Anand v Topalov Game 8

The second official world chess champion Emanuel Lasker had a very definite view of the nature of our royal game.  "Chess", he said, "is above all, a fight".  He would certainly have approved of game 7 of the current championship!

For the first time since the opening game of the match, the challenger Topalov out-prepared Anand in the opening with daring sacrifices leaving himself a full piece down.  The champion fell well behind on the clock trying to solve the problems while Topalov blitzed out his moves confidently.

Anand responded brilliantly to navigate the treacherous waters that Topalov had drawn him into, and by end of the game had remarkably turned the tables to probe Topalov's position for a possible win of his own.

If there are any dilettantes out there who still think draws are 'boring' after watching game 7 then maybe chess just isn't for you!

So Anand leads 4-3 having failed to convert either of his consecutive games with the white pieces into wins, leaving Topalov still within striking distance with just 5 games to go.

Game 8 is at 12:00 GMT on 4 May, and if your nerves can take it, there is live coverage on Chess.com TV, free to all members.  Official site here.

UPDATE: TOPALOV WINS TO LEVEL THE SCORES AT 4-4!

Comments and analysis by GM Magesh Panchanathan:

 "In the last three white games Topalov had pushed and pushed more but could not break through the world champions defense. While Topalov has been fighting for the iniative in his black games, Anand continues to play rather passively and he was punished today for continuing to put himself under such pressure. But again, making a decision on the opening in a world championship match is much harder than sitting at home and writing about it after the game is done :)

The final bishop and pawn endgame in itself can probably take weeks to study completely, I have analyzed some important variations within the given time limit, I strongly suggest the readers to take a closer look at the this endgame as this was a very instructive one that can help one understand the nuances of an opposite colored bishop endgame. If I find more improvements in the analysis I will keep everyone updated.

Looking forward to more brilliant games from these Champs!"