<Veselin Topalov: When the knight came to d6 I evaluated the position as winning after that I'm not sure my opponent could save himself.

Anand: I totally misplayed it with f4, maybe bishop takes e3 was a better move or Be7. After that this bishop of opposite coloured ending was very close, somehow I didn't see a forced way, obviously Kg8 is just a blunder, I mean Bc6.

<It was not such a good day for defending world champion Anand. His favourite Slav opening got trashed, and he has let the Bulgarian hero back into the match with just 4 games remaining. To make things worse, just when it seemed that he had escaped the worse (because of several imprecisions on Topalov's part) , Anand then made a terrible blunder on the 54th move and had to resign just 2 moves later!

At the press conference Vishy seemed noticeably nervous, on numerous occasions his left hand touching his face while speaking, something that Anand rarely does, or atleast not in the previous days.

Anand also seemed to not fully appreciate that his position was completely drawable at the point where blundered. He expressed real doubts. Anand probably had difficulty in analyzing correctly at several points during the game.

This kind of dis-orientation is characteristic of an athlete who is out of his comfort zone and beginning to feel psychological and physical exhaustion. It is normal under highly stressful competitive circumstances. It is a good thing that tomorrow is a rest day!

While Topalov is undoubtedly satisfied with today's result, he also is showing some signs of fatigue. His usually sharp tactical vision failed him when he did not play 28.Bb4 (instead of 28.Bc3). He most likely would have won handily in that case.

Instead, he allowed the Indian back into the game and he must have realized that he missed something when he found himself with nothing better than an opposite coloured Bishop ending a pawn up. While the Bulgarian was never in any risk, he should count himself lucky.

Normally, with this level of player (Anand and Topalov), if you make one mistake you can count on suffering for the rest of the game. Players of this level are unforgiving, and only very rarely will they allow you to get back into the game.

But because of the unusal tension and importance of this match, both players are beginning to show cracks in their armour. What we saw today was that the mistakes were being forgiven! Not once, but twice!

To be fair, this is characteristic of such world championship matches. There will always be one or two games that are embarrassing! But what is important now for both players, as they are about to play the final period (analogy with hockey--3 periods), is that they find a way back to their usual level of play, despite the stress, the exhaustion and fatigue. It is especially important now for both players to be as mentally tough as they can be...the title of World Champion could be riding on a single blunder!

As mentioned, tomorrow is a rest day. Both players can use it, I am certain. The teams will have to sit down and re-evaluate their match strategy, re-define their objectives for the coming games and put into some rational perspective everything that has happened these past 4 games.

Certainly Topalov has gained some momentum, he has managed to win a game and has succeeded in imposing his will in each game.

Anand seemed to have been a bit uncomfortable with a one-point lead and lacked both the opportunity and the conviction to take any risks to increase his slim lead. Now that he has allowed the Bulgarian back into the match, he must think very carefully about what kind of mindset he wants to have in the next game.

However, as unfortunate as things have been recently, Anand still has an even score! He is certainly not out of the match by any means.

Finally, we spectators have to realize that while we are having all the fun, both players (and teams) are not having ANY fun at all! The routine of both players is undoubtedly limited to staying in their hotel rooms and travelling back and forth to the playing hall ...and not much else. They probably can not go out , even for walks, for fear of being recognized and asked for autographs, pictures and silly questions. And there are real security issues as well. This has been going on for the past 2 weeks, and can be expected for atleast another week...no doubt both players look forward to a nice long vacation later!>

SPRAGGETT ON CHESS

That strategy can be said to have begun from game two, game one employing a perhaps unjustifiably risky Grunfeld defence.

On the whole Anand has done better than Topalov. With the White pieces, Topalov gained winning prospects only in this game, and Anand might have drawn this one too, had he avoided a couple of mistakes. Anand has however won games two and four, and he had winning ahcnces in games six and eight.

As for game eight, one cannot avoid losses like that at least on occasion.

This suggests that providing Anand manages to avoid making mistakes, his present opening strategy is the right one.

The fact that he did not see or wasn't sure of the draw shows he did not appreciate the position which meant he was lost - not so much OTB - but in his understanding of that game.

Part 1 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NWK...

Part 2 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcIM...

Part 3 :

I have just posted my essay on the game, if anybody is interested in reading what some idiot thinks of it:

http://dcloh.wordpress.com/2010/05/...

I would welcome any comments or criticisms: here; or on the blog itself.

Keep kibitzing!

I'm pretty sure white does better than equalise with 22. Ba7+

<Bondsamir: <<. He basically wants to hit his opponent on the head with a hamster.>>>

<Black was lost much earlier -- but was saved by White's error.

In the diagram, Black had just blundered by not getting his bishop back to defend via . . . Ba4-d7, he said. As a result White could have won with 35 Kd2!! followed by Kc3-d4-e5.

For example, 35 . . . Ke8 36 Kc3 Bb1 37 b3!! Kf7 38 Kd4 Bc2 39 Bg5 threatens 40 d7 and queens. Then 39 . . . Ke8 40 Ke5 Bxb3 41 Kf6 Ba4 42 Kg7creates a winning passed pawn.

But, in the game, White played 35 Ke3?? and after 35 . . . Bc2! and . . . Ba4 Black could draw.>