Shvidler writes: The dry statistics are very heavily in Anand's favor. In lightning games, he holds an 8-1 advantage over Gelfand. However, Anand's last victory over his Israeli rival was in 2007; since then, they each have one victory.
In the last two games of their World Championship series, Anand appeared to have woken from the slumber he was in for most of the tournament. And that is not such good news for the Israeli. After all, when he is on his game, Anand is head and shoulders above anyone else in the world and, as former world champion Kramnik put it, possibly one of the greatest chess players who ever lived.
But none of the experts who have descended on the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow can quite escape the feeling that Anand is afraid of Gelfand. Otherwise, they find it hard to explain why he did not try to play for a win in the last two games, when it appeared that the Israeli had little chance of forcing a draw. Several other decisions by the Indian grandmaster have also raised eyebrows and suggested that he was rattled by Gelfand's strong start to the tournament.
That is why many people are now predicting that Gelfand's versatility will give him the upper hand; after all, they say, it's a lot harder to find a novel way to break down an opponent in 25 minutes of chess than in a regular two-hour game. Kramnik also feels that Gelfand's concentration in the rapid game is greater than his rival's and that his nerves will hold out better. Either way, it will be a tense affair, between two of the best chess players of the generation. Either of them would be a worthy champion.
B&W wishes all chess fans and both the chess players a memorable tiebreak for the 2012 world chess championship today live from 1.30 pm via official website.
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