Topalov’s win streak has put Anand under pressure. His defeats against Kasimdzhanov (Rustam) and Alexander Morozevich explain his desperation for a win
MUMBAI: So what’s the Topalov effect on the ongoing World Chess Championship?
First and foremost, the interest and intrigue of the event has been effectively buried. Second, it has sent Viswanathan Anand into despair and consequently knocked him out of contention for the title. And finally, it has proved that the Olympic motto of citius, aultius and fortius can no longer be the monopoly of the brawn sport. Even the intellectual game can reach newer heights. Deeper preparations can be made, stronger games can be played, higher peaks can be scaled.
“It’s very hard to measure the reserves of human organism. Formerly, it was a common belief that jumpers would never surmount the 240-cm barrier, but it actually happened. It’s funny to recall the time when 10-sec mark was regarded unbreakable for 100-metre sprinters. As for chess, it’s very difficult to draw the line between possible and absolutely unreal. Great players keep raising the bar higher and higher. Topalov has all the rights to be included in this list, especially if he retains his leading position,” says GM Sergey Shipov.
In San Luis, Topalov erupted like a volcano and consumed every opponent. If one had suggested before the start of the WCC that one of the 8 GMs can score 7 points from eight rounds, it would have been dismissed as a preposterous peace of speculation. Two more such performances, and the Bulgarian may well even become the first one to break the 2900 barrier. Anand’s dream and endeavour, for the last five years, has been to break into the 2800 mark.
Never before in the history of chess has a player dominated a competition as ruthlessly as Topalov. Some time in the early 90s, Karpov had scored 11 out of 13 at Linares, Kasparov had done 7.5 out of 8 in Wijk Aan Zee. But Topalov’s 7 out 8 is special because of the status of the championship.
“It is absolutely unbelievable that a human can play eight full-scale games against elite players on the highest possible level and effectively win them all,” says Shipov.
Topalov’s win streak has put Anand under pressure. Desperate to win, he lost the way. His defeats against Kasimdzhanov (Rustam) and Alexander Morozevich explain that desperation. At one stage, Anand scored one point from four rounds. Topalov, at that stage, had won all four.
What next for Anand?
The Indian maestro now needs to win all the remaining six games and hope for a few bad games from Topalov. That’s an unlikely proposition but Anand can make a resume after Friday’s rest, by beating the Bulgarian in the ninth round. It might infuse some excitment into this lop-sided World Championship that has become a one-horse race.
GM Susan Polgar, Judit Polgar’s sister, lists out Topalov’s strengths:
- He can outplay his opponent in wild open tactical positions
- He can outplay his opponent in positional positions
- He can outplay his opponent in even or slightly inferior positions
- He can outplay his opponent in the middlegame
- He can outplay his opponent in the endgame
Pairings (9th round)
Viswanathan Anand (Ind, 4.5) vs Veselin Topalov (Bul, 7); Alexander Morozevich (Rus, 4) vs Peter Leko (Hun, 4); Judit Polgar (Hun, 2) vs Michael Adams (Eng, 2.5); Peter Svidler (Rus, 5) vs Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzb, 3)
Standings (after 8th round):
1. Topalov, 2. Svidler, 3. Anand, 4-5. Leko, Morozevich, 6. Kasimdzhanov 3
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