World Chess – Anand and Topolov go at each other
Priya Manjrekar
May 13, 2005

The whole world was watching the two masters. They went at each other before the match ended in a draw.

According to media reports, Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov, the world's top two active chess players, went for each other's throat in a nail-biter at the Mtel Grandmasters Chess tournament on Thursday before drawing their game.

The thriller featured 60 moves and in the end, it was a draw in a tournament that is not supposed to have draws. Both got chances and both held out amazingly while on a knife's edge, as it were. With the players not allowed to speak to each other or agree to a draw, Anand and Topalov finally arrived at a truce by repetition of moves. It was like a western movie with guns blazing and the rivals not exchanging a word, and then finally shaking hands, acknowledging with respect each other's prowess.

"It sure was a thriller. But I need to analyse various stages that could have gone any way," said Anand in his first comment.

In other games, Hungarian Judit Polgar was up against Michael Adams and Vladimir Kramnik was playing Ruslan Ponomariov.

The Anand-Topalov clash was one of the most exciting games that the two have played. Anand playing with white, after the Bulgaria's Finance Minister Milen Velchev made the ceremonial first move, started with 1. e4, to which Topalov replied with c5 as the game opened with a Sicilian. It was Najdorf, and moved with the Byrne (English) attack. Anand castled on 11th and then played in a game that seemed to have the experts holding their breath. Anand gave up his queen on the 18th move and that seemed a bit stunning. But the Indian ace clearly had something up his sleeve as he got three pieces for that. But still Topalov, the home favourite with an active queen, was formidable.

What may have been a impediment for him was the fact that his rook was stuck immobile behind his king and not coming into play.

When the organisers first announced their "No Draw" rule, there were many who scoffed at it and were sceptical about the success of it. But on Thursday, the opening day of the tournament, Anand and Topalov delivered a no-holds barred fight that had everybody on the edge of their seats, with neither man nor machine being able to decide which was winning. Anand gave up his queen for three pieces and then fought a terrific tussle with his a-passer backed by an active knight and rook and a bishop against Topalov's four connected passer. Anand was playing with greater numbers in pieces but Topalov had a queen and four pawns, making it exciting by the minute. It was a nail-biter all the way.

The Indian lost his a-passer on the 49th move after a check from Topalov. At this stage, Anand had twin rooks and a knight plus two pawns to Topalov's queen and four pawns. With no agreed draws allowed, the battle continued. It was a game that had the computers confused as their analyses based on points and pieces showed Anand a clear loser. That amply showed Anand couldn’t only confound rivals, but even machines. Before the first time control, with Anand playing at his usual lightning speed, Topalov was way behind on the clock. But he safely made his 40 moves in two hours.

The Category 20 event being played at the plush Grand Hotel Sofia is a double round robin with a classical seven-hour time control. In case of a tie at the end of the event, there will be a playoff for the title. One unusual rule that is being followed in the tournament is that draw by mutual agreement between the players is forbidden. The players will not be allowed to offer a draw or speak to their opponent.

The players can claim a draw only via arbiter in the case of perpetual check or by triple repetition of a move or in a theoretically drawn position. Only the arbiter can confirm the result of the game.

The arbiters will be advised by Zurab Azmaiparashvili on this possibility. Arbiters: Chief Arbiter: Joaquin Espejo (Spain), Deputy Arbiters: Boris Postovski (USA) and Panaqiotis Nikolopoulos (Greece). Pairings for the second round: Kramnik v Anand; Polgar v Ponomoraiv; and Topalov v Adams.

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