The Hindu : Anand triumphs in style

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 07, 2003

Sport

Sport - Chess

Anand triumphs in style

CHENNAI April 6. Former world champion Viswanathan Anand won five straight games to win the SIS-MH 2003 Masters Rapid chess tournament in Denmark on Sunday.

In a weekend to remember, Anand, 33, player played high quality chess and made mincemeat of the Danish opposition to win the tournament even before the start of the sixth and final round. Anand started the tournament with a draw and that is what the Danish players could take from him.

Anand's tally after six rounds was 5.5 points and World No. 69 Peter Heine Nielsen finished joint second with Curt Hansen on three points.

In the fourth round, Anand played a brilliant rook for knight sacrifice on the 41st move to win a second time against Hector in 66 moves.

Victory number four came with such ease that Anand required just 19 moves to humble former world junior champion Hansen.

In the final round, he scored a pulsating 34-move win against Nielsen after sacrificing a rook to net the uncastled black king in the Caro-Kann defence.

The results:

Sixth round: Viswanathan Anand (Ind) bt Peter Heine Nielsen (Den), Jonny Hector (Den) lost to Curt Hansen (Den). Fifth round: Hansen lost Anand, Nielsen drew with Hector. Fourth round: Anand bt Hector, Nielsen drew with Hansen. Third round: Hector lost to Anand, Hansen drew with Nielsen (Den).

Final placings: 1. Viswanathan Anand (Ind) 5.5/6; 2-3. Curt Hansen & Peter Heine Nielsen (Den) 3 each; 4. Jonny Hector (Den) 0.5.— Our Chess Correspondent.

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