Viswanathan Anand finally got onto the winners list at the M-Tel Masters Chess tournament and ended his dry run with a victory over Vladimir Kramnik, who committed an uncharacteristic blunder that led to a comfortable win in just 20 moves for the NIIT Brand Ambassador.
The victory enabled the Indian ace move out of the last position, which now sees Kramnik there.
Anand has 3.5 points from seven games and is tied second with Judit Polgar, who drew her seventh round with Ruslan Ponomariov, the leader with four points.
Anand's loss to Topalov sent shock waves and saw Anand in the unfamiliar last position. "These things can change quickly," Anand had said a day earlier and indeed they have.
The game between Michael Adams and Veselin Topalov was still in progress. They both have three points each and in case of a draw, they will join Polgar and Anand. In case of a win for either, he or she will join Ponomariov at the top and the loser will give Kramnik company at the bottom.
"That win was a huge relief, especially after yesterday (against Topalov)," said Anand, who had lost to Topalov in the sixth round.
"You can imagine my mood yesterday. Well, I will take it. A win is good to have. That win was welcome, more so after the game against Topo (Topalov)."
The Anand-Kramnik game, which lasted just 20 moves, was the shortest of the tournament and certainly the shortest result-producing clash between the two giants of modern chess era.
Anand recalled a similar game with Kramnik six years ago in another Petroff.
"It was the tournament in Frankfurt in 1999 and I had played a game with Karpov the day before. When I went back and checked on the computer I saw it was a forced win, very easy. The next day to my surprise, Vlady (Kramnik) played the same game and it gave me a forced win," recalled Anand.
"Sometimes you are tired and don't check on the computer when you get back to the room. I had and Vlady repeated it."
Anand had come prepared with 16 Qc1, which had Kramnik thinking for long after dashing off the early moves in the well-analysed Petroff's main line.
"This is something that has been played in the Leko-Kramnik clash in Brissago and I had prepared it. So, when he played Na5 and then Qe4 and Qd3, it was a surprise, as it was a forced win for white."
Kramnik, when asked if tiredness was the reason for the blunder, gave no excuses and said, "If I am tired and I blunder then it is my problem. It will be nice to have another rest day, and I said that earlier, too."
Polgar and Ponomariov drew in 27 moves from a Ruy Lopez opening, which had the Berlin defense. It was a clear draw and the arbiters agreed, and some farcical moves were avoided.
ANAND V KRAMNIK
M-Tel Masters 2005 Round 7
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 Qxd5 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. Qc1 Na5 17. c4 Qe4 18. Bd1 Qd3 19. Re3 Qxc4 20. Re5 1-0
POINTS AFTER SIXTH ROUND: 1. Ponomariov 4 points; 2. Polgar and Anand 3.5 points each; Adams and Topalov (3 plus one game); 6. Kramnik 3 points.
PAIRINGS FOR EIGHTH ROUND: Ponomariov v Anand; Kramnik v Adams; Topalov v Polgar.