Kasparov on top of the world

By Arvind Aaron

REYKJAVIK, APRIL 3. Garry Kasparov of Russia won the Top of the World Challenge beating Viswanathan Anand via tie-break at the Concert Hall of Kopavogur here on Sunday. The blitz tie-break games went disastrously for Anand who lost the first one on time in 42 moves after reaching a draw position. In the second, he went for a knight sacrifice but Kasparov nullified it.

Kasparov won the tournament beating A. Wojtkiewicz 1.5-0.5 and Anand 1-1, 2-0.After two very exciting rapid games, Viswanathan Anand and Garry Kasparov were tied 1-1. In game one, Kasparov was impressive with the black pieces but Anand pulled up to draw the game in 41 moves. Anand had a bishop and pawn against Kasparov's rook.

In game two, Anand played the French defence as black and equalised after move 20. Kasparov had to force a repetition of moves to draw the game after 29 moves. Earlier, Viswanathan Anand and Garry Kasparov entered the final as expected. While Kasparov did it the classical way, drawing with black and winning with white against Alexander Wojtkiewicz of Poland, Anand did it in contrasting style in eliminating Margeir Petursson of Iceland. Kasparov used the Slav defence to draw his black game in 29 moves after reaching a rook and knight versus rook and bishop ending with equal pawns. In the reverse game he sat by complaining that the overhead lights produced a shadow on the board and the auditorium technicians had to change the focus of the lights. Once the game began, he used a modern theoretical line against the Sicilian to win in just 27 moves with the white pieces. Wojtkiewicz lost by a hole in his main opening line.

The results: final: G. Kasparov (Rus) bt V. Anand (Ind) 1-1, 2-0.

Semifinals: V. Anand (Ind) bt M. Petursson (Isd) 1.5-0.5, G. Kasparov (Rus) bt A. Wojtkiewicz (Pol) 1.5-0.5.

The moves: GM V. Anand-GM G. Kasparov, Game 1, Rapid, Sicilian Najdorf, B90: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3 e6 7. Be3 b5 8.g4 Nbd7 9.Qd2 Nb6 10.a4 bxa4 11.Nxa4 Nxa4 12.Rxa4 Be7 13.Be2 O- O 14.O-O Bb7 15.Rfa1 Nd7 16.Nb3 Rb8 17.Ba7 Rc8 18.Na5 Ba8 19.Bxa6 Ne5 20.Be2 f5 21.gxf5 exf5 22.Nc4 Qe8 23. Nxe5 dxe5 24.Bd3 fxe4 25.fxe4 Qh5 26.Be3 Rc6 27.Qe2 Rg6+ 28. Kh1 Qxe2 29.Bxe2 Bc6 30.Rc4 Bb5 31.Ra5 Bxc4 32.Bxc4+ Kh8 33. Rxe5 Ra8 34.Rf5 Rg4 35.Rf1 Rb8 36.Bd3 Rxb2 37.e5 Rb8 38.Ba7 Rf8 39.Rxf8+ Bxf8 40.Bf2 Rg5 41.Bd4 Rg4 Draw.Time left: 3.40/3.37.

GM G. Kasparov-GM V.Anand, Game 2, Rapid, French defence, C11: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bg5 Be7 7. Nxf6+ Bxf6 8.h4 O-O 9.Bd3 c5 10.Qe2 cxd4 11.Qe4 g6 12.O-O-O e5 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Bb5 Rd8 15.Rhe1 Qb6 16.Bc4 Nc5 17.Qxe5 Be6 18.Bxe6 Nxe6 19.h5 d3 20.hxg6 hxg6 21.Rh1 Ng7 22.cxd3 Qxf2 23.Rd2 Rac8+ 24.Kb1 Qc5 25.Qf4 Nh5 26.Qh6 Qf8 27. Qg5 Qc5 28.Qh6 Draw.Time left: 5.59/10.35.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Srinivas, Sanjit enter semifinals
Next     : Young champions are back