In a rare display of weak and lop-sided chess, the Champion and the contender both wasted opportunities to seal the fate of the match. Ultimately, it was Anand’s game to win that ended in a draw. Both the players made moves and regretted them later. Under the pressure of time both the men seemed nervous and volatile.
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Making sense of some moves in the game was difficult but the cause of disturbance was the initial Nimzo-Indian move instead of a Catalan. Topalov failed to read this and played many wrong moves, opening Vishy many doors to walk in. But lapses in concentration plagued him and he seemed under-prepared. With the tournament standing level on 4.5-4.5, the next three games will decide the fate of the championship.
Earlier, Topalov had made a stunning comeback in Game 8 to erase Anand’s one point lead and has looked a hand above him since. After escaping a defeat in this match, he will be on his guard in the next one. Anand will look to put him under pressure again as he himself, would correct his own positions.
Topalov would be rubbing his hands, now that he has the momentum.
Game 10 will be played on May 7th at 14.45 EEST (11.45 UTC). A win here for any of the two men will more-or-less seal the fate of the tournament as both men are defensively strong. It is very difficult to place your bets on this one as the game gets more complicated and intense. Keep watching this space for more.
