Topalov takes the lead against Kamsky

Wed, Feb 18 2009 19:02 CET
byPetar Kostadinov

Bulgarian chess grandmaster Vesselin Topalov won the second game of his match with American Gata Kamsky on February 18 2009 after winning with the black pieces on the 32nd move, Bulgarian Focus news agency said.

The win brought the overall result of the match, the winner of which will challenge world chess champion Viswanathan Anand for his crown later this year, to 1.5 for Topalov against 0.5 for Kamsky.

The first game ended with a draw. The two have six more games to play with all matches played at the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in Sofia. Up to seven tie-break games, played under fast chess rules, would be played to decide the winner.

After his win at the international tournament in Nanjing where he remained undefeated, Topalov extended his lead at the top of the individual Elo standings, calculated by the chess federation FIDE.

This gave Topalov a 20-point lead over world champion Viswanathan Anand. Topalov previously held the FIDE world title, but lost the re-unification match against Professional Chess Association champion Vladimir Kramnik.

Source: http://www.sofiaecho.com