Anand proves his supremacy in Rapid, finishes overall second

Monaco, March 30 (UNI) Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand drew both his games against Boris Gelfand in the last round but that was enough for him to clinch the Rapid title while finishing overall second at the Amber Blindfold and Rapid chess tournament here.

His old rival Vladimir Kramnik won blindfold section and emerged overall champion.

Anand, who will become the world number one in FIDE rankings tomorrow, topped the rapid section with 8.5, two points clear of four-man pack of Kramnik, Carlsen, Leko and Ivanchuk, while Kramnik finished with nine points out of 11 in blindfold and 15.5 overall, thus claiming both the titles.

Anand shared seventh spot with Radjabov in blindfold with 5.0 points.

In the last round against Gelfand, Anand had to settle for a draw in both blindfold and rapid versions, the later being regarded his pet game. However, in the blindfold section, Anand lost a winning chance with black and introduced an early novelty that gave him an equal game.

He then followed it up with his natural game and drew parity easily, but after only 19 moves, surprisingly both the players agreed for a draw.

Anand has won the rapid title five times earlier -- last time in 2006 when he shared it with Alexander Morozevich -- whereas with this year's win, Kramnik has bagged the blindfold section for the sixth time.

Meanwhile, in other games of the blindfold section, Levon Aronian defeated Vasily Ivanchuk in what can be termed as the longest game of the section, while their rapid game ended in a draw.

Final Round 11 Standings: Blindfold: 1. Kramnik 9.0; 2. Morozevich and Gelfand 7.0; 4. Ivanchuk and Svidler 6.5; 6. Aronian 6.0; 7. Radjabov and Anand 5.0; 9. Carlsen and Leko 4.0; 11. Van Wely 3.5; 12. Vallejo Pons 2.5 Rapid: 1. Anand 8.5; 2. Kramnik, Carlsen, Leko and Ivanchuk 6.5; 6. Aronian 6.0; 7. Svidler 5.5; 8. Gelfand and Morozevich 4.5; 10. Radjabov and Vallejo Pons 4.0; 12. Van Wely 3.0 Combined: 1. Kramnik 15.5; 2. Anand 13.5; 3. Ivanchuk 13.0; 4. Svidler and Aronian 12.0; 6. Morozevich and Gelfand 11.5; 8. Carlsen and Leko 10.5; 10. Radjabov 9.0; 11. Vallejo Pons and Van Wely 6.5.

UNI