Anand, Kasparov to clash today

Former World champion Vishwanathan Anand will take on top seeded Grandmaster Garry Kasparov of Russia with white pieces in the tenth round of the Linares Super Grandmasters' chess tournament on Wednesday.

The return clash of the titans will be the centre of attraction after the players had their second and final rest day on Tuesday.

Though Kasparov is only a half point ahead of Anand on 4.5 points, he has played one game less and that would mean the Indian stalwart will have to go all out for victory if he wants to remain in contention for top honours.

The tournament has thus far belonged to Kasparov, who has been the sole undefeated player. A hot favourite at Linares, Kasparov has won two games and drawn five so far.

For Anand, the tournament has been of mixed fortunes, with his killer instinct missing. His draws with white pieces have been a cause for worry but the silver lining was his excellent victory over GM Alexei Shirov of Spain. The loss to his usual "customer" GM Michael Adams must have dampened the spirit of the Indian a bit, but he is known to fight back from difficult situations.

World champion Ruslan Ponomariov has played well so far and is in second position with 4.5 points from eight games.

Many doubted the capabilities of the young Ukrainian before the start of the event but he has certainly proved the critics wrong. He was particularly impressive in the revenge match against Adams which he won in exciting fashion.

Shirov started with draws quite uncharacteristically and is now on a fifty per cent score along with Anand. His compatriot, Francisco Pons Vellejo, has shown tremendous potential. All of 18 years, Pons Vallejo is tipped to be the next big star to enter the elite chess circle, and if games at Linares are anything to go by, he might spring a surprise or two during the remaining part of tournament.

Quite interestingly, the generally calm and steady Adams has played the maximum number of decisive games in the ongoing tournament. His victory run started against Ponomariov in the second round but since then he has seen many ups and downs. If the loss against Ivanchuk was disturbing enough, Ponomariov's tackling of the Marshall Gambit must have added to his woes. In the rounds to come Adams will try and come back to fifty per cent.

Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk has played some fine games and it's an irony that he blunders so often to lose from good positions. His loss to Shirov was just another attestation of the fact where Chucky crumbled from a no-loss situation and overlooked a rook that was en prise.

Overall the forecast is not yet clear, with Ponomariov breathing down Kasparov's neck. Both have to play against Anand and between themselves too, but Kasparov certainly enjoys a tangible advantage as he will play white against Ponomariov in the last round.

Standings after Round 9: 1. G Kasparov 4.5/7; 2. R Ponomariov 4.5/8; 3-4. V Anand, A Shirov 4.0/8; 5-6. F Pons Vallejo, V Ivanchuk 3.5/8; 7. M Adams 3.0/7.

Pairings for round 10: M Adams v/s A Shirov; V Anand v/s G Kasparov; V Ivanchuk v/s F Pons Vallejo.