Anand wins Mainz chess classic

Former world champion Vishwanathan Anand lived upto his reputation as the world's best rapid chess player, scoring an outright victory over defending world champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine in the Mainz Chess Classic.

The Indian ace won the last game of the eight-game series to emerge victorious by 4.5 - 3.5 points.

It was a remarkable recovery by Anand, who had lost to Ponomariov in the third game on the first day of the three-day event.

For the Ukrainian, it turned out to be a confidence-shattering experience, and he must be cursing himself for missing out after taking an early lead on day one.

The players, who were level at 3-3 after the sixth game, drew their seventh game.

Playing white in the last game on Sunday, Anand shifted from his usual king pawn to the queen pawn and faced the Queen's Gambit Accepted by Ponomariov.

The opening choice by Ponomariov surprised many as Anand himself is an exponent of the variation, having fought many a keen theoretical battle against the likes of Vladimir Kramnik.

Anand maintained a miniscule advantage as the game entered the middlegame phase and exerted pressure on the weak black kingside with a finely crafted knight manoeuvre.

The Ukrainian found some solace in exchanging the rooks but failed to find the best defensive moves as Anand got in to the demolition act on the kingside.

It was a brilliant piece sacrifice by Anand on the 26th move that ripped open black's kingside. Anand got only two pawns for the pieces but the irrepairable weaknesses that he left in Ponomariov's position soon had a telling effect as the remaining black pawns fell like nine pins.

Holding on to his own, Anand picked up one pawn after another and soon Ponomariov was stripped off of his pawns on both flanks. After the exchange of the last minor piece on the 42nd move it was a picturesque sight as Anand had five pawns and Queen against Queen and Knight.

Ponomariov fought in vain for four more moves before resigning.

Earlier, the concluding day started with honours shared after the first six rounds. Ponomariov, white, faced the Sicilian Paulsen by Anand that converted to the Taimanov variation.

Ponomariov maintained some pressure in the resulting middlegame but Anand gave an excellent display of defensive chess to hold his front.

The pieces got exchanged at regular intervals and though Anand was saddled with a backward pawn on the queen file, his pieces came to the rescue act as and when Ponomariov attacked it.

The Ukrainian finally successfully opened the kingside but Anand sacrificed a pawn to force the game in to a rooks and pawns endgame that was just level.

In a last ditch attempt, Ponomariov traded the rooks also but the ensuing king and pawns position was not sufficient for a win despite the extra pawn for the first player. The draw was agreed to after 81 moves.

Earlier reports
Anand draws level with Ponomariov
Anand loses third game against Ponomariov