An excellent new idea by challenger Boris Gelfand gave the Israeli an easy day against World champion Viswanathan Anand in the 10th game of the world chess championship match in Moscow and left the two players tied on 5-5 with only two regulation games remaining.
Anand, playing white, returned to his favourite king's pawn opening but Gelfand found a new idea as early as the fifth move which led to a comfortable endgame, in which Gelfand kept the balance easily; the game ending after 25 moves and little more than two hours.
“It is always pleasant to play an innovation on move 5,” said Gelfand. “It usually happens on move 20 or 25. After my fifth move, I was able to attack the same piece four times in row.”
Anand, 42, fought hard to make something out of nothing, refusing a draw offer by Gelfand, 43, on the 21st move. “I thought I had some hopes because of Black's broken pawn structure,” said the Indian star, “but a few moves later I decided to return the offer.”
Gelfand's move praised
Anand particularly praised Gelfand's 19th move, surprisingly exchanging Gelfand's best piece, as “the only way for Black but it seems to hold.”
After the game, the two players stayed at the board for a few minutes, discussing possible variations in a manner which confirmed that the two Grandmasters are friends as well as rivals for the $1.53m winner's purse.
Russian champion Peter Svidler described the result as a fine one for Gelfand, who was playing with the disadvantage of the black pieces. “Now we are in seriously nervous territory,” Svidler added, suggesting that now one bad move could lose the world title.
With the match possibly headed into rapid tie-breakers, Gelfand made a point of commending Anand for refusing the privileges which used to accompany the Indian's title defences, saying “Everyone would prefer to win the match in regulation time but I want to praise Vishy because with him the idea of the champion keeping the title in the case of a tie or the champion having an automatic revenge match vanished completely. It is out-dated [and is gone], hopefully forever.”
No speculation
Anand was not interested in speculating about the possibility of two more draws or the rapid tiebreakers which would be required should the match reach 6-6 after 12 games. “Let's not forget we have two more games to play,” Anand said. “I am just playing every day and seeing what turns up, deciding my [strategy] according to the position on the board.”
Ian Rogers is an Australian Grandmaster
