Game Seven began with a twist as former World Champion Anatoly Karpov made the first move with Anand’s pieces. The game was critical to the larger result of the championship and a draw here means the next couple of games become extremely vital for Topalov as he will try to shrug off Vishy’s one point lead.
Topalov made the early advance, pushing Anand into a corner with a surprise variation of the Catalan move. Topalov made these initial moves swiftly showing that the moves were predetermined and prepared. Anand however, was well equipped to keep Topalov at bay throughout the match and barring some anxious moments seemed comfortable. The match took a humongous 54 moves to come to a close.
With 5 games to go, Topalov will now be under pressure to either prevail or die. Anand seems not perturbed by the nuances of the Bulgarian’s game as he will try to defend his World Championship title in the next few games. Topalov’s plan B will surely come into play now as he will look to outdo Vishy’s dynamic defense that has kept him quiet till now.
With a draw in Game 7, Topalov has to now prevail or die!
The Game 8 will be played on 4 May Tuesday 12.00 UTC. After the excitement produced by Topalov in Game 7, there will be enough ammunition in Game 8 to blow you over!
