Bengaluru, December 29: Viswanathan Anand regained the World Rapid Chess championship in Riyadh with a stunning display.
Anand en route to the title had defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway, against whom he had lost the World Championship race in 2013.
Anand - Fedoseev 2-0 in the playoff. The great Vishy Anand wins again the World Rapid title after 14 years! https://t.co/fq47dbYith
— FIDE (@FIDE_chess) December 28, 2017
Thanks all!! Feeling is like floating. My head keeps playing the song... we are the champions! The words ring so true. More on this moment after the blitz!
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) December 28, 2017
The 48-year-old from Chennai was placed joint second at the start of the final five rounds (11 to 15) on Thursday (December 28), but came back strongly to bag the title on tie-break after a three-way tie with Russians Vladimir Fedoseev and Ian Nepomniachtchi at 10.5 points from a possible 15.
Anand then defeated Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break to win the title.
The standings: 1-3. Viswanathan Anand (Ind) and Vladimir Fedoseev (Rus) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus), 10.5; 4-9. Bu Xiangzhi (Chn),Magnus Carlsen (Nor), Alexander Grischuk (Rus), Boris Savchenko (Rus), Rauf Mamedov (Aze) and Gadir Guseinov (Aze) 10. Tie-break: Viswanathan Anand beat Vladimir Fedoseev 2-0.
Women: 1. Ju Wenjun (Chn) 11.5; 2. Lei Tingjie (Chn) 11; 3-8. Elilsabeth Paehtz (Ger), Bela Khotenashvili (Geo), Pham Le Thao Nguyen (Vie), Ulviya Fataliyeva (Aze) and Ekaterina Atalik (Tur).