Viswanathan Anand is back on a roll!
In a breathtaking performance -- perhaps in the best game of the tournament so far -- the Indian Grandmaster demolished leader Viktor Bologan in 36 moves in a Caro-Kann game at the Sparkassen Dortmund International Grandmasters Chess Championship in Germany.
Anand scored his third successive win, a rarity in such high-quality -- Category 18 and above -- tournaments, and raced to the joint second position with Vladimir Kramnik with four points each from seven rounds. Bologan, playing his first Super GM tournament, is still the leader with five points.
With this win Anand avenged his loss to Bologan earlier in the tournament. The Indian GM now has games to play against Kramnik, Teimour Radjabov (who the Indian lost to in the second round) and young Arkadi Naiditsch.
In other seventh round games, Naiditsch held Kramnik to a 27-move draw while Peter Leko drew with Radjabov. Both games were in the Sicilian style.
Playing with white, NIIT-sponsored Anand was flashy and stylish. Unveiling a novelty conceived last year, he
surprised Bologan with a 14th move 14. Re1 and from then had Bologan on the ropes. Then came the absolute stunner, when he made a rook sacrifice, again not a common practice at this level. That came on the 22nd move with 22.Rxe6. Suddenly the playing hall was abuzz. This was Anand at his best and the kind of form that saw him register some of the best title wins of his career.
Bologan had little chance and rose to shake hands after 36 moves.
Bologan has another game against Kramnik, where he plays black and must be worried. That is a last round encounter; before that game he plays Radjabov and Leko.
Earlier, in a Sicilian game, Naiditsch held Kramnik to a draw taking his tally to 2.5 points.
Radjabov drew with Leko after 60 moves from another Sicilian.
Round 7: August 7, 2003
Anand beat Bologan; Naiditsch drew with Kramnik; Leko drew with Radjabov.
Standings after Round 7:
1. Bologan 5. 2. Anand and Kramnik 4 each. 4. Radjabov 3. 5. Naiditsch
and Leko 2.5.
Round 8: Kramnik v Anand; Radjabov v Naiditsch; Bologan v Leko.
Anand's Game
Anand (2774) v Bologan (2650)
Round 7, Dortmund 2003
1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. O-O b6 12. Qg4 g5 13. Qh3 Rg8 14. Re1 Bf8 15. Qf5 Bg7 16. h4 Kf8 17. Qh3 Rh8 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Qg4 c5 20. Bxg5 cxd4 21. Rad1 Bb7 22. Rxe6 fxe6 23. Be7+ Kxe7 24. Qxg7+ Kd6 25. Nxd4 Qc5 26. Bf5 Qe5 27. Nf3+ Qd5 28. Qg3+ Ke7 29. Rxd5 Bxd5 30. Qg5+ Kd6 31. Qf4+ Ke7 32. Be4 Rh5 33. Nh4 Rg8 34. Ng6+ Kd8 35. Qf7 Re8 36. Bd3 1-0
