A group of chess fans from Bulgaria took issue with ChessBase's one-sided coverage of the World Championship in which Viswanathan Anand dispatched challenger Veselin Topalov. It was a great match; both players can be proud of their performance and the quality of games. Of course, errors were made, and Topalov's final error was fatal.
It does seem that the world was rooting for Anand. This impression does not stem solely from the coverage by ChessBase, but from a potpourri of websites and chess discussion forums. Even so, Topalov has his admirers, including many in his own country. It's too bad that some of them are so partisan that they offer this nonsense:
Russian Chess Federation ask for World Title Changes
According to a report in kommersant the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) in two letters signed by presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich has written to FIDE asking for significant changes to the next World Championship cycle both for Men and Women.
Nor are they the only critics. Emil Sutovsky has proposed Changes to the current Candidates cycle. He wishes to separate the Final of the Candidates from the Quarter and Semi-Final stages.
Veselin Topalov has made it clear that he objects to playing in Russia at all, but most particularly if he is to play an Russian opponent (in this case Kramnik is the only Russian in the event). http://letters.chessdom.com/topalov-candidate-matches
Danailov: ‘No match in Russia against a Russian player’
Contrary to what was expressed in an open letter last week, Veselin Topalov is, after all, willing to play Candidates Matches in Russia. However, he is “refusing to play a match with a Russian player in Russia, if that match is connected to the title struggle,” his manager Silvio Danailov said in an interview with Sport Express this week.
Last week in an open letter Veselin Topalov declared that he wouldn’t “participate in any stage of the cycle for the World Chess Title that takes place in Russia, in order to avoid problems and conflicts that already took place there”. The former world’s number one anticipated FIDE’s decision to move the Candidates Matches, scheduled for March-April 2011, from Baku, Azerbaijan to Kazan, Russia. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s reaction to Topalov’s open letter was that he would send the Bulgarian a letter ‘asking not to take hasty decisions’.
In an interview with Sport Express, his manager Silvio Danailov has now stated that Topalov is, after all, willing to play in Russia.
You should read his letter more carefully. It doesn’t say that Topalov refuses to play in Russia. He’ll go to Khanty-Mansiysk for the Olympiad and will represent Bulgaria on board one. Topalov is refusing to play a match with a Russian player in Russia, if that match is connected to the title struggle. The chances of Topalov meeting a Russian player in Kazan aren’t high as for that they’d both need to get to the final, though it’s a possibility.
In the interview, translated at Chess in Translation, Danailov doesn’t mention the name of Vladimir Kramnik, who is the only Russian player who qualified for the Candidates Matches.
The Russian player we played a match against in 2006 in Elista doesn’t exist for us!
Danailov also talks about the World Championship match in Sofia between Anand and Topalov, and once again reacts sharply to the happenings surrounding the vulcano eruption and Georgios Makropoulos’ decision to postpone the first game one day.
la decisione presa nonostante le precedenti minacce di ritiro di Topalov
update la reazione del Manager di Topalov
Il Presidential Board della FIDE, riunito in Tromso, ha assegnato alla città di Kazan (Russia) il Torneo dei Candidati che determinerà lo sfidante del Campione del Mondo Anand e che si dovrebbe disputare in un periodo compreso tra il 1 Marzo e il 31 Maggio 2011. La notizia, pubblicata dal sito chessdom.com, ha sorpreso l'intera comunità scacchistica. Tutti davano, infatti, per certo che almeno una parte della manifestazione sarebbe stata ospitata dall'Azerbajan, la cui federazione aveva già provveduto a versare un acconto di 150.000 euro. La Federazione Internazionale, sempre secondo Chessdom, ha però cambiato idea facendo comunque salva la nomina dell'azerbajano Mamedyarov quale giocatore invitato dagli organizzatori. Con la scelta di una sede russa viene dunque superata definitivamente la questione Aronian che, a causa delle tensioni esistenti tra Armenia e Arzebajan, avrebbe avuto serie difficoltà a disputare il torneo in Azerbajan. Proprio per questo motivo sembrava, infatti, ormai certo che quarti e semifinali del Torneo dei Candidati si sarebbero disputati in due sedi diverse.
E tutti vissero felici e contenti? Macchè! Pochi giorni prima Veselin Topalov, seguendo il solco della tradizione degli scacchisti che amano complicare la vita a chi deve gestire questo sport, aveva fatto sapere, tramite una lettera aperta, che per lui sarebbe stata inaccettabile una seconda sede russa. Secondo Veselin, infatti, il trattamento riservato a lui ed al suo team durante il Match Mondiale, perso contro Kramnik in Elista (Russia) nel 2006, era stato decisamente "unpleasant." Questa situazione, con una evidente forzatura, era stata paragonata proprio alla questione Aronian. Ma la decisone presa dalla FIDE ha comunque superato questa possibile obiezione. E', poi, per certi versi paradossale che la dichiarazione di non voler giocare contro un russo in Russia sia stata rilasciata proprio da chi ha da poco giocato, nella propria patria, un match valevole per il Titolo Mondiale contro il Campione in carica. La FIDE non ha, comunque, tenuto in alcuna considerazione la lettera del bulgaro ed ha assegnato alla città di Kazan addirittura tutta la manifestazione! Come reagirà l'ex Campione del Mondo FIDE? Nel caso in cui si dovesse davvero ritirare dalla manifestazione, Topalov sarebbe sostituito dal russo Grischuk (3° classificato del Grand Prix FIDE) ma è difficile immaginare che il bulgaro rinunci effettivamente alla possibilità di riconquistare il Titolo.
update 30 luglio La reazione di Danailov, Manager di Topalov e Candidato alla presidenza ECU
Come era ampiamente prevedibile, arriva l'immediata (mezza) marcia in dietro di Silvio Danailov. Il Manger di Topalov, intervistato dal sito russo sport-express.ru, parla diffusamente del Match Mondiale perso contro Anand e successivamente si sofferma sulla lettera aperta di Topalov precisando che Veselin non intendeva affermare che non avrebbe disputato un Torneo dei Candidati in Russia, ma che non avrebbe sfidato un giocatore russo in Russia! L'unica riserva posta da Danailov prima di confermare la presenza dell'ex Campione del Mondo FIDE in Kazan riguarda, e su questo non si nutrivano dubbi, i termini del contratto ed il montepremi. E se la Finale dovesse essere tra Topalov e Kramnik? la risposta di Danailov è stata: "Veselein si è espresso chiaramente nella sua lettera".
la lettera aperta di Topalov
Alexander Grischuk spera ...
... ma c'e' da scommetere che Topalov non rinuncerà!?
Nel frattempo l'invito di Mamedyarov è salvo!
mentre Anand, al riparo da ogni polemica, attende sereno lo sfidante
Il cremlino di Kazan
Kazan, sede del Torneo dei Candidati nel 2011
Il Tabellone tennistico del Torneo dei Candidati
Partecipanti al Torneo dei Candidati ordinati in base all'elo della lista del 1° gennaio 2010, con Topalov numero 1 in quanto perdente del match mondiale di Sofia.
Topalov 2805, perdente del Mondiale 2010
Carlsen 2810, rating (media lista elo luglio 2009 - gennaio 2010)
Kramnik 2788, 2° giocatore con il rating più alto
Aronian 2781, 1° Classificato Grand Prix
Gelfand 2761, 1° Classificato World Cup 2009
Mamedyarov 2741, over 2700 nominato dagli organizzatori
Radjabov 2733, 2° Classificato Grand Prix
Kamsky 2693, perdente della sfida Topalov-Kamsky
Modalità del Torneo dei candidati match ad eliminazione diretta, con quarti e semifinali sulla distanza di quattro partite, e finale sulla distanza di sei partite. Durata della manifestazione: 23 giorni.
cadenza di gioco 120' x 40 mosse + 60' x 20 mosse + 15' per terminare la partita +30" di incremento per mossa a partire dalla 61esima mossa.
eventuali spareggi rapid 4 partite rapid (25'+10). in caso di ulteriore parità si svolgeranno al massimo 5 mini match blitz (5'+3"). In caso di ulteriore parità, si disputerà una partita secca (5' bianco, 4' nero + 3" di incremento per mossa dalla 61esima mossa). In caso di patta vince il nero.
news di Chessdom sull'assegnazione a Kazan del Torneo dei candidati
According to a report in Sport Express by chess journalist Yuri Vasiliev, the FIDE Presidential Board in Tromso decided that the Candidates will be moved from Baku in Azerbaijan to Kazan in Russia. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov retains his position in the Candidates as the Azerbaijani representative.
Last week we reported that FIDE was intending to move the Candidates Matches (scheduled for March-April 2011 to determine the challenger of World Champion Viswanathan Anand in the 2012 WCh match) from Baku, Azerbaijan to Kazan, Russia. This report focused on Veselin Topalov’s open letter in which he stated that he ‘would not participate in any stage of the cycle for the World Chess Title that takes place in Russia’.
Yesterday, Sport Express journalist Yuri Vasiliev broke the news that the FIDE Presidential Board, currently together in Tromso, Norway, have announced the move to Kazan. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov retains his position in the Candidates as the Azerbaijani representative. The players (and pairings) are:
Topalov vs Kamsky ( 1 vs 8 )
Carlsen vs Radjabov ( 2 vs 7 )
Kramnik vs Mamedyarov ( 3 vs 6 )
Aronian vs Gelfand ( 4 vs 5 )
So far it’s not clear whether FIDE has responded to Emil Sutovsky’s open letter of last week in which the Israeli Grandmaster suggested some changes. However, according to Vasiliev, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov did respond to Veselin Topalov’s open letter.
Sport Express mentions that Ilyumzhinov would send Topalov a letter ‘asking not to take hasty decisions’. If Topalov still refuses to go to Kazan, he will be replaced by the third player in the final standings of the 2008-2010 FIDE Grand Prix Series, Alexander Grischuk from Russia.
Update: as Colin mentions in the comments section, it looks as though Sutovsky’s proposal was rejected. On his LiveJournal page (http://emilchess.livejournal.com/) he says that it wasn’t FIDE’s fault, but one of the players insisted that there shouldn’t be more changes made during the cycle, even though the player accepted the changes were logical (no mention of who the player was). He also made it clear that his meeting Ilyumzhinov & being photographed with him in no way means that he supports Ilyumzhinov in the presidential campaign (he said he’s staying out of chess politics).
Update 2: Mr Sutovsky couldn’t confirm whether his proposal was rejected, but did say that one player rejected it: Boris Gelfand, who said “I think that your proposal is very interesting for the next cycle, but I strongly oppose any change of official regulations while the cycle is in process. I hope you’ll inform all interested parties about my opinion.”
Topalov on Candidates Matches: “I won’t play in Russia”
A few days ago, we published an open letter by GM Sutovsky about the current FIDE Candidates Matches problems. Yesterday, Veselin Topalov published an open letter in response to the news that part of the matches might be played in Kazan, Russia.
According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, the Russian Chess Federation has asked FIDE President Ilyumzhinov to move part of the Candidates Matches from Baku, Azerbaijan – not a very pleasant place for Armenian GM Levon Aronian, though Armenian sources appear to in fact deny that he won’t play in fact Baku – to Kazan, Russia.
This, in turn, has prompted Veselin Topalov to write an open letter announcing he refuses to play in Kazan or any other place in Russia, in part because of what happened back in 2006, during ‘Toiletgate’. Here is Topalov’s open letter as it appeared on Chessdom:
July 22th, Sofia, Bulgaria
Dear President of FIDE, Dear members of the PB,
I am writing an open letter to you regarding the next World Championship Cycle. After many promises and changes I learn that a new place for the Candidates matches is being discussed, the one of Kazan, Russia.
I believe that it is a strategic mistake to stage almost all the cycle in one country. Four events of the FIDE Grand Prix, the World Cup, and now possibly Candidates Matches are in Russia. This transmits the message that FIDE can’t find sponsors and Organizers from other countries, which is very sad.
I would also like to state that for me the venue of Kazan, or any other venue in Russia, is totally unacceptable for another reason. Everybody still remembers the unpleasant situations which my team and I had to face during the WCC Match in Elista 2006.
Having in mind all this, I would like to declare that I would not participate in any stage of the cycle for the World Chess Title that takes place in Russia, in order to avoid problems and conflicts that already took place there.
The venue of Baku was rejected by Aronian and this looked natural for everyone. Before that, FIDE have changed their own rules and regulations to avoid the WCC rematch Topalov-Kramnik with Sofia as a venue. I believe it is logical to ask, if I play any matches in the future, (especially against Russian GMs), that they should be outside of Russia.
Open letter by Veselin Topalov regarding the Candidate Matches - Letter to the Presidential Board in
As Chessdom.com informed yesterday, Azerbaijan have secured the first half of the Candidate matches. They have already transferred the initial 100,000 EUR to FIDE account and have signed contract with the local player Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Among the locations discussed for the second part of the Candidate matches is Kazan (Russia). This caused a sharp reaction by Veselin Topalov.
Topalov To Be Honorary Guest at Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad
Topalov To Be Honorary Guest at Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad
Bulgaria’s GM Veselin Topalov will be among the honorary guests at the opening of the Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad on September 19. Topalov has been invited along with world champion Vishy Anand and the Norwegian chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is also expected to attend the opening ceremony. Topalov will participate in the Olympiad, while new heads of the European and the world chess will be elected at the following FIDE congress.
Computers manage to spark ingenuity Saturday, July 3, 2010 02:51 AM
The notion that computers take the creativity out of chess doesn't ring true in today's game.
Grandmasters are forced to constantly re-evaluate and update the openings they play because scrutiny by the search engines in opponents' software can quickly render old ideas obsolete.
The result is that players have no choice but to be nimble. They must change their openings frequently enough to stay a step ahead of their foes.
Broadening one's repertoire by constantly encountering and adapting to new ideas can be enriching and empowering.
In the best of circumstances, the result is a more complete and more interesting player.
But computer support can have a Star Wars quality.
During his recent title match with Viswanathan Anand, Veselin Topalov had access to Bulgarian government hardware that included speedy series 8792 processors and could exercise one thousand billion operations per second.
Anand countered with a supercomputer of his own - apparently not as powerful but powerful enough. The result was an apparent technological standoff.
Human ingenuity, courage and judgment - good and bad - finally determined the outcome of the match, which wasn't decided until the 10th and final game.
The gap between Magnus Carlsen (2826) and Veselin Topalov (2803) has increased to 23 points on the July 1 FIDE rating list. The Norwegian won 13 points whereas the Bulgarian dropped 9. Third is World Champion Viswanathan Anand, now with 2800 points exactly. Wang Yue dropped from 8th to 28th.
FIDE has published its July 1st rating list and since all the big events were entered in time, there’s no difference between the official top 10 and the “live” top 10 of Hans Arild Runde (which you can also find in the far right column on this website). In fact there aren’t very big changes in the top 10 compared to the previous list either.
Carlsen’s fine victory in Romania last week got him another 13 rating points and because Topalov lost 9 points in his match with Anand, the gap between the world’s number one and two is now 23 points. Those 9 points went to Anand, who thereby surpassed Kramnik to regain the 3rd spot, at a nice 2800 precisely.
At the Kings’ Tournament Gelfand lost twice to Radjabov; the two switched places on the rankings between spots 10 and 13. Malakhov and Navara are in the top 20 on this list – the latter thanks to a stunning 8.5/9 at the Czech Championship.
Vugar Gashimov, who was still 7th in the world on the January 2010 list, dropped further to a 26th spot. The biggest skydive was performed by Wang Yue, who lost 36 points and went down from 8th to 28th. Winning 16 points, Wang Hao surpassed him to become China’s number one at 2724.
After entering the top 100 on the May list, Anish Giri won 30 more points to climb to a 62nd place at 2672, but the highest rated Dutch player is Loek van Wely with five points more. Ivan Cheparinov is back in the top 100 with 2661.
The women’s list is still very stable, with very few changes in the top 10. Judit Polgar again didn’t play, but Humpy Koneru did. The Indian lost 22 points at the 3rd FIDE Grand Prix in Nalchik and so the gap increased from 60 to 82 points. Below you’ll find the new top 100, the top 100 women, the top 20 juniors and the top 20 girls. We give the first two lists including the changes with the previous lists.
FIDE JULY 2010 RATING LIST: TOP 100 PLAYERS
Legend:
black color – player remained on the same position
green color – player moved up in the list
red color – player moved down in the list
blue color – player is new to the current Top list Old represents player’s position in the previous period list
Dans le Top 100 mondial de Juillet qui vient de paraître, Magnus Carlsen consolide sa place de leader. Le champion d'échecs norvégien Carlsen est classé numéro un pour la 4ème fois consécutive, après Janvier (2810), Mars (2813), et Mai (2813). Cette fois, Carlsen établit un nouveau record personnel avec 2826 dans la liste Fide de Juillet. Son résultat provient de sa récente performance au tournoi de Bazna, où il a gagné 13 points Elo après un excellent parcours ponctué de 5 victoires et 5 nulles.
Magnus Carlsen devance désormais de 23 points le bulgare Veselin Topalov et de 26 points l'actuel champion du monde d'échecs, l'Indien Vishy Anand. Rappelons que le record historique appartient toujours à Garry Kasparov avec 2851 points, établi en Juillet 1999 et Janvier 2000.
Les Français :
Belle remontée pour le numéro 1 tricolore Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2723, +13 points). Le champion du monde junior 2009, occupe désormais la 22ème place du classement général grapillant 8 places en 2 mois. Etienne Bacrot (2720, +10 points) remonte de la 29ème à la 25ème position en engrangeant 10 points Elo. Côté féminin, Marie Sebag (2519, -5 points), reste la dixième joueuse mondiale et règne toujours sans partage en France.
Partida complementaria a la 6ª partida del mundial de Baguio:
Korchnoi-Mecking,
Cuartos de Final del Torneo de Candidatos m(9), Augusta 1974
Tras lo analizado en http://www.ajedrezcanarias.com (Secretos de Alcoba - 77) en la sexta partida del mundial de Baguio City, 1978; toca hoy ver como “partida complementaria” a la misma, esta otra, bastante interesante por la gran capacidad de lucha desarrollada ante el tablero en su momento por ambos contendientes.
Resultó este encuentro, disputado en Augusta, ciudad del condado de Richmond, Georgia, Estados Unidos; mucho más reñido de lo que el marcador indicó al final tras trece partidas:
Korchnoi 7,5 – Mecking 5,5 (+3 -1 =9).
Korchnoi, principal favorito, llevó la lucha hacia largos finales de partida, en los que, gracias a su mayor experiencia, logró desbordar a su joven adversario.
Así llegaron sus dos primeras victorias (en el quinto y séptimo cotejos) al cometer fallos Mecking. Este dominó en los planteos, pues era (como Fischer!) un especialista de las aperturas y acortó distancias en el décimosegundo juego. En el siguiente y último, Mecking tuvo óptimas posibilidades, pero desgraciadamente se puso muy nervioso, al tener al alcance de la mano la igualada en el marcador (otra vez la inexperiencia propia de sus pocos años de edad y sobre todo de práctica) y no solo dejó escapar el triunfo, sino también después el empate. Dramática lucha aquella.
Pero toca ahora ver la maratoniana partida de la novena ronda que espero que les guste, tanto como a mi haberla analizado, siguiendo los comentarios de buenos grandes maestros y la reciente opinión de Deep Rybka 4 y de las famosas “tablebases”.
Kortschnoj,V - Mecking,H [A29] Ct Augusta (m) (9), 1974 [Jimenez,A sobre varios comentaristas]
Fue mucho más complicado analizar esta partida que la sexta del mundial de Baguio 1978. 1.c4 e5 2.Cc3 Cf6 3.Cf3 Cc6 4.g3 Ab4 5.Ag2 0-0 6.0-0 e4!? Cuando vemos la historia de las variantes, intuímos lo apasionante que es el ajedrez de alta competición. Esto nos lo dijo a los tinerfeños una vez en directo el excampeón del mundo Veselin Topálov. Mecking había aprendido esta línea en el Interzonal de Petrópolis de 1973!. 7.Ce1 Sigue un precioso recorrido de caballo. 7...Axc3 8.dxc3 d6 9.Cc2 Te8 Diagram
10.Ce3! [Dos pesos pesados del ajedrez, habían continuado con: 10.Ag5 h6 11.Axf6 Dxf6 12.Ce3 Te5 13.Dc2(13.Dd2 Af5 14.Cd5 Dd8 15.f4 exf3 16.exf3 Te8= Yudovich.) 13...Af5 14.Tad1 Tae8 15.Td5 Ce7 16.Txe5 Dxe5 17.Da4 Cc6 18.Db5 Dxb5 19.cxb5 Ce7 20.Td1 Ad7 21.c4 f5 22.f3 exf3 23.Axf3 Ac8 24.Td3 Rf7 25.b4 Re6 26.Cc2 Rf6 27.Ta3 a6 28.Cd4 Cg6 29.bxa6 bxa6 30.Ac6 Te5 31.b5 axb5 32.cxb5 Ce7 33.Ta7 Cxc6 34.bxc6 Te7 35.Ta8 Ae6 36.Rf2 Re5 37.Re3 Ac4 38.Ta5+ d5 39.Ta8 g5 40.Tf8 Rd6+ 41.Rd2 Rc5 42.e3 f4 1/2-1/2 Portisch,L (2650)-Uhlmann,W (2560)/Madrid 1973]10...h6 11.Dc2 [Poco tiempo después a esta partida, se probó: 11.Cd5 Af5 Yudovich. 12.b3 Ah7 13.Af4 Cd7 14.Dd2 Cce5 15.Ah3 Cc5 16.Tad1 Ce6 17.Ag2 Cxf4 18.Cxf4 a5 19.Dd4 Cc6 20.De3 b6 21.Cd5 Dd7 22.Df4 Te5 23.Td2 Tae8 24.Tfd1 Dc8 25.Dh4 Af5 26.Df4 Cd8 27.De3 Ag4 28.b4 axb4 29.cxb4 Cb7 30.a3 Ad7 1/2-1/2 Hort,V (2600)-Kortschnoj,V (2665)/Moscow 1975]11...a5 [11...Te5!? 12.Ad2 Ad7 13.f4 exf3 14.exf3 Dc8= 15.Tfe1 Te8 16.Cd5 Cxd5 17.Txe8+ Dxe8 18.cxd5 Ce5 19.c4 Df8 20.h3 Te8 21.f4 Cg6 22.Ac3 c5 23.Rh2 De7 24.Te1 Dd8 25.Ae4 Cf8 26.b3 Te7 27.Dd2 De8 28.Ad3 f5 29.Txe7 Dxe7 30.De2 Dxe2+ 31.Axe2 Rf7 32.g4 Ch7 1/2-1/2 Polugaevsky,L (2640)-Savon,V (2570)/Petropolis 1973/IZT]12.Td1!? con idea de c5. Matanovic.[12.a4 fue lo que Kárpov jugó en la sexta partida del Mundial de Baguio de 1978 que puede seguirse con comentarios de grandes maestros y también ahora, inéditos, de Deep Rybka 4, en la página web: http://www.ajedrezcanarias.com en la crónica titulada "Secretos de Alcoba (77)", donde en sucesivos artículos pretendemos analizar el "polémico" mundial de 1978 al completo!!]12...b6 [Si 12...Ce5 sigue la idea de Matanovic 13.c5! y aquí se para en sus análisis a esta partida, el maestro rumano Mihail Marin. Veamos que dice nuestro módulo favorito: 13...d5 14.Cxd5 Cxd5 15.c4 Cxc4 16.Dxc4 c6 17.Axe4+/= con buena pareja de alfiles. Deep Rybka 4.; Otra idea más tranquila era: 12...Ad7 13.Cd5 Af5 14.Ae3 y ahora 14...b6 Marin. Veamos: 15.h3 a4 16.g4 Ag6 17.g5!? hxg5 18.Axg5 Cb8 19.Axf6 gxf6 20.Dd2 Cd7 21.Dh6 f5 22.h4 Cf6!= Deep Rybka 4. Y es que no vale 23.Cxf6+ Dxf6 24.h5 por 24...Dh4!-/+ Deep Rybka 4.]13.b3 Tb8 14.a4 Diagram
14...Ce5 [También era posible: 14...Ad7 porque tras la que aparentemente es mejor: 15.Ab2!? sigue(15.Cd5 Af5 16.b4 Ce5= Marin.17.Db3 c6 18.Cxf6+ Dxf6 19.Af4 Tbc8= Deep Rybka 4.; 15.Db1 Ce5 16.Cd5 Cxd5 17.cxd5 f5= Marin.18.Dc2 Df6 19.c4 Ac8 20.Ab2 Ab7 21.Te1 Df8 22.Ad4 Te7 23.Dc3 Tbe8= Deep Rybka 4.) 15...Ce5 y aunque tras 16.Cd5 Marin indique ligera ventaja de las blancas, el módulo señala que tras 16...Cxd5 17.cxd5 sigue la fuerte 17...e3! 18.f3(18.fxe3? Cg4!) 18...h5 19.Td4 Df6 20.c4 Af5 21.Dc1 Dh6 22.Dc3 f6= and Black is OK!. Deep Rybka 4.]15.Cd5! las blancas se aseguran de este modo la iniciativa.[Tras 15.Axe4? sigue 15...Cxc4! Matanovic. En efecto: 16.Ac6 Ad7 17.Af3 Cxe3 18.Axe3 De7 19.Td4 Ac8= Deep Rybka 4.]15...Cxd5 16.cxd5 f5 17.c4 Ad7 [Parece mejor: 17...Cd7!? con idea de ...Cc5 y ...Ad7. Marin. 18.Ae3 Ab7 19.Tf1 Cc5 20.Ad4 Dg5 21.Dc3 De7= Deep Rybka 4.]18.Ab2+/= Por la pareja de alfiles. Matanovic.18...Dg5 19.Dc3 Cg4 [Marin consideró: 19...Te7 20.f4 exf3 21.exf3 f4 pero ahora la computadora recomienda: 22.Ac1! Deep Rybka 4. (Y no lo que el maestro rumano analizó como jugada interesante: 22.gxf4 Marin. 22...Dxf4 23.Td4 con idea de Te4 y Tae1. Marin. Pero para el módulo la cosa no está clara para las blancas: 23...Df6 24.f4(24.Te4 Af5 25.Te3 Tbe8 26.Dd2 Dg6 27.Axe5 Txe5 28.Txe5 Txe5 29.f4 Te8 30.Tf1 Ah3 31.Rh1 Axg2+ 32.Dxg2 Dd3 33.f5 Te2 34.Dg4 Te4 35.Df3 Te3-/+ Deep Rybka 4.) 24...Cg6 25.Tf1 Tbe8=/+ Deep Rybka 4.) 22...Cg6 23.Ad2 Tbe8 24.Te1 Txe1+ 25.Txe1 Txe1+ 26.Axe1 Ce5= Deep Rybka 4.]20.Te1 Te7 21.f4 Dg6 22.e3 h5 Diagram
Este match de Augusta fue tremendamente combativo, con partidas largas y disputadas.23.Dd2 [23.b4!? Marin. Pero sigue: 23...Ta8! Deep Rybka 4.(El maestro rumano sólo sugirió:23...axb4 24.Dxb4 h4 25.gxh4 Dh5 26.h3 Cf6 con idea de ...Dxh4, Ch5, g5. Marin. Pero tras:27.a5! Dxh4 28.Ad4! Ac8 29.axb6 Cd7 30.Teb1+/- Deep Rybka 4.) 24.Db3 axb4 25.Dxb4 Ta5 26.Ac3 De8 27.h3 Ch6 28.Db2 Txa4 29.Txa4 Axa4 30.Ta1 Rh7 31.Rh2 con compensación por el material entregado. Deep Rybka 4.; 23.Te2!? Marin. 23...h4 24.gxh4 Dh5 25.De1 Rf7 26.Ad4 Th8 27.Tb2 Dxh4 28.Dxh4 Txh4 29.h3 Cf6 30.b4+/= con iniciativa. Marin. Veamos un precioso ejemplo ofrecido por el módulo: 30...axb4 31.a5! bxa5 32.Txa5 g5 33.fxg5 Ch7 34.Ta7 Cxg5 35.Txc7 f4 36.c5 fxe3 37.Axe3 Cxh3+ 38.Axh3 Txh3 39.cxd6 Txe3 40.dxe7 Rxe7 41.Txb4+/= Deep Rybka 4. Pero imposible de materializar. Sigue un enfrentamiento entre módulos a nivel de campeonato del mundo "oficial": 41...Tg3+ 42.Rh2 Td3 43.Tbb7 Txd5 44.Rg3 Td3+ 45.Rf4 e3 46.Rf3 Re6 47.Re2 Td4 48.Tc5 Rd6 49.Tg5 Ac6 50.Tb1 Ad5 51.Tb6+ Rc5 52.Tb8 Ta4 53.Tc8+ Rd4 54.Tg4+ Ae4 55.Td8+ Re5 56.Te8+ Rf5 57.Tg1 Ad5 58.Tf1+ Rg6 59.Rxe3 Y tablas teóricas. 1/2-1/2 Deep Rybka 4 w32-IvanHoe-T63 Tactical/40 jugadas en 2 h 30' sin finish. (109). ]23...Rf7 24.b4! Quedó patente el eterno espíritu de lucha de Korchnoi que entonces tenía 43 años por 22 de su rival.24...axb4 25.Dxb4 h4 26.gxh4 Th8 27.h3 Cf6 28.a5 bxa5 29.Dxa5!? [29.Txa5 Yudovich. 29...Dg3! Marin. Y ahora no lo que indica Matanovic, que da ligera ventaja a las blancas, algo totalmente incierto: 30.Ta7?? Matanovic. Porque sigue:(Es mejor:30.Rf1 Ch5 31.Dd2 Dh2 32.Rf2 Th6 33.Th1 Dg3+ 34.Rg1 Dxh4= Deep Rybka 4.) 30...Tb8! 31.Dxb8 Dxe1+-+ pues no vale 32.Rh2 por 32...Cg4+!! 33.hxg4 fxg4 con la mortífera idea de ...g4-g3, ganando. Deep Rybka 4.]29...Ae8 30.Tab1 Txh4 31.Axf6 Rxf6 32.Rh2 Dh7! 33.Tb7 g5!= Mecking también estaba entonces "totalmente" bajo el influjo del espíritu luchador de Bobby Fischer!.34.fxg5+ Rxg5 35.c5 Dg7! 36.Tg1 Rh6 37.Da1! Diagram
37...Ag6! [No valía: 37...Dxa1? 38.Txa1 con iniciativa en el flanco de dama. Matanovic. Y más que eso. Veamos: 38...Tg7 39.Ta8 Ag6 40.Th8+ Ah7 41.Tc8 f4 42.Tcxc7 Txc7 43.Txc7 f3 44.Af1 dxc5 45.d6 Th5 46.Rg3 Td5 47.d7 Td2(47...Af5? 48.Txc5+-) 48.Rf4 f2 49.Re5 Rg5 50.Txc5 Af5 51.h4+ Rg4 52.Tc2 Txd7 53.Txf2 Ag6 54.Tg2+ Rh5 55.Tg5+ Rh6 56.Ah3 Td3 57.Rf4 Td2 58.Af5+- Deep Rybka 4. ¡Precioso análisis!.]38.cxd6 cxd6 39.Txe7 [39.Dxg7+ Txg7 40.Tb6 Td7= Matanovic. 41.Rg3 Rg5 42.Tgb1 Thh7 43.Tf1 Af7 44.Tf4 Rg6 45.h4 Th5(45...Axd5? 46.Tb5 Ae6 47.Axe4!+/- Deep Rybka 4.) 46.Tb5= Deep Rybka 4.]39...Dxe7 40.Dh8+ Ah7 41.Af1 Diagram
Topalov vs Anand – Game #12: 2010 World Chess Championship
This is an analysis video covering Game 12 of the 2010 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand (India) and Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria). The opening is the Queens Gambit Declined. More instructional videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ChessNetwork.
~Jerry~
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2010 World Chess Championship: Anand vs Topalov – Game #4
Post by Jerry
This is an analysis video covering Game 4 of the 2010 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand (India) and Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria). The opening played is the Catalan. More instructional videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ChessNetwork.
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SOFIA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Viswanathan Anand, 40, was officially crowned here on Thursday as the world chess champion for the 2010-2011.
The Indian grandmaster retained his title against Veselin Topalov in 12-game match achieving 6.5 points while the challenger managed to get 5.5 points.
Chief Arbiter Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos declared Anand the world champion at the official closing ceremony attended by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, head of the organizing committee, and the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Ilyumzhinov crowned Anand with winner's ribbon, laurel wreath and a gold medal, Borisov gave him a Cup, and the organizing committee greeted Anand with his favorite song.
Checks from the price fund, 1.2 million euros (about 1.6 million dollars) for Anand and 800,000 euros (about 1.07 million dollars) for Topalov, were not provided to them at this ceremony.
"It was not so heavy for eight-million Bulgaria to lose with one point only against one-billion India," Borisov told the ceremony.
"We are ready for revenge," Borisov added.
The first game in this match started on April 24 when Topalov with whites won. Followed Anand's victory, a tie and a second success for Anand.
Fifth, sixth and seventh game were draws but Topalov came back into the match winning the eight game for 4-4. After new three ties and 5.5-5.5, the 12th game on Tuesday was decisive whether it would be tie-break games but Anand with blacks won this game and the match
Veselin Topalov had the upper hand on opening preparations in his world championship match against Anand. By choosing Jiri Dufek, the author of this
Opening book, as one of his seconds he gained unlimited access to dozens of
opening novelties.
Anand: My money is on Argentina, Spain A STAFF REPORTER
Calcutta: He is not ashamed of having sought advice from former world champion Garri Kasparov during his world championship match against Veselin Topalov. He has enjoyed every moment of Argentina’s match against Nigeria. In the city to inaugurate the NIIT inter-college chess competition, world champion Viswanathan Anand spoke to the mediapersons on chess and beyond.
The following are excerpts
On what made this year’s world championship special
I must admit that this year, it was the toughest compared to other years. During past years, never did the title round clashes go the distance. This year, it was different. This is the first time that the championship was undecided till the final round with both of us locked at five-and-a-half points each. It was a see-saw struggle. There were certain new formations that I tried.
On what was unique about the victory
Right from the time we started our journey to Sophia till the end, it was a definitely different from other competitions. Also it’s a healthy thing that the fight has been such intense.
Topalov’s criticism of him seeking Kasparov’s help
I have already reacted by taking his (Kasparov) help. I wouldn’t prefer to react to Topalov’s reaction... If you react to reactions, it will go on forever... If I have taken someone’s help, I am glad that I did so. I will do it again (smiles).
Handling tough situations
I manage to look cool in tough situations. And I have managed to fool you all with my cool looks (laughs)... It’s not that I don’t get tense, but with years of experience, you start having a different perception about how you approach things... You start worrying less once the action starts. Then it is the dynamics of the game that takes over. You only think about the game and shut yourself from the rest of the world. I have always been very relaxed on the board irrespective of my performance.
The advantage of having an unchanged team of seconds
It’s always helps when you have members who enjoy working with each other. This is the team [GM Peter Heine-Nielsen (Denmark), GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (India), GM Radoslav Wojtasek (Poland) and former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan), for the record] that has worked for me… It’s like five people doing a final proof reading before a you publish a work.
Surya’s contribution
Surya is a fantastic player himself and we have been working together for a long time now. It’s only recently that his role has got formalised. It always helps when you work with someone with whom you share a comfort level.
If he’s hooked to the World Cup
Who isn’t? My money is on Argentina and Spain. I enjoyed watching Argentina play against Nigeria. Messi is my current favourite. He might not have scored but look at the number of chances he created. It was amazing goalkeeping from the Nigerian goalkeeper… I will also follow Brazil’s matches but Spain will be another team to watch out for. If you have players as talented as Xavi Hernandes, Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta, you should take them seriously.
(I have to disagree with Anand here. I'm picking Brazil to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup.)
On wife Aruna’s role
She takes care of everything so that I can only concentrate on the game. It’s always nice to have someone with whom you can share your feelings after a hard day’s work.
Anand, Carlsen, Kramnik in 2010 London Chess Classic
World Champion Viswanathan Anand will play in this year’s London Chess Classic, where he will face Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik as his main rivals. Hikaru Nakamura, Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Luke McShane and David Howell complete the field of the second edition that runs 8-15 December 2010 at the Olympia Conference Centre in London.
PRESS RELEASE by John Saunders
Viswanathan Anand will become the first reigning world chess champion to play in a major tournament in London since Anatoly Karpov in 1984 when he joins the eight-player field for the second London Chess Classic, which runs from 8-15 December 2010 at the Olympia Conference Centre.
Vishy Anand is the one change from the stellar field which brought spectators flocking to London to watch elite chess in December 2009. The great Indian player, who will turn 41 during the tournament, recently retained his title as the undisputed champion of the world by defeating Veselin Topalov in the latter’s home city of Sofia, Bulgaria. In London he will meet his immediate predecessor as champion, Vladimir Kramnik, 36, of Russia, and also the young man who is currently riding high as the world’s highest rated player and widely tipped to be Anand’s next challenger – Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who will be 20 by the time the tournament starts.
London is thus privileged to witness a clash of the past, present and likely future chess champions. At the time of writing Carlsen is world number one on the FIDE (World Chess Federation) Rating List, Kramnik is number three and Anand number four. Looking forward, London is also bidding to host the 2012 World Championship title match, so Anand’s clashes with Carlsen and Kramnik could well be a preview of what happens in London’s Olympic year.
Five more players make up the field of eight, all of whom played in the exciting 2009 event. Each one earned his place for his fighting play last year. The fourth non-British player is Hikaru Nakamura, USA, who will turn 23 during the London event. The American is known as the ‘H-Bomb’ for his explosive and totally uncompromising style of play. He has won the US Championship twice and also won major events in San Sebastián and Gibraltar in the past couple of years. He is improving all the time and can be expected to press hard for wins against the leading trio of players.
England has an established quartet of elite players and all four will be playing in London. Michael Adams, 39, from Cornwall, has recently wrested back his position as England number one and he spent a number of years as the world number four. He is fresh from winning the prestigious Gibraltar International. Nigel Short, 45, became a chess legend when he broke the Kasparov-Karpov stranglehold on world title matches, beating Anatoly Karpov on the way to a title match with Garry Kasparov in 1993. He is still one of the most entertaining players on the circuit – and not to be missed in the commentary room after the game! Luke McShane, 26, started a financial career after university but couldn’t resist the lure of the international chess scene. He is now re-establishing his status as one of the most talented of the world’s young grandmasters. David Howell, 20 in November, had a sensational elite tournament debut in this event last year when he finished third behind Carlsen and Kramnik. He had recently won the British Championship by a handsome margin and has subsequently shared first at Hastings and won the British Rapidplay Championship for the second year in succession.
It’s great to see a very successful first London Chess Classic getting an even stronger sequel. Last year’s field will be there again except for Ni Hua from China, who was substituted for the world champ himself, making it even harder to avoid visiting this tournament in the second week of December. ChessVibes won’t even try.
Thomas Luther on the World Championship - GM Luther criticises Anand for taking Kasparov's help
German Grandmaster Thomas Luther has backed Bulgarian Veselin Topalov and has hit out at Indian ace Vishwanathan Anand for having taken the help of two former champions Gary Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik during successful defense of his world crown in Sofia last month.
Levon Aronian to participate in World Chess Championship 2011 June 3, 2010 - 15:38 AMT 10:38 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - 2 countries will host World Chess Championship 2011, with 4 chess players to rival in Baku. The remaining 4, including Levon Aronian will compete in the country to be announced later.
World Chess Championship 2011 will be held in knockout format. 7 chess championship participants were announced: Levon Aronian (Armenia), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Gata Kamsky (USA) Boris Gelfand (Israel) and Timur Rajabov (Azerbaijan).
Viswanathan Anand, Vishy per tutti noi, ha conquistato il suo terzo titolo mondiale – assoluto e consecutivo – andando a vincere in casa dello sfidante Veselin Topalov, ma dentro e fuori dall’ambiente scacchistico il pubblico sembra distratto...
The Bulgarian organizers of the Anand-Topalov World Championship match take Chessbase to court for “violating copyright rules”. Chessbase transmitted the moves of the match live on their Playchess server, against the will of the Bulgarians.
During the Anand-Topalov World Championship match it already became clear that the organizer were planning to take legal action against Chessbase for transmitting the moves of the match live on Playchess. On May 27th the Bulgarians filed a case at a court in Berlin, and Chessdom has now quoted Silvio Danailov on the matter:
“Before the start of the World Chess Championship we explicitly stated that no company can use the moves without the official site’s staff permission. And this was violated by Chessbase, they put themselves above the law in Europe, above the general FIDE ethical rules. (…) I believe in European law and in our Attorney who is presenting the case – Mr. Rainer Polzin. What’s more, I am candidate for President of the ECU and as such I have to stand behind the rights of professional chess. Such actions, as the one by the German company Chessbase, affect the sponsors of events negatively, which damages sponsorship, from there future organization and level of events. In the long run the biggest damage is made on the chess fans, who are the most important part of the game – they certainly deserve to enjoy high level events and have chess sponsorship on all levels. Thus, by defending our rights through European law, we will be defending all fans and the future of chess.”
In an article by Dnevnik, Danailov states that the Bulgarians would expect to win at least 500,000 euros from this court case.
The attorney of the Bulgarian organizers, GM Rainer Polzin, has a law firm in Berlin. We asked him for some more details. He told us:
“The case has been filed at a court in Berlin [Landgericht - CV]. The action is partly based on the German Copyright Law, which is based in the protection of databases mainly to European directives. The EU directive (EU Directive) 96/9/EC of 11 March 1996 will play an important role.
Further claims from the Competition Law will be invoked. It is essentially a question of whether the live acquisition of content from a website, which is funded by sponsors, put onto another website, with the intention of generating profits, is admissible.
There have been some cases in Germany on broadcasting rights of football matches. But there it’s clear what is copyrighted: photos, moving pictures and radio reports. The problem for the clubs is when reporters without prior permission for sale, after buying a ticket, make photos or videos. These are fascinating cases. But it’s not comparable with our case, as ChessBase had no reporters in Sofia.”
Media rights
The organizers of the Anand-Topalov World Championship match, which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria last month, managed to collect a prize fund of 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. In an attempt to earn back at least part of that money, they tried to sell the rights to cover the event to other media. For instance, the Bulgarian national TV channel are said to have paid the organizers to have the right to film the players with cameras inside the playing hall.
The organizers also attempted to sell the media the right to transmit the games live on the internet. Silvio Danailov, the manager of Veselin Topalov but also one of the main figures responsible for the organization of the match, told ChessVibes a few weeks before the match that we needed to pay 15,000 Euros if we wanted to transmit the games live. Although we weren’t sure about the legal situation, we were not inclined to fight this over court. Chessbase apparently was. All twelve games could be followed on the Playchess server.
During the match, the official website transmitted the games live on a page with a standard DGT game viewer. Below the viewer, the following note was seen throughout the match:
Warning! It is absolutely prohibited the live broadcast of the moves or video during the game on other websites, media or software without the explicit permission of the organizers of the match. This prohibition is being violated by ChessBase.
Earlier warnings
It was not the first time the Bulgarian organizers did this. The same warning was placed on the official website of the Topalov-Kamsky match, also held in Sofia in February 2009. Back then the Bulgarians “won”, since after being threatened with a law suit, Chessbase did stop transmitting the games. Arne wrote a column in which he discussed philosophical, legal and historical aspects of the issue. It led to 127 comments.
Meanwhile, we discovered that already in 2006 a similar note was published on the website of the MTel tournament:
(Sofia, May 13, 2006) Pirates broadcast the super chess tournament M-Tel Masters in internet. The biggest game server in the world ICC (www.chessclub.com) announces the live broadcast of the moves from the games in the tournament. The transmission is being done by using signal from the official web site of M-Tel Masters 2006 – www.mtelmasters06.com, which is violation of the copyrights of the organizes of the competition.
Interestingly, the Bulgarian organizers first attacked ICC, but in recent years they only seem to point their attack to the German company Chessbase. It’s well known that the relationship between the Bulgarians and Chessbase has become very bad, especially after a video was embedded by Chessbase on February 11th, 2007 that was claimed to show “assistance given to the world’s top-rated player Veselin Topalov during his games”.
Why only Chessbase?
We asked Silvio Danailov why other media, like ICC, Chessdom, Susan Polgar and Crestbook (Sergey Shipov) were not taken to court. He answered:
“With Chessdom we have commercial agreement signed. Susan Polgar and Sergey Shipov I respect very much. Both are excellent professionals, doing a lot for chess, making it more popular. They are not commercial and don’t resell the games. Having in mind all this, they had our permission.
With ICC I have long collaboration with mutual interest for both sides. But I explained already before that this is the last time; next time they should paid like everybody else.”
Danailov added that the situation in the US is complicated, and would probably ask for more research, and more attorneys.
Motorola vs NBA
We asked John Henderson of the Internet Chess Club (ICC) about their experience with events wanting to copyright the games. He answered “Many threatened but never followed through” and then referred to the “Motorola vs NBA case”, which to his knowledge basically settled matters until now in the States.
In that case, from 1997, the National Basketball Association demanded the exclusive right to transmit scores of basketball games, which Motorola was doing with their “Sports Trax” pagers. These were electronic devices which transmitted the scores, ball possession, and time remaining. Motorola obtained those scores by using public information, e.g. by watching basketball games on TV. Initially, in a New York court, the case was won by the NBA (comparable to the Bulgarian organizers). However, later Motorola (comparable to Chessbase) won the case, at the United States Court of Appeals For the Second Circuit.
Last year, the Staunton Memorial didn’t even make its games available for free live; visitors had to pay five pounds to watch the tournament games. One and a half years ago, the organizers of the World Championship match in Bonn, between Anand and Kramnik also attempted to prevent other media from broadcasting the game live (they only allowed the broadcast elsewhere with half an hour delay), to benefit as much as possible from their new broadcasting system Foidos. This never became a commercial success.
Copyright: an old issue
The copyright-over-chess-moves issue is about as old as the game itself. During the very first big, strong, international chess tournament, London 1851, rule number 12 said:
“As the managing committee guarantee to every subscriber of a guinea and upwards, a correct copy of the whole games, and as considerable expense must attend the recording of so many games and their subsequent publication, it must be understood that no-one will be allowed, in the first instance, to publish any part of them without the express sanction of the committee.” Source: Chess Notes
In many later disputes, the main point was always that if anyone would own the copyright over a game, it was the players themselves. The contract over the 1886 Steinitz-Zukertort match included a clause that gave the property right in the record of all games played in the match to each player. In negotiations for a match with Capablanca as early as 1911, Lasker wanted to claim the rights personally, because of his “activity in chess extending over more than 20 years”. As was also pointed out by Arne in his column, Capablanca’s point of view has always been taken as the general rule:
“A chess game, from its very nature and the manner of its production, must be the joint property of the two persons producing it … You can charge what you like for the publication of the games in any form you may deem to your advantage. But, unfortunately, that is a common privilege, of which anyone may take advantage.” Source: Chess Notes
Asked whether he thought the Bulgarian organizers had a chance, attorney Rainer Polzin answered us:
“Chances are good. You never know in court cases, but I’m a chess player. I don’t make a move when I know my opponent can mate me in one or two moves.”
Naturally we also asked Chessbase to comment on the lawsuit, but thus far we didn’t receive an answer from them.
Of course, Viswanathan Anand is one of the most influential player in recent history. To recount all of his accomplishments would be redundant, but he represents all that is good about chess at this point. He is generous, humble, polite, alturistic and certainly a great ambassador of the game.
ChessBase ran a report with an interesting interview before his successful defense of his world title last month. One of the most important points of the interview was his comments about marketing chess. This has been quite a challenge in the past few decades. Anand states that chess should show a more interesting side of itself and that the efforts should be made to market the game in diverse places.
Unfortunately, one of the major problems in chess is that it maintains its reputation as an elitist sport played only in rich nations. This tends to limit the worldwide appeal of the game to reach the other 90% of people who do not play. However, Anand’s ascendancy in the game has had a positive impact in creating a generation of players from India’s 1.1 billion inhabitants and has served as an inspiration to those in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
In this interview, Anand shows his indelible charm as he takes questions from chess enthusiasts and compatriots. This interview occurred before the recent championship match against Veselin Topalov. Enjoy!
Dombivli, Pune lads hold GMs at 3rd Mayor's Cup Chess tournament Deepak Narayanan / DNA Thursday, June 3, 2010 2:00 IST
Mumbai: The 3rd Mayor’s Cup chess tournament, which got underway in Mumbai on Wednesday, provided yet another example of just how far the game of kings and queens and 64 squares has come, and a reminder of how far there is to go still.
The tournament has got 353 entries this year, a rise of more than 100 from the previous edition. Of the 353, 41 are Grand Masters (nearly double from 2009), 253 are internationally rated and as many as 88 players have won titles — numbers that make the field fairly competitive.
On Day 1 here, there were two surprises. One on the 16th table, where Pravesh Satra from Dombivli held Ukrainian GM Kravtsiv Martyn for a draw after 22 moves, and the second where Pune’s Sarang Ponkshe held Kazakhstan GM Anuar Ismagambetov after a gruelling encounter that lasted 53 moves.
Even Parimarjan Negi, the youngest GM in the country and the top-ranked Indian player here, needed four hours and 65 moves to take a full point against the inexperienced Jotish Joy.
Less than a month after Viswanathan Anand retained his world championship title by beating Veselin Topalov, this certainly is another indication of how the game is growing on the ground. But organising tournaments of this nature — which give young Indian players a chance to improve their ratings — remains a demanding task.
“Anand’s performances have brought the sport into the limelight, he’s given parents the confidence to allow their children to pursue the sport," Ravindra Dongre, senior vice-president of the All-India Chess Federation, told DNA.
"But getting in corporate sponsorship for these events is still very hard,” he said. The Mayor’s Cup is sponsored by the Life Insurance Corporation of India and the BMC. “These tournaments are important as youngsters get the opportunity to play GMs and other higher ranked players without having to travel abroad,” Dongre said. An opportunity that Dombivli’s Satra and Pune’s Ponkshe grabbed with both hands.
De Anand-Topalov. Kasparov, Carlsen, Kramnik, como asistentes de Anand. Karpov y la FIDE. GP Fide y el Próximo Campeonato Mundial. Selecciones Autonómicas en España. GP FIDE: ya están los Candidatos. Karjakin gana la Copa Mundial Ajedrez Rápido. Anish Giri en el Sigeman & Co. Se viene León XXIII.
En Zona de Ajedrez, comentamos extensamente las partidas y alternativas del Match por el Campeonato Mundial, finalizado el 11 de mayo de 2010 tras el cual Anand confirmó su calidad de Campeón y lo será al menos por dos años más.
Alto nivel de combatividad, excelencia técnica fueron las características del Match. Destacamos la preparación previa y el que muchas jugadas venían desde el laboratorio casero. Y casi todas las novedades las aportó Anand. Hoy se sabe que Topalov contó, antes de su salida al mercado del Rybka 4 y que la gente de Hiarcs le facilitó a Anand un equipo muy potente durante todo el Match. Pero el Match no se trató de un duelo entre ordenadores, el factor humano o el “cluster” humano fue más importante. El ordenador sirve, pero también tiene lugares oscuros que pueden llevar al fracaso. No es muy fiable. Así, el jugador no puede no ser creativo “per se” y debe correr riesgos. Tras el error en la primera partida 23…. Rf7? (según Anand una omisión u olvido en el orden de las jugadas), el Vishy tomó el control, rápidamente igualó y pasó a la delantera. Aparentemente el cansancio y la derrota en la 8va partida (54… Ac6?? cuando las tablas estaban ahí nomás) pusieron en aprietos al Campeón. Llegaron a la última partida y la conclusión parece ser que los nervios de Topalov le jugaron una mala pasada. Anand hubiera estado conforme con unas Tablas e ir a los Desempates con una confianza razonable (su calidad en partidas rápidas era un plus). Por eso eligió la sólida Defensa Lasker del Gambito Dama. Lejos de variantes secretas o armas preparadas por Véselin y así controló la partida. No pude dejar de recordar aquella famosa partida de la Final de San Petersburgo 1914, en la que Lasker eligió la Variante del Cambio de la Ruy López frente a Capablanca y fue la llave para ganar aquel Torneo. Pero hablamos de factor humano y más allá de la psicología, la tensión, el cansancio y demás ingredientes, es increíble el equipo que colaboró con Anand. Desde septiembre de 2009 había empezado a trabajar con sus colaboradores habituales: Rustam Kasimdzhanov (UZB-30-2699), Peter Heine Nielsen (NOR-36-2698), Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Pol-23-2663) y Surya Shekhar Ganguly (IND-27-2672).
Pero poco a poco se fue sumando gente a echar mano en la preparación de Anand. Magnus Carlsen se puso en contacto y se ofreció, como ya había hecho en otras oportunidades, una vez finalizado el Amber en Niza, para participar unos días en el entrenamiento. Luego se brindó para ayudar un poco, nada menos que Garry Kasparov e intercambió información, antes y durante el Match y entre otras cosas apoyó la idea de jugar la Catalana. Pero claro, faltaba Vladimir Kramnik, que se comunicó con Anand y fue otro asesor invalorable en el transcurso del Match. También la joven promesa Anish Giri que aportó lo suyo en partidas de entrenamiento. Increíble. Los Campeones Mundiales Kasparov y Kramnik; el candidato de todos, Magnus Carlsen y el sorprendente Anish Giri. Entendemos que Anand tuviera alta la moral. Más allá que ante el tablero se sienten dos seres humanos, con sus virtudes y carencias, Anand tuvo un plus importante en quienes lo apoyaron y colaboraron con él. Tal vez esto valorice aún más la tarea de Topalov, de quien dijo Anand: "Véselin es un luchador excepcional. (…) Lo que ha pasado es que mi rival no ha aguantado la tensión nerviosa en la última partida de un duelo agotador".
V Campeonato de España de Selecciones Autonómicas 2010.
Unos días antes, el 2 de mayo de 2010, había finalizado este importante torneo por Equipos. Se disputó en Tossa de Mar entre el 29 de abril y el 2 de mayo de 2010.
Fue una nueva victoria del fortísimo equipo de Catalunya, cuyos 6 titulares masculinos se ubicaban entre los mejores 10 por ránking inicial y entre los mejores jugadores de toda España y en el Tablero Femenino la segunda mejor española en el ELO.
El Equipo, integrado por GM Miguel Illescas Cordoba (2604); GM Daniel Alsina Leal (2548); GM Marc Narciso Dublan (2530); GM Alfonso Romero Holmes (2515); GM Josep Oms Pallisse (2494); IM Alvar Alonso Rosell (2509-U18) y WIM Patricia Llaneza Vega (2277).
Barcelona ganó todos sus matches, a seis tableros y seis rondas. A continuación la tabla de posición y más abajo todas las partidas para ver y descargar.
Anatoly Karpov “Un Campeón del Cambio”: Después de una vida dedicada a la práctica y promoción del ajedrez, el ex Campeón Mundial, Anatoly Karpov anunció sucandidatura a la Presidencia de la FIDE, bajo el título “Un Campeón del Cambio” e inició su campaña a la presidencia de la Federación Internacional de Ajedrez. Presentó los objetivos y temas principales de su campaña. Podéis acceder a su plataforma y demás en www.karpov2010.org.
En una conferencia de prensa 21 de abril en Moscú, el Presidente del Consejo de Supervisión de la Federación Rusa de Ajedrez (RCF) y asesor del presidente de Rusia, Arkadi Dvorkovich, anunció que se ha decidido apoyar la candidatura presidencial del actual presidente de la FIDE, Ilyumzhinov en 2010.
Garry Kasparov, criticó esta actitud de Dvorkovich y declaró su apoyo a Karpov: "La Federación de Ajedrez de Rusia y Arkadi Dvorkovich -esto no es lo mismo, creo-; y hasta donde yo sé, la cuestión de apoyar (la reelección de) Ilyumzhinov no se discutió (…). Se trata de algo personal de Dvorkovich y creo que su declaración es indignante. Ilyumzhinov Los resultados son conocidos. El ajedrez está ahora en una situación muy difícil, diplomáticamente hablando. Hoy viajo mucho en el mundo y sé que los jugadores de ajedrez, y muchas federaciones desean cambiar. Creo que Karpov es el candidato ideal para hacer los cambios necesarios.”
El 14 de mayo, el Consejo de Supervisión de la Federación Rusa de Ajedrez (RCF) se reunió en Moscú y Anatoly Karpov fue nominado como candidato a presidente de la FIDE en la elección que tendrá lugar en Khanty-Mansiysk, Rusia, en septiembre. La nominación de Karpov recibió 17 votos de los 32 miembros del Consejo.
El 17 de mayo, en Nueva York, Kaspárov y Carlsen participan en una cena para recaudar fondos en apoyo de la candidatura de Karpov y la del norteamericano Richard A. Conn Jr. como vicepresidente de la FIDE.
El 21 de mayo, Karpov y Kasparov, visitaron Berlín para apoyar la candidatura de Robert von Weizsäcker para ser presidente de la ECU (Unión Europea de Ajedrez). La Federación Alemana había organizado una rueda de prensa el viernes al mediodía en la cual se hizo púbico oficialmente la candidatura de Von Weizsäcker para dicho cargo. El candidato para ser presidente de la FIDE Anatoly Karpov y Garry Kasparov también estuvieron presentes y muy activamente además. "Vamos a destrozar el mito del Ilyumzhinov invencible", comentó Kasparov. Weizsäcker cuenta con un equipo de importantes ajedrecistas en actividad, entre ellos Short, Hjartarsson, Sokolov.
Anatoly está recibiendo mucho apoyo mundial (las federaciones de Rusia, EE:UUU., Inglaterra, España, Francia, Suiza, República Checa, Bosnia, Mónaco, Islandia, Escocia, Alemania, Ucrania, Egipto, Congo, Marruecos, Angola, El Salvador, Nicaragua, entre otras han hecho su apoyo oficial y lo pusieron por escrito) y muchas personalidades del Ajedrez también han dado su apoyo y se han sumado a los equipos de Karpov.
Gata Kamsky gana el Campeonato de EE. UU. 14 de mayo al 24 de mayo de 2010.El campeonato de EE.UU. se llevo a cabo en St. Louis, por segundo año consecutivo. El torneo que se desarrolló por sistema suiza a 7 rondas. Los 4 primeros (Shulman, Kamsky, Nakamura y Onischuk) compitieron en un torneo cerrado, empatando en el primer puesto Shulman y Kamsky. El desempate por el 1er lugar es especial: Sobre la base de 60 minutos + 5 segundos, los jugadores pujan secretamente “ofreciendo” una cantidad de tiempo (minutos y segundos igual o inferior a 60 minutos). El jugador que oferta la cifra más baja elige su color, mientras que el oponente tiene 60 minutos. Gata Kamsky ofreció 25’ + 5’’ y eligió las piezas negras. Shulman los blancas y 60’ + 5’’. Estos fueron el tiempo y los colores con los que dispuso cada jugador. El empate consagró a Kamsky como Campeón.
Más abajo todas las partidas para ver y descargar.
Fide Grand Prix – 6ta Etapa: Eljanov gana el Torneo. Levon Aronian y Teimour Radjabov se clasifican para el Candidatura para el Campeonato Mundial a jugarse en 2012.
El gran maestro ucranio Pavel Eljanov ganó con autoridad y un punto de ventaja la última etapa del Grand Prix de la FIDE en Astracán. Compartieron el 2do puesto Ponomariov, Jakovenko, Mamedyarov, Alexeev y Radjabov. Bajo rendimiento de Ivanchuk que pronto quedó sin chances.
Con esto están los 8 candidatos: Veselin Topalov (el perdedor en el Match por el Campeonato del Mundo); Gata Kamsky (por Semifinalista en el ciclo anterior); Boris Gelfand (como ganador de la Copa del Mundo 2009); Vladimir Kramnik y Magnus Carlsen (clasificados por ranking) y por su actuación en el ciclo de FIDE Grand Prix: Levon Aronian y Teimour Radjabov.
Más abajo todas las partidas para ver y descargar.
4th ACP Copa Mundial de Ajedrez Rápido - Sergey Karjakin Campeón.
El ucraniano, naturalizado ruso, venció en la última partida a “muerte súbita” a Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS-2725); tras seis tablas y un grueso error en la jugada 62.
Los 16 participantes se fueron eliminando tras matches a dos partidas, para llegar a la Final, que se definía en cuatro partidas.
El ritmo de juego fue de 20’+5’’. Los desempates en partidas blitz a 3’+2’’ y finalmente a “muerte súbita”.
Casi todos los favoritos ganaron en la 1ra ronda: Grischuk, Eljanov, Shirov, Karjakin, Gashimov, Jakovenko y Movsesian; excepto Vasili Ivanchuk (que parecía estar mal antes del inicio) perdió a Mikhail Gurevich.
En los cuartos de final Grischuk ganó por Movsesian; Sergey Karjakin alguna manera pasó contra Shirov después de una partida relámpago a “muerte súbita”, tras estar dos veces en desventaja, perdiendo en el primera rápida y en el primer relámpago. Fantástico Jakovenko sobre Eljanov. Mikhail Gurevich volvió a sorprender al eliminar a Gashimov.
En las semifinales Sergey Karjakin volvió a pasar con dificultades. Tuvo que ganar con negro la segunda rápida para sobrevivir. Después ganó un primer blitz caótico y entabló en el segundo. Dmitry Jakovenko derrotó a la sorpresa Mikhail Gurevich.
Como dijimos, tras cuatro tablas en las partidas rápidas y dos empates en blitz, se definió a “muerte súbita”.
En la posición del Diagrama, el ruso Jakovenko jugó 62. … Tb8??, lo que permitió el detalle técnico definitorio de Karjakin: 63.Txe5+ Rxe5 64.Ac7+, cae la Tb8 y ambos peones más el Alfil no tienen inconvenientes en marchar fácilmente hacia el triunfo.
Interesante actividad se desarrolló el 29 de mayo, en el marco de la IV Copa del Mundo ACP de Ajedrez Rápido, por la Fundación Caritativa "Mercy Victor". Todo destinado para los niños -juegos a la ciega y simultáneas- con el GM participantes en el torneo.
A continuación la tabla de posición y más abajo todas las partidas para ver y descargar.
Anish Giri ganó el tradicional Torneo Sigeman & Co en Malmö, Suecia (26 al 30 de mayo); con una actuación ELO 2920.
En la última ronda venció al hasta entonces co-líder Jon Ludvig Hammer. En un torneo Cat.13 (2569) empató sólo una partida.
Hacemos un resumen de sus partidas.
1ra Ronda: Anish Giri triunfó con Negras ante Pia Cramling. Tal vez no fue tan fácil, ya que 15… Ce5 parece un descuido que fue castigado inmediatamente por Cramling ganando un peón con 16.Axh7+. El problema era que tras 16.Axh7+ Rxh7 17.Txd8 Cxf3 es fuerte 18.Dxf3. Obtuvo compensación con su par de alfiles y después 24... b5! ya no había peligro. El blanco estaba presionado por el tiempo, Cramling no encontró la mejor defensa y rápidamente se encontró perdida. 32.Cc5 para forzar un cambio de Alfil de casillas negras hubiera ofrecido mayor resistencia, ya que aunque cayese el peón b, el final con alfiles de distinto color, da muchas posibilidades de empate.
2da Ronda: Una interesante partida frente a otro joven, Nils Grandelius. El haber practicado Catalana con el Campeón Mundial Anand le ha servido mucho. Anish sacrifica un par de peones. 13.Dg4 es una novedad (13.Dh5 es lo conocido). Grandelius parecía haberlo previsto y respondido rápidamente. Después de la jugada 20. parecía neutralizada la iniciativa blanca y las Negras mantenían sus dos peones extra. Pero 21... h4 (mejor 21… 0-0 o 21… c3) no ayudó a su posición. El error decisivo 24... Cd8 (24… 0-0), permitió a Giri definir con estilo y finalmente dar mate.
3ra Ronda: El plan de Tiger Hillarp Persson, con Blancas, no se puede decir que haya sido bueno. Obtuvo par de alfiles pero con un costo alto, reflejado en el desarrollo. Además de deficiente estructura de peones. Axial Anish pudo decidir el sacrificio 17... Chf4. Obtuvo compensación por la calidad y fue comprimiendo al Blanco, cuya posición no tardo en desmoronarse. En la jugada 29. el punto fue para las Negras.
4ta Ronda: Una jornada más tranquila que concluyó en un breve empate. Jonny Hector optó por una variante de bien conocido en la apertura de los cuatro caballos, que suele llevar a Tablas. Pronto se hizo evidente que el juego terminaría en empate.
5ta Ronda: Anish Giri condujo las Blancas contra Jon Ludvig Hammer, los dos líderes del torneo. En una Catalana, Giri siguió el juego Grandelius-Hammer, pero eligió 11.Te1 (en lugar de 11.Cg5) y puso un poco de presión. Hammer jugo pasivamente y trató de liberar a su posición con 21... Axb3 22.cxb3 c5. El Negro eligió cambiar las Damas con 24… Dxc5. Giri fue por el peón a6, obteniendo peón de ventaja aunque doblado. La posición no parecía mala para el Negro. Anish reveló una técnica excelente para jugar el final y un lindo sacrificio de calidad (54.Txe7+) lo condujo a la victoria.
A continuación la tabla de posición y más abajo todas las partidas para ver y descargar.
Aronián, Gélfand, Leinier y Vallejo darán espectáculo en el XXIII Magistral de León, del 3 al 7 de junio de 2010.
Temporary insanity costly to Topalov Saturday, May 29, 2010 02:50 AM
Most of us pay at least lip service to the golden mean.
Moderation and consistency usually maximize returns in the long run whether it be in business, love, sports or games such as chess.
It is a cliche of performance psychology to talk about the importance of "staying within oneself."
Such behavior has been the bread and butter of Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov. A fierce and uncompromising fighter, he is, above all, a realist who excels in appraising situations with admirable objectivity.
But in the final game of his recent match for the world title with Viswanathan Anand, Topalov stepped out of his paradigm and astonishingly self-destructed to lose the game and match.
Egregiously playing to create winning chances with a series of ill-advised moves when the nature of the position offered no more than a draw, Topalov was crushed.
After the game, Anand acknowledged: "I honestly thought he had gone nuts."
But Topalov, who held the world title from 2005 to 2006, was as redoubtable as ever.
"I really committed suicide, but I don't feel sorry," he said. "My confidence is still really strong because I didn't feel I was outplayed here."
The unpublished interview of Veselin Topalov - Aruna answers before knowing the full text
A few days ago Times of India published exclusive interview with Topalov about the World Championship match in Sofia. At the same time Anand's reply was published by Indian media, Veselin Topalov contacted Chessdom.com sending the full text of the interview, large parts of which have not been published by TOI. At the same time, unaware of the full text, Aruna has already answered publicly.
New Delhi: India’s chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand reacted sharply to world No. 2 Veselin Topalov’s comments that the former should not have been proud of taking help from his earlier foes Kasporov and Kramnik.
“It is a lame excuse, I took more of an emotional support from them”, Anand told reporters after an interview of Topalov was published in an Indian daily.
The interview quoted Topalov taking a pot-shot at Anand saying, “I do not think Anand should be very proud of this. Especially by the fact he accepted help from the first two. I have been among the chess elite for 15 years and perfectly remember how Kasparov treated Anand for years. And not long before the World Championship match in Bonn 2008, Anand had to stand the arrogant statements of his opponent in the press. I would never accept help from people who humiliated me for years even for free. But it seems Anand is different.”
I'm going to keep away from chess SRINIVASA RAMANUJAM, May 27, 2010, 12.00am IST
...says world champion Viswanathan Anand, in an interview to us, on how he plans to unwind after a grueling season
It’s been a super hectic season for ace chess champion Viswanathan Anand. This time around, the cool-as-a-cucumber chess player has had to go through the trauma of missing a flight, enduring a 40-hour long bus journey and being stopped by the Bulgarian police for speeding! But in the end, all that didn’t matter as the Chess czar got the better of Veselin Topalov in his “toughest match yet”.
Lessons from cricket... The trick is to get more people involved with the game. In that sense, this year is significant because the MindChampions’ Academy will help the game reach a million students. Hopefully, in the next five years, we’ll touch 10 million. Once the numbers come in, interest in the game will inevitably increase.
The ever-supportive Aruna When there’s an important tournament going on, I try and stay in a bubble. It’s easy that way because then you don’t have to worry about anything else. Aruna was a great support. She used to take care of everything that was non-chess related and that helped me concentrate on the game.
Chess boxing... There are some people who play it. It’s an amusing game in which you play chess and boxing simultaneously. But no, I’ve never tried it.
Physical vs mental fatigue The season was quite draining. We played incredibly long games this time; something exciting happened every day! But I made it a point to hit the gym every day, except for one game that we finished at 9.30 pm. I also took long walks to be on track. Interestingly, in chess, you almost feel physical fatigue ‘mentally’. Also, I tried to get a lot of sleep.
Changes in Chennai... To be honest, I’ve not been away for long this time. I left the city in December and am back after a few months. But I’m sure there’ll be some minor changes and I’ll spot them when I drive around the city, which I’ll be doing soon.
Momsi dearest I honestly don’t remember when and why I started calling my mom ‘Momsi’. These are family things; it starts for some reason. It’s not that I just call her Momsi; I call her other things as well!
Losing the first game... It was a setback because you like to begin well in all tournaments. Sometimes, if you are nervous, it could actually turn out to be a manifestation of your exhaustion. The point is that any setback is bad but if you see it from a perspective, you’ll recover.
How to unwind... The basic thing is to keep away from chess. Yes, I might look at a thing or two now and then, but it’s important to maintain some distance from the game for a while. That way, when you come back, you’re actually hungry for chess. It must be pretty easy for me; Chennai has enough distractions to keep me away from the game for a while. I’ll be watching a few movies but I haven’t decided which ones yet.
Anand shouldn't be proud of his K links: Veselin Topalov Amit Karmarkar, TNN, May 26, 2010, 01.54am IST
PUNE: World number four Viswanathan Anand retained his world chess crown in incredible fashion by beating world No. 2 Veselin Topalov in Sofia last fortnight.
Topalov, a former World champion and reigning Linares champion, shares his thoughts on Anand and world chess in an email interview. Excerpts:
How tough was the World Championship match against Anand?
Physically the match was not so difficult. Twelve games are not so many and there were many rest days. Knockout format is much tougher in this sense. Mentally of course, the tension was very high, but it is also true that top chess players are used to pressure.
According to some reports, it seems Anand was helped by Kasparov, Kramnik and Carlsen for the match. Your comments.
I do not think Anand should be very proud of this. Especially by the fact he accepted help from the first two. I have been among the chess elite for 15 years and perfectly remember how Kasparov treated Anand for years. And not long before the World Championship match in Bonn 2008, Anand had to stand the arrogant statements of his opponent in the press. I would never accept help from people who humiliated me for years even for free. But it seems Anand is different.
Do you think you have got enough recognition for your stance of not accepting draws and making the game uncompromising and more entertaining?
Yes, I think so. Since the Sofia rules (no quick and agreed draws) were invented by my manager Silvio Danailov back in 2005, the results are very positive. Sponsors liked them and new tournaments appeared. Media interest for chess has grown up and prizes increased. For winning the world title in 2005 I received $300,000 and five years later Anand got $1.5 million. This speaks for itself.
Do you think Anand is the most complete player?
Yes, that is something no one can deny. Also, he has been a Rapid World Champion, very strong in blitz play and one of the best blindfold players in the world.
What are your thoughts on Anand?
I think being a world champion is a great responsibility. He has to collaborate with FIDE and attract new sponsors to chess. But Anand does not have a professional team behind him and has failed to find sponsors. India could be a paradise for chess, but the fact that he has not played a single tournament in India since 2002 can only mean two things: either Anand does not like to play in India, or his team is not capable to stage a top level event.
World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand interacts with the media on his arrival at the Chennai airport on Monday.
The Tiger of Madras Viswanathan Anand returned to his hometown of Chennai after being crowned World Chess Champion for the fourth time earlier this month with a hard-fought victory that was unexpectedly sealed with the black pieces in game 12.
Anand, who defeated Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in Sofia, was greeted by his parents, adoring fans, airport officials, and fellow passengers, besides of course the omnipresent media, as he arrived late on Sunday night.
By winning his fourth World Chess Championship title, Vishwanathan Anand feels he has proved his critics wrong, who had earlier accused him of lacking the killer instinct. “People accused me of lack of nerves or killer instinct. My nerves worked better. I defended the third title in a row and that is very special,” he said. Anand retained his World Chess Championship title after beating Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in a nerve-wrecking 13th and final game on May 11 in Sofia, Bulgaria. “It was the toughest that I played. Every game was intense and hard fought. We almost never finished a game under four hours. It was exceptionally tense and nerve wracking,” he added.
Chennai, May 24 (PTI) Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand today said by winning his fourth World Chess Championship title early this month he has proved wrong his critics who accused him of lacking in killer instinct.
Anand retained his World Chess Championship title after beating Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in a nerve-wrecking 13th and final game on May 11 in Sophia and the Chennai-born Indian said the triumph was a special one.
"Generally people accuse me of lack of nerves or killer instinct. My nerves worked better.I defended the third title in a row and that is very special," he told reporters here.
Anand said the contest against Topalov was the toughest of the World Championship matches that he had played and his Bulgarian opponent was an incredibly tenacious fighter.
"It was the toughest that I played. Every game was intense and hard fought."
CHENNAI: Viswanathan Anand, FIDE World Chess Champion, returned here to a tumultuous welcome at the Anna International Terminal in the late hours of Sunday. The bustle and din there gave way to scenes of spontaneous celebrations as airport personnel and passengers joined the well-wishers in according the four-time World Champion a warm welcome.
Among the first to greet the champion were his parents, Susheela and Viswanathan.
Anand refused to rate the latest title-defending win over Bulgarian Veselin Topalov above his three other title triumphs. “The latest is always the most fresh in one's mind. Beyond that, I would not consider this more special than the rest,” he said.
Anand retained the World Chess Championship on May 11, defeating Topalov by a score of 6.5-5.5 in Sofia. The decisive win came in the 12th game of the match. Making light of a loss in the first game that came on the back of a 40-hour bus journey to Sofia that was occasioned by the cancellation of air traffic all over Europe, Anand raced to a one-point lead at the end of the fourth round. Though Topalov stretched Anand all the way to the 12th game, the Indian triumphed with black pieces in the final encounter to defend his title.
Topalov admitted that he was desperate for a win in the last game as Anand's fearsome reputation in the rapid games — which would decide the title if the scores were tied at the end of the series of classical games — would have given him a distinct edge. As it happened, the Bulgarian blundered in going for a win, to let Anand pull the rug from under his feet.
Much was made of the difference in age between the champion and the challenger before the series, but Anand outlasted Topalov, 35, over several marathon encounters that went beyond five hours.
In good humour after his home-coming from Frankfurt, Anand said: “Oh this one [compared to his gruelling bus ride to Sophia] was nothing at all. I slept through it.”
When Fritz flops By ANTHONY SOLTIS Last Updated: 8:29 AM, May 23, 2010 Posted: 1:15 AM, May 23, 2010
The reputation of chess computers rose -- and fell -- repeatedly during Vishy Anand's successful defense of his world championship title this month.
Chess-playing programs, like the popular Fritz, proved invaluable in calculating variations, such as the winning Anand attack in the 12th game. Fans following that final game in real time online knew the dramatic finish before it happened.
But in other games fans were mystified when computers saw huge endgame advantages that didn't pan out.
For example, some engines claimed Anand had a huge edge when he had a king, two rooks and a pawn to fight challenger Veselin Topalov's king and queen in Game 8. But computers have a problem visualizing perpetual check, and the game was quickly drawn.
In the previous game, computers kept saying that Topalov had a winning edge when he had an extra pawn in an endgame with bishops of opposite color.
But in "B's-of-opps" endings, an extra pawn is easily blockaded. Exploiting the pawn typically requires visualizing a plan -- a human strength -- rather than calculation, a computer's strong suit. When Topalov won, thanks to an Anand blunder, some machines -- as well as some GMs -- were caught off guard.
Carlsen, Giri, Kasparov and Kramnik all helped Anand
Besides his team of seconds in Sofia, Viswanathan Anand was helped by some big names before or during his World Championship match against Veselin Topalov. Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik all contributed to Anand’s victory in Sofia. The World Champion Monday revealed this in an interview on Playchess.
Right after the end of the World Championship match, Viswanathan Anand revealed his team of seconds. As it turned out, the same names as two years ago in Bonn worked for the Indian: GMs Surya Ganguly, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Peter Heine Nielsen and Radoslaw Wojtaszek. However, this week Anand revealed another, quite interesting list of helpers: Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.
In a remarkable interview with Frederic Friedel and GM Jan Gustafsson, held last Monday on Playchess, Anand first tells about his cooperation with world’s number one Magnus Carlsen, who worked with Anand before.
Basically I had him as a sparring partner. We did check some openings together, but the basic idea was that I would get to play a lot with him. Very few people can simulate a real tournament situation like Magnus can. We played a lot of blitz, and I felt good, because I was able to test a lot of areas I was unfamiliar with before. With Magnus you can test almost any position, because he can play almost any position, and play it reasonably well. In that sense his practical skills are very helpful.
Carlsen worked with the retired, 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov last year and in fact Kasparov also offered his help to Anand himself. The Indian said about him:
Garry got in touch and said he wanted to help a little bit. I sent him some details about what we were planning to play… (…) I sent him some questions and he said he would check them against his own notes and let me know if it was okay.
Frederic Friedel, one of the founders of Chessbase and the editor of the English news page, then reveals that he put Anand in touch with Vladimir Kramnik, his opponent in the previous World Championship match. Anand about Kramnik’s assistance:
He actually started participating actively. He was also very understanding – he knew I would go to sleep once in a while, so he was happily speaking to the other team members as well, especially Rustam. They started getting in touch with each other and he gave us quite a few heavy-duty ideas, so that was nice. Actually he got in touch consistently over the next few days, and I cannot think of anyone who was more relieved than him when I stopped playing the Elista ending. He said “it’s an awful ending, why do you keep defending it every day?”
The fourth name on Anand’s ‘remote seconds list’ is the Dutch super-talent GM Anish Giri:
Anish also did a couple of days of training with me. It was very similar to what I was doing with Magnus – I got to test a lot of things. There were a lot of areas I had no practical experience with, like the Catalan which I was playing almost the first time, the Elista ending and so on. Anish also sat and went through that.
We recommend reading one of the most remarkable and revealing interviews we’ve ever seen on Chessbase. Part 1 is here, and part 2 here. In the interview several times “Topalov’s computer cluster” is mentioned, and in fact today we received a brief interview with Topalov, from the World Championship organizers, in which this is explained:
1. Grandmaster Topalov, regardless of the outcome, during the match between you and Viswanathan Anand we watched your dominance in the openings when you played with the white pieces. What caused this fact?
- During my preparation for the match, me and my manager Silvio Danailov, we decided to approach something non-standard and to seek additional resources to increase the advantage over my opponent.It turned out that there is such a possibility, we found that in Bulgaria is installed and running one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world – Blue Gene / P of IBM. And because the computers and the chess software are a necessary component of the preparation of the modern grandmasters, we decided to use the vast computational power of this machine. The IBM’s Blue Gene/P has 8192 processors and you can imagine for how huge possibilities we are talking about.
IBM Blue Gene P supercomputer | Photo Argonne National Laboratory, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
The problem was the fact that in the world currently there is not any chess software whose source code is written to work with such a multiprocessor platform. However, me and Silvio, we did not gave up and he managed to gather an international team of leading experts who have created a project for a chess program that can use the computing power of this extraordinary supercomputer. And now is the time to express my great thanks to the General Manager of IBM Bulgaria Mr. Alexander Rakov and the IT architect of the company Mr. Yovko Lambrev for the access to the resources of Blue Gene / P they provided to us and that they have made enormous efforts that our idea become a reality. I want to thank to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Mr. Boyko Borisov too, who allowed us the access to the supercomputer, which as you know is state owned.
So ultimately, even though I lost the match, I managed to achieve a dominance over Anand in the openings in all games, in which I played with the white pieces. This advantage was demonstrated very clear especially in the first game, when I won fast and with decisive priority.
What’s next for gm Veselin Topalov from now on?
- Short break and chess again. In my closest plans, however, it’s included an initiative to increase young people’s interest in relation of the high technologies and the artificial intelligence, which will be held under my patronage in cooperation with IBM Bulgaria.
I will do it because of my direct experience I know how important are and will be the computers and high technologies for our future and the career development of the young people.
In a few days we will announce an essay contest among high school students from Sofia concerning a topic in the field of high technologies. First five best students will form a representative team which will play a mini chess tournament / three games / against the IBM’s supercomputer Blue Gene / P.
After each of the games I’m going to comment the game and will give my advices to the young players. IBM Bulgaria will arrange for the finalists meetings with its leading experts to get them acquainted with the vast world of high technologies.
If all goes as we imagined it, the initiative will become annual.
Chess Notes Boston Globe As we go to press, the world chess championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov has ended in favor of ... On Chess Draws can be entertaining, tooColumbus Dispatch
PM Describes Anand as Grandest of Grandmasters Date Submitted: Fri May 21, 2010
NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 13 hailed chess wizard Viswanathan Anand for becoming a World champion for the fourth time and described him as “grandest of Grandmasters”.
Anand defeated Veselin Topalov in the decisive 12th game of World Chess Championship to retain his title on May 11.
The Prime Minister congratulated Anand for his feat and sent him a congratulatory message.
“The championship in Sofia was played in most difficult circumstances and you proved once again that you remained a grandest of Grandmaster,” Manmohan Singh said in his message.
“You have made the country proud and I join the millions of the admirers of the game of chess in celebrating the magnificent triumph,” the Prime Minister added. (PTI)
Anand : le nouveau Roi des échecs est le titre de la chronique hebdo sur les échecs de notre ami Samir. Prenez donc le temps de découvrir son nouvel article du journal Paris-Normandie, un surprenant voyage dans le monde des cases blanches et noires, raconté avec passion chaque semaine sur notre site échiquéen.
Laam - Jamais loin de toi
Au sommaire, un mat en 2 coups signé R. T. Lewis, tiré du Problemist de 1978. Puis, Samir nous offre la 4e partie du championnat du monde des échecs gagnée brillamment par Anand où il fait un superbe sacrifice de cavalier : Après une quinzaine d'années d'instabilité au niveau du cycle mondial, le monde échiquéen a retrouvé en ce mois de mai 2010 un champion du monde incontestable et incontesté en la personne de Viswanathan Anand. L’indien s’est adjugé la couronne mondiale après avoir défait le bulgare Veselin Topalov dans un match en 12 parties sur le score de 6½ à 5½ (3 victoires, 7 nulles et 2 défaites).
Place ensuite au rendez-vous normand à Louviers du 22 au 24 mai 2010 : 13e open de Louviers (support du championnat de l’Eure) en 6 rondes de 1 h 30 + 30 s/coup. Place alors à la technique avec la traditionnelle finale de la semaine entre Bronstein (2590) et Romanishin (2485). Puis une citation de Anthony Saidy
, joueur américain, né en 1937, et pour finir ce festin de Roi, un piège d'ouverture. Merci Samir !
The world class impact of Frederic Friedel of ChessBase
Kramnik, Kasparov helped Anand win world championship By: MANISHA MOHITE Date: 2010-05-20 Place: Sofia
Can over the board rivals, victors and the vanquished, come together for a common cause? Will the former and current World Chess champions discuss, dissect and diagnose possibilities for an ongoing World Chess Championship match? Incredible or unbelievable as it sounds, two former World champions and rivals of Anand - Garry Kasparov who defeated him in the PCA World Championship final match in 1995 and Vladimir Kramnik whom he beat in the World title match at Bonn in 2008 -- connected, consulted and conspired together to bring about the downfall of Veselin Topalov in the high intensity clash which got over last week in Sofia, Bulgaria, Topalov's home country.
"It has never before happened in the history of any World Championship match. At least I can't recall nor have I heard such stories," said reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand who said he was delighted with the assistance offered by Kasparov and Kramnik.
Even current World No 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway had pitched in. Carlsen had worked briefly with Anand before for the Mexico and the Bonn World Championships but after ruling the ELO rating list, Anand wasn't sure whether Carlsen would be working with him. But sometime in March, Carlsen got in touch with him and offered to help for a couple of days. Basically, Anand worked with Carlsen more as a sparring partner, a real versatile one at that, more so in blitz games.
The second person to call was Garry Kasparov who said he wanted to help a bit, and Anand and his team sent him a general plan of what they intended to play. Incidentally, it was Kasparov who okayed the Catalan Opening with whites for Anand and this had resulted in victories in the second and fourth game of the match. "It was nice to get some tips, suggestions and psychological insights from Garry," said Anand.
The third was Kramnik who got in touch with Anand after the fourth game of the match. Thereafter the duo spoke almost everyday with Kramnik. The Russian GM's shadow could be seen lurking on the matches with Anand playing all the openings and defences which Kramnik had effectively used against Topalov in 2006.
"I have been publicly rooting for Anand for two reasons, I have a personal equation with Anand and secondly, Vishy is a better chess player. Topalov is a strong player but not on the same level with Vishy chess wise. So I saw no reason not to help Anand," Kramnik told MiD DAY.
On a day of revelations, yesterday, Topalov confirmed rumours that he indeed had been using a 112-core computer cluster(Blue Gene/P) working at super speed and had spent close to 100, 000 euros to secure it. Anand, on the other hand, had just 4 to 8 core computers but his human cluster comprising of Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen proved that there is nothing to match the human angle.
The man responsible for bringing Vishy, Vlady and Garry together was Frederic Friedel of ChessBase.
"I have known Vishy for 23 years and it is gratifying to know that the human element has been re-introduced into chess. Since all three are good friends, individually, I thought it would be great if I could get them to work together," says Friedel.
Anand was very appreciative of Friedel's efforts. "It makes me feel privileged," says Anand and adds: "It is difficult to believe and at the same time interesting that Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik have been my rivals for so many years. The gesture from Kramnik is very special and I will treasure it. Kasparov has retired but is very busy and it was unusual chatting with him."
"Two years ago, if you had told me that one day Garry and I would be chatting and exchanging smiles, I would have laughed. After Game Eight, he gave me a lecture on opposite coloured bishop endings (Anand blundered and lost the game when he had the draw in his hands), and after game nine as well.
Vlady was actually incredibly helpful. I think he really got into it. The first day he said the only game I didn't play his openings I was blown away.
This is a boost for my morale, an incredibly high one for each is a towering personality in his own right, a historical figure and just thinking about it makes me feel privileged."
Topalov training with super computer Blue Gene P - 8192 processors helping Topalov attack the next w
Veselin Topalov and Viswanathan Anand simultaneously revealed part of the preparation they were using for the World Chess Championship in Sofia. Both teams were heavily dependant on computer technology, the desktop of Anand's second was "like pilot’s cockpit" (without details revealed), while the exact configuration of Veselin Topalov is already known, exclusive by Chessdom.com.
Topalov tougher than Kramnik: Surya Sekhar Ganguly Archiman Bhaduri, TNN, May 17, 2010, 12.00am IST
KOLKATA: It was a journey that began with the Lord of the Rings and ended with the Master being crowned Lord of the 64 Squares. Yet again.
Surya Sekhar Ganguly, one of Viswanathan Anand’s four seconds during his World Championship match against Veselin Topalov in Sofia, described the win as "one of the greatest in Anand’s career".
The start was anything but ideal. A volcanic eruption in Iceland just days before the start of the world championship forced the cancellation of Team Anand’s flight from Frankfurt to Sofia. They had no option but to undertake a 40-hour long drive and reached the venue just a day before the scheduled start of the 12-game series. Anand requested FIDE for a three-day postponement, but was granted just a day’s grace.
"No doubt it was a tiring journey, through five countries," Ganguly, who returned home in the wee hours of Sunday, told TOI. "We discussed chess and relaxed by watching Lord of the Rings on the DVD in our car," he said.
Ganguly, who was one of Anand’s seconds during his previous world championship match against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008 as well, felt it was much more challenging for them this time. "While Kramnik is a very strategic type of player, Topalov is very aggressive and has a lot of variety," Ganguly said. Anand’s team, which started working some eight months back, concentrated on good opening. "Topalov never wants to settle for a draw. Hence the matches were much more long-drawn this time, taking a toll on both the players," Grandmaster Ganguly said.
Team Anand, Ganguly revealed, had planned to play for a draw in the last game. "We planned that way since Anand was playing with black. We were satisfied with the opening and when we found the position was almost equal, we decided to take a quick nap to be fresh for the tie-breakers. But when we woke up, it was a different story," Ganguly said.
Topalov, trying to push for a win to avoid tie-breaker, ultimately ended up losing the game and helped Anand retain the title. Overall, it was another learning experience for Ganguly. "Anand began badly losing the first match, but he made a quick comeback and put Topalov under pressure," he said.
Sofia was a world-class host of this big chess forum
Bulgarian Chess Chief: Anand-Topalov match will remain in history SUNDAY, 16 May 2010
“Although challenger Veselin Topalov failed in his attempt to dethrone world chess champion Vishy Anand, the match between the two chess giants will leave a mark in the history of the game,” said Mr. Stefan Sergiev, President of the Bulgarian Chess Federation.
In addition to the interesting games and the equal chances of the two opponents until the last game, the match will be remembered for the spirit of fair-play that was present until its very end.
“Sofia was a world-class host of this big chess forum,” said Aruna Anand, wife and manager of the champion, who successfully defended his title.
“I honestly thought he had gone nuts” – interview with the World Champion
On Tuesday, World Champion Viswanathan Anand from India retained his title by defeating Veselin Topalov from Bulgaria 6.5-5.5, thereby also creating an all-time record of unique visitors on one day at this website. A day later he sat down for a lengthy interview with ChessVibes – enjoy a 28.5 (!) minute video interview with the World Champ.
“I honestly thought he had gone nuts”, Viswanathan Anand told us about the mistake by his opponent Veselin Topalov in the decisive game of the World Championship. “Either he had missed Qe8, or I had missed something.” We spoke with Anand about all games, about the Sofia rule, about playing slow (”I never thought anyone would advise me to play faster”), his favourite curry, about which historical world champion he’d like to play, and several other things. In other words: a mixture of my questions and questions from the ChessVibes readers. Enjoy!
It was scarcely a vintage or error-free world championship, yet Vishy Anand's 6.5-5.5 victory over Veselin Topalov proved a combative scrap with subtle match strategies. The 40-year-old title holder from Chennai beat the Bulgarian 3-2 with seven draws in their €2m (£1.7m) series in Sofia. Anand won the crown in a 2007 tournament, then comfortably retained it against Vlad Kramnik in 2008, and so joins a rare elite of multiple champions.
This time the margin was narrow, the games tense and long as Topalov, five years the younger, spurned draws and kept up sustained pressure. The Bulgarian had his chances, but a poor sense of danger proved his fatal weakness. All his defeats came from weakening his king or choosing hyperactive plans. In the final round he rejected move repetition then, still with a safe position (31 Nd2!) he allowed Anand a decisive central break which the champion converted in fine style.
Each scored an impressive win, Anand in game four with a creative attack and Topalov in game one by in-depth homework. But the match also had several unforced errors and missed chances. Anand blundered in game eight, botched a win in game nine, and gave the impression he is vulnerable to fatigue.
The Indian's next title defence will probably be in London in 2012, a few months before the Olympics. After Sofia, the impression among Anand's younger rivals will be that they can defeat him by improved versions of Topalov's endurance strategy. Magnus Carlsen, 19, ranked No1 ahead of Anand and his most likely 2012 opponent, is already noted for grinding out endgame wins.
3139 The game went 1...g5? 2 f5 Ke5 3 Kc4 Kf4 4 Kd5 Kg3 5 f6! Kxh3 6 Kd6 Kxg4 7 Ke7 h5 8 Kxf7 h4 9 Kg6 h3 10 f7 and both sides queen. Instead 1...h5! 2 Kc4 hxg4 3 hxg4 g5 4 f5 Ke5 5 Kd3 Kf4 wins easily. wins. The BK can reach the base of the pawn chain faster at g4 than at the more distant h3.
Retour sur l'événement de la semaine à la télévision indienne
Surnommé le Tigre de Madras, Anand, 40 ans, remporte le titre mondial pour la troisième fois consécutive. Couronné champion du monde d'échecs en 2007 à Mexico, il avait déjà gardé son titre en surclassant le Russe Vladimir Kramnik en octobre 2008, à Bonn. A Sofia cette année, Vishy Anand totalise 6,5 points contre 5,5 points pour le challenger bulgare Veselin Topalov et reste ainsi champion du monde d'échecs. Et si Anand jouait un match revanche contre Garry Kasparov qui l'avait battu en 1995 ?
On refait le match : D'abord, une première salve de Topalov qui humilie d'entrée le tenant du titre en sacrifiant un cavalier sur sa défense Grünfeld. Ensuite, une partie catalane d'Anand pour rendre la monnaie de sa pièce au Challenger. Un troisième acte positionnel pour souffler un peu avec le béton armé de la slave de l'Indien, histoire de stopper l'hémorragie noire. Suivi d'une nouvelle victoire pour Anand avec la fameuse catalane, menée de main de maître avec un sacrifice de cavalier au 23ème coup. La 5ème partie s'est soldée par une solide nulle d'Anand avec les Noirs en 44 coups sur une défense slave. Rebelote dans la 6ème partie, Topalov annule avec les Noirs contre Anand sur une Catalane. Extrême combativité de Veselin Topalov qui réussit dans la 7ème à imposer son style avec les Noirs dans une défense Bogo-Indienne mais Anand tient la nulle. Topalov sort alors le grand jeu sur la défense slave de son adversaire indien Vishy Anand et remporte à point nommé la 8ème partie. Dans la 9e partie, Anand loupe le coche dans une position gagnante sous la pression du temps. Le Bulgare Veselin Topalov et l'Indien Vishy Anand s'accordent sur la nulle dans la 10e partie. Nulle de folie dans la 11eme partie entre Anand et Topalov. Une partie anglaise (1.c4) sauvée in extremis par l'Indien. En remportant la 12e partie du match contre le Bulgare Veselin Topalov, Anand conserve son titre. Rideau !
Les photos de la cérémonie de clôture du championnat du monde d'échecs viennent de paraitre sur le site de notre partenaire Chessdom !
Jade (Sitar Indien) - Mukta
Surnommé le Tigre de Madras, Anand, 40 ans, remporte le titre mondial pour la troisième fois consécutive. Couronné champion du monde d'échecs en 2007 à Mexico, il avait déjà gardé son titre en surclassant le Russe Vladimir Kramnik en octobre 2008, à Bonn. A Sofia cette année, Vishy Anand totalise 6,5 points contre 5,5 points pour le challenger bulgare Veselin Topalov et reste ainsi champion du monde d'échecs. Bravissimo Vishy !
On refait le match : D'abord, une première salve de Topalov qui humilie d'entrée le tenant du titre en sacrifiant un cavalier sur sa défense Grünfeld. Ensuite, une partie catalane d'Anand pour rendre la monnaie de sa pièce au Challenger. Un troisième acte positionnel pour souffler un peu avec le béton armé de la slave de l'Indien, histoire de stopper l'hémorragie noire. Suivi d'une nouvelle victoire pour Anand avec la fameuse catalane, menée de main de maître avec un sacrifice de cavalier au 23ème coup. La 5ème partie s'est soldée par une solide nulle d'Anand avec les Noirs en 44 coups sur une défense slave. Rebelote dans la 6ème partie, Topalov annule avec les Noirs contre Anand sur une Catalane. Extrême combativité de Veselin Topalov qui réussit dans la 7ème à imposer son style avec les Noirs dans une défense Bogo-Indienne mais Anand tient la nulle. Topalov sort alors le grand jeu sur la défense slave de son adversaire indien Vishy Anand et remporte à point nommé la 8ème partie. Dans la 9e partie, Anand loupe le coche dans une position gagnante sous la pression du temps. Le Bulgare Veselin Topalov et l'Indien Vishy Anand s'accordent sur la nulle dans la 10e partie. Nulle de folie dans la 11eme partie entre Anand et Topalov. Une partie anglaise (1.c4) sauvée in extremis par l'Indien. En remportant la 12e partie du match contre le Bulgare Veselin Topalov, Anand conserve son titre. Rideau !
Viswanathan Anand on his World Title Triumph - On the match strategy, the difficult phase of the mat
After a job well done, a relieved Anand took some time for The Hindu and reflected on the Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov, several key moments of the match, the preparation that went into the contest and much more.
There was speculation on whether the match finale would show Topalov going for the juglar. Yet it was Anand who bolted out of the opening with the dynamism that he had been reserving with the black pieces.
Anand played with the energy, speed and precision that made him one of the most dangerous players at the elite level. He chose to defend with a different system to keep Topalov off balance since his preparation with black had run its course.
Topalov opened with 1.d4 for the 6th time and Anand replied with 1…d5. Anand played the Queen Gambit Declined and got a sharp position where he “played around” the c5-pawn. The pawn turned out to be a thorn the entire game, but the action was on the kingside. Anand’s pieces were actively placed and were poised for action.
Topalov panicked at a critical moment and Anand’s battering ram came crashing through the door. On f5! 31.exf5?! and 31…e4! black pried open a route to the king highlighted by a raking bishop screaming down the diagonal. After Anand found the stunning 34…Qe8 forcing the white king to make a dash for safety on the h4-square. However, viewers noted that Topalov had a grim expression and probably knew the end was near.
In the press conference, he stated, “I took a risk and I was punished.” Topalov did complicate matters to the extent that Anand could have blundered away his advantage. However, the Champion wade through the complication smoothly and defended his title in fine style. (See Game #12)
What one can say about the match was that it was certainly an exciting one. In addition, it was a sporting match although some took issue with Topalov’s self-imposed “Sofia Rule”. There were also comments made about the delicate handshake. However, there were no “toiletgate” incidents and apart from the power failure, the event proceeded without a hitch.
This is a great day for chess! A great match was played and certainly there will be increased interest in the sporting spectacle. Let us hope that the next cycle will go smoothly and that Anand will be in good form to defend. He has proven to be a worthy and fitting champion.
Echecs & Analyse : Anand reste champion du monde !
Le joueur d'échecs indien Vishy Anand conserve son titre de champion du monde d'échecs qu'il détient depuis 2007, en remportant la 12e partie du match contre le Bulgare Veselin Topalov.
Jade (Sitar Indien) - Mukta
Surnommé le Tigre de Madras, Anand, 40 ans, remporte le titre mondial pour la troisième fois consécutive. Couronné champion du monde d'échecs en 2007 à Mexico, il avait déjà gardé son titre en surclassant le Russe Vladimir Kramnik en octobre 2008, à Bonn. A Sofia cette année, Vishy Anand totalise 6,5 points contre 5,5 points pour le challenger bulgare Veselin Topalov et reste ainsi champion du monde d'échecs. Bravissimo !
Flash Info : En remportant la 12ème et dernière partie du match, Vishy Anand conserve son titre ! Le score final : Viswanathan Anand 6,5-5,5 Veselin Topalov.
Zidane y va marquer
A l'entame de cette 12e partie, l'équation était simple entre le Bulgare et l'Indien. A 1-0 Topalov est champion du monde, à 0-1 c'est Anand qui conserve son titre et en cas de nulle, on tire les penalties en parties rapides. L'indien remporte avec les noirs la 12ème et dernière partie du match et ainsi conserve son titre de champion du monde d'échecs !
Résumé des parties 1 à 11 : D'abord, une première salve de Topalov qui humilie d'entrée le tenant du titre en sacrifiant un cavalier sur sa défense Grünfeld. Ensuite, une partie catalane d'Anand pour rendre la monnaie de sa pièce au Challenger. Un troisième acte positionnel pour souffler un peu avec le béton armé de la slave de l'Indien, histoire de stopper l'hémorragie noire. Suivi d'une nouvelle victoire pour Anand avec la fameuse catalane, menée de main de maître avec un sacrifice de cavalier au 23ème coup. La 5ème partie s'est soldée par une solide nulle d'Anand avec les Noirs en 44 coups sur une défense slave. Rebelote dans la 6ème partie, Topalov annule avec les Noirs contre Anand sur une Catalane. Extrême combativité de Veselin Topalov qui réussit dans la 7ème à imposer son style avec les Noirs dans une défense Bogo-Indienne mais Anand tient la nulle. Topalov sort alors le grand jeu sur la défense slave de son adversaire indien Vishy Anand et remporte à point nommé la 8ème partie. Dans la 9e partie, Anand loupe le coche dans une position gagnante sous la pression du temps. Le Bulgare Veselin Topalov et l'Indien Vishy Anand s'accordent sur la nulle dans la 10e partie. Nulle de folie dans la 11eme partie entre Anand et Topalov. Une partie anglaise (1.c4) sauvée in extremis par l'Indien.
GM Vishy Anand, on the black side of a Queen's Gambit Declined, defeated challenger GM Veselin Topalov in their twelfth and final World Championship match in Sofia. It was probably downhill for the challenger once the Indian slipped in 31...e4, totally penetrating. But the game lasted for 25 more moves, with the Bulgarian in the end looking like he was just taking the piss.
Congratulations Vishy! A sweet win also for those who have more than a few things to say against the Bulgarians.
The question now is: who will be Anand's next challenger? Carlsen, perhaps?
World Chess Championship Topalov, Veselin Anand, Viswanathan D56
This morning, 40-year old Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his world chess title by defeating challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. The 12 game title match ended in a narrow 6.5-5.5 score after Anand won today's final game as black. This was the only game that the player of the black pieces won; white had already won four games--two by each participant. This title defense solidified Anand's status as the unified 15th World Champion, following a direct line from Fischer to Karpov to Kasparov to Kramnik and finally to Anand.
The final game seemed typical of the entire match. Playing white, Topalov achieved a pleasant middlegame out of the Queen's Gambit Declined opening. Knowing Anand's reputation in rapid and blitz games, Topalov couldn't afford to play a tiebreaker and had to find a way to win today, even risking defeat. Anand, defending patiently, saw his opportunity on move 30 and struck with a dangerous pawn sacrifice f7-f5! After 33... Rd4 and 34... Qe8, white's monarch was in grave danger, a complete reversal of how this match began in game 1. While Topalov escaped the mating web today, the attack cost him the queen. Game! Set! Match!
What is next? According to the World Chess Federation FIDE, eight players will complete a series of knockout matches for the right to challenge Anand in a title match. The players are Topalov, Carlsen, Kramnik, Kamsky, Aronian, Gelfand and two more. These candidates matches are currently penciled in for December 2010 in Azerbaijan, while the next World Championship could be held as soon as the end of 2011. Unfortunately, FIDE has a reputation of not following through on its official commitments, so we will need to wait and see what actually transpires.
Anand World Chess Champion 2010! - Anand defeats Topalov, retains the crown
Viswanathan Anand defeated Veselin Topalov 6,5:5,5 in their WCC 2010 match in Sofia and retained the crown of FIDE World Chess Champion. After a close battle with equal score one round before the end, Anand won the last game with black to claim the title. Congratulations!
Viswanathan Anand retained his world title today in Sofia, Bulgaria by beating his opponent Veselin Topalov in the 12th and last match game with the black pieces. The Indian won the world title in a tournament in 2007, and now successfully defended it twice in a match.
For all the match details, rules and regulations we refer to our large overview article here. Here’s a summary:
The match will take place April 21 – May 12 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Venue is the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The match will consist of 12 games, and if necessary, a 4-game rapid tiebreak, if necessary 5 2-game blitz matches and if necessary 1 sudden death game. The classical games will be played in pairs of 2, so there will be a rest day after every 2 games. No postponements are allowed. Topalov has White in games 1,3,5,8, 10 and 12.
Schedule
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (16:00 CET) – Game 1
April 25 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 3
April 28 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 5
May 1 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 7
May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 9
May 7 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61. The Chief Arbiter is Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). The Deputy Chief Arbiter is Werner Stubenvoll (Austria). The total prize fund is 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. The winner will receive 1,2 million Euros while the loser receives 800.000 Euros.
Score
Anand, V
2787
0
1
½
1
½
½
½
0
½
½
½
1
6½
Topalov,V
2805
1
0
½
0
½
½
½
1
½
½
½
0
5½
Videos
If you can’t see all videos in the player above: this is a cache problem of the browser. We’ve contacted blip.tv about the problem. Please remove your cache files and try again. Here’s the game 11 video separately:
Game 12
Today already fourty minutes before the game, while the players were just about to leave their hotels, already a big amount of TV camera, single-lens reflex cameras, and other digital cameras, and dozens of media people operating them, were waiting in the theater room of the Central Military Club. A game that could be all-decisive, is on the program.
For the 6th time Topalov opened with 1.d4, and Anand went back to 1…d5. But no Slav this time. No, the World Champion chose the opening that has been played the most in World Championship matches: the Queen’s Gambit Declined. The variation with an early …Ne4, named after the second World Champion Emanuel Lasker, is known as passive but solid. A bit like the Slav ending Anand used three times, but with the queens still on the board.
Anand will certainly be satisfied with a draw. Topalov on the other hand will certainly be pressing today, but it remains to be seen how much risk he’s prepared to take. Many locals in Bulgaria will regard another draw as a loss for their hero, since Anand’s legendary record in rapid chess is known here too…
After a quiet middlegame Anand went both …e5 and f5. Topalov then seemed to crack under the pressure. He took two pawns very quickly, which simply led to a devastating attack for Black. Anand didn’t chose the quickest win, allowing Topalov to reach a RN vs Q ending, but the result was never in doubt. And so Anand decided the match in his favour with the first win for the black pieces in the very last game.
At the press conference Anand praised his opponent’s fighting spirit. “It was the toughest match I played so far. The games were all long and tough fights.” He called the organization “superb”, and didn’t mind playing in Sofia “as soon as the chess started”.
To the question why Topalov took on f5, the Bulgarian answered briefly: “I took a risk, and I was punished.” Although clearly disappointed about the result, he said he was satisfied about the level he played.
Later more, including the last video. I’m doing a private interview with Anand tomorrow, so if you happen to have a brilliant question, drop it below in the comments!
Viswanathan Anand has retained his world chess championship title in a nail-biting final game victory against the challenger, Veselin Topalov!
The Indian champion seemed to have lost the initiative in the match and was expected to have to fight h...
La quintuple championne de France d'échecs Aurélie Dacalor met le feu au plateau de Diagonale TV de notre ami Stéphane Laborde
Flash Info: Nulle de folie dans la 11eme partie entre Anand et Topalov. Une partie anglaise (1.c4) sauvée in extremis par l'Indien. Le suspense reste entier au championnat du monde d'échecs à Sofia à une partie de la fin. Le score ce soir : Viswanathan Anand 5,5-5,5 Veselin Topalov.
Comme Aurélie, on aime bien aussi quand ça bouge ! Des soubresauts et des élans fulgurants, des imprécisions et des maladresses humaines. La beauté révélée, l'envie, la maîtrise... Mais que va-t-il se passer mardi 11 mai à 14h dans la 12e partie ? Attention, Anand aura cette fois les noirs... Alors Panthère rose ou Tigre de Madras ?
La Panthère rose
Résumé des parties 1 à 10 : D'abord, une première salve de Topalov qui humilie d'entrée le tenant du titre en sacrifiant un cavalier sur sa défense Grünfeld. Ensuite, une partie catalane d'Anand pour rendre la monnaie de sa pièce au Challenger. Un troisième acte positionnel pour souffler un peu avec le béton armé de la slave de l'Indien, histoire de stopper l'hémorragie noire. Suivi d'une nouvelle victoire pour Anand avec la fameuse catalane, menée de main de maître avec un sacrifice de cavalier au 23ème coup. La 5ème partie s'est soldée par une solide nulle d'Anand avec les Noirs en 44 coups sur une défense slave. Rebelote dans la 6ème partie, Topalov annule avec les Noirs contre Anand sur une Catalane. Extrême combativité de Veselin Topalov qui réussit dans la 7ème à imposer son style avec les Noirs dans une défense Bogo-Indienne mais Anand tient la nulle. Topalov sort alors le grand jeu sur la défense slave de son adversaire indien Vishy Anand et remporte à point nommé la 8ème partie. Dans la 9e partie, Anand loupe le coche dans une position gagnante sous la pression du temps. Le Bulgare Veselin Topalov et l'Indien Vishy Anand s'accordent sur la nulle dans la 10e partie.
Sofia: If this is a fight to the finish then the champion sure is not backing down. Viswanathan Anand seemed to send out just such a message on Sunday after he had dug in his heels to salvage yet another draw in game No.11 of his world championship match against Veselin Topalov.
The Bulgarian challenger pushed the world champion to the brink from where Anand had to use his endgame skills to prevent losing ground in the 12-game rubber.
After giving up a pawn in a dead position, it appeared Topalov would walk away with the game but Anand had seen enough to know where the game was headed and presumably had worked out the calculation that would allow him to secure a draw.
He got what he wanted after 65 moves with series now locked at 5.5-5.5. The world champion plays black in the last game on Tuesday.
Anand, playing white, went for the English Opening, a move that looked boring for the most part before he took a big risk by giving a pawn to leave the position unclear after 50 moves. Topalov went flat out to convert the endgame to a full point but Anand held the position with his counter-attack.
The draw looked certain when Anand sacrificed a pawn, a move which allowed Topalov a chance for counter play. But, then, Anand had his own counter on the kingside. Anand had to grind out a draw in the previous match as well, which ensured that the match will be fought on an even keel in the remaining two games under classical time control as, in the event of a tie, the winner will be decided on the basis of games played under faster time control. (Agencies)
This illustration was done by Mike Magnan of Toronto. Magnan is one of several talented chess cartoonists which include José Diaz for Chessvibes and Rene Duret for Alexandra Kosteniuk’s site. These types of images will certainly make chess appear to be more friendly.
Viswanathan Anand may have missed a crucial chance to put pressure on Challenger Veselin Topalov. The World Champion was unable to cash in on several opportunities to obtain a winning advantage and had to settle for a disappointing draw.
Topalov made a daring attempt to unbalance the game by playing 20…exd4!?! and giving up two rooks for the queen. A tense battle ensued and the black king had little shelter to survive the onslaught of white’s pieces. Perhaps the first misstep was Anand foregoing 33.Nxe6?! instead of 33.Ne4. One misstep is Anand playing 40.Rh8+ allowing the black king to escape the back rank.
The final mistakes were 62.Rc5+ (62.Rdd7!) and 64.Kg3? allowing black time to promote his passed pawns. White was forced to sacrifice his knight and black was able to gain a perpetual check. (See Game#9)
There was a lot of talk about the quality of the game and the missed chances for Anand. Many discuss fatigue as a factor for Anand given his pre-tournament travel problems. However, if Anand loses this match, this will be the game most under scrutiny. Topalov will open Game #9 and is without pressure to force the issue. He will be content to go to tiebreaks now that his opponent appears flustered.
Thank you to all of my friends and fans who sent birthday wishes yesterday. I really appreciate the many friends that I have, ranging from my youngest elementary age students to chess veterans who began playing during the Fischer boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. Amazingly, I personally know at least six fans of the royal game who also were born on May 6, including two of my private students plus a resident of the East Bay's famed GM house (Jesse Kraai).
There's a lot going on in the world of chess this week. Foremost is the World Championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov. The score is tied at 5.0 with two games remaining on Sunday and Tuesday, starting at 5:00am Pacific time. If they are still tied, then rapid and blitz playoffs are scheduled for Thursday. Let's go Vishy!!!
Back in the USA, the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship began in Atlanta. The crowd of 2000+ participants includes 55 enthusiastic youngsters from Northern California. Many of the elite local players flew east, including: Daniel Liu (K-6), Kesav Viswanadha (K-5), FM Tanuj Vasudeva (K-3), Allan Beilin (K-5), Cameron Wheeler (K-5) and the severely underrated Michael Wang (K-3). A pair of Fremont schools are hunting for big team trophies: 2009 national champ Mission San Jose Elementary and crosstown punching bag Weibel Elementary both have over 15 kids. Click here for updated standings and pairings from Atlanta.
Finally, I hope to play in thePowell G/45 tournament tomorrow at the Mechanics' Institute. I expect to see many of my students. Will preteen terror NM Yian Liou win for the second month in a row? Can any of my lower rated kids scalp an expert or a master? And will I perform well enough to eek my USCF rating back above my lifetime floor of 2200. Wish us all good luck!
La sfida per il titolo mondiale fra Vishy Anand e Veselin Topalov, in corso a Sofia, non si concluderà comunque prima della dodicesima e ultima partita, in programma martedì 11 maggio. L'incontro di oggi, infatti, si è concluso con una patta, che ha portato il risultato parziale sul 5-5...
Veselin Topalov and Vishy Anand neck and neck and toe to tired toe
Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov have become like two tired heavyweights as their world title match in Sofia approaches its climax. The Indian titleholder seemed in control when he took an early point lead, but he failed to dominate in the next few games while his challenger aimed for dour marathons, notably in game seven where Anand fell for a prepared opening and had to struggle to draw.
Topalov's endurance strategy paid dividends in game eight, when he levelled at 4-4 after a fatigued Anand blundered a drawn position; and in Thursday's ninth, where the Indian missed several wins. So they were still level before game 10 yesterday.
Games 11 and 12 of the €2m series are scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday, with speed tie-break games on Thursday if the score is 6-6.
Meanwhile the final weekend of the UK's 4NCL league last weekend featured a major upset. Top-seeded Wood Green and the strengthened women's team Pride and Prejudice had drawn their head-to-head match early in the season. Both then had long winning runs and the title was expected to go to game points.
But in the penultimate round Barbican, though far weaker on paper, crushed P&P 6-2, with England No 1 Michael Adams drawing and British champion David Howell losing.
This game, where a young Irishman overwhelms a grandmaster by a brutal route one attack on the white king with queen and rooks, began the slide.
Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov also drew their 10th game of the World Championship match in Sofia. The World Champion went back to his Grünfeld Defence and reached equality easily but then came a bit under pressure. Topalov had some chances in an ending, but let it slip away. For the first time Anand offered a draw, which was reluctantly accepted by Topalov. Video added.
For all the match details, rules and regulations we refer to our large overview article here. Here’s a summary:
The match will take place April 21 – May 12 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Venue is the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The match will consist of 12 games, and if necessary, a 4-game rapid tiebreak, if necessary 5 2-game blitz matches and if necessary 1 sudden death game. The classical games will be played in pairs of 2, so there will be a rest day after every 2 games. No postponements are allowed. Topalov has White in games 1,3,5,8, 10 and 12.
Schedule
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (16:00 CET) – Game 1
April 25 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 3
April 28 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 5
May 1 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 7
May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 9
May 7 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61. The Chief Arbiter is Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). The Deputy Chief Arbiter is Werner Stubenvoll (Austria). The total prize fund is 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. The winner will receive 1,2 million Euros while the loser receives 800.000 Euros.
Score
Anand, V
2787
0
1
½
1
½
½
½
0
½
½
5
Topalov,V
2805
1
0
½
0
½
½
½
1
½
½
5
Videos
If you can’t see all videos in the player above: this is a cache problem of the browser. We’ve contacted blip.tv about the problem. Please remove your cache files and try again. Below is the game 10 video separately:
After yesterday’s thriller things were much more quiet in today’s 10th match game. Anand left the Slav ending to return to the Grünfeld Defence which he played in game 1. Instead of 10…Na5. he went for the rare line 10…b6 which was popular in the early eighties.
The main point of the move seems to be to change the move order in such a way that White cannot reach the most favourable positions from the theoretical lines. And indeed, Topalov failed to get an advantage out of the opening. On move 23 Black had clearly reached equality, and a draw was expected.
Topalov and Anand getting ready for another very important game
However, suddenly Anand allowed the tricky move 25.Ba6! – a nice one by Topalov – and suddenly he found himself in a slightly worse ending, where White had a passed pawn on d5 and the bishop pair.
Still, it looked like Black could easily create a blockading set-up, but after another inaccuracy, allowing g5 and Bg4-e6, the World Champion got under serious pressure. Suddenly the d5 was nicely protected and White threatened to win the h7 pawn in some lines.
Then it was Topalov’s turn to make one or two inaccurate moves, which allowed Anand’s active defence with 44…Nd6+ and 45…Nc4! keeping everything together. Soon the dark-squared bishops were traded and Black was almost better. As he couldn’t avoid all pawns disappearing on the queenside, Anand offered a draw, for the first time in the match. In the webcam on the official site it could be seen that Topalov called for the arbiter, who walked to the board, but then the players quickly shook hands anyway.
Approaching it's end, the media attention of the match is growing by the day
The handycam taking care of the live stream on the official website - unfortunately the organizers don't put it closer to the players, inside the curtain, to avoid the dark image
Back to the Grünfeld and a reasonably easy draw for the World Champ
During game 9 Stefan Löffler had a brief interview with Vladimir Kramnik about the match for Die Zeit. Here’s one quote:
Zeit: At this World Championship Anand copied particularly your openings. With White, he has played four times the Catalan. A surprise for you?
Kramnik: It is a logical choice. Topalov hasn’t had good result against Catalan so far. At least statistically, this opening is his weak point. It’s like in tennis. If the opponent is weak at the net, one tries to lure him there. This strategy was actually difficult to predict, but for Anand it worked. With the Catalan he got his two victories.
The 9th game of the World Championship match in Sofia ended in a draw after Viswanathan Anand missed various wins. The game was a heroic fight that lasted 83 moves, when Veselin Topalov once again claimed a threefold repetition. Video added – actually it ended up rather nicely.
For all the match details, rules and regulations we refer to our large overview article here. Here’s a summary:
The match will take place April 21 – May 12 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Venue is the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The match will consist of 12 games, and if necessary, a 4-game rapid tiebreak, if necessary 5 2-game blitz matches and if necessary 1 sudden death game. The classical games will be played in pairs of 2, so there will be a rest day after every 2 games. No postponements are allowed. Topalov has White in games 1,3,5,8, 10 and 12.
Schedule
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (16:00 CET) – Game 1
April 25 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 3
April 28 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 5
May 1 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 7
May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 9
May 7 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61. The Chief Arbiter is Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). The Deputy Chief Arbiter is Werner Stubenvoll (Austria). The total prize fund is 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. The winner will receive 1,2 million Euros while the loser receives 800.000 Euros.
Score
Anand, V
2787
0
1
½
1
½
½
½
0
½
4½
Topalov,V
2805
1
0
½
0
½
½
½
1
½
4½
Videos
If you can’t see all videos in the player above: this is a cache problem of the browser. We’ve contacted blip.tv about the problem. Please remove your cache files and try again. Here’s the game 9 video separately:
Today’s game was one of the most thrilling top GM games I have witnessed on location, since I started visiting chess events for this website. What a heroic fight was the 9th match game, and what a titanic battle is this World Championship match. There was a crew from BBC World radio interviewing everyone in the press room today for a documentary on chess and technology, and although the three of them weren’t really chess players, they were clearly captivated about the happenings as well, and one of them kept on asking me what evalution the engine gave.
Hundreds of thousands of chess fans must have followed this game also with their engine running in the background, and today we saw how strong these silicon monsters have become, and how tough it is even for the World Champion himself to play without assistance! Before the players had even finished their game, the whole chess community already knew what had happened: Anand had missed one, two, probably even three clear wins today, and eventually he had to settle for the draw.
It all started with a Nimzo-Indian, not a Catalan this time. Jan Smeets and Erwin l’Ami, who were in the press room today, half-jokingly said to me that this was already “a moral victory”. It didn’t come too much as a surprise though, since Anand clearly needed something different and he had gone for the Nimzo twice in Bonn against Kramnik as well.
Today Topalov's seconds paid a visit to the venue. In the press room we chatted about the early middlegame position with rooks vs queen, and about the bishop ending of game 8. Yours truly with GMs Ivan Cheparinov, Erwin l'Ami, Jan Smeets and Ian Rogers
More or less right out of the opening White got two rooks versus the black queen, and with the bishop pair it did look slightly better for Anand, but perhaps it was just equal. However, somewhere Topalov made some mistakes (he played quite fast at some crucial moments, like he did before in his match and also last year against Kamsky) and he got into big trouble.
Anand is playing quite well in Sofia but somehow he seems to need more time on his strong moves than he used to. He got into slight timetrouble, and probably threw away the first win on move 40. More excellent opportunities followed, but in a second timetrouble phase up to move 60 the World Champion again couldn’t convert winning positions.
The game lasted over six hours, and the players clearly looked tired at the press conferene. Topalov had enough reason to smile, and he did, when he was asked why he was resetting is watch just before the game. “It’s always running fast,” he said. Anand, clearly disappointed, said he felt he had missed the win, and Topalov agreed.
The following annotations are clearly just some lines based on general ideas and computer suggestions, and form only the beginning of an analysis that should be much bigger. It probably takes weeks to analyse this game properly…
During game 9 Stefan Löffler had a brief interview with Vladimir Kramnik about the match for Die Zeit. Here’s one quote:
Zeit: At this World Championship Anand copied particularly your openings. With White, he has played four times the Catalan. A surprise for you?
Kramnik: It is a logical choice. Topalov hasn’t had good result against Catalan so far. At least statistically, this opening is his weak point. It’s like in tennis. If the opponent is weak at the net, one tries to lure him there. This strategy was actually difficult to predict, but for Anand it worked. With the Catalan he got his two victories.
Anand, Topalov draw in game 10 for World Chess title (AFP) – 4 hours ago
SOFIA — India's defending champion Viswanathan Anand and his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov drew in the tenth round of their 12-game match for the world chess title on Friday.
The draw was agreed on the 60th move, allowing the two to keep even with a total result of 5-5 points. The next game is scheduled for Sunday.
Anand, known as the "Tiger from Madras", and Topalov have two wins each, while six games have ended in a draw.
The first player to score 6.5 points or more after the 12 games will be declared the new world champion.
If the scores are level after 12 games, the two will play four tie-break games of rapid chess, where each player has a total of 25 minutes to make his moves.
If the scores are still even after that, the new world champion will be decided in five five-minute blitz chess matches of two games each, ultimately followed by one sudden-death game.
The 40-year-old Anand first became world champion in 2007 and successfully defended his title in 2008.
Topalov, 35, won the right to challenge him by beating Gata Kamsky of the United States in the semi-final in February 2009.
The new world chess champion will win a prize of 1.2 million euros (1.58 million dollars), while the loser will take home 800,000 euros.
Chess fans can follow all the games to run until May 13 online at www.anand-topalov.com.
We received a few complaints at ChessVibes headquarters for reporting in a biased way about the upcoming FIDE presidential elections. We were accused of favouring Anatoly Karpov and ridiculing Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. A news item that appeared yesterday on the BCC website shows we should have taken our current president more seriously indeed.
Okay, we admit it: we went too far. While shamelesslypromoting Karpov’s campaign, we entirely neglected to report on Karpov’s own dubious role during the 1984/1985 World Championship match and his recent curious statement about FIDE knock-out tournaments, in which Karpov said he was never a supporter of this particular formula, while profiting from it himself to beat Anand back in 1998.
What’s worse, although we didn’t write about Ilyumzhinov’s friendship with the late dictator Saddam Hussein and about his remarkable encounter with aliens as reported in various interviews (among others on Dutch television), we did have a good laugh at Mig Greengard’s suggestion that “we’d do well to go for just about anyone with a pulse and no personal stories of alien abduction at this point.” We secretly cracked jokes about Stephen Hawking’s warning that any contact with extraterrestial aliens might result in total collapse for mankind – and how Ilyumzhinov managed to avoid this – even though Hawking’s statement was received critically in the scientific world.
We were wrong, so wrong. We should have given our President – and he is our President, let’s not forget – more credit, just like the Russian parliament. According to the BBC, “a Russian MP has asked President Dmitry Medvedev to investigate claims by a regional president that he has met aliens on board a spaceship.”
MP Andre Lebedev is not just asking whether Mr Ilyumzhinov is fit to govern. He is also concerned that, if he was abducted, he may have revealed details about his job and state secrets.
The MP has written a letter to Mr Medvedev raising a list of his concerns. In his letter he says that – assuming the whole thing was not just a bad joke – it was an historic event and should have been reported to the Kremlin.
He also asks if there are official guidelines for what government officials should do if contacted by aliens, especially if those officials have access to state secrets.
Ilyumzhinov told television host Vladimir Pozner on Channel One on April 26 that he had spent several hours in the company of aliens after they visited his apartment in downtown Moscow on Sept. 18, 1997.
He said he was falling asleep when he heard someone calling him from the balcony. When he went there, Ilyumzhinov said, he saw a “semi-transparent half tube” that he entered to meet human-like creatures in yellow spacesuits.
“I am often asked which language I used to talk to them. Perhaps, it was on a level of the exchange of the ideas,” Ilyumzhinov said, speaking solemnly.
He said the aliens gave him a tour of their spaceship. When he asked them why they had not gone on television to reveal themselves to humans, they replied that they are not yet ready, Ilyumzhinov said.
He said the aliens returned him to his home in the morning — just as his driver and two associates were about to initiate a citywide search for him after not finding him in the locked apartment.
We stand corrected. Such a uniquely detailed account and its follow-up in the Russian Duma proves there’s more to this than just a good laugh. It’s all very serious, which is also indicated by the fact Ilyumzhinov states all this again just after having been nominated by the Russian Chess Federation as the candidate for the elections in Khanty Mansiysk: in other words, the story is a conscious part of his campaign to win votes in September and to attract positive media attention to promote chess. Apparently, the President didn’t trust Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov to do it the way only he can.
We think deputy Lebedev raises important questions, but in our opinion he doesn’t go quite far enough. The real question, of course, is why Ilyumzhinov, when he was shown this super-advanced alien technology, didn’t ask the yellow men which is the best opening move, 1.e4 or 1.d4? Which variation is better: the Najdorf or the Sveshnikov? Why did Ilyumzhinov just ‘exchange ideas’ instead of asking what is the ultimate result of chess as we know it – a draw, or perhaps a win for Black? And who really was the best player of all time? Not only the Russian parliament but the entire chess community of planet earth eagerly awaits these answers!
Surely Mr. President, as head of all chess lovers in the world, a bit more chess curiosity wouldn’t have been too much to ask for?
Championnat du Monde d'échecs : le Direct Live à 14h
Le championnat du monde d'échecs à Sofia est totalement relancé à seulement 4 parties de la fin. Depuis le début de la semaine, la cote de Topalov remonte en flèche.
Les dossiers de l'écran
Preuve en est les deux dernières parties où le joueur d'échecs bulgare a réussi à transformer le moindre avantage en initiative face à Anand. Nulle de combat lundi dans la 7ème avec les noirs puis victoire dans la 8ème mardi avec les blancs. Place aujourd'hui à la 9ème partie avec les blancs pour Anand. Le score : Viswanathan Anand 4-4 Veselin Topalov.
Résumé des parties 1 à 8 : D'abord, une première salve de Topalov qui humilie d'entrée le tenant du titre en sacrifiant un cavalier sur sa défense Grünfeld. Ensuite, une partie catalane d'Anand pour rendre la monnaie de sa pièce au Challenger. Un troisième acte positionnel pour souffler un peu avec le béton armé de la slave de l'Indien, histoire de stopper l'hémorragie noire. Suivi d'une nouvelle victoire pour Anand avec la fameuse catalane, menée de main de maître avec un sacrifice de cavalier au 23ème coup. La 5ème partie s'est soldée par une solide nulle d'Anand avec les Noirs en 44 coups sur une défense slave. Rebelote dans la 6ème partie, Topalov annule avec les Noirs contre Anand sur une Catalane. Extrême combativité de Veselin Topalov qui réussit dans la 7ème à imposer son style avec les Noirs dans une défense Bogo-Indienne mais Anand tient la nulle. Topalov sort alors le grand jeu sur la défense slave de son adversaire indien Vishy Anand et remporte à point nommé la 8ème partie.
Shortcut for Viswanathan Anand: Guard against fatigue Vijay Tagore / DNA Thursday, May 6, 2010 1:46 IST
Mumbai: Is Vishy Anand being out-prepared and outclassed by Veselin Topalov in the ongoing world championship match? “No,” says Nigel Short, a former world championship challenger. It is even stevens at this stage in Sofia. That is the verdict of the reputed English Grandmaster.
The 12-game contest is on a razor’s edge with both players on four points each after Topalov drew level by beating Anand in the eighth game on Tuesday. The player reaching 6.5 wins the championship.
Has the momentum swung in favour of the Bulgarian? The answer from the Englishman, once again, is “No”. “There is nothing like momentum here. Anand can recover from one day’s rest (Wednesday). He has the ability and the experience to win the match,” Short, who commentates on the match on www.chessgames.com, remarks.
Short, however, is not too happy with Anand’s fitness levels and wonders if fatigue is creeping into his system. “Frankly, Anand is over 40 and he is surely not the fittest person around. I know he goes to the gym but I’m not sure of his energy levels. After all, Anand is an overweight middle-aged man and that could reflect in his game at some stage,” says the 45-year-old Grandmaster, speaking to DNA from his residence in Athens.
“Chess is not a 100 metre race and fitness is a minor issue. However, in a match of high intensity between players with equal talent and skills, fitness could turn out to be a factor. I thought the eighth game loss for Anand was because of fatigue. He defended impeccably after choosing a strange line but he committed a horrible blunder (54…Bc6). That move was not for lack of understanding or knowledge. It looked to me as fatigue,” Short analyses.
Veselin Topalov ce l'ha fatta. Il "padrone di casa" è riuscito a prevalere in un finale di Alfieri di colore contrario e a pareggiare il conto con il campione del mondo Vishy Anand, portandosi sul 4-4: la sfida per il titolo, in corso a Sofia fino alla prossima settimana, è dunque riaperta...
Vishy Anand compie un altro mezzo passo verso la riconferma del titolo. L’indiano e campione in carica ha pareggiato, col Bianco, la settima partita del match che lo vede opposto al bulgaro Veselin Topalov, in corso a Sofia fino a metà maggio, consolidando sul 4-3 il parziale in proprio favore...
A classic opening has had an unexpected revival at the world championship
Anand-Topalov, world championship game 4, Sofia 2010
At the halfway stage, defending world champion Vishy Anand led challenger Veselin Topalov 3.5-2.5. It has been an exciting contest so far, full of fighting chess. After Topalov stormed out of the traps to score a stunning win with the white pieces in the first game, the champion struck back to win games two and four, also with white (with three draws).
Many world championship encounters involve theoretical opening duels. When Alekhine and Capablanca slugged it out in Buenos Aires in 1927 it wasn't just the title that was at stake but the reputation of the Orthodox Defence to the Queen's Gambit, which was played in almost every one of their 34 games. In London in 2000, defending champion Kasparov's inability to break down Kramnik's Berlin Defence to the Ruy Lopez was critical in deciding the outcome.
In Sofia, Anand's two wins so far have been achieved with the Catalan – 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5. The opening was invented to order by the Franco-Polish player and chess writer Savielly Tartakower (1887-1956) who was asked by the organisers of the 1929 Barcelona tournament to come up with an opening to name after the city's region. Anyone interested will find useful chapters on the Catalan in Boris Avurkh's Grandmaster Repertoire 1 d4, vol 1 (Quality Chess).
In the position, Anand has broken up Topalov's king defence with an earlier knight sacrifice on h6. With the black pieces on the wrong side of the board, White now pressed his advantage with 1 e5, against which there is no defence. After 1...Bxg2 (1... Qg7 2 Qxg7+ Kxg7 2 Bxc6), White continued 2 exf6 Rxd6 (2...Qh7 would not have helped: 3 Qg5+ Kh8 4 Rc4 Rg8 5 Nf7+ Qxf7 and mate will follow) 3 Rxd6 Be4 4 Rxe6 Nd3 5 Rc2 Qh7 6 f7+ Qxf7 7 Rxe4 Qf5 8 Re7 and Black resigned.
Veselin Topalov has won the eighth game of the World Championship match in Sofia. He defeated Viswanathan Anand in an opposite-coloured bishop ending and thus levelled the score: it’s 4-4, with four games to go.
For all the match details, rules and regulations we refer to our large overview article here. Here’s a summary:
The match will take place April 21 – May 12 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Venue is the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The match will consist of 12 games, and if necessary, a 4-game rapid tiebreak, if necessary 5 2-game blitz matches and if necessary 1 sudden death game. The classical games will be played in pairs of 2, so there will be a rest day after every 2 games. No postponements are allowed. Topalov has White in games 1,3,5,8, 10 and 12.
Schedule
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (16:00 CET) – Game 1
April 25 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 3
April 28 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 5
May 1 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 7
May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 9
May 7 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61. The Chief Arbiter is Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). The Deputy Chief Arbiter is Werner Stubenvoll (Austria). The total prize fund is 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. The winner will receive 1,2 million Euros while the loser receives 800.000 Euros.
Score
Anand, V
2787
0
1
½
1
½
½
½
0
4
Topalov,V
2805
1
0
½
0
½
½
½
1
4
Videos
A video of game 8 will be added later. If you can’t see all videos in the player above: this is a cache problem of the browser. We’ve contacted blip.tv about the problem. Please remove your cache files and try again. Here’s the last video separately:
Game 8
It was a bit of a quiet day, today, with much less cameras and photographers in the playing hall than on previous days, when someone like Karpov or Mundell was around. The weather is still great, though a bit humid today. For some reason before the game I had the feeling Topalov would level the score today, and in the end he did.
So far the match, or at least the white games of Topalov, was a bit similar to the famous Kasparov-Kramnik match in London in 2000, where the challenger kept on playing the passive but solid Berlin Defence, and didn’t allow Kasparov to come with improvements because he kept on coming with different versions.
In this match Anand keeps on coming with new versions of the Slav ending and one could wonder whether Topalov wasn’t making the same mistake as Kasparov was ten years ago: stubbornly trying to create a win again and again, and failing till the very end, instead of chosing a completely different variation altogether.
However, what Kasparov couldn’t do, Topalov could, today. In a difficult, opposite-coloured bishop ending which was probably still a draw, Anand blundered on move 54 and could resign just two moves later. At the press conference Anand wasn’t sure if he could hold the ending even if he hadn’t blundered, and was critical about his play much earlier in the game. However, analysis shows the draw was actually in reach.
And so Topalov got finally rewarded for his fighting spirit. He kept on trying to find was to break through the Slav ending, and he kept on pressing in today’s bishop ending.
Tomorrow is another rest day and then we’re back for an even shorter World Championship match: one of four games.
The seventh game of the World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria also ended in a draw. Challenger Veselin Topalov showed impressive opening preparation and put the World Champion under considerable pressure. However, Anand defended accurately and perhaps even missed a win after the time control. Video added.
For all the match details, rules and regulations we refer to our large overview article here. Here’s a summary:
The match will take place April 21 – May 12 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Venue is the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria. The match will consist of 12 games, and if necessary, a 4-game rapid tiebreak, if necessary 5 2-game blitz matches and if necessary 1 sudden death game. The classical games will be played in pairs of 2, so there will be a rest day after every 2 games. No postponements are allowed. Topalov has White in games 1,3,5,8, 10 and 12.
Schedule
April 24 – 17.00 EEST (16:00 CET) – Game 1
April 25 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 2
April 26 – Rest Day
April 27 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 3
April 28 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 4
April 29 – Rest Day
April 30 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 5
May 1 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 6
May 2 – Rest Day
May 3 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 7
May 4 – 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) – Game 8
May 5 – Rest Day
May 6 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 9
May 7 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 10
May 8 – Rest Day
May 9 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 11
May 10 – Rest Day
May 11 – 15:00 EEST (14:00 CET) – Game 12
May 12 – Rest Day
May 13 – Tie breaks
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61. The Chief Arbiter is Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). The Deputy Chief Arbiter is Werner Stubenvoll (Austria). The total prize fund is 3 million Euros: 2 million for the players, 400,000 for FIDE taxes and 600,000 for organizational costs. The winner will receive 1,2 million Euros while the loser receives 800.000 Euros.
Score
Anand, V
2787
0
1
½
1
½
½
½
4
Topalov,V
2805
1
0
½
0
½
½
½
3
Videos
If you can’t see all videos in the player above: this is a cache problem of the browser. We’ve contacted blip.tv about the problem. Please remove your cache files and try again. Here’s the last video separately:
Also in Sofia the day started with the sad news, brought by the Chief Arbiter, that Florencio Campomanes had passed away. Players and spectators all stood up and held a minute of silence in remembrance of the former FIDE President. Then Anatoly Karpov, who arrived in Sofia on Sunday, made the first move, and the game started.
For the first time in the match Topalov could force his will upon his opponent – well, at least for the opening phase. At the press conference the Bulgarian said that it was his second Ivan Cheparinov who had prepared the line for him. It involved an exchange sacrifice that had been played by Ivanchuk against Gelfand at the Amber tournament this year, but a slightly improved version. It soon turned into a piece for two strong pawns. While Topalov could play his first twenty moves without thinking, Anand spent about an hour.
12th World Champion arrived in Sofia on Sunday and gave a press conference half an hour after the start of the game. Above him, on the background, the game could be seen. Karpov started with 'it's one of the most interesting games of the match' - once a chess player, always a chess player
It looks like the World Champion defended accurately and in an ending with queen and knight versus queen and protected pawn, he might even have missed a win for one move. According to GM Sergey Shipov at Crestbook, 42.Qa4 might have led to a decisive advantage for White, as it stops d3-d2.
And so after seven games the score is 4-3 to Anand. Now, with five to go, Topalov has three Whites. Especially since Topalov survived his last two Black games, it’s safe to conclude that… anything can happen.
In the mean time we received an answer from Tim Krabbé, whom we emailed about the record of knight moves. (As you’ll remember Anand played thirteen consecutive knight moves in game 6.) Krabbé let us know that the absolute record of consecutive knight moves in an official game is Hecht-Suttles, Belgrade 1969, which we’ve added to the game viewer below.
The handshake before the first game of the second half
The playing hall with again not all seats taken...
...but among the spectators were Anatoly Karpov and Chairman / President of the Bulgarian Chess Federation Sergey Sergiev, who attended the start of the match
What started as another Catalan turned into a Bogo-Indian, according to the Chessbase program
This morning, the challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria leveled the score of the World Championship match at 4 games each. He continued a theoretical discussion in the Slav defense, this time obtaining an advantage in an opposite colored bishops endgame. However, the defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India defended resourcefully and would have drawn if he had not blundered with 54... Bc6?? Better was Ba4, allowing the Bishop to defend h7 if needed. Black resigned two moves later because he couldn't stop White's Pawns and active King, e.g. 56... Be8 57. g5 Bc6 58. f4 Be8 59. Bg7 Bc6 60. g6 hxg6 61. Kxg6 Bd7 62. Kf6 Kh7 63. Ke7 Ba4 64. d7 Bxd7 65. Kxd7 Kxg7 66. Kxe6.
Only four games remain in the match!Watch the action LIVE on ICC on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday beginning at 5:00 in the morning PDT. Anand plays White on Thursday and Sunday.
If the match somehow ends knotted at 6-6, rapid and blitz tiebreaks will be played on Thursday, May 13. Tiebreak format: Four action games G/25+10 sec/move. If still tied, up to five pairs of blitz games G/5+3 sec/move (as many as 10 games total). If still tied after 12 classical games and 14 rapid/blitz games, they play a single Armageddon game where White has 5 minutes against 4 (no increment) but Black gets draw odds.
Si disputa oggi, in Sofia, l'ottava partita del match mondiale Anand-Topalov.Nella partita di ieri finalmente Topalov è riuscito a portare la Catalana di Anand su di un terreno a lui più congeniale, e questo potrebbe togliere tranquillità all'indiano che comunque non ha mai dovuto realmente temere di perdere la partita. Vedremo se oggi il bulgaro, che sinora è riuscito a vincere solo la prima partita e che deve recuperare un punto di ritardo, riuscirà a mettere seriamente in difficoltà Anand con il bianco. Domani è previsto il quarto giorno di riposo.
i due contendenti pochi istanti prima dell'inizio dell'ottava partita
Il mondiale 2010 si disputa sulla lunghezza di 12 partite. Diventa campione del mondo chi totalizza almeno 6,5 punti. In caso di parità (6-6), è prevista la disputa degli spareggi rapid.
tempo di riflessione 120' x 40 mosse + 60' x 20 mosse + 15 per terminare la partita + 30" di incremento per mossa a partire dalla 61esima mossa.
non vengono applicate le cosiddette regole di Sofia, ma Topalov ha dichiarato che non offrirà o accetterà proposte di patta da Anand durante il match.
spareggi rapid in caso di parità al termine delle partite a cadenza calssica, si disputeranno quattro partite rapid (25'+10"). In caso di ulteriore parità, si disputeranno dei mini match blitz (5'+3"), per un massimo di cinque match. Se al termine di ogni singolo match non ci sarà un vincitore, si disputerà una sfida sudden death: 5' al bianco, 4' al nero, incremento di 3" per mossa solo dalla 61esima mossa, in caso di patta verrà proclamato Campione del Mondo il giocatore che condurrà il nero. All'inizio di ogni fase degli spareggi (rapid, blitz, sudden death) verrà effettuato il sorteggio dei colori. Nel caso dello spareggio sudden death, il vincitore del sorteggio avrà il diritto di scegliere il colore.
calendario di gioco 24 Aprile – ore 16 – Game 1 Topalov - Anand 1-0 25 Aprile – ore 14 – Game 2 Anand - Topalov 1-0 26 Aprile – riposo 27 Aprile – ore 14 – Game 3 Topalov - Anand 1/2-1/2 28 Aprile – ore 14 – Game 4 Anand - Topalov 1-0 29 Aprile – riposo 30 Aprile – ore 14 – Game 5 Topalov - Anand 1/2-1/2 1 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 6 Anand - Topalov 1/2-1/2 2 Maggio – riposo 3 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 7 Anand - Topalov 1/2-1/2 4 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 8 Topalov - Anand 5 Maggio– riposo 6 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 9 Anand - Topalov 7 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 10 Topalov - Anand 8 Maggio – riposo 9 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 11 Anand - Topalov 10 Maggio – riposo 11 Maggio – ore 14 – Game 12 Topalov - Anand 12 Maggio – riposo 13 Maggio – Tie breaks Siti Utili
Scacchierando è in attesa di ricevere i permessi per inserire il visore nell'articolo.Nel frattempo sarà possibile vedere le mosse e le immagini live trasmesse dal sito ufficiale cliccandoQUI
Contrary to what was expressed in an open letter last week, Veselin Topalov is, after all, willing to play Candidates Matches in Russia. However, he is “refusing to play a match with a Russian player in Russia, if that match is connected to the title struggle,” his manager Silvio Danailov said in an interview with Sport Express this week.
Il torneo dei Candidati assegnato alla Russia!
According to a report in Sport Express by chess journalist Yuri Vasiliev, the FIDE Presidential Board in Tromso decided that the Candidates will be moved from Baku in Azerbaijan to Kazan in Russia. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov retains his position in the Candidates as the Azerbaijani representative.
A few days ago, we published an open letter by GM Sutovsky about the current FIDE Candidates Matches problems. Yesterday, Veselin Topalov published an open letter in response to the news that part of the matches might be played in Kazan, Russia.
The gap between Magnus Carlsen (2826) and Veselin Topalov (2803) has increased to 23 points on the July 1 FIDE rating list. The Norwegian won 13 points whereas the Bulgarian dropped 9. Third is World Champion Viswanathan Anand, now with 2800 points exactly. Wang Yue dropped from 8th to 28th.
Carlsen’s fine victory in Romania last week got him another 13 rating points and because Topalov lost 9 points in his match with Anand, the gap between the world’s number one and two is now 23 points. Those 9 points went to Anand, who thereby surpassed Kramnik to regain the 3rd spot, at a nice 2800 precisely.
We have just received:
World Champion Viswanathan Anand will play in this year’s London Chess Classic, where he will face Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik as his main rivals. Hikaru Nakamura, Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Luke McShane and David Howell complete the field of the second edition that runs 8-15 December 2010 at the Olympia Conference Centre in London.
The Bulgarian organizers of the Anand-Topalov World Championship match take Chessbase to court for “violating copyright rules”. Chessbase transmitted the moves of the match live on their Playchess server, against the will of the Bulgarians.
“Before the start of the World Chess Championship we explicitly stated that no company can use the moves without the official site’s staff permission. And this was violated by Chessbase, they put themselves above the law in Europe, above the general FIDE ethical rules. (…) I believe in European law and in our Attorney who is presenting the case – Mr. Rainer Polzin. What’s more, I am candidate for President of the ECU and as such I have to stand behind the rights of professional chess. Such actions, as the one by the German company Chessbase, affect the sponsors of events negatively, which damages sponsorship, from there future organization and level of events. In the long run the biggest damage is made on the chess fans, who are the most important part of the game – they certainly deserve to enjoy high level events and have chess sponsorship on all levels. Thus, by defending our rights through European law, we will be defending all fans and the future of chess.”
“The case has been filed at a court in Berlin [
De Anand-Topalov. Kasparov, Carlsen, Kramnik, como asistentes de Anand. Karpov y 
Pero poco a poco se fue sumando gente a echar mano en la preparación de Anand. Magnus Carlsen se puso en contacto y se ofreció, como ya había hecho en otras oportunidades, una vez finalizado el Amber en Niza, para participar unos días en el entrenamiento. Luego se brindó para ayudar un poco, nada menos que Garry Kasparov e intercambió información, antes y durante el Match y entre otras cosas apoyó la idea de jugar 
V Campeonato de España de Selecciones Autonómicas 2010.
Anatoly Karpov “Un Campeón del Cambio”: Después de una vida dedicada a la práctica y promoción del ajedrez, el ex Campeón Mundial, Anatoly Karpov anunció su candidatura a 
Gata Kamsky gana el Campeonato de EE. UU. 14 de mayo al 24 de mayo de 2010. El campeonato de EE.UU. se llevo a cabo en St. Louis, por segundo año consecutivo. El torneo que se desarrolló por sistema suiza a 7 rondas. Los 4 primeros (Shulman, Kamsky, Nakamura y Onischuk) compitieron en un torneo cerrado, empatando en el primer puesto Shulman y Kamsky. El desempate por el 1er lugar es especial: Sobre la base de 60 minutos + 5 segundos, los jugadores pujan secretamente “ofreciendo” una cantidad de tiempo (minutos y segundos igual o inferior a 60 minutos). El jugador que oferta la cifra más baja elige su color, mientras que el oponente tiene 60 minutos. Gata Kamsky ofreció 
Fide Grand Prix – 6ta Etapa: Eljanov gana el Torneo. Levon Aronian y Teimour Radjabov se clasifican para el Candidatura para el Campeonato Mundial a jugarse en 2012.
4th ACP Copa Mundial de Ajedrez Rápido - Sergey Karjakin Campeón. 
En los cuartos de final Grischuk ganó por Movsesian; Sergey Karjakin alguna manera pasó contra Shirov después de una partida relámpago a “muerte súbita”, tras estar dos veces en desventaja, perdiendo en el primera rápida y en el primer relámpago. Fantástico Jakovenko sobre Eljanov. Mikhail Gurevich volvió a sorprender al eliminar a Gashimov.
Besides his team of seconds in Sofia, Viswanathan Anand was helped by some big names before or during his World Championship match against Veselin Topalov. Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik all contributed to Anand’s victory in Sofia. The World Champion Monday revealed this in an interview on Playchess.
On Tuesday, World Champion Viswanathan Anand from India retained his title by defeating Veselin Topalov from Bulgaria 6.5-5.5, thereby also creating an all-time record of unique visitors on one day at this website. A day later he sat down for a lengthy interview with ChessVibes – enjoy a 28.5 (!) minute video interview with the World Champ.
Viswanathan Anand retained his world title today in Sofia, Bulgaria by beating his opponent Veselin Topalov in the 12th and last match game with the black pieces. The Indian won the world title in a tournament in 2007, and now successfully defended it twice in a match.
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Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov also drew their 10th game of the World Championship match in Sofia. The World Champion went back to his Grünfeld Defence and reached equality easily but then came a bit under pressure. Topalov had some chances in an ending, but let it slip away. For the first time Anand offered a draw, which was reluctantly accepted by Topalov. Video added.
The 9th game of the World Championship match in Sofia ended in a draw after Viswanathan Anand missed various wins. The game was a heroic fight that lasted 83 moves, when Veselin Topalov once again claimed a threefold repetition. Video added – actually it ended up rather nicely. 
We received a few complaints at ChessVibes headquarters for reporting in a biased way about the upcoming FIDE presidential elections. We were accused of favouring Anatoly Karpov and ridiculing Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. A news item that appeared yesterday on the BCC website shows we should have taken our current president more seriously indeed.
Veselin Topalov has won the eighth game of the World Championship match in Sofia. He defeated Viswanathan Anand in an opposite-coloured bishop ending and thus levelled the score: it’s 4-4, with four games to go.
The seventh game of the World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria also ended in a draw. Challenger Veselin Topalov showed impressive opening preparation and put the World Champion under considerable pressure. However, Anand defended accurately and perhaps even missed a win after the time control. Video added.
Topalov - Anand 
Anand, Viswanathan