SANDS: Anand in command as candidates tourney nears chess finale
By David R. Sands
The Washington Times
Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The chess world may have written off the ex-champ a little too soon.

Indian Grand Master Viswanathan Anand, who lost his crown in a demoralizing match to new Norwegian champ Magnus Carlsen late last year, was not expected to rebound so quickly as the world’s top players gathered for the FIDE candidates tournament this month to select Carlsen’s first challenger.

But the Indian star has played superb chess at the double round robin event in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia that winds up Sunday, and is a full point ahead of his nearest rivals with just five rounds to go. Should Anand hold his lead, he’ll win the right to a rematch with Carlsen later this year.

Starting off with a morale-boosting win over pre-tournament favorite GM Levon Aronian of Armenia in Round 1, Anand’s play has become increasingly impressive as the tournament has gone on. He has rarely been in real danger of losing, shown no signs of the nerves that have befallen his rivals, and has pounced on his winning chances when they arose.

The popular 43-year-old ex-champ may have clinched the victory in Sunday’s pivotal ninth round, when he bested Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov as both of his main pursuers, Aronian and former Russian world champ Vladimir Kramnik, lost. Anand is the only player in the field yet to lose a game.

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