ANAND VS. GELFAND
Viswanathan Anand of India, left, defending World Chess Champion, succesfully retained his title by outwitting Boris Gelfand of Israel in their World Chess Championship match last month. Anand grew up in Baguio City Philippines with his father, who worked there for many years.
ANAND RETAINS 2012 TITLE
THE 4th game of the tiebreak brought a tangible advantage for Challenger Boris Gelfand, who needed to win with the black pieces to stay in the match. But World Champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand kept things under control and found a very neat solution to the problems. With a draw, the World Champion won the tiebreak 2.5-1.5 and keeps his title.
The World Chess Championship is being staged in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow between the current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and the winner of the Candidates tournament Boris Gelfand of Israel. The match is over 12 games and lasts from May 11-30. The prize fund is US$2.55 million, the winner getting 1.53 million (60%), the loser getting 1.02 million (40%).
Anand won the title for the 5th time. This is also a hat-trick in classical matches for Anand, who won the tournament format in 2007 in Mexico. When FIDE switched to match format he defeated Vladimir Kramnik in 2009 in Bonn, Germany and then won against Veselin Topalov in 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria. This win against Gelfand is his 3rd match win in a row.
Today, when it mattered most, the “Speed King” was at his tactical best be it in attack and defence. “It was a tough match and I am too tense now to feel anything more than a sense of relief,” said the 42-year old after the game.
Speaking on Anand’s win in Moscow, Mr. Rajendra S. Prawar, Chairman of sponsor NIIT, said,“I heartily congratulate NIITMind Champion Viswanathan Anand for retaining the World Chess Champion title. Anand’s 5th world championship win – is a FIDE record and a milestone in the history of chess. Anand’s fighting spirit, perseverance and determination to overcome any challenge will surely inspire youngsters in India to embrace the game of chess. NIIT remains committed in promoting chess in schools in India, through the NIIT MindChampions’ Academy, our joint project with Anand.
The 12-game match has resulted in a 6-6 deadlock, and the tie breaks were needed to decide the title. In the first game of the rapid, where each player had 25 minutes on the clock with a ten-second increment for every move. Anand defended nicely with the black pieces, once again opting for the Slav Defence. The game ended in a draw after 32 moves.
However there was excitement with Anand wielding the white pieces in the 2nd game. It was once again the Sicilian Rossolimo which saw Anand playing a novelty on the 7th move. Once again the queens were exchanged rather early and thereafter it was a tactical battle between the minor pieces. Anand did appear better and won a pawn in the middle-game. Thereafter in an intense battle, Anand played fast and Gelfand found himself on the losing side after 77 moves.
Anand looked in trouble in the 3rd game but wriggled out with a draw. The Indian GM, who needed just a draw in the 4th game, played solidly to earn the vital half point after 56 moves.
NIIT MindChampions’ Academy is a joint initiative of NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s larget IT Trainer, and World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, to initiate young minds into the world of chess. Established in 2002, the Academy has fostered over 11,000 chess clubs with more than one million students as its members, in schools across India. GM Viswanathan Anand has personally travelled across India, spreading the message for enhancing thinking skills by learning chess and motivating the school students. NIIT MindChampions’ Academy conducts an annual event for the academy’s members. The Academy provides teaching learning material on chess, which includes computer-based tutorials, video based mentoring by Viswanathan Anand, chess software, puzzles and a database of games.
Source: Chessmate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 12-13
Volume 21
Issue 41
June 25, 2012
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