Moscow: Defending champion Viswanathan Anand holds the edge going into the fifth game as white in his World Championship match against Boris Gelfand at the State Tretyakov Gallery here.
The fourth game was another piece of good preparation by Anand and another indication that Gelfand and his team are yet to even come close to cracking the opening repertoire of the Indian.
The Slav defense had been going through rough weathers lately but it`s sure to get a revival post Anand`s two successful games as black.
Playing for his fifth world title and third match in a row, Anand will now have to use his white pieces to maximum effect.
Gelfand may not have done well in his white games but it is clear that his surprise has worked well as black in the Grunfeld defense.
Anand, known to play the Grunfeld himself is still looking at ways to dent the system.
"The match is still developing and we are probing," quipped the world champion after game four of the USD 2.55 million championship.
Gelfand knows that he has not been able to push Anand at all and the Indian ace is proving a very hard opponent.
"There was no critical point in the game, white was trying to get some advantage but black was all right in the end," the Israeli said in his comments on game four.
Interestingly, Anand has been known to dent the confidence of his opponents early. In the last two matches, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia did not know what hit him right from the beginning in 2008 while after losing the first game, Anand won the second and went on to beat Bulgarian Veselin Topalov quite easily in the end in 2011.
The opinion among experts on the outcome of the match is a bit divided. There are some who are even predicting all-12 draws followed by the result in tie-break games of shorter duration.
This of course is too early to speculate. Team Anand will spend the day working on new plans in the Grunfeld, Anand was not too happy with his effort in the third game when he last played white but fifth game could be different.
Surprise has been the name of the game so far. It`s been a hard task for Anand but the Indian has proved himself to be extremely resourceful during matches.
Kramnik and Topalov learned it the hard way, Gelfand has done better then them so far but whether or not he will be able to withstand further pressure remains to be seen.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.