And it all came about, by this innocous link that I saw right at the bottom of the Times of India web page today. A fascinating write up by one Hari Hara Nandan ensured that I managed to read a ToI article from start to finish. Which is a first, I think. Got to reproduce the best bits from this exciting article on the 12th game from Sofia, Bulgaria.
There is a saying in chess that if black is hell bent on going for a draw (of course, in top-flight competition), there is nothing white can do about it. The Bulgarian found a determined black in Anand, who was solid as a rock in defence. A draw was looming ever since Anand made his second move going for the extra-solid Queen's Gambit Declined, which has hundreds of lines analysed deep into the endgames.
But there was a dramatic turnaround in around move 30 when Topalov stretched the position by going all out.
With black, Anand did not want to do anything special, except bore Topalov to death. The Bulgarian, known for his attacking chess and also for scoring points in the last rounds when it mattered the most, tried to break through the Lasker Defence put up by Anand, a line that has been played time and again for a century. Expectedly, the players reeled off the first moves quite fast and then on move 16, Anand followed a road less travelled by posting the knight in the sixth rank. It was time for Topalov to take a break and analyse the position. Whether it surprised him or not, it was clear that Topalov was not completely comfortable with his preparation anymore.
