Anand loses, but tops table

25-year-old Swiss grandmaster Vadim Milov scored an upset win over top seeded Vishwanathan Anand in the seventh round of the Credit Suisse Grandmasters International Chess Tournament being played at the Congress Centre in Biel, Switzerland.

The defeat helped FIDE world champion Anatoly Karpov, who was trailing Anand by half a point, to make ground and share the lead with the Indian ace. Karpov fought Belarus grandmaster Boris Gelfand to a quick draw, to draw level with Anand on five points apiece, with three rounds left to play.

The defeat to Milov ranks among the worst suffered by Anand in his career - the more so because the Indian grandmaster went down tamely despite the advantage of the white pieces. And the shock was all the more since Anand, in this tournament, has been playing at the peak of his form.

The Indian ace tried to surprise Milov by employing the opening moves played by grandmaster Kramnik earlier this year, but in the process ventured into a position he was not too familiar with. Anand's 13th move drew criticism from the commentators as it freed Milov's cramped position while weakening Anand's own kingside.

Milov played sharply to take advantage of Anand's confusion. He took control of the white squares around Anand's king. The Indian grandmaster wasted precious time by aimless bishop moves and Milov broke through the centre with his powerful 23rd move. Anand was forced to give up his queen on the 28th move, to avoid a total rout.

Milov, who left his native Bulgaria to settle in Biel, did not disappoint his local fans. He used his queen to disorganise Anand's forces. His handling of the final part of the game was immaculate. Though Anand put up a brave resistance till the 61st move, his fate was sealed much earlier. It was Anand's first loss in this tournament and his second playing white in 1997 - the first came at the hands of Garri Kasparov at Linares.

World champion Anatoly Karpov has won abour 150 international competitions in a career spanning 28 years. When he saw the quick-playing Anand in trouble, he himself promptly throttled back, and played very safe against Gelfand, having realised that a draw against the Belarus grandmaster would help him draw level with Anand at the top of the table. Interestingly, in the process, Karpov also ensured that Gelfand would be mentally fresh for the next round, when he takes on Anand playing white.

International master Yannik Pellettier of Switzerland, who needs to win all his remaining games to get the grandmaster norm, found his hopes dashed when he could only manage a draw with former world junior champion Joel Lautier of France in a 34 move game on the lines of the Queen's Indian Defence.

At the end of round seven, the points table reads: Anand and Karpov (5 points each); Boris Gelfand (4); Milov (3.5), Lautier (2.5) and Pellettier (1).