Candidates – Boris Gelfand (2740 – World #18)

Boris Gelfand (2740 – World #18)

Boris Gelfand holds his coveted placement as the result of his status as the incumbent challenger – technically he is the top seed in this event. Born in Minsk, some of his maiden steps came in the “Petrosian School,” where he had the opportunity to meet the man himself. While there, Tigran imparted some advice, which Boris has lived by to this day: “Even when you’re playing blitz, always think!” Think he did, which ultimately brought him to the pinnacle of the chess world, where, in a gladiatorial struggle, he very narrowly missed out on pushing Anand into the abyss.

Gelfand’s early successes came in the arena of Soviet junior chess, where he, alongside Ivanchuk, stood out as a young all-star. They both missed out on the 1988 World Junior title by virtue of an inferior tiebreak to that of Joel Lautier, but that serves as only a small blemish on an illustrious career. What followed was quick ascension to the chess elite, with 1990 serving as his breakout year. Both he and Ivanchuk tied for first at the Manila Interzonal that year, eventually being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Candidates matches by Nigel Short and Artur Yusupov, respectively.

Remaining loyal to FIDE following the split of the chess world, Gelfand went on to win the 1993 Biel Interzonal, this time capably marching past Michael Adams and Vladimir Kramnik en route to the semi-finals of the Candidates tournament, where he fell 6-3 to the eventual FIDE World Champion, Anatoly Karpov. His effort in the 2002 Classical Candidates tournament, however, fell short, as he failed to progress beyond the group stage.

A stalwart of the upper echelon of the chess world, he went deep in virtually every FIDE Knockout World Championship, but always seemed to fail to reach the final board, being eliminated in various years by the likes of Anand, Khalifman, Shirov and Svidler. If ever a controversy could be attributed to his own career, the 2004 FIDE Knockout World Championship, held in Tripoli, may be it. Predictably, he was unable to compete, which served as a double-blow, as, in the process of the chess world being mended, the finalists in that particular event were granted entry to the 2005 FIDE World Championship.

Gelfand’s absence from these all-important events was brief, however, as he went on to knock off Kasimdzhanov and Kamsky, respectively, at the 2007 Candidates tournament, which was soon followed by a tie with Kramnik for second, behind Anand, at the 2007 World Championship. What came next was an amazing performance at the 2009 World Cup, where he knocked off a series of recognizable faces in quick succession: Polgar, Vachier-Lagrave, Jakovenko, Karjakin and Ponomariov. This was followed by the premiere success of his career, reigning supreme at the 2011 Candidates tournament by winning matches against Mamedyarov (in regulation), Kamsky (tiebreaks) and Grischuk (in regulation), before taking Anand to the brink in the 2012 World Championship match.

Gelfand returns hungry, with an underappreciated ability to take his fellow candidates to task. Watch for him to make a keen effort, as he seeks to clear up unfinished business with Anand in a return title match.

Gelfand's opponents at the Candidates

Peter Svidler (2747 – World #14)

Overall: 3 Wins, 20 Draws, 6 Losses
White: 2 Wins, 9 Draws, 2 Losses
Black: 1 Win, 11 Draws, 4 Losses

Svidler has been a problem for Gelfand in the recent past, winning more often than his Israeli counterpart. Count on the trend to end, however, as Gelfand seeks to affirm that 2011 was not a fluke. The English and Petrov seem safe bets for a return, as they proved more than sufficient between both of these players in the 2007 World Championship and forward.

Vassily Ivanchuk (2757 – World #13)

Overall: 8 Wins, 37 Draws, 10 Losses
White: 6 Wins, 21 Draws, 3 Losses
Black: 2 Wins, 16 Draws, 7 Losses

Ivanchuk and Gelfand have a familiarity with one another that stretches back to their junior years in the former Soviet Union. Recent encounters favoured Gelfand, although Ivanchuk did manage two wins as white in 2009. With the opportunity of his lifetime on the line, count on the Ukrainian to punch hard and punch often, but Boris may yet prove sharper. English and Slav lines may be adopted between these two. 

Alexander Grischuk (2764 – World #10)

Overall: 5 Wins, 17 Draws, 5 Losses
White: 3 Wins, 10 Draws, 0 Losses
Black: 2 Wins, 7 Draws, 5 Losses

Gelfand’s results against Grischuk have been mixed. They split victories at the 2005 World Cup and Grischuk got the upper-hand at the 2007 World Championship. In turn, Gelfand struck in what may have been their most important contest to date, when he eliminated the Russian in the final game of the final match of the 2011 Candidates tournament; thus, qualifying for the 2012 World Championship. What comes next will be a new saga, as the English and Semi-Slav make possible returns.

Teimour Radjabov (2793 – World #4)

Overall: 1 Win, 11 Draws, 5 Losses
White: 0 Wins, 6 Draws, 4 Losses
Black: 1 Win, 5 Draws, 1 Loss

Gelfand’s results against Radjabov in the few games they have played have been somewhat dismal. He won when the Azerbaijani was young, lost when the same boy was even younger and has played the role of victim fairly consistently ever since. The elevated importance of this particular venue, however, may see a corresponding jump in the quality of Gelfand’s resistance. The KID and the Petrov seem as yet unfinished conversations between these two.

Levon Aronian (2809 – World #3)

Overall: 5 Wins, 12 Draws, 6 Losses
White: 3 Wins, 4 Draws, 2 Losses
Black: 2 Wins, 8 Draws, 4 Losses

Gelfand has nothing but praise for the quality of Aronian’s play. With three of the last six encounters between these two being results in the Armenian’s favour, expect Gelfand’s reverence to be rewarded with a correspondingly uncomfortable experience. His white-wash of Aronian at the 2007 FIDE World Championship does serve as a trump in his favour, though, so do not count him out. The Meran and the Benoni might be rediscovered here.

Vladimir Kramnik (2810 – World #2)

Overall: 3 Wins, 34 Draws, 6 Losses
White: 3 Wins, 18 Draws, 1 Loss
Black: 0 Wins, 16 Draws, 5 Losses

Gelfand has some experience in meting out punishment to Kramnik, having eliminated him in their semi-final match of the 1994 Candidates tournament, while he also emerged unscathed in their encounters at the 2007 World Championship. Simply put, they can both expect tough games when they face across from one another. For those hoping to see history repeat itself, the Rossolimo would be a good choice.

Magnus Carlsen (2872 – World #1)

Overall: 1 Win, 8 Draws, 2 Losses
White: 0 Wins, 3 Draws, 0 Losses
Black: 1 Win, 5 Draws, 2 Losses

Gelfand has little experience against the young gun from Norway, but, as of late, these fleeting moments have been rather painful for him. In their last two encounters, Magnus has chalked up two victories on the white side of the Slav. On the plus side, he has never lost against the World #1 when holding the white pieces himself. If Boris is feeling ambitious, he may take another crack at the Slav, but, should that happen, few should expect the result to change.

Overall Stats Against Field

Repertoire white

Gelfand’s ability to handle the Slav is first-rate. With few exceptions, the opposition may prefer to deploy the KID.

Repertoire black

Gelfand is equally capable on the black side of the Slav, as he is on the white side. In a handful of cases, his fellow candidates may spring the English on him.

The Candidates Tournament in London

The London Candidates 2013 will be the strongest tournament of its kind in history. The Prize Fund to be shared by the players totals €510,000. The winner of the Candidates will become the Challenger to Viswanathan Anand who has reigned as World Champion since 2007.

Full information on the Candidates – pairings and commentary schedule

Links

• World Chess Web Site
• FIDE Web Site