Anand loses to Kasparov in blitz

Kasparov took the title with 10.5 points from 13 games and was a clear 1.5 points ahead of Anand and Vassily Ivanchuk, who finished joint second. Anand took the second place with a better tie-break score.

Kasparov was in blistering form winning nine of his 13 games and his sole loss came unexpectedly against the low ranked Bosboom, who finished tenth in the final placing.

Kasparov beat Anand, Ivanchuk, Ivan Sokolov, Peter Svidler, Vesselin Topalov, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Jeroen Piket, Jan Timman and Dmitri Reinderman and drew with Kramnik, Loek Van Wely andAlex Yermolinsky.

Also with nine wins from 13 games was Ivanchuk, but he lost other four games to Kasparov, Anand, Sokolov and Timman. Anand 9, who bagged the coveted Chess Oscar last year, also lost to Sokolov but won seven games and drew four.

Though Kasparov8217;s triumph in Blitz will be a boost for him, Anand, who won four of the five tourneys he played in 1998, seems to have started from where he left last year and would be a favourite to clinch the first title of the season.

Anand finished joint second with Ivanchuk, but more than the second placing what may have been disappointing for him would be the loss to Kasparov in the fourth round.

The main tournament will re-start this evening with the third round. In the third round, Anand will meet Alexi Shirov, who last year beat Vladimir Kramnik in a widely publicised match to set up a world title clash with Kasparov. That match did not materialise because there were no sponsors. Kasparov will meet Yermolinsky with whom he drew in the Blitztournament.

Final positions in the Blitz tournament:

Kasparov 10.5, Anand and Ivanchuk 9, Kramnik 8.5, Svidler and Topalov 6.5 each, Kasimdhzanov 6, Piket and Bosboom 5.5, Timman 5, Van Wely 4.5, Reinderman 3.5, Yermolinsky 3.