The Hindu : Anand bounces back

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Sport

Sport - Chess

Anand bounces back

NEW DELHI, MARCH 22. Defending champion Viswanathan Anand scored a fluent 31-move victory over Francisco Vallejo in their third-round blindfold match to inch closer to the leader, Vladmir Kramnik, in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament at the Hotel Grand in Monte Carlo on Monday.

Following this win in Sicilian Najdorf with white pieces, Anand has another chance to improve his position when he meets Vallejo in the rapid match.

More spectacular than Monday's victory was the way Anand avenged the loss suffered to Veselin Topalov in the blindfold game by winning their rapid encounter on Sunday.

Anand managed to gain Topalov's queen for a rook and bishop following the Sicilian Paulsen variation. After seizing the initiative, Anand came up with a superb finish by forcing Topalov into the checkmating net with the help of queen and an advanced kingside pawn on the 67th move.

The results:

Third round (blindfold): V. Anand bt F. Vallejo; Peter Svidler bt Topalov; Loek van Wely lost to Evgeny Bareev.

Second round (rapid): Svidler drew with Bareev; Anand bt Topalov; Wely bt Vallejo; Shirov bt Gelfand; Kramnik bt Ivanchuk; Morozevich drew with Leko.

Second round (blindfold): Evgeny Bareev lost to Peter Svidler; Veselin Topalov bt V. Anand; Francisco Vallejo drew with Leok van Wely

Combined standings (after two rounds): Kramnik (3.5); 2. Leko (3), 3-7. Svidler, Van Wely, Morozevich, Bareev, Shirov (2.5); 8-9. Topalov and Anand (2); 10-11. Ivanchuk and Vallejo (0.5); 12. Gelfand (0).

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