The match between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand should be a real “nail biter.” Anand’s over all record against Gelfand is very convincing with 16 wins, only 6 losses and 44 draws. Based on these figures, a Vegas odds maker would probable make Anand a 3-1 favorite to retain the title. However, the Anand-Gelfand match of 2012 will be played at “classical” time controls which are much slower than most of the games Anand has built his statistical advantage with. In fact, when you exclude rapid and exhibition games, Boris Gelfand is much more competitive. Over his career, Boris Gelfand has 5 wins, 6 losses and 26 draws against Viswanatahn Anand at slower time controls. Based on this record the match should be very close as the difference between the two players scores is very small. The main disadvantage for Gelfand will be if some sort of rapid tie-break system will be employed if both players end the regular match on equal terms. Should this end up occuring, then I think Anand will be a huge favorite.
Tags: 2012, Anand Gelfand match, Anand stats, Anand vs Gelfand, Anand-Gelfand, Anand-Gelfand 2012, Boris Gelfand, chess, classical chess, Gelfand stats, Gelfand-Anand, statistics, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship
Chess Musings 
May 11, 2012 at 11:37 pm |
[…] of the 2012 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand was a spectacular contest. My only disappointment with […]
May 17, 2012 at 6:09 am |
[…] World Chess Championship of 2012 saw yet another draw in round 4. As in game two, Boris Gelfand played 1. d4 and Anand opted for […]
May 18, 2012 at 5:02 am |
[…] 5 of the 2012 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand began with 1 e4. Gelfand, as was expected, opted for a Sicilian Defence. This game, like its four […]
May 26, 2012 at 4:29 am |
[…] many notable experts on chess considered Boris Gelfand to be a weak contender and a huge underdog against Viswanathan Anand. Now that ten hard games have been fought, the underdog has proven […]