Anand beats Kasparov, finishes second in Croatia Grand Chess Tour
(Sourced from PTI)
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand finished second in the Croatia Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb on Sunday with an impressive performance, accentuated by his two victories over long-time rival Garry Kasparov. Anand, who had beaten Kasparov on the first day of the Blitz on Saturday, came up with a superb performance again to defeat the Russian legend in the 13th round on Sunday.
Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (22 points) sealed the title with a round to spare, thanks to a victory over a misfiring Kasparov in the 17th round. Indian ace Anand took a quick draw in his 18th round game against Alexander Grischuk to finish with 21 points and a clear second ahead of the top-seed Ian Nepomniachtchi.
In the penultimate round, Anand drew against Shakriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. He would receive $25,000 as prize money for his second-place finish. Anand got the better of Kasparov in 25 moves in a Nimzo-Indian defense game. The victory came for the Indian maestro after three straight draws in rounds 10, 11, and 12 against Anish Giri (The Netherlands), Jan-Kryzstof Duda (Poland), and Vachier-Lagrave respectively.
Anand's winning spree continued in the 14th round against Russian Nepomniachtchi, following which he defeated Anton Korobov (Ukraine) and Jordan Van Foreest (The Netherlands) and shared honors with Shakriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan). On the first day of the Blitz on Saturday, the Indian ace chess player had recorded four wins, drawn three matches, and suffered two defeats.
Anand ended up seventh in the Rapid section, with nine points. He had posted two wins, drawn five, and lost two matches. In Rapid chess, players get 25 minutes to complete the game with 10-second increments after each move. In Blitz chess, players get five minutes for the game with two seconds' increment after each move.
