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Coming into the game, Anand was sitting pretty with a one-point lead while Topalov had been striving and stretching for one more victory to equalise the score.

The Bulgarian challenger was impressive in showing some serious home preparation and also his aggressive instincts in the eighth game to defeat Anand after 56 moves.
Throughout the eighth game, Anand was defending a miserable looking position and eventually blundered on the 54th turn when most analysing Grandmasters started hinting at a draw. For a long time in the ending, the players had opposite coloured bishops on board with Topalov enjoying an extra pawn.

Anand however later pointed out that he was not sure whether he could have held out for a draw even without the blunder and was not happy with the way he played today. Topalov too was unsure whether a victory was possible but thought that his position was always better.

After a disastrous defeat in the first round by employing the Grunfeld Defence, Anand has stuck to the Slav Defence in the third and fifth games and also adopted it in the eighth game.

Anand was the one to deviate from their previous encounters in this match on the 13th turn but it was Topalov who pulled up a novelty on the 18th turn.
Once again it was a complex middle-game with plenty of possibilities after the queens were traded on the 10th move and both players did not castle. Anand enjoyed the bishop pair but a cramped and passive position put him in a defensive mode, throughout the game.

Topalov’s king and an advanced pawn on the 6th rank made things difficult for Anand as he could only offer passive defence. Topalov too was not at his precise best but there were no risks for him to continue playing in this position.

Agencies

Moves: Topalov, V  - Anand V:  1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 c5 8.e4 Bg6 9.Be3 cxd4 10.Qxd4 Qxd4 11.Bxd4 Nfd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bxc4 Rc8 14.Bb5 a6 15.Bxd7+ Kxd7 16.Ke2 f6 17.Rhd1 Ke8 18.a5 Be7 19.Bb6 Rf8 20.Rac1 f5 21.e5 Bg5 22.Be3 f4 23.Ne4 Rxc1 24.Nd6+ Kd7 25.Bxc1 Kc6 26.Bd2 Be7 27.Rc1+ Kd7 28.Bc3 Bxd6 29.Rd1 Bf5 30.h4 g6 31.Rxd6+ Kc8 32.Bd2 Rd8 33.Bxf4 Rxd6 34.exd6 Kd7 35.Ke3 Bc2 36.Kd4 Ke8 37.Ke5 Kf7 38.Be3 Ba4 39.Kf4 Bb5 40.Bc5 Kf6 41.Bd4+ Kf7 42.Kg5 Bc6 43.Kh6 Kg8 44.h5 Be8 45.Kg5 Kf7 46.Kh6 Kg8 47.Bc5 gxh5 48.Kg5 Kg7 49.Bd4+ Kf7 50.Be5 h4 51.Kxh4 Kg6 52.Kg4 Bb5 53.Kf4 Kf7 54.Kg5 Bc6 55.Kh6 Kg8 56.g4 1–0.