‘Tormented’ Anand claims World Cup

HYDERABAD: Vis-hy Anand retaining the World Cup title. Winning $46,000 in prize money. A smiling wife sitting by his side. The common man showering praise on the great son of the country. An air filled with love. Everyone can imagine the happiness of a champion. But few know the sorrows. ‘‘I couldn’t sleep the night I lost to Sasikiran,’’ said Anand.‘‘I tried to tire myself by jogging in the gym for half an hour. But it didn’t work.
And after the meal, I just lost sleep. My poor play couldn’t go out of my mind.’’ Anand’s commanding win in the Petroff Defence over Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan in the second game of the World Cup chess final at the Ramoji Film City here on Sunday underlined the true character of a champion. It’s not the genius alone that takes you at the top. Equally significant is the hurt of defeat. The process of self-punishment. Stretching your mind to the limit.
After that dreaded defeat, Anand woke himself up. Winning five crucial games of the next 12, including that six-seconds-per-move blitzkrieg against Alexey Dreev in the semifinal. ‘‘He caught me by a surprise with a Petroff. But I’m quite pleased to come up with new ways in Sveshnikov and finishing it before the tie-break,’’ said Anand about his final win over Kasimdzhanov. ‘‘It’s so heartening that I found the right answers to all his manoeuvres.’’ ‘Kasim’, perhaps smelling that he won’t stand a chance in tie-breaks, played some bold, complicated moves.
But the 32-year-old former Fide World Cup Champion was up to the task. Anand observed that this World Cup was the mirror of the first edition in China two years ago. ‘‘I had a struggle in the league phase, started well in the knockout, had a difficult semifinal against Boris Gelfand and defeated Bareev in the final without the tie-breaks,’’ he recalled.
Indeed, there are many similarities. Like Anand, Xu Yunhua retained her title by beating the top-rated Bulgarian Grand Master (GM) Antoaneta Stefanova in the Ruy Lopez. She too had the white pieces. She won $16,000. Results (finals): Men: V. Anand (Ind, 1.5) bt Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzb, 0.5). Women: Xu Yunhua (Chn, 1.5) bt Antoaneta Stefanova (Bul, 0.5).