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World Rapid Champion Viswanathan Anand drew his final round game with World No. 1 Garry Kasparov ensuring victory for the Rest of the world team against Armenia at the Hyatt Ararat in Moscow, here today. Despite a defeat in the sixth and final round, Rest of World held on to their lead, winning the match with a narrow 18.5-17.5 score.
Rest of the world began with a cushion of two point lead at 16-14, while Armenia looked for two extra wins, without defeats. Playing the World No. 1 Garry Kasparov with white pieces, Anand snatched the precious half a point with a comfortable draw. The Sicilian Pelican game between Anand and Kasparov, saw neither player willing to take the risk. A little out of the theoretical waters, Anand captured the center "d" pawn and offered a draw which Kasparov accepted. Just into the middle game, Anand held more than an even position on the queenside, but Kasparov's double bishop ensuredsplitting of the point. Anand completed the event with two wins, a lone defeat to Leko and three draws.
The only decisive game of the day came from the Vaganian-Adams game, wherein the veteran Armenian brought in all his experience in the Queens Indian game to down the English Super Grandmaster. Giving it all, Vaganian went all out for the kingside attack, marshalling his pieces in quick time. Adams decision to hold on to the bishop against knight backfired as the white knight occupied vital squares, making inroads into black's territory. Holding a vice like grip in the position, Vaganian found an nice intermezzo forcing Adam's resignation by 38 moves.
Short draws occurd in Vallejo Pons-Leko and Akopian-Svidler, where peace was signed in 18 and 16 moves respectively.
Dutchman Loek van Wely opened with white pieces against Armenian Grandmaste Lputian and the game moved in the Queens Gambit Tartakover variation. The players focussed on the queenside and van Wely was just pleased to sign a draw, as Lputian forced the repetition of moves, by repeated attacking the white queen.
With the lead narrowing down, it all boiled down to the Gelfand-Bacrot game. A student of former world champion Tigran Petrosian, in whose memory this event is held, Gelfand held a minor advantage in the Slav game after the opening phase. A big space advantage and the awkward position of the black king pointed to a defeat for the world team. But the Frenchman, Bacrot, rose to the occasion, and hung on grimly. Ensuring a winning rook and bishop endgame, Gelfand had Bacrot in all knots. Extricating himself from difficulties, Bacrot sacrificed his bishop, wiping out the dangerous pawns. Try as he did, Gelfand couldn't win the rook and bishop versus rook ending. A stalemate on the 70th move, gave the Rest of the World team a crucial half point, ensuring them a match victory over the Armenian team by a single
point.
Final Round Results : Rest of the World (18.5) beat Armenia (17.5)
Viswanathan Anand (ROW) drew Garry Kasparov, Rafael Vaganian (ARM) beat Michael Adams, Fransisco Vallejo Pons (ROW) drew Peter Leko (ARM), Vladimir Akopian (ARM) drew Peter Svidler (ROW), Loek van Wely (ROW) drew Smbat Lputian (ARM), Boris Gelfand (ARM) drew Etienne Bacrot (ROW)
Viswanathan Anand
- Garry Kasparov
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6
8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. c3 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 O-O 14.
Nce3 Be6 15. Bd3 f5 16. O-O Ra7 17. a4 Ne7 18. Nxe7+ Rxe7 19. axb5 axb5 20.
Ra6 d5 21. Nc2 Bc8 22. Ra8 Qd7 23. Nb4 e4 24. Be2 Bb7 25. Ra5 d4 26. cxd4
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