Anand Wins Ninth Title In Leon

Anand Wins Ninth Title In Leon
By Arvind Aaron

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand beat the Chinese champion Wei Yi 2.5-1.5 in the best of four Advanced Chess Tournament finals at Leon in Spain on June 13, 2016.

Anand took the lead with the white pieces in the first game and drew the last three to win the tournament by the minimal margin. In game one, Anand won pawns on the queen side and reached a winning queen ending that forced his Chinese opponent to give up in 50 moves.

In the remaining games, Wei Yi held marginal advantages but was never close to winning any of the three drawn games.

Earlier, in the semifinals, Anand slipped from 1.5-0.5 lead to 1.5-1.5 score when he lost to David Anton Guijarro overlooking a tactic on move 41. However, in the all-decisive fourth game, Anand won a pawn on move 41 and converted that into a win after 68 moves for a place in the finals. Wei Yi also accounted for Jaime Santos Latasa by 2.5-1.5 in the other semis.

Rapid events at Leon (Esp) and Mainz (Ger) have helped Anand’s career immensely. Having a flair for quick thinking and a heart for facing knock out competitions, has helped the Indian stay on top in the elite ladder longer than most of his peers.

Video By Mr.Vijayakumar