Viswanathan Anand greatest king of 64 squares

From today, the chess world is certain to debate if Viswanathan Anand is the greatest player ever.

Having won in every format — tournament, knockout and match — the Indian maestro can take that pride of place, though a certain Gary Kasparov may object. “He is a worthy world champion — one of the best to ever play the game,” said English grandmaster Jonathan Speelman, a one-time second of Kasparov.

But Kasparov could be lauding Anand for the way he conducted himself, for the way he fought back in the tournament, for the way he overcame the initial trouble of reaching the venue, for the way he focused on chess and for the way he withstood the virulently-adverse Bulgarian media.

The last time Veselin Topalov played a world championship, he almost split the world chess fraternity fighting over toilet breaks with his challenger Vladimir Kramnik. This time there was no controversy — due to Anand’s gentlemanly approach. Topalov tried to provoke Anand with a few statements, but the latter said he would rather concentrate on the Bulgarian’s chess rather than his statements.

Concentrate he did on Topalov’s chess and came out with an unexpected win. In the end, Anand not only outplayed Topalov, but also out-prepared and outclassed the local hero. He won the 12-game series 6.5-5.5 to retain the title he won against Kramnik in 2008.

Going into the final game, Anand had the disadvantage of black pieces, but he came out with an unthinkable variation. His choice of the Queen’s Gambit Declined was a jolt for Topalov, who groped in the wilderness to find the right moves. Anand had never played this line. Yet, it was not easy to find a winning line, but Anand found it after a few slips. “It was not easy to find the right lines but Anand overcame the last-game nerves and played brilliantly,” said Speelman.

“Anand’s choice was stunning. On the board, he had weak pawns but active pieces while Topalov had strong pawns but passive pieces,” said RB Ramesh, a former second of Anand.

Psychology was at play too. While Anand stayed calm, not letting the enormity of the occasion trouble him, Topalov, otherwise known to be a strong-willed aggressive player, wilted under the weight of expectations.

Anand had a disastrous start in the match, losing the first game meekly. The 40-hour travel from Frankfurt to Sofia evidently took its toll on him. But he bounced back winning the second, and went on to win the fourth as well. Though Topalov equalised, winning the 10th game, Anand was always in control. Finally, he clinched the issue in the 12th game.

in http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_viswanathan-anand-greatest-king-of-64-squares_1381930