Anand has a favourable second half

By Arvind Aaron

DORTMUND, JULY 18. Like in the previous year, World Viswanathan Anand has a favourable pairing in the second half and is possible for him to bridge the gap between himself and the leader in the 29th Sparkassen Chess Meeting that is in progress here at the Stadt Theatre.

Tuesday was a rest day after five days of top quality action in this category 21 tournament. Except for leader Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov who had a simultaneous display, it was a quiet day for the other four.

Anand's openings haven't provided him with the spark which he had last year when he raced into the lead. Without a victory in five days, Anand continues to stay in the race with the hope of a comeback in the second half. He needs a win to raise his morale.

The defending champion, Kramnik, also the Braingames World champion, has been pretty impressive. He was quite aggressive and utilised the opportunities that came his way in the first and fourth round games.

He was never challenged in any of his games and it included the black game against Anand. Although Adams turned down a draw offer, Kramnik was never in any danger at the board.

The standings after five rounds: 1. V. Kramnik (Rus) 3.5/5; 2-3. P. Leko (Hun), V. Topalov (Bul) 3 each; 4-5. V. Anand (Ind), A. Morozevich (Rus) 2 each; 6. M. Adams (Eng) 1.5.

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