Viswanathan Anand Defeats Veselin Topalov in 37th Magistral Ciudad de León Semi-Final
Viswanathan Anand, the Indian chess grandmaster, has defeated Bulgarian Veselin Topalov 2.5-1.5 in the first semi-final of the 37th Magistral Ciudad de León. The match was played in the León Auditorium, a space where classical music gives way to top-level chess.
The duel between the two charismatic world champions was a closely contested one, with both players showcasing their analytical abilities and combativeness. Interestingly, both Anand and Topalov have resided or reside in Spain, with Anand having lived in Collado Mediano (Madrid) for over two decades and Topalov living in Salamanca with his wife and two Spanish daughters.
The 54-year-old Anand, ranked 11th in the world, outplayed Topalov, 49, ranked 22nd, in a rook and minor piece ending with a pawn down. The Indian grandmaster allowed Topalov to defend himself in the ending, and the score was tied on move 60.
In the second game, Topalov had a clear opportunity to beat Anand, but he missed his chance, and Anand had his in a rook and bishop ending with two pawns against two knights and three pawns. The tie was again the final result on move 82.
The third game saw Topalov make an inaccuracy that Anand took advantage of very well in a very tactical position to gain an extra pawn, later an exchange, and finally a win. The draw with White was enough for Anand to qualify for the final in the fourth game.
Topalov tried to surprise his rival with the French defense, but Anand responded with a line in which queens were exchanged on move 10. From that moment on, it was almost impossible to win with Black, even by taking unacceptable risks, and on move 48 the fight ended with a draw that qualified Anand for the final.
The 37th Magistral Ciudad de León is sponsored by the León City Council, León Provincial Council, University of León, Aguas de León, and Eulsa.
Game Analysis
The third game of the match saw Anand outplay Topalov with a strong pawn structure and tactical play. The game started with the opening moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.a4 Rb8 9.d3 d6 10.h3 Na5 11.Ba2 c5 12.axb5 axb5 13.c3 Nc6 14.Na3 h6 15.Nc2 Re8 16.Ne3 Bf8 17.Bd2 Be6 18.Bxe6 Rxe6 19.Qb3 Qc8 20.Ra2 Re8 21.Tea1 Qe6 22.Nd5 Kh8 23.c4 bxc4 24.Qxc4 Tech8 25.CXF6 DXF6 26.AC3 CD4 27.CD2 CE2+ 28.RF1 CF4 29.TA7 RG8 30.T1A6 TE8 31.TD7 TA8 32.TAA7 TXA7 33.TXA7 DG6 34.G3 CXH3 35.CF3 DH5 36.RG2 TE6 37.CH4 CF4+ 38.gxf4 exf4 39.Nf5 Qd1 40.Rxf7 Kxf7 41.Qd5 Qg4+ 42.Kf1 f3 43.Ne3 Qg5 44.e5 dxe5 45.Qxf3+ Kg8 46.Qd5 Qg6 47.Nc4 Kh7 48.Nxe5 Qf5 49.Qe4 xe4 50. dxe4 Bd6 51.Nc4 Bf4 52.f3 h5 53.Be1 g5 54.Bf2 Ra6 55.Bxc5 Ra1+ 56.Kg2 Rc1 57.b3 Rc2+ 58.Kg1 h4 59.Bd6 h3 60.Bxf4 gxf4 61.Nd6 Rc3 62.Kh2 Rxf3 63.b4 Kg6 64.e5 Re3 65.b5 Rb3 66.e6 Kf6 67.Ne4+ Ke7 68.b6 Rxb6 69.Kxh3 Kxe6, with Anand emerging victorious.
The 37th Magistral Ciudad de León is set to conclude with the final match between Anand and the winner of the second semi-final, which will be played between Arjun Erigaisi and Jaime Santos Latasa.
