Date:04/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/04/stories/2008080460211900.htm

Sport - Chess

It’s Anand vs Carslen

NEW DELHI: Defending champion Viswanathan Anand overpowered Alexander Morozevich in the crucial sixth league game to join Norway’s Magnus Carlsen in the final of the 13th Grenkeleasing rapid world championship at Mainz, Germany, on Saturday.

In the sixth round, Anand scored a resounding 47-move victory with white pieces in Ruy Lopez to top the four-player double round-robin league with four points.

Morozevich, who lost to Anand on Friday as well, gave up when faced with the loss of a rook.

Carlsen, who also remained unbeaten, drew his last round with Judit Polgar to reach 3.5 points.

Anand and Carlsen will face-off in a four-game final while Morozevich will take on Judit in the match for the third place.

Humpy finishes fifth

In the North Urals Cup women’s tournament in Krasnoturinsk, Russia, top seed K. Humpy struggled to finish fifth in the eight-player round-robin league on Sunday.

In the seventh and final round, Humpy (3.5 points) drew in just 21 moves with eventual runner-up Anna Ushenina of Ukraine.

Former World champion Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Stefanova took the title with 4.5 points after a 10-move friendly draw with reigning world champion China’s Xu Yuhua.

In the Kavala International, in Greece, International Master V. Saravanan drew with a Grandmaster for the second straight day when he proved equal to Romania’s Vladislav Nevednichy, seeded 12, in the fourth round.

The results:

Rapid world championship (sixth round): Viswanathan Anand (4) bt Alexander Morozevich (Rus, 3); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 3.5) drew with Judit Polgar (Hun, 1.5); (fifth round): Judit drew with Anand; Morozevich drew with Carlsen; (fourth round): Carlsen drew with Anand; Morozevich drew with Judit. North Urals Cup (seventh round): Anna Ushenina (Ukr, 4) drew with K. Humpy (3.5); Antoaneta Stefanova (Bul, 4.5) drew with Xu Yuhua (Chn, 3.5); Marie Sebag (Fra, 4) bt Pia Cramling (Swe, 3); Natalia Pogonina (Rus, 2.5) drew with Anna Muzychuk (Slo, 3).

Standings: 1. Stefanova, 2. Ushenina, 3. Sebag, 4. Yuhua, 5. Humpy, 6. Cramling, 7. Muzychuk, 8. Pogonina. Kavala International (fourth round, involving Indians): V. Saravanan (2.5) drew with Vladislav Nevednichy (Rou, 2.5); Julian Radulski (Bul, 2.5) drew with Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury (2.5); Prathamesh Mokal (2.5) drew with Davit Jojua (Geo, 2.5); Herve Ribreau (Fra, 1.5) lost to S. Satyapragyan (2.5).