Anand
Slightly better
Kasparov
Anand
 
Kasparov
 
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
1
3
6 turns without comments
4

Anand looking to build as strong of a center as possible, in his final White game of the match.

00:14 f3
4

A hugely committal move, weakening his position quite heavily. But he just wants to shut down the dangerous pawn advance by Anand at all costs.

01:04 f5
5
7
6 turns without comments
8

The position reaching something very typical looking, but one where Anand continues to keep a nice edge due to his very healthy control of the center.

00:02 O-O
8
1 turn without comment
9

At least Kasparov has managed to inflict some pawn damage on the left hand side, in exchange for the bishop pair.

00:01 bxc3
9
10
2 turns without comments
10

Long term, Kasparov will try to find some counterplay against this structurally weak pawn. This is a very typical idea in Nimzo Indian positions, and this one looks more or less exactly like that!

00:08 Nc6
11

??MISTAKE??

A very surprising move. Anand pushes his pawn forward, which opens up the scope for Kasparov's bishop-queen battery on the left hand side.

00:26 f4
11
12
3 turns without comments
13

Anand has traded one pawn for the other, but now Kasparov will get to plant a monster knight on an advanced outpost.

00:04 Bxf5
13

This knight is looking monstrous, but Anand does have some kingside attacking prospects.

00:10 Nxc4
14
15
4 turns without comments
16

Kasparov makes a good decision to give up a pawn on the kingside, in order to be able to take the sting out of the attack and coordinate his forces.

00:02 Qxg6
16
18
5 turns without comments
19

Anand's attack is gathering steam here. He could lift up a rook soon and cause a lot of damage quickly.

00:02 Qg5
19
20
2 turns without comments
20

Kasparov scrambles to try and get the queens off the board, in order to dull Anand's attack.

00:07 Qe7
21
24
7 turns without comments
24

??BLUNDER??

Now Anand can push the pawn forward and win the game on the spot!

00:01 Qe7
25
26
4 turns without comments
27

Anand strikes!

$8,000 in this jackpot blitz game as Vishy secures his first win of the match. It may be too late to fight for the title, but it's very nice to see him getting on the scoreboard at last. Perhaps it had something to do with the pressure being off his shoulders at last. In any case, it took 10 games to defeat Garry Kasparov, but he has managed it. And he's got another shot at picking up a further $8,000 in the final blitz game, which would allow him to tie Garry for bonus prize money given the rising prizes in this 'Clutch' format. Let's tune in to game 12!

00:02 e8=Q+

Two blitz games remain

The battle for the title is officially over, but Anand and Kasparov will be back at the board shortly, in order to slug it out over the two remaining blitz games.

For Anand, this is an opportunity to try and finally break down the defenses of his formidable opponent, as well as to grab the lion's share of the remaining bonus prize money.

I suspect we'll see a far more relaxed duel for what remains of the evening, though Garry's tremendous competitive drive means that we can expect to see him fighting tooth and nail to leave the playing hall today without having suffered a single defeat. So far, it's 10 unbeaten games in a row for the 13th World Champion!