ANAND PLAYS GELFAND IN FIRST ROUND
Hindu
Friday, Sep 14, 2007
India
Sport – Chess
NEW DELHI: Top seed Viswanathan Anand will open his campaign in the
World chess championship against Israel’s Boris Gelfand when the
action begins in Mexico City in the early hours of Friday, as per
the Indian Standard Time (IST).
The opening round of the eight-player 14-round event also features a
clash between defending champion Vladimir Kramnik and fellow-Russian
Peter Svidler.
Strong contender Levon Aronian is due to play black against Russia’s
Alexander Morozevich . Alexander Grischuk, the fourth Russian in the
fray, takes on Hungary’s Peter Leko.
The event to be played at Sheraton Centro Historico Hotel offers $1.3
million in prize-money.
Kramnik, who dethroned the 2005 champion Veselin Topalov, has shown
good form by finishing ahead of a tough field, including Anand,
at Dortmund this year.
Anand, the highest rated player in the world, is a joint favourite
considering his consistently impressive record in the classical time
format of the game.
Aronian is the one expected to upset the plans of Anand and
Kramnik. The Armenian, a former World junior champion, has remained
upwardly mobile on the rating charts. Armed with all-round skills,
Aronian will be watched with keen interest.
Though the recent forms of Svidler, Morozevich, Gelfand, Leko and
Grischuk does not promise much, these players have the capability to
spring surprises.