Former world champion Viswanathan Anand drove home a slight advantage in the middle game to register a quick win over Laurent Fressinet to move into joint third spot after the penultimate round of the Isle of Man International Chess tournament on Saturday.
Fressinet resigned after 41 moves as Anand took his points tally to 6 from a possible eight. However, neither the 47-year-old nor the other five GM’s in joint third spot would have a shot at the title with world champion Magnus Carlsen a full point ahead of the pack while his last round opponent Hiraku Nakamura is half a point behind in second.
This means that Carlsen will be crowned champion even if he manages a draw and Nakamura can claim the title if he can inflicts the tournament’s first loss on the Norwegian.
Among the other Indians in fray, Swapnil Dhopade defeated veteran Nigel Short in 72 moves while Vidit Gujrathi opted for a quick draw against Pavel Eljanov. Both players now have six points after eight rounds.