Anand beats Shirov in FIDE championship

Moscow:

In a repeat of last year's finals, Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand defeated Alexei Shirov of Spain to start the fifth round of the FIDE Championship in Moscow. Shirov chose the usually solid Petroff Defense but always seemed slightly weaker and by the 25th move it was clear that he was in trouble. Anand sunk a knight on e6 in the heart of Shirov's position who had no choice but to give up a rook for it. Shirov got two pawns for the exchange, but his pieces were too uncoordinated to put up any real resistance. Anand squelched all attempts at counter play and forced resignation in the 44th move. In last year's finals in Tehran, Anand crushed Shirov with three wins and a draw in four games. The other three games in the men's section were drawn. The tournament is organized as a series of two-game elimination matches, with rapid and blitz playoffs in the case of ties. The finals will be held in Moscow in January.