Anand Wins Final Game With Black to Retain Title

In a thrilling conclusion to the 2010 World Chess Championship, reigning champion Viswanathan Anand scored the first Black win of the match to retain his championship title over Veselin Topalov. Heading into the final game, the two players were tied, leaving the final score at 6.5-5.5.

Just like every other game in the match, the game started with 1. d4. Anand chose a solid line in the Queen's Gambit Declined. While Anand equalized without too much trouble, Topalov caused his own problems with a couple of pawn exchanges that ripped apart his position, leading to a vicious kingside attack. While Topalov was able to avoid checkmate, he was forced to give up material. Finally, in an endgame that left Topalov with rook and knight against Anand's queen in a hopeless position. While he struggled on for a while, Topalov finally resigned on move 56.

Congratulations to Anand for another excellent title defense, and to both players for a very exciting and closely fought match! Here are the moves from the final game (Topalov had White):

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Bd3 c5 15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8 21. f3 Ba6 22. Rf2 Rd7 23. g3 Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Bb7 27. Nb3 Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 30. e4 f5 31. exf5 e4 32. fxe4 Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34. Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+ Kg7 41. Nf5+ Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2 Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4 53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7 0-1

En Passant: Andor Lilienthal (1911-2010)

He spanned the generations by beating world champions Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine....and old age. But time finally ran out for legendary GM Andor Lilienthal, who sadly died on Saturday at his home in Budapest after a short illness, aged 99. Moscow-born Lilienthal moved to Budapest with his Hungarian parents as a youngster and competed for Hungary in three Chess Olympiads in the 1930s. He moved back to the USSR in 1935 to become a chess trainer to the trades unions; going on to later train world champions Smyslov and Petrosian. He retired and moved back to Budapest in 1976. Lilienthal, who had just turned 99, was one of the "original" 27 grandmaster awarded the title by Fide in 1950. He was active right up to his death, and was busy organising his 100th birthday celebratory invitational tournament next May in Budapest.

Sakaal Times

Sakaal Times: "MUNBAI: On hindsight, it is always better to put things into proper perspective. What if Anand had found the accurate plan and the structure with which a draw was possible in Game eight on Tuesday.
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Anand blundered and lost late night on Tuesday when a draw looked like the obvious result? Would’nt it have been better to press for a victory when Anand had double whites in Game six and seven and decide the title issue once and for all? Shouldn’t Anand have opted for a different Opening than the Slav Defence in Game 8?
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Innumerable suggestions and advice have been posted on various websites for Viswanathan Anand after his loss in Game eight of the ongoing World Chess Championship at Sofia, Bulgaria."