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Anand draws with Gelfand
Rediff, India
June 14 2004
Former World champion Viswanathan Anand drew a hard-fought game with
Grandmaster Boris Gelfand of Armenia in the fourth match of the Armenia
versus Rest of the world contest now in progress at the Hyatt Ararat
in Moscow.
The World team maintained its four-point lead over the Armenians with
a 3-3 draw in the fourth clash and now looks set for a triumph as
there are just two rounds or 12 games remaining in this six-player
event being played under the Scheveningen system wherein each member
of one team plays one game each with the rival team members.
The World team took its overall tally to a whopping 14 points out of
a possible 24 while the Armenians are now saddled on 10. Problems for
the Armenian team continued from their lower rated players as Smbat
Lputian lost his third game in the event, going down to Frenchman
Etienne Bacrot, once the youngest Grandmaster of the world.
In fact only a late onslaught by former World championship finalist
Vladimir Akopian could assure the Armenians of their first graceful
drawn result.
The World team had beaten Armenia 3.5-2.5 in the first, 4-2 in the
second and again 3.5-2.5 in the third match of the event in last
three days.
Anand played a patient game against Gelfand, who is still looking for
an elusive victory here. It was a Petroff defence, a rare choice by
the Israeli who is known as the most famous pupil of late Armenian
World champion Tigran Petrosian for whose 75th birth anniversary
celebrations the tournament is being played.
Anand tackled the opening quite well despite being surprised and came
out with a miniscule advantage but Gelfand's timely thrust in the
middle game ensured him enough respite. The endgame arose after Anand
sacrificed a pawn for initiative but there was nothing to hope for
as Gelfand quickly neutralised. The draw was agreed to after 30 moves.
Bacrot was in his element while taking care of Lputian, who played the
white side of a Slav defence game. The middle game was approximately
equal but an oversight in the endgame cost Lputian dearly as he lost
a couple of pawns.
However, with his king march right to the 7th rank, Luptian kept
himself in the game and it took Bacrot 54 moves to eventually score
the victory.
Akopian scored the equaliser for Armenia in the last game to end in
the day when he defeated Loek Van Wely.
Surprising, both the decisive game of the day were won by players
playing black.
Van Wely is one player in the World team who is having a rough time
but in case of Armenians the figure is more.
Moreover for the World team Anand and Peter Svidler have played
excellently with three points each out of their four games while for
their rivals, even thee world's top rated Garry Kasparov
has mustered just 2.5 so far.
The clash of the titans is still to come as Anand is yet to play
Peter Leko and Kasparov, who is also to play against Svidler in his
other remaining encounter.
Results match 4: Armenia (10) Rest of the World (14)
Viswanathan Anand (ROW) drew with Boris Gelfand (ARM); Garry Kasparov
(ARM) drew with Michael Adams (ROW); Peter Leko (ARM) drew with Peter
Svidler (ROW); Smbat Luptian (ARM) lost to Etienne Bacrot (ROW); Loek
Van Wely (ROW) lost to Vladimir Akopian (ARM); Francisco Vallejo Pons
(ROW) drew with Rafael Vaganian (ARM).
Rediff, India
June 14 2004
Former World champion Viswanathan Anand drew a hard-fought game with
Grandmaster Boris Gelfand of Armenia in the fourth match of the Armenia
versus Rest of the world contest now in progress at the Hyatt Ararat
in Moscow.
The World team maintained its four-point lead over the Armenians with
a 3-3 draw in the fourth clash and now looks set for a triumph as
there are just two rounds or 12 games remaining in this six-player
event being played under the Scheveningen system wherein each member
of one team plays one game each with the rival team members.
The World team took its overall tally to a whopping 14 points out of
a possible 24 while the Armenians are now saddled on 10. Problems for
the Armenian team continued from their lower rated players as Smbat
Lputian lost his third game in the event, going down to Frenchman
Etienne Bacrot, once the youngest Grandmaster of the world.
In fact only a late onslaught by former World championship finalist
Vladimir Akopian could assure the Armenians of their first graceful
drawn result.
The World team had beaten Armenia 3.5-2.5 in the first, 4-2 in the
second and again 3.5-2.5 in the third match of the event in last
three days.
Anand played a patient game against Gelfand, who is still looking for
an elusive victory here. It was a Petroff defence, a rare choice by
the Israeli who is known as the most famous pupil of late Armenian
World champion Tigran Petrosian for whose 75th birth anniversary
celebrations the tournament is being played.
Anand tackled the opening quite well despite being surprised and came
out with a miniscule advantage but Gelfand's timely thrust in the
middle game ensured him enough respite. The endgame arose after Anand
sacrificed a pawn for initiative but there was nothing to hope for
as Gelfand quickly neutralised. The draw was agreed to after 30 moves.
Bacrot was in his element while taking care of Lputian, who played the
white side of a Slav defence game. The middle game was approximately
equal but an oversight in the endgame cost Lputian dearly as he lost
a couple of pawns.
However, with his king march right to the 7th rank, Luptian kept
himself in the game and it took Bacrot 54 moves to eventually score
the victory.
Akopian scored the equaliser for Armenia in the last game to end in
the day when he defeated Loek Van Wely.
Surprising, both the decisive game of the day were won by players
playing black.
Van Wely is one player in the World team who is having a rough time
but in case of Armenians the figure is more.
Moreover for the World team Anand and Peter Svidler have played
excellently with three points each out of their four games while for
their rivals, even thee world's top rated Garry Kasparov
has mustered just 2.5 so far.
The clash of the titans is still to come as Anand is yet to play
Peter Leko and Kasparov, who is also to play against Svidler in his
other remaining encounter.
Results match 4: Armenia (10) Rest of the World (14)
Viswanathan Anand (ROW) drew with Boris Gelfand (ARM); Garry Kasparov
(ARM) drew with Michael Adams (ROW); Peter Leko (ARM) drew with Peter
Svidler (ROW); Smbat Luptian (ARM) lost to Etienne Bacrot (ROW); Loek
Van Wely (ROW) lost to Vladimir Akopian (ARM); Francisco Vallejo Pons
(ROW) drew with Rafael Vaganian (ARM).