Date:13/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/13/stories/2005081301951900.htm

Sport

Anand makes a winning start

NEW DELHI: With another commanding display of rapid chess, Viswanathan Anand raced away to a 2-0 lead over Russia's Alexander Grischuk in their eight-game Mainz Chess Classic in Germany on Thursday.

Anand won the first game very easily in 40 moves of Queen's Indian and returned to increase his lead by stopping his 21-year-old rival in 38 moves of Sicilian Najdorf.

Grischuk paid the price for making a premature attack in the first game, in the second also his defeat was the result of a reckless offensive, which brought out the best defensive plan from Anand.

Anand was more comfortable in the first game, because in the second Grischuk managed to attack Anand's castled king on the queen' side before Anand's brilliant defence saw him lose a minor piece.

Grischuk was in danger of losing his rook when he ran out of time and resigned. Anand still had 12 minutes out of his quota of 25 minutes, plus 10 seconds for every move made.

Hari Krishna on 6/8

Meanwhile, in the FiNet Chess960 Open, P. Hari Krishna reached six points from eight rounds.

In the three rounds played on Friday, Hari drew with Croatia's Lalic Bogdan and Germany's Gerald Hertneck before beating Vlastimil Hort.

Three more rounds remain to be played.

On the first day, when five rounds were played, the World junior champion defeated Germany's Berhard Nagel, Ilja Cutter, Russia's Mikhail Zaitsev, lost to Germany's Rainer Buhmann and beat Georgian Mikhail Kekelidze.

Unique event

This unique event has attracted 207 players including 47 Grandmasters and 19 IMs.

Chess960, the brainchild of former World champion Bobby Fischer, follows almost the same set of rules, as orthodox chess but there is a variation in the starting position of the pieces.

Pawns begin from their traditional starting blocks but the white pieces are arranged at random, with the provision that bishops must end up on opposite colours and the king has to be placed somewhere between the two rooks. The black pieces are lined up to mirror the white pieces.