From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.31 :: NO.52 :: Dec. 27, 2008 • Contents
	YEAR-END SPECIAL / CHESS/ANAND’S UNIQUE FEAT Champion of Champions The third world chess title placed Anand among the legendary names of the game and made even his detractors accept him as the universal champion, writes Rakesh Rao. After Abhinav Bindra made history by becoming the first Indian to win the individual Olympic gold, in Beijing, Viswanathan Anand’s triumph over Vladimir Kramnik for a third world chess title is clearly the biggest sporting achievement by an Indian in any individual discipline this year. In a year that also saw boxer M. C. Mary Kom win a fourth world title, cueist Pankaj Advani retain his world billiards crown, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh and shuttler Saina Nehwal attain their career-high world rankings, the feats of the bespectacled duo of Abhinav and Anand clearly stand out. A third title for Anand assumed added significance since he proved himself in the time-honoured match-play format. The convincing 6.5-4.5 victory with a game to spare in the 12-game match-play against Kramnik, who was undefeated in matches since dethroning Garry Kasparov in 2000, helped Anand to add another first to his list of unparalleled achievements. Before winning this title in Bonn, Anand had won every single worthy title, in all-time formats, the sport had offered. In an international career spanning well over two decades, the only distinction that eluded Anand was a victory in match-play format for the world title. By winning the “Battle of Bonn”, Anand became the first player to win the world title in three formats. In 2000, Anand was the strongest in the 128-player knockout field. In 2007, he topped an eight-player double round-robin competition. Since the World Chess Federation (FIDE) is unlikely to revert to these two formats, Anand may well be remembered as the only player in chess history to win in three different formats. Anand knew he was not the favourite since his match-play record was far from impressive. On the other hand, Kramnik’s eight-year unbeaten streak in the classical match-format gave him the edge. Kramnik’s pre-match preparations were believed to be better than Anand’s since the Russian had outplayed a previously unbeaten Kasparov (in 2000), Peter Leko (2004) and Veselin Topalov (2006). Then again Anand finished last in the Chess Grand Slam finals at Bilbao in the days leading to the clash in Bonn. Further, two days before the 12-game match, Kramnik revealed his team of ‘seconds’ (a chess equivalent of trainers as part of the support staff) that included Leko. This was seen as a slight setback for Anand since the Hungarian is known to be his good friend. In fact, Leko was Anand’s ‘second’ in the world title clash against Anatoly Karpov a decade ago. In the opener at Bonn, Anand appeared nervous compared to a relaxed-looking Kramnik. But once the momentum started picking up, Anand started hurting Kramnik and by the time the battle reached the halfway stage, the Russian was almost out of the contest. Kramnik, who seldom loses a game, was made to look helpless as Anand handed out defeats in the third, fifth and sixth games. During the third game, which Anand won with black pieces, Kasparov’s reaction was spontaneous, “It was good preparation and also good psychology to kick some sand in Kramnik’s face and show him he wasn’t afraid.” During the first half, it was clear that Anand’s preparation, precision and aggression had taken Kramnik by surprise. Talking of preparations, Anand and his team of ‘seconds’ — Peter Heine Neilsen, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Radoslav Wojtaszek and Surya Shekhar Ganguly — had succeeded in surprising Kramnik whenever Anand played with white pieces. Anand who is known to opt for king-pawn opening with white, opted for queen-pawn opening against Kramnik. “But we knew that there is no way that he was going to be completely surprised by our opening choice with white. It’s just not realistic. Peter Leko (in the 2004 World title match) did the same thing to him. And he was not going to fall for the same thing twice,” reasoned Anand when looking back at the strategy that he finalised late last year. Reeling after the defeat in the third game, Kramnik dared Anand in similar opening lines in the fifth game. This time, Anand pulled out another trick and a desperate Kramnik fell flat once again. Having lost two successive games with white pieces, Kramnik returned the following day and lost rather listlessly to trail by three games with six games still to go. As Kramnik was to say later, “It was not a surprise that he could play so many different openings. It was more than chess. You have to always try to get something new. It was no surprise but awkward for me to get into his precise preparations in Games Three and Five. Especially, the fifth game that probably was decisive in the match. May be, it was a mistake to repeat this variation. I mean, we are humans and we make mistakes.” In the second half of the match, Anand looked comfortable with draws in the seventh and eighth games. In the ninth, Anand was lucky to escape after staring at a certain defeat. But in the 10th, Kramnik enjoyed his best moment of the match as he foxed Anand in 29 moves. After spending a restless day of break, Anand was back for the 11th game, played with white pieces and forced a much-needed draw to seal the title. The triumph placed Anand among the legendary names of the game and made even his detractors accept him as the universal champion — with a difference. Printer friendly page   Send this article to Friends by E-Mail Contents • Daily Sports • The Hindu • Business Line • Frontline • Publications • eBooks • Images Copyright © 2008 Sportstar Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of Sportstar.