Anand beats Kramnik; retains World Chess Championship

NEW DELHI: World Champion Viswanathan Anand retained the world crown by taking another draw with challenger Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the 11th ga


Challenger Vladimir Kramnik of Russia leans back before his first move with the black stones in the 11th game against defending Chess World Champion Viswanathan Anand in Bonn on October 29, 2008. (Reuters Photo)me of the world championship match in Bonn on Wednesday. ( Watch ) Playing his final white game against the Russian, Anand forced Kramnik for a draw after the 24th move to win the championship 6.5-4.5. Anand was in the driver seat even before the start of the penultimate game of the championship as he required only a draw against his challenger Kramnik to clinch the title. And after the 10th game fiasco, Anand kept things under control against the Russian through-out the match on Wednesday.
In the tenth game on Monday, for the first time Kramnik came into reckoning in what had been a one-sided affair so far. The Russian punished Anand's reckless play in great style and proved his fighting qualities just while everyone thought that the match was over. The 12-game final carries a purse of 1.5 million euros (about $1.8 million) and both get equal amounts regardless of the result on Wednesday.
"A great job done, my son" "A great job done, my son", exulted the proud father of Vishwanathan Anand who retained the world chess crown defeating Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in Bonn on Wednesday. Vishwanathan said the family had been tense for the last few days and the result is a great relief. The father said "it was a lone battle Anand had fought. Today, he has the entire nation behind him".
Anand's achievements so far:
1985: Arjuna Award, Outstanding Indian Sportsman (Chess)
1987: Padma Shri, youngest ever recipient
1991-92: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, first ever recipient
1997: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1997
1998: Chess "Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1998
1998: Sportstar Millenium Award, from India's premier Sports magazine for being the sportperson of the millenium
2000: Padma Bhushan, for being the first Asian to win the World Championship
2003: Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2003
2004: Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 2004
2007: World Chess Champion (undisputed)
2007: Was awarded the second highest civilian award of India, the Padma Vibhushan.

Sarabjit shifted from death row cell in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Indian national Sarabjit Singh, awarded capital punishment in Pakistan, has been shifted from death row to a normal cell in a Lahore
jail, raising hopes that he might not be executed. ( Watch ) Pakistani TV channel Geo news reported that the move may be an indication that the Sarabjit, convicted for triggering blasts killing 14 people in Pakistan in 1990, would not be hanged. However, there was no official word in this regard so far. Sarabjit, whom Pakistani authorities call Manjit Singh, has been on death row since he was convicted for alleged involvement in four bomb attacks in Punjab province in 1990. Sarabjit's family, who visited Pakistan this year seeking his release, insists that he was wrongly convicted for the attacks.
His execution, initially set for April 1, was deferred for 30 days by former President Pervez Musharraf. This was done so that the new PPP-led government could review his case following India's appeal for clemency. After Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter, Pakistani authorities put off Sarabjit's execution "till further orders".
Pakistan's Supreme Court and Musharraf had earlier turned down Sarabjit's mercy petitions. Pakistan Law Minister Farooq Naek, who met Sarabjit in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail earlier this month, said he had sought the Indian's file from the prison superintendent so that he could study his case. The 42-year-old has already spent 17 years behind bars. Leading Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney, who earlier played a key role in the release of another Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh, recently asked the Pakistan government to commute all death sentences, including that of Sarabjit, to life imprisonment, saying a majority of death row prisoners had been wrongly convicted.

World Chess championship: Anand a step closer to the title

BONN (Germany): World Champion Viswanathan Anand took another step forward to retain the world crown by taking another draw with challenger Vladimir


Viswanathan Anand contemplates the next move against Vladimir Kramnik. (AP Photo)
More PicturesKramnik of Russia in the 9th game of the world championship match on Sunday. ( Watch ) Anand retained his 3-points lead following the draw with white pieces and is now just a draw away from retaining the crown he won last year in Mexico. The scoreline now stands at 6-3 in Anand's favour with three more games
to go. If one goes by the rules of the world championship, the match is as good as over unless Kramnik is able to win the last three remaining games, an almost impossible task possible only if disaster strikes Anand. The 9th game also saw the Queen pawn opening by Anand for the fifth time in the match. It was a bloody battle as Kramnik decided to give Anand a taste of his own medicine, the Semi-Slav's sharp Moscow system.
Anand was a little worse for some time according to the experts but played determinedly to steer the game to a draw. For the records Anand did not enter the main complexities of the system and went for a relatively less-played system these days. Kramnik, obviously under pressure to win the game, came up with a new idea on the 11th move and got the desired results as Anand came under pressure as the game progressed.
However, the nature of the position remained very complicated which is typical of the opening setup and Anand always had his chances. The Indian ace remained a pawn less for the major part of the game but got the opportunity to convert to a rook and opposite coloured Bishops endgame. Kramnik figured out a temporary way to trouble Anand in the endgame by sacrificing his Bishop for two pawns on the 38th move.
Anand had to find a few defensive moves thereafter and when the Russian could no longer improve his position further he had to win the piece back and the players arrived at a double rook endgame with just a pawn each. The draw was agreed to after 45 moves, Anand clearly has emerged as the superior player in the match. The 10th game on Monday is Kramnik's last chance to make amends in what has been a dramatically one-sided affair thus far. As thing have shaped up though, it seems that the world championship is poised to end after the next game.

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