bulgarian tried a lot but the fact that Anand deviated from the third game early, thwarted him from gaining much from the opening phase. He had slight advantage but Anand had enough chances of equalising and he managed that without much trouble.
Topalov did press a bit for victory but Anand is always very strong in positional play and exhibited his prowess by choosing the right moves to end Topalov’s hopes. The Bulgarian did not press too much and drew the game through repetition of moves,
Both players tried to guess what the rival team has prepared on the rest day as they battled it out in Slav Defence, the same system that they played in the drawn third game. They rattled off the first 13 moves, all repeat of the third game, within 3-4 minutes, each trying to gauge what nasty surprises the rival team has prepared. Anand got a chance to improve his play from the previous Slav game and ended up with a better position for his pieces. Anand deviated first from Game 3 by moving his pawn to h5 instead of h6 and in the end it looked like he prevented Topalov from uncorking any surprise moves that his team had found in the last couple of days.
In the end, the result was the same, a draw, this time in 41 moves. In the third game they took two more moves and this time Topalov ended the game in draw by repetition of moves. Anand maintained his one point lead with the score 3-2 after five games.
The draw was good for Anand as he will now play with white pieces in the next two games – thus getting a chance to put pressure on Topalov by opting for some home preparation. Whether he would try the Catalan once again is the moot question that would be answered on Saturday. Also of interest would be Topalov’s response to Anand’s opening. He has been able to play his home preparation only in the first game in which Anand played very poorly and was unable to put to sword the Bulgarian’s actual preparation. Now as the match reaches half-way stage, Topalov has to do something drastic to wrest back the initiative. He has been able to capitalise on only one white game of the three as Anand played very solid chess to deny him any chances. Anand has won both of his white games so far.
On Friday too, the Bulgarian tried a lot but the fact that Anand deviated from the third game early, thwarted him from gaining much from the opening phase. He had slight advantage but Anand had enough chances of equalising and he managed that without much trouble.
Topalov did press a bit for victory but Anand is always very strong in positional play and exhibited his prowess by choosing the right moves to end Topalov’s hopes. The Bulgarian did not press too much and drew the game through repetition of moves,
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Anand takes lead
Just like Berlin defence for Garry Kasparov against Vladimir Kramnik, is the Catalan going to prove the Achilles’ heel of Veselin Topalov in the World Chess Championship 2010 match against Viswanathan Anand?
Anand won the second game in Catalan and was once again successful in the fourth game, beating Topalov in their World Chess Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria on Wednesday. The victory gave the 40-year-old Indian Grandmaster a 2.5-1.5 lead in their 12-game match in which the player first reaching 6.5 points will emerge winner and pocked a top prize of 1.2 million euro.
It was a beautiful game and a lesson for Topalov that you can play aggressive moves only after making your position safe. Anand sacrificed a pawn early as he had done in the second game and though Topalov changed the sequence of moves and avoided the line that led to defeat in the second game, Anand proved that he had prepared well enough to not only to overcome any loopholes found by his rival’s team but also force a win. Topalov again played aggressive as he usually does but his tactics proved futile as Anand played flawless chess to overcome the challenges thrown by his opponent. After gaining the pawn back, Anand had to find the right continuation to force victory. Topalov, already under pressure as his pieces were not well developed compared to Anand ended his misery by a blunder that landed him a mating trap. He resigned immediately after Anand played the right continuation.
Anand had gained slight edge in the middle game after Topalov played a wrong rook move. Anand took a piece offered by Topalov and then opened his defence with a brilliant move (e5) after which Topalov’s position worsened. He compounded his misery by trying to attack Anand’s pieces but the Indian GM kept his nerves and did not allow his opponent any chances.
Topalov was clearly under pressure in the fourth game as he missed a chance with the white pieces in the previous game. The draw would have been quite frustrating for the Bulgarian, especially the solid and simple manner in which Anand achieved it without falling for Topalov’s attempts to take the game into complicated and unclear positions. He seemed eager to strike back and take lead but committed mistakes by being too aggressive with black pieces.
Anand also kept Topalov guessing by playing fast, especially whenever the Bulgarian tried to create complications, as if telling his rival that he had anticipated the move and was ready with the reply. This gave an impression that Topalov run some into home preparation by Anand and the Bulgarian seemed to have succumbed to the mind games.
Another defeat going into a rest day would give Anand more psychological edge and now he would like to consolidate his position in the fifth game on Friday. It will be interesting to see what Topalov throws at his opponent with white pieces. He has to come up with something spectacular as Anand will have white pieces in the next two games (6th and 7th as the sequence of colours will change at the half-way stage) and some advantage for the Indian. The onus is now on Topalov to come up with something spectacular, till now he has only benefitted from the mistakes of his opponent in the first game and could not do much when Anand played solidly in the third game.
Anand won the second game in Catalan and was once again successful in the fourth game, beating Topalov in their World Chess Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria on Wednesday. The victory gave the 40-year-old Indian Grandmaster a 2.5-1.5 lead in their 12-game match in which the player first reaching 6.5 points will emerge winner and pocked a top prize of 1.2 million euro.
It was a beautiful game and a lesson for Topalov that you can play aggressive moves only after making your position safe. Anand sacrificed a pawn early as he had done in the second game and though Topalov changed the sequence of moves and avoided the line that led to defeat in the second game, Anand proved that he had prepared well enough to not only to overcome any loopholes found by his rival’s team but also force a win. Topalov again played aggressive as he usually does but his tactics proved futile as Anand played flawless chess to overcome the challenges thrown by his opponent. After gaining the pawn back, Anand had to find the right continuation to force victory. Topalov, already under pressure as his pieces were not well developed compared to Anand ended his misery by a blunder that landed him a mating trap. He resigned immediately after Anand played the right continuation.
Anand had gained slight edge in the middle game after Topalov played a wrong rook move. Anand took a piece offered by Topalov and then opened his defence with a brilliant move (e5) after which Topalov’s position worsened. He compounded his misery by trying to attack Anand’s pieces but the Indian GM kept his nerves and did not allow his opponent any chances.
Topalov was clearly under pressure in the fourth game as he missed a chance with the white pieces in the previous game. The draw would have been quite frustrating for the Bulgarian, especially the solid and simple manner in which Anand achieved it without falling for Topalov’s attempts to take the game into complicated and unclear positions. He seemed eager to strike back and take lead but committed mistakes by being too aggressive with black pieces.
Anand also kept Topalov guessing by playing fast, especially whenever the Bulgarian tried to create complications, as if telling his rival that he had anticipated the move and was ready with the reply. This gave an impression that Topalov run some into home preparation by Anand and the Bulgarian seemed to have succumbed to the mind games.
Another defeat going into a rest day would give Anand more psychological edge and now he would like to consolidate his position in the fifth game on Friday. It will be interesting to see what Topalov throws at his opponent with white pieces. He has to come up with something spectacular as Anand will have white pieces in the next two games (6th and 7th as the sequence of colours will change at the half-way stage) and some advantage for the Indian. The onus is now on Topalov to come up with something spectacular, till now he has only benefitted from the mistakes of his opponent in the first game and could not do much when Anand played solidly in the third game.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A psychological victory for Anand
A day without complications is always enjoyable.
Such a day would be doubly pleasant if you are Viswanathan Anand and playing the World Chess Championship match, in rival territory, against an opponent held bent on playing by his own rules, refusing to talk and consider draw offers even in a position that would have no result. Playing simple, safe and complication-less chess not only helps keep your campaign on course but also frustrates and irritates your opponent.
On Tuesday in Sofia, Anand played tactically to draw with black pieces and leave Veselin Topalov doing a rethink of his strategy for the match. Both players are tied with 1.5 points each after three games and Anand will have white pieces in the fourth game.
Anand’s intentions were clear from the time he opted for Slav Defence instead of Grunfeld that he chose in the first game with black pieces.
It was like a red rag for the Bulgarian World No 2 because Anand chose a variation that Vladimir Kramnik used in 2006 to cause lot of problems for Topalov.
The Bulgarian had a slight positional advantage because of better developed pieces but Anand played precise moves to steer the game to equality. After the queens were exchanged early, Anand activated his bishop pair and rooks to create a good defence and maintain the equal position.
Topalov offered a pawn on the 20th move but did not take the bait. He pushed on for some time, hoping to create some tactical problems but Anand was not ready to gamble anything today and rebuffed all such attempts. As the position remained equal, the only point of interest was whether they would be able to make the first time control as both had 20-odd minutes to make 10 moves each. They blitzed the remaining moves and a draw was accepted on the 46th turn.
Though such games do not make for good chess, it was mind games at its best as the Indian decided to frustrate his opponent by avoiding risks. There were a few occasions when Topalov threw up some posers – once he offered a pawn, but Anand was cool as cucumber and went by the position on the board and avoided risks.
Of course some people will laud Topalov's attempts to force a result but it was akin to flogging a dead horse. Anand has all the reasons to be happy on Tuesday. One hopes he makes the most of this psychological victory on Wednesday.
Such a day would be doubly pleasant if you are Viswanathan Anand and playing the World Chess Championship match, in rival territory, against an opponent held bent on playing by his own rules, refusing to talk and consider draw offers even in a position that would have no result. Playing simple, safe and complication-less chess not only helps keep your campaign on course but also frustrates and irritates your opponent.
On Tuesday in Sofia, Anand played tactically to draw with black pieces and leave Veselin Topalov doing a rethink of his strategy for the match. Both players are tied with 1.5 points each after three games and Anand will have white pieces in the fourth game.
Anand’s intentions were clear from the time he opted for Slav Defence instead of Grunfeld that he chose in the first game with black pieces.
It was like a red rag for the Bulgarian World No 2 because Anand chose a variation that Vladimir Kramnik used in 2006 to cause lot of problems for Topalov.
The Bulgarian had a slight positional advantage because of better developed pieces but Anand played precise moves to steer the game to equality. After the queens were exchanged early, Anand activated his bishop pair and rooks to create a good defence and maintain the equal position.
Topalov offered a pawn on the 20th move but did not take the bait. He pushed on for some time, hoping to create some tactical problems but Anand was not ready to gamble anything today and rebuffed all such attempts. As the position remained equal, the only point of interest was whether they would be able to make the first time control as both had 20-odd minutes to make 10 moves each. They blitzed the remaining moves and a draw was accepted on the 46th turn.
Though such games do not make for good chess, it was mind games at its best as the Indian decided to frustrate his opponent by avoiding risks. There were a few occasions when Topalov threw up some posers – once he offered a pawn, but Anand was cool as cucumber and went by the position on the board and avoided risks.
Of course some people will laud Topalov's attempts to force a result but it was akin to flogging a dead horse. Anand has all the reasons to be happy on Tuesday. One hopes he makes the most of this psychological victory on Wednesday.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Great IPL Tamasha
‘‘What’s your take on Lalit Modi’s suspension as IPL Chairman and Commissioner? Don’t you think IPL will be cleaner if Shashank Manohar manages to throw him out for good?” my friend reeled off even before I could respond to his ‘Hello’ on the phone.
What do I think of it?
Well, according to me it is the “The Great Indian IPL Tamasha, hogwash of the worst kind. It is a crude attempt at appropriating blame on one
person to save some bigwigs.
I would not like to go in detail into Modi’s misdemeanors; those have been discussed ad nauseam in the media since the BCCI president Shashank Manohar woke up from his slumber following the “survey” by the Income Tax department and threats of inquiry by various government agencies into infringement of rules and queries over alleged fraudulent transactions.
And what did Manohar do?
He sought Sharad Pawar’s permission before calling the governing council meeting and suspended Modi at midnight, just hours before they all met, accusing the IPL chief of mismanagement, fraudulent behaviour, rigging of auction for new teams and autocratic functioning. Thus everyone else did not have to answer any awkward questions.
It is clear from Shashank Manohar’s response to a question in the press conference that he does not believe that there is collective responsibility of the entire IPL Governing Council and the BCCI working committee to rein in Modi.
If Modi was not consulting members of the GC while taking decisions, as per concerns raised by Rajiv Shukla and a few others, than what was Manohar doing?
As BCCI President wasn’t it his duty to see that the organisation follows rules and functions democratically (IPL is still part of the Board)?
But instead, Mr Manohar did nothing, obviously thinking of the riches Modi was bringing in by announcing deals left, right and center, without consulting anyone as Manohar would like us to believe. While Modi was railroading everyone, riding roughshod over franchisees and bidders, Mr Manohar was apparently sitting at home in Nagpur, munching on Haldirams namkeen, santra burfi and Dinshaw’s ice cream.
Manohar’s claim that it was the responsibility of IMG and other BCCI employees’ responsibility to stop Modi too does not hold water as paid employees and contracted agencies can never stop a person who signs their pay cheques. It was the job of Shashank Manohar and his team. Period.
Manohar’s attempts at making a scapegoat of Modi are also apparent in the manner in which he gave a clean chit to Pawar’s son-in-law Sadanand Sule, claiming that Saheb’s family does not own stake in any IPL franchise. A few minutes before making this laughable claim Mr Manohar said there were doubts about some stakeholders of Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders as BCCI does not know the faces behind the shell companies that own chunks of these teams.
So then how can the BCCI chief claim with so much conviction that Pawar’s family is not involved? The owners are yet to be identified and neither Pawar nor his family members could be deemed innocent until a full inquiry.
So, till the BCCI takes a collective responsibility and action against all those who looked the other way when Modi was doing his alleged dirty deeds, its actions would not gain credibility and remain a tamasha and an attempt to scuttle a full blown probe by government agencies - a crude diversionary tactics.
What do I think of it?
Well, according to me it is the “The Great Indian IPL Tamasha, hogwash of the worst kind. It is a crude attempt at appropriating blame on one
person to save some bigwigs.
I would not like to go in detail into Modi’s misdemeanors; those have been discussed ad nauseam in the media since the BCCI president Shashank Manohar woke up from his slumber following the “survey” by the Income Tax department and threats of inquiry by various government agencies into infringement of rules and queries over alleged fraudulent transactions.
And what did Manohar do?
He sought Sharad Pawar’s permission before calling the governing council meeting and suspended Modi at midnight, just hours before they all met, accusing the IPL chief of mismanagement, fraudulent behaviour, rigging of auction for new teams and autocratic functioning. Thus everyone else did not have to answer any awkward questions.
It is clear from Shashank Manohar’s response to a question in the press conference that he does not believe that there is collective responsibility of the entire IPL Governing Council and the BCCI working committee to rein in Modi.
If Modi was not consulting members of the GC while taking decisions, as per concerns raised by Rajiv Shukla and a few others, than what was Manohar doing?
As BCCI President wasn’t it his duty to see that the organisation follows rules and functions democratically (IPL is still part of the Board)?
But instead, Mr Manohar did nothing, obviously thinking of the riches Modi was bringing in by announcing deals left, right and center, without consulting anyone as Manohar would like us to believe. While Modi was railroading everyone, riding roughshod over franchisees and bidders, Mr Manohar was apparently sitting at home in Nagpur, munching on Haldirams namkeen, santra burfi and Dinshaw’s ice cream.
Manohar’s claim that it was the responsibility of IMG and other BCCI employees’ responsibility to stop Modi too does not hold water as paid employees and contracted agencies can never stop a person who signs their pay cheques. It was the job of Shashank Manohar and his team. Period.
Manohar’s attempts at making a scapegoat of Modi are also apparent in the manner in which he gave a clean chit to Pawar’s son-in-law Sadanand Sule, claiming that Saheb’s family does not own stake in any IPL franchise. A few minutes before making this laughable claim Mr Manohar said there were doubts about some stakeholders of Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders as BCCI does not know the faces behind the shell companies that own chunks of these teams.
So then how can the BCCI chief claim with so much conviction that Pawar’s family is not involved? The owners are yet to be identified and neither Pawar nor his family members could be deemed innocent until a full inquiry.
So, till the BCCI takes a collective responsibility and action against all those who looked the other way when Modi was doing his alleged dirty deeds, its actions would not gain credibility and remain a tamasha and an attempt to scuttle a full blown probe by government agencies - a crude diversionary tactics.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
WCH 2010: Anand fights back, levels score 1-1
What a fightback by Anand in Sofia.
Having lost the first game rather tamely, the World Champion struck back immediately to beat Veselin Topalov in 43 moves at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Having lost the first game, Anand had to strike back to maintain his chances. A 2-0 deficit would have been difficult to overcome in a short match with just 12 games. The pressure was immense on the Madras Tiger. It was his first game with white pieces and everyone was eager to see what opening he would choose. e4 or d4, would he surprise Topalov with some new tactics, like he stumped Vladimir Kramnik by the choice of his opening.
The victory did give an indication of Anand's tactics for the remaining part of the match.
He will play on topalov's patience in this match. Anand will play solidly and force Topalov to take the risks as he usually does.
He tried this on Sunday, played solidly, developed his pieces superbly and kept Topalov under pressure throughout. The Bulgarian took the risk and went on a premature attack with his knight and that helped Anand break through his defences. Anand got two connected passed pawns and though Topalov tried to neutralise his advantage, Anand's pieces were too well developed for his Bulgarian rival to repulse the attack.
Now that he has wrested back the initiative, Anand will have to consolidate his position, be patient and don't get tounted by the Bulgarians, who will ratchet up the pressure by their statements.
Watch out for some fireworks on the rest day!
Having lost the first game rather tamely, the World Champion struck back immediately to beat Veselin Topalov in 43 moves at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Having lost the first game, Anand had to strike back to maintain his chances. A 2-0 deficit would have been difficult to overcome in a short match with just 12 games. The pressure was immense on the Madras Tiger. It was his first game with white pieces and everyone was eager to see what opening he would choose. e4 or d4, would he surprise Topalov with some new tactics, like he stumped Vladimir Kramnik by the choice of his opening.
The victory did give an indication of Anand's tactics for the remaining part of the match.
He will play on topalov's patience in this match. Anand will play solidly and force Topalov to take the risks as he usually does.
He tried this on Sunday, played solidly, developed his pieces superbly and kept Topalov under pressure throughout. The Bulgarian took the risk and went on a premature attack with his knight and that helped Anand break through his defences. Anand got two connected passed pawns and though Topalov tried to neutralise his advantage, Anand's pieces were too well developed for his Bulgarian rival to repulse the attack.
Now that he has wrested back the initiative, Anand will have to consolidate his position, be patient and don't get tounted by the Bulgarians, who will ratchet up the pressure by their statements.
Watch out for some fireworks on the rest day!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
No Anand for Vishy
Saturday ended with no Anand for Vishy Anand.
There was also no joy for me as my journey into blogosphere got off with some bad news for fans of Indian chess.
No one thought the World Chess Championship will get off to such a sensational start with challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria drawing first blood in what is rightly being termed one of the shortest and most dramatic starts to a classical title clash being played at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. One hopes, this game ends Anand’s quota of bad luck and things will get better for Vishy from here.
In the first game, Anand made some uncharacteristic mistakes and lost in just 30 moves, even before the first time control could be reached. Did he play too fast and lacked patience? Though he looked composed outwardly, from his game, it looks; Anand has not yet fully recovered from the recent controversies.
The Indian came under pressure early and blundered from what looked like a good position. This was a chance for the 40-year-old Indian Grandmaster to put the Bulgarian under pressure as he has always done well with black pieces. But his recent struggle to reach Sofia for the match following the air travel disruption in Europe and battle to get the first round postponed seemed to taken a toll. After the two players rattled off the first 20-odd moves, it was Anand who spent lot of time pondering on his 23rd move. Topalov, who opened with queen pawn, had him in a bind as he played what looked like home preparation in Grunfeld Defence. After thinking for long, Anand played Kf7, one of the worst moves that anyone could have made in that position and his hopes were as good as over after Topalov sacrificed his knight and attacked Anand's king with the help of his rooks and bishop.
Faced with mate, Anand resigned on the 30th turn.
However, it is not curtains for Anand.
Though there are 11 more games in this match, and one knows that the Indian Grandmaster is capable of fighting back, things will be very difficult for him from now on.
I am sure, he can fight back and Sunday’s second game will be a clear indication of his preparation. The onus is now on Anand to wrest back the initiative that he lost so easily.
The real war has started now!
The moves:
Veselin Topalov (2805) vs V Anand (2787)
WCH 2010, Sofia (Bulgaria), 24-4-2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0–0 10.0–0 Na5 11.Bd3 b6 12.Qd2 e5 13.Bh6 cxd4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.cxd4 exd4 16.Rac1 Qd6 17.f4 f6 18.f5 Qe5 19.Nf4 g5 20.Nh5+ Kg8 21.h4 h6 22.hxg5 hxg5 23.Rf3 Kf7 24.Nxf6 Kxf6 25.Rh3 Rg8 26.Rh6+ Kf7 27.Rh7+ Ke8 28.Rcc7 Kd8 29.Bb5 Qxe4 30.Rxc8+ 1-0
There was also no joy for me as my journey into blogosphere got off with some bad news for fans of Indian chess.
No one thought the World Chess Championship will get off to such a sensational start with challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria drawing first blood in what is rightly being termed one of the shortest and most dramatic starts to a classical title clash being played at the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. One hopes, this game ends Anand’s quota of bad luck and things will get better for Vishy from here.
In the first game, Anand made some uncharacteristic mistakes and lost in just 30 moves, even before the first time control could be reached. Did he play too fast and lacked patience? Though he looked composed outwardly, from his game, it looks; Anand has not yet fully recovered from the recent controversies.
The Indian came under pressure early and blundered from what looked like a good position. This was a chance for the 40-year-old Indian Grandmaster to put the Bulgarian under pressure as he has always done well with black pieces. But his recent struggle to reach Sofia for the match following the air travel disruption in Europe and battle to get the first round postponed seemed to taken a toll. After the two players rattled off the first 20-odd moves, it was Anand who spent lot of time pondering on his 23rd move. Topalov, who opened with queen pawn, had him in a bind as he played what looked like home preparation in Grunfeld Defence. After thinking for long, Anand played Kf7, one of the worst moves that anyone could have made in that position and his hopes were as good as over after Topalov sacrificed his knight and attacked Anand's king with the help of his rooks and bishop.
Faced with mate, Anand resigned on the 30th turn.
However, it is not curtains for Anand.
Though there are 11 more games in this match, and one knows that the Indian Grandmaster is capable of fighting back, things will be very difficult for him from now on.
I am sure, he can fight back and Sunday’s second game will be a clear indication of his preparation. The onus is now on Anand to wrest back the initiative that he lost so easily.
The real war has started now!
The moves:
Veselin Topalov (2805) vs V Anand (2787)
WCH 2010, Sofia (Bulgaria), 24-4-2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0–0 10.0–0 Na5 11.Bd3 b6 12.Qd2 e5 13.Bh6 cxd4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.cxd4 exd4 16.Rac1 Qd6 17.f4 f6 18.f5 Qe5 19.Nf4 g5 20.Nh5+ Kg8 21.h4 h6 22.hxg5 hxg5 23.Rf3 Kf7 24.Nxf6 Kxf6 25.Rh3 Rg8 26.Rh6+ Kf7 27.Rh7+ Ke8 28.Rcc7 Kd8 29.Bb5 Qxe4 30.Rxc8+ 1-0
Starting a journey
Having succumbed to the temptation of putting my thoughts on the web, I picked Saturday as the 'auspicious day' to begin my journey in the blogsphere. It was the day Viswanathan Anand was starting the defence of his World Championship crown against Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in Sofia.
Undoubtedly the biggest chess event of 2010, the match pits two of the best players of this generation against each other and has caused lot of excitement in chess circles because of the characters involved.
In one corner is the ice cool Vishy Anand of India, the most respected and liked player in chess who has always kept away from controversies – at times at his own cost. In the other corner is Topalov of the Toiletgate fame, especially his manager Silvio Danialov, the most controversial personality the sport has seen in recent times.
Everyone expects great chess, some tough matches and a bit of controversy mostly from the Bulgarian side, which had started the mind games well before the start of the tournament with taunts and jibes at the World Champion.
Topalov blamed Anand of not doing enough to get the match organized in India, which seemed a baseless allegation made by people who know nothing about Indian sport. Anand is aware; his job is playing chess and not organizing matches. He also knows that any such effort on his part would have ended in heartbreak as in India it is very difficult to raise big monies for any sport other than cricket – it would also have left him without much time to prepare for the match. Raising sponsorship worth Rs 20-30 crore for a game, which is not spectator friendly and has no mass following in India is every difficult, nay next to impossible even for someone like Anand.
Though Anand did not respond, the Bulgarians kept at it and as things turned out, Anand came under further pressure as the volcanic ash clouds disrupted his travel plans over Europe and he reached Sofia four days late. He had to fight tooth and nail to get the first round postponed by one day.
Though the off-board drama has added to the excitement of the clash, one realizes that it is nothing compared to that generated by the 1972 clash involving Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky or the one between the two Ks – Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
So this is a great time to start my journey and I hope to continue, sharing with my friends my opinion on various issues related to Indian sport.
Undoubtedly the biggest chess event of 2010, the match pits two of the best players of this generation against each other and has caused lot of excitement in chess circles because of the characters involved.
In one corner is the ice cool Vishy Anand of India, the most respected and liked player in chess who has always kept away from controversies – at times at his own cost. In the other corner is Topalov of the Toiletgate fame, especially his manager Silvio Danialov, the most controversial personality the sport has seen in recent times.
Everyone expects great chess, some tough matches and a bit of controversy mostly from the Bulgarian side, which had started the mind games well before the start of the tournament with taunts and jibes at the World Champion.
Topalov blamed Anand of not doing enough to get the match organized in India, which seemed a baseless allegation made by people who know nothing about Indian sport. Anand is aware; his job is playing chess and not organizing matches. He also knows that any such effort on his part would have ended in heartbreak as in India it is very difficult to raise big monies for any sport other than cricket – it would also have left him without much time to prepare for the match. Raising sponsorship worth Rs 20-30 crore for a game, which is not spectator friendly and has no mass following in India is every difficult, nay next to impossible even for someone like Anand.
Though Anand did not respond, the Bulgarians kept at it and as things turned out, Anand came under further pressure as the volcanic ash clouds disrupted his travel plans over Europe and he reached Sofia four days late. He had to fight tooth and nail to get the first round postponed by one day.
Though the off-board drama has added to the excitement of the clash, one realizes that it is nothing compared to that generated by the 1972 clash involving Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky or the one between the two Ks – Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
So this is a great time to start my journey and I hope to continue, sharing with my friends my opinion on various issues related to Indian sport.
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