World No. 2 Viswanathan Anand won his fifth consecutive Corsica Masters Chess title beating Russian Sergei Rublevsky in the final today. Anand collected the winner's cheque of euro 20,000 while Rublevsky got the runners-up cheque of euro 12,000. Earlier in the semis, Anand defeated French hope Etienne Bacrot 2-0. Strong runAnand's win in the euro 100,000 prize money tournament comes right on the heels of the biennial Chess Olympiad in Spain. Anand, leading the Indian team from the top board, had signed off with a fine performance and headed straight to Bastia. Keeping a clean slate Anand completed a 2-0 whitewash of Rublevsky making the score look no different from his earlier two rounds, where he defeated Bacrot and Gurevich. Anand asserted his superiority with ease, as he took the first game of the final with black pieces. Rublevsky, known for his theoretical strength, chose the Scotch ending and was made to eat the humble pie in just 23 moves. In the second game, Anand faced Rublevsky's Silian Paulsen and took control of the game early. Seizing the initiative, Anand completed a rout of the Russian. (PTI)
Anand wins Corsica Masters Chess title
Advertisement