Anand vs Karpov rapid chess match in Corsica

by ChessBase
11/1/2009 – First there were 32-board simuls, against participants from the Corsica Masters. Reigning World Champion Anand won all his games, 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov conceded one draw, against a 15-year-old. Then they faced each other in the first of four rapid chess games. Anand won one, the second was drawn. The next two are scheduled for November 2nd. Illustrated report.

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Anand vs Karpov – Match of World Champions

The World Champion Vishy Anand is playing a four-game rapid chess match against the legendary twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov, on the island of Corsica. The games take place in Bastia on October 31th, and then in Ajaccio on November 2nd. Time controls are 15 minutes for the whole game and 3 seconds increment per move. Live coverage is available on the official web site and on the Playchess server.

The event started with a simultaneous exhibition by both players, each facing 32 opponents from the subsidiary events – Youth and Open tournaments. Karpov won 31 games and drew one (against 15-year-old Francis Xavier Vincenti, rated 1854). Anand won all 32 games. A selection of these games are given at the bottom of the page.

In the rapid chess Match Anand won the first game with white in 46 moves. The second game ended after 41 moves in a draw.

Anand,V (2788) - Karpov,Ana (2619) [D31]
Rapid Match Corsica FRA (1), 31.10.2009
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.h3 0-0 9.Bd3 Re8 10.Nf3 Nf8 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.Rab1 a5 14.a3 Be6 15.Na4 N6d7 16.b4 axb4 17.axb4 b5 18.Nc5 Nb6 19.Ra1 f6 20.Qc3 Bf7 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Ra1 Qb8 23.Nd2 Nc4 24.Ndb3 Ra7 25.e4 dxe4 26.Bxe4 Bd5 27.Bxd5+ cxd5 28.Re1 Qd6 29.Qf3 Kf7 30.g3 g6 31.h4

Anand has been putting the pressure on Karpov for most of the game, but the older player has been hanging on pretty well. 31...Re7?! Leaving the a-file to the opponent was probably not the best idea. 32.Ra1 Rc7? 33.Ra6 Qd8 34.Qf4 Kg7 35.Rxf6 Qxf6 36.Qxc7+ Kg8. Anand is now a healthy pawn up and on the path to victory. 37.Kg2 Qf5 38.Qe7 h6 39.Nc1 g5 40.hxg5 hxg5 41.N1d3 Nd2 42.Qe2 Nc4 43.Ne5 Kg7 44.Ng4 Ng6 45.Qe6 Qxe6 46.Nxe6+

Black resigned, Anand went into the lead. 1-0. [Click to replay]

In the second game Karpov held his own until move 29, where he gave Anand attacking chances.

Karpov,Ana (2619) - Anand,V (2788) [D45]
Rapid Match Corsica FRA (2), 31.10.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Be2 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Bb2 Rc8 11.Rfd1 c5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Qc3 f6 16.Qd4 Qe7 17.Bc4 Bxc4 18.Qxc4 Nb7 19.Qe2 e5 20.e4 Qe6 21.Rd5 Rc7 22.Rc1 Rfc8 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 24.h3 Bf8 25.Ne1 Rd7 26.Rxd7 Qxd7 27.Qc4+ Qf7 28.Qc6 Nc5 29.Ba3

Karpov's last move gives Anand the initiative, but it is not enough to seriously endanger the twelfth World Champion: 29...Nxb3 30.Bxf8 Nd4 31.Qa8 Qxf8 32.Qxa7 Qb4 33.Qa8+ Kf7 34.Nf3 Nxf3+ 35.gxf3 Qc5 36.Qb7+ Kg6 37.Qd7 Kh6 38.a4 Qc1+ 39.Kg2 Qg5+ 40.Kf1 Qc1+ 41.Kg2 Qg5+ ½-½. [Click to replay]


Relaxing on the hotel terrace by the sea: Aruna and Vishy Anand, Anatoly Karpov


At lunch in a Corsican restaurant


Looking good in front of the boats and yachts: Anatoly Karpov in Corsica


He definitely should get himself one of these: World Champion Vishy Anand


Anand, Karpov and chief organiser Léo Battesti with the Corsican flag


Gifts – see, Anatoly, if you had brought your wife you would have got two baskets!

Results and standings

 
Rtng.
1
2
3
4
Tot.
Perf
 Viswanathan Anand
2788
1
½
   
1.5
2809
 Anatoly Karpov
2619
0
½
   
0.5
2598

The Corsica Masters

The Corsica Masters tournament took place in Bastia from October 25 to 31 and had a prize fund of €40,000. It was a nine-round Swiss played at the rate of 1 hour 30 minutes for all moves with a 30 second increment per move during the entire game. Three GMs scored 7.5 points out of nine games to share first place. The official web site gives Sokolov as the winner.


Dutch GM Ivan Sokolov, winner of the Corsica Masters 2009

Final standings (after nine rounds)

Pl.

Ti.

Player

Elo

Pts

Tr.

Bu.

Perf

1

GM

Sokolov Ivan

2657

46½

57½

2726

2

GM

Malaniuk Vladimir P

2586

46½

57½

2684

3

GM

Hamdouchi Hicham

2590

45½

56

2676

4

GM

Maslak Konstantin

2551

7

47

58

2600

5

IM

Bujisho Benjamin

2403

7

44½

55

2506

6

IM

Caspi Israel

2404

7

42½

51½

2429

7

GM

Palac Mladen

2576

7

42

51½

2525

8

GM

Karpatchev Aleksandr

2477

7

42

51½

2465

9

GM

Shishkin Vadim

2511

47

57

2538

10

GM

Guliyev Namig

2525

45½

55½

2543

11

GM

Gruenfeld Yehuda

2474

45½

55

2511

12

IM

Kozlov Oleg

2226

45

53½

2434

13

GM

Kozakov Mikhail

2437

43

53

2457

14

FM

Lehtivaara Petri

2377

43

52½

2405

15

IM

Vuilleumier Alexandre

2332

42

50½

2321

16

IM

Shirazi Kamran

2410

41½

50½

2391

17

GM

Prie Eric

2493

41

50½

2435

18

Bressac Stephane

2153

40½

48

2272

19

FM

Wantiez Fabrice

2339

39½

48½

2263

20

FM

Mullon Jean-Baptiste

2368

6

45

55½

2423

21

IM

Dimitrov Pavel

2376

6

45

54½

2392

22

IM

Dimitrov Radoslav

2365

6

43½

53

2374

23

FM

Njili Kamel

2316

6

43

52½

2279

24

IM

Godard Maxence

2344

6

42

51

2287

25

Iwanesko Alexandre

2191

6

42

49

2270

26

IM

Ljubisavljevic Zivojin Z

2291

6

41½

51

2329

27

Davitian Achot

2261

6

41½

50

2256

28

FM

Guedon Stephane

2164

6

41½

49

2244

29

Bates Caspar J

2190

6

40½

49

2228

30

Nieminen Kari

2219

6

39

48

2140

31

Costa Pierre-Mathieu

1958

6

39

45½

2078

32

Valgmae Toomas

1999

6

38

47

2188

33

Cristofari Antoine

2109

6

37

44½

2098


The Corsica Masters under way


Satisfied: Léo Battesti with his organisation staff


Ahh, but they are not so satisfied with Léo...

Links

The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!



Karpov vs Kasparov 2009

Karpov-Kasparov: Grudge Match in Valencia
30.08.2009 – They played each other in five big World Championship matches, most famously in 1984, when their first encounter was abandoned after 48 games without a final decision. Now to mark the 25th anniversary Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov will play a 12-game match – four rapid and eight blitz games – from 21 to 24 September, 2009, in Valencia, Spain. Details and statistics.

Karpov-Kasparov: Match start in Valencia today
22.09.2009 – Exactly 25 years after their first encounter – the World Championship match in Moscow – the perennial opponents Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov are playing a twelve-game rapid and blitz match in the Spanish city of Valencia. The rounds start on Tuesday at 19:00h CEST (21:00h Moscow, 1 p.m. NY), with two days of rapid games and one for blitz. Watch it on Playchess.

Valencia: Kasparov starts with 2-0 crunch
23.09.2009 – Twenty-five years and still going strong: Garry Kasparov started his commemorative match against eternal rival Anatoly Karpov with two quick wins. The first game was over in 24 moves, when Karpov overstepped his time; and the second ended in 28 moves after a flashy kingside attack by Kasparov. The international press is reporting extensively, and we have some interesting video documents.

Valencia: Karpov wins game three, Kasparov wins the match 3-1
24.09.2009 – Day two of the commemorative rapid chess match saw Anatoly Karpov win a fine game against the man who dethroned him as World Champion 25 years ago. In the final game Garry Kasparov only needed a draw, but put on the pressure until Karpov crumbled and lost – again – on time. The final score of 3.0-1.0 is exactly what the ratings predicted. Illustrated report with videos.


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