World Chess Championship 2010

Viswanathan Anand, a chess grandmaster from India, has retained the world championship title after a match with Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov. Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his crown by defeating Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov in the World Chess Championship 2010. Anand played with the black pieces and won in the 56th move, with an aggregate score of 6.5-5.5 points. The match took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 24 April to 13 May 2010, with a prize fund of 2 million Euros. In a dramatic finish, Anand won the match 6½–5½ to retain the title. The match was to be twelve games, with tie-breaks if necessary, the same format and length as the 2006 and 2008 matches.

After Kamsky won the World Cup, there was ongoing uncertainty about the location for the Challenger match. Topalov preferred his home country of Bulgaria, while Kamsky wanted to play in a neutral country, and his manager organized a bid from Lviv, Ukraine. FIDE awarded the match to Bulgaria in February 2008, to Ukraine in June 2008, then back to Bulgaria in November 2008 because of problems with finances from Ukraine. Kamsky got a new manager, and met with FIDE and Topalov representatives during the Chess Olympiad,[11] and on 19 November 2008, FIDE announced that the players had agreed to play in Bulgaria, despite Kamsky's preference to play elsewhere. The match was originally scheduled for November 2008, but the late change to Bulgaria forced the match to be rescheduled for 16–28 February 2009.

The match was one of the least controversial in memory. Once Anand had actually arrived in Sofia after travel problems and started the match everything was about the moves on the board. Anand went out of his way to praise the organization and the toughness of Topalov in the final press conference. Topalov's "Sofia rules" policy meant that all the games were played out, he relaxed a bit towards the end taking a draw in a dead drawn position without repetition, and in general I have to admit it worked out well for the watching public. I don't believe however it should be added to the rules for next time. It was Topalov's wish to play to the end that was all that mattered. Topalov prospered in simplified endings that his policy produced. The opening battle was interesting. Anand managed to keep changing the opening discussions enough to avoid deep computer preparation but Topalov's preparation was also good enough to meet these changes. Topalov's over-the-board aggression befitted his role as challenger. The contrast in styles produced fascinating chess, well worth studying.

The match, consisting of a dozen games, was played in the Bulgarian capital Sofia over the last twenty days. Anand received the first-place prize. The awards ceremony was attended by the Bulgarian prime minister, Boyko Borisov, and the international chess federation FIDE's President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Going into the last game, both sides had two wins apiece, and seven draws. However, the Bulgarian's manager, Silvio Danailov, told the Dnevnik that Topalov played the last game "rather nervously", saying: "A draw would have been a good result for him but he made a few mistakes and the Indian exploited them.”Anand deserved to win the match. Vesko played this last game rather nervously. A draw would have been a good result for him but he made a few mistakes and the Indian exploited them," Topalov's manager Silvio Danailov told Dnevnik daily. "This was a historic match for Bulgaria. The country was in the spotlight for millions of people worldwide who love the game. We should be happy and proud that we organized this event."