Karjakin wins Candidates Chess; Anand draws with Svidler to finish third

Karjakin wins Candidates Chess; Anand draws with Svidler to finish third

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Viswanathan Anand was held to a draw by Russia's Peter Svidler in the final game of the Candidates Chess tournament in Moscow. The former World Champion finished third in the table, one point behind eventual winner Sergey Karjakin, who will now face Magnus Carlsen in the World Championship.

Anand was at the top of points table after defeating Karjakin in the 11th round, however, a shock defeat against Hikaru Nakamura and a draw against Anish Giri in his last two matches, put him virtually out of contention for the top spot.

The former World Champion faced Peter Svidler in the final round on Monday, and the match ended in a 0.5-0.5 draw. Few expected Anand to win his black game against Svidler. He did manage to create a strong position with another English opening, but his early knight maneuver to c2 wasn't that challenging.

Svidler managed to hold his own with well-timed pawn pushes (16.d4! 22.f4!) as both the players headed for a draw. The Russian was struggling a bit with his concentration, having spent 14 hours behind the board in the last two rounds.

“On the one hand I'm satisfied, but on the other hand there's a feeling of a waisted opportunity. I'm aware of my age, which brings certain limitations. but as you can see it doesn't need to stop you,” Anand said after the match.

Meanwhile, in the deciding clash between Sergey Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana, the Russian came out on top with a 1-0 win. The victory enabled him to finish 1 point above Caruana at the top of the table and win the Candidates Chess tournament. He will now face Magnus Carlsen in the World Championship, at New York City in Novemeber.

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