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Anand Victorious in Ciudad de León

Viswanathan Anand once again proved that while Veselin Topalov may have a slight edge at the top of the ratings list, there is no doubt who rules the world of rapid chess.

Anand defeated Topalov 2.5-1.5 in the finals of the Ciudad de León chess tournament, a rapid event which featured four strong grandmasters in a knockout format. Each player had 20 minutes to make all their moves, with a 10 second increment.

Despite the anticipated final, the most exciting match of the tournament took place in the semifinal round.

Anand was heavily favored in his first match with Cuban GM Lazaro Bruzon. However, Bruzon proved to be a formidable opponent, managing draws in each of the first four games of the match.

With the score tied at 2-2, the match moved to blitz tiebreakers. In the first blitz game, the unthinkable happened - Bruzon won, putting Anand on the brink of elimination. However, Anand had white in the next game and managed to equalize the match at 3-3 in a Ruy Lopez.

After drawing the next game, Anand now had a chance to take the match with the white pieces. Again choosing to play a Ruy Lopez, Anand won in 45 moves, taking the match 4.5-3.5.

Topalov had a somewhat easier time in his semifinal against Francisco Vallejo Pons. Topalov won each of the first two games, quickly clinching at least a tie in the match. He secured victory in the third game by drawing with white. Vallejo Pons won the final game to make the final score a little more respectable, but Topalov moved on by a 2.5-1.5 margin.

This set up the much anticipated final, featuring the world's top two players. Anand, having won nearly every major rapid tournament in the past few years, was the heavy favorite, and did not disappoint. After drawing the first game, Anand took the white pieces in game two and broke through Topalov's Berlin Defense, winning in 50 moves. Topalov was unable to gain an advantage in either of the final two games, and both ended in draws, giving Anand the 2.5-1.5 victory.

Here is Anand's decisive victory in the final:

White: Anand, V (2803)
Black: Topalov, V (2804)
Ciudad de León, Final, Game 2
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 Ne7 11. Re1 Ng6 12. Bd2 Be7 13. Rad1 Nf8 14. Nd4 Bc5 15. Nb3 Bb6 16. Be3 h5 17. Rd2 Ne6 18. Ne4 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 b6 20. Nd4 Nxd4 21. Rxd4 c5 22. Rd2 Bf5 23. Ng5 Ke7 24. Rf3 Be6 25. Nxe6 Kxe6 26. Rfd3 Kxe5 27. Re3+ Kf6 28. Rd7 Rhf8 29. Rxc7 g5 30. Kf1 h4 31. a4 Kg6 32. Ree7 Rad8 33. Ke2 a5 34. Rc6+ f6 35. Rxb6 Rd4 36. b3 c4 37. Ree6 cxb3 38. cxb3 Kf5 39. Re3 Rc8 40. Rf3+ Ke4 41. Re6+ Kd5 42. Rfxf6 Rc2+ 43. Kf1 Rd1+ 44. Re1 Rdd2 45. Kg1 Rb2 46. Rf5+ Kd4 47. Rxg5 Rxf2 48. Rg4+ Kd3 49. Re5 Rfc2 50. Rxa5 1-0