Anand Wins Final Game To Retain World Title!

World Chess Champion Vishy Anand has achieved one of the hardest feats in chess, winning the final game of a world championship match with the dark pieces, to retain his world title against Veselin Topalov, in Topalov's home town of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Anand had played better throughout the match, despite losing the very first game, he had won Game 2 and Game 4 to gain a lead which he kept until Game 8 where he blundered to lose a draw in an opposite-color bishops ending. Anand should probably have won Game 9 when he had two rooks versus a queen and Topalov's king trapped on the back rank in a mating net.

In Game 12, Topalov had the light pieces and the opening looked pretty even when all of a sudden he let Anand's bishop and queen control the main light-square diagonal and Topalov's king was forced to go on a walk. Anand quickly surrounded the King into a mating net but relaxed after obtaining a Queen versus Rook plus Knight, but with few remaining pawns it was conceivable that Topalov could have set up a fortress and force a draw. However, the challenger blundered and let Anand win a pawn which gave him a passed pawn on the Queen's wide which could lead to another Queen, allowing the Champion to win the game and the 12 game championship match 6.5 points to 5.5 points, along with $1.5 million.