Anand’s blind fury topples Topalov

Anand also drew his rapid game with Topalov earlier and with it, had a 1.5-0.5 result aganst Topalov, who slipped from the overall first position. Anand has climbed to the overall joint third position with Anatoly Karpov, both of whom now have 7.5 points.

The overall top position changed hands and Alexi Shirov, who had a 1.5-0.5 result against Predrag Nikolic in the sixth round, now has nine points, while Topalov is second at 8.5 points. Anand leads the blindfold section and Alexi Shirov, with five, leads the rapid section.

Anand was highly impresssive in the win against Topalov in the blindfold game when the first rapid game between them ended in a draw after a long fight, the two were back for the blindfold. Anand got a much better game, but he seemed to have lost it for a while by playing too eagerly for a win.

Topalov got some counterplay, but then Anand came up with a beautiful plan, which was followed by a mating attack. The plan was excellent considering it was a blindfold game, where the players only have a blank board to look at.

Shirov drew the first game, the rapid, with black against Nikolic. It was a an exchange variation of the Slav in which Nikolic sacrificed a piece for two pawns and the attack, but it was not enough for a win. In blindfold, Shirov, with white, did not get any special advantage against the Pirc defence from his rival. But Nikolic did not come up with the correct follow up and lost in the endgame.

Kramnik has been having a bad time in this tournament. He lost yet another game, this time to Loek Van Wely in the rapid. In the blindfold, Van Wely messed his endgame and lost to even out things for Kramnik.

Jeroen Piket and Karpov drew both games, as did Joel Lautier and Boris Gelfand. Ivanchuk outplayed Ljubojevic in the rapid game but in the blindfold, when the game was headed for a draw, he still strove for a win and finally lost on time.

Results (sixth round)

Rapid play: Topalov drew Anand, Gelfand drew Lautier, Nikolic drew Shirov.
Blindfold: Shirov bt Nikolic, Anand bt Topalov, Karpov drew Piket, Van Wely lost to Kramnik, Ljubojevic bt Ivanchuk, Lautier drew Gelfand.

Standings: Rapidplay: 1 Shirov 5; 2 Topalov 4.5; 3 Ivanchuk 4; 4 Van Wely, Karpov 3.5; 6 Gelfand 3; 7 Anand, Kramnik 2.5; 9 Piket, Lautier, Nikolic 2; 12 Ljubojevic 1.5.
Blindfold: 1 Anand 5; 2 Karpov, Kramnik, Shirov, Topalov 4; 6 Piket 3.5; 7 Ljubojevic, Gelfand 2.5; 9 Van Wely 2; 10 Nikolic, Ivanchuk, Lautier 1.5.

Combined: 1 Shirov 9; 2 Topalov 8.5; 3 Anand, Karpov 7.5; 5 Kramnik 6.5; 6 Piket, Van Wely, Ivanchuk, Gelfand 5.5; 10 Ljubojevic 4; 11 Nikolic, Lautier 3.5.