The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Veselin Topalov triumphs; Anand finishes second

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 23, 2005

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Sport - Chess

Veselin Topalov triumphs; Anand finishes second

CHENNAI: Veselin Topalov won the MTel Masters chess tournament in Sofia on Sunday, beating Vladimir Kramnik with black pieces in the 10th and final round.

The Bulgarian finished with 6.5 points to take the first place. With his nearest rival, Viswanathan Anand, taking the runner-up spot after drawing his game with Hungary's Judit Polgar, Topalov won the tournament by one full point — a remarkable effort in what is one of the biggest events in the international chess calendar this year.

What is also remarkable is the fact that Topalov scored 4.5 points from his last five games in this six-player, double round-robin, Category 20 tournament — he won four games and drew one (with Judit Polgar) after fighting all the way.

On Sunday, the last game to finish was the one between Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine and Michael Adams of England, which ended in a draw.

On Saturday, Anand had put himself in contention for the title, defeating Adams with black pieces. Employing Petroff's Defence, he won in 60 moves.

In the other games in the ninth round, Topalov made short work of Ponomariov in 30 moves of Queen's Indian Defence, while Kramnik and Polgar drew after 44 moves of Petroff's Defence.

The results (10th and final round): Vladimir Kramnik (Rus) 4 lost to Veselin Topalov (Bul) 6.5; Viswanathan Anand (Ind) 5.5 drew with Judit Polgar (Hun) 5.

Ninth round: Veselin Topalov bt Ruslan Ponomariov; Judit Polgar drew with Vladimir Kramnik; Michael Adams lost to Viswanathan Anand.

The final standings: 1. Topalov 6.5; 2. Anand 5.5; 3-4. Ponomariov and Polgar 5; 5-6. Kramnik and Adams 4.

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