Anand joins Carlsen in lead

Record five-time champion Viswanathan Anand easily overcame Loek Van Wely of the Netherlands to join Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the lead at the end of the seventh round in the Tata Steel Group A Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee on January 19.

World champion Anand won a lop-sided contest by winning a pawn with ease and adding a bishop in the end. Van Wely lost like a simul game under the might moves of the Indian.

Anand is looking for his sixth title, the highest in this 75-year long traditional chess event of the world. Significantly, Anand won more
times than the Dutch world champion Max Euwe, who had won this event four times. Anand and Carlsen are in the lead on five points from seven games. It is a 14-player all-play-all event and six rounds remain to be played.

The results (round seven): Hou Yifan (Chn) 2.5 drew with Caruana (Ita) 3; L’Ami (Ned) 2.5 drew with Giri (Ned) 2.5; I Sokolov (Ned) 2 drew with Harikrishna (Ind) 4; Leko (Hun) 3.5 drew with Carlsen (Nor) 5; Karjakin (Rus) 4.5 drew with Aronian (Arm) 4; Anand (Ind) 5 bt Van Wely (Ned) 3; Wang Hao (Chn) 3 lost to Nakamura (USA) 4.5.