Fighting Anand wins Game 2 to draw level

Anand opened with a Catalan setup,a popular opening move,which wrests initiative. Topalov responded with a 4… dxc4,creating imbalances in the position.

The moving pace was considerably slower compared to the first game,with both players carefully considering their moves.

Anand sacrificed a pawn in the opening in exchange for quick development and positional pressure. Then taking his time before move 15,he offered queens trade. Anands rooks obtained excellent activity on the open files. Both pairs of knights were firmly entrenched in the central positions and the play revolved around the c-file and queenside.

But then the hasty 25…Ne3 by Topalov,which the official match commentator GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili marked as unnecessary,allowed Anand to seize a positional advantage and collect Black queenside pawns.

Topalov tried to reduce the pressure by offering trade of one pair of rooks,but Anand declined.

After establishing a pair of passed pawns on a and b files,Anand obtained decisive advantage and it was just a matter of time before Topalov resigned,on move 43,the lost rook endgame.