Anand finishes second in Tata Chess, Nakamura champion

WIJK AAN ZEE (THE NETHERLANDS): Five times winner Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a second place finish following a draw with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the 13th and final round of 73rd Tata Steel Chess tournament on Monday.

The World Champion could draw a big consolation from the fact that he would be the number one ranked player all over again as the results here proved that he will be overtaking world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the next rating list.

Hikaru Nakamura of United States own the title after drawing his final round game with Wang hao of China.

For the records, Nakamura tallied 9 points in all, a half point more than Anand in this category-20 super tournament between 14-players.

The American not only performed way beyond his rating of 2751 but also finished ahead of the world's top four ranked players.

Anand got the better position with his black pieces but could not find a breakthrough AS Nepomniachtchi simply got an impregnable position in the endgame arising out of a Sicilian defense game.

The Indian ace settled for a draw in 37 moves. "Disappointing," Anand said after the final results were out.

"When I reached a plus-four score (Four wins and rest draws), I felt I was well on my way to a final victory but Hikaru just kept winning, picking up six points in a row, which was quite amazing.

"But I'm not unhappy; it's difficult to be unhappy with a plus-four score. It's a pity I didn't manage to win the tournament but I think I performed above my rating, which isn't bad at all," the World Champion said.

The third place was shared by Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian of Armenia who both scored 8 points apiece. The last round of the tournament turned out to be a damp with all the games ending in draws for the first time in the event this year.

In Group 'B' Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished with 5.5 points after drawing quickly with with Vietnam's Le Quang Liem. England's Luke McShane and Czech Republic's David Navara tied for the title at 8.5 points and the former won the title on better tiebreak qualifying for the 'A' group of 2012.

Tania Sachdev started out as the lowest ranked player in the 'C' group but her performance was way above expectation. The Indian finished with 6.5 points in all to finish joint sixth after losing to Germany's Sebastian Siebrecht in her final round game. Italy's Daniele Vocaturo won the title and a promotion to the next year's 'B' group with 9 points after drawing with main rival Illya Nyzhnyk of Ukraine.

Final standings: Group 'A': Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 9 points), 2. Viswanathan Anand (8.5), 3-4. Magnus Carlsen (Nor), Levon Aronian (Arm) (8 each), 5-6. Vladimir Kramnik (Rus), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) (7.5 each), 7-8. Anish Giri (Ned), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr) (6.5 each), 9-10. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus), Wang Hao (Chn) (6 each), 11-13. Alexander Grischuk (Rus), Erwin L'Ami (Ned), Jan Smeets (4.5 each), 14. Alexei Shirov (Esp, 4) .

Group 'B': Jon Ludvig Hammer(Nor, 4) lost to Laurent Fressinet (Fra, 6); Zahar Efimenko (Ukr, 8) drew with Gabriel Sargissian (Arm, 7.5); S S Ganguly (Ind, 5.5) drew with Le Quang Liem Liem (Vie, 7.5); Wesley So (Phi, 7.5) drew with Radoslav Wojtaszek (Pol, 6.5); David Navara (Cae, 8.5) drew with Luke McShane (Eng, 8.5); Wouter Spoelman (Ned, 5) beat Friso Nijboer (Ned, 3.5); Li Chao (Chn, 6) beat Vladislav Tkachiev (Fra, 7).

Group 'C': Robin Van Kampen (Ned, 4.5) drew with Benjamin Bok (Ned, 6.5); Daniele Vocaturo (Ita, 9) drew with Illya Nyzhnyk (Ukr, 8.5); Murtas Kazhgaleyev (Kaz, 7) drew with Dariusz Swiercz (Pol, 7.5); J.W. de Jong (Ned, 4) lost to Kateryna Lahno (Ukr, 8); Mark Bluvshtein (Can, 7.5) beat Ivan Ivanisevic (Srb, 7.5); Tania Sachdev (Ind, 6.5) lost to Sebastian Siebrecht (Ger, 5.5); Roeland Pruijssers (Ned, 4) lost to Mark van der Werf (Ned, 5).

TOI

India hope Tendulkar can cap career with World Cup win

NEW DELHI: As Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar heads into his record sixth cricket World Cup, a nation of 1.2 billion are hoping he can cap a phenomenal career with a win for host India.

Tendulkar is the holder of virtually every major batting record in Test and one-day cricket, including most runs and most centuries in either form, and most believe a World Cup win will complete his career of achievements.

Former West Indian batsman Vivian Richards said during a World Cup promotional event last month that "the World Cup would be the icing on the cake for Sachin Tendulkar."

Just as Tendulkar's consistency has been credited with India's superb recent form, runs from the Mumbai player's bat have had a direct bearing on the team's fortunes in the World Cup.

This time around, home conditions are expected to help India, which boasts of an prolific batting lineup.

The likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan may be capable of turning any match on its head with big-hitting, but Tendulkar remains the bulwark.

Tendulkar, 37, played for India in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the semifinals in 1996. He played a major role in both those campaigns. establishing the record for most runs in any single World Cup by accumulating 673 in 2003, and was the highest scorer in 1996 with 523.

Tendulkar's absence from a match against Zimbabwe in the 1999 World Cup, when he returned home briefly after his father's death, resulted in India losing the match and spoiling its finals chances despite consistent performances from others like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Tendulkar, who also leads the aggregate table for most runs in World Cups at 1,796 in 36 matches and shares the record of four World Cup centuries, will now be tied with Pakistan's Javed Miandad in terms of Cups participated in.

Brian Lara, the only modern-day batsman who has been consistently compared with Tendulkar, says the Indian's records will not be easily broken.

"I believe that the entire world appreciates Tendulkar still playing cricket," Lara said on a recent visit to New Delhi. "His records will not be surpassed, especially with more Twenty20 cricket being played."

Lara said he was honoured to have his name being spoken in the same breath as the Mumbai batsman.

"Winning the World Cup or not, Tendulkar's achievements are enormous," he said.

Tendulkar avoided one-day cricket for almost a year after hitting 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010.

He then returned home midway through the one-day series in South Africa this month because of a hamstring injury, but that was more of a precaution with the World Cup round the corner.

Tendulkar has learnt the art of remaining fresh by taking timely breaks, and while he, along with Australia captain Ricky Ponting, South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, is among the top players expected to have a last stint at the World Cup, not everyone feels that is the case.

Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup winning captain, says Tendulkar is capable of playing in a seventh World Cup.

"People say it is his last World Cup, but I don't believe this. We might see him play the next World Cup also as I feel he will not quit till he wins the trophy."

Tarun Mehndiratta, a 40-year old finance professional from New Delhi's satellite town of Gurgaon and an avid Tendulkar fan, feels it will be a golden moment if his hero lifts the World Cup on home ground in Mumbai on April 2.

"What more can one ask for than Tendulkar winning the coveted trophy for us at the Wankhede Stadium?" said Mehndiratta. "I am sure all Indian fans are hoping that comes true."

TOI