Israel PM keenly follows Anand-Gelfand match

Jerusalem: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an amateur chess player and an enthusiast of the game, closely followed the 12th game of World Championships between his countryman Boris Gelfand and India`s defending champion Viswanathan Anand in Moscow.

The game was broadcast on a giant screen in a room adjacent to the Prime Minister`s office where Netanyahu watched it between meetings and spoke with Natan Sharansky, a former minister who was a promising chess player as a child, about the moves. The Israeli Premier is said to have met the Israeli Grandmaster Gelfand in March 2010 when he played a match against him and Natan Sharansky, which is said to have ended in a draw. A lot of amateur and professional Israeli chess players as well as enthusiasts also gathered at the centre of Israel to watch the match on a big screen. The two players are tied at 6-6 points after 12 games and the champion will now be decided in tie-breakers. PTI