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Anand loses in game four

Vishwanathan Anand's hopes of annexing the FIDE chess crown suffered a stunning blow on Tuesday, when, playing white, he went down to defending champion Anatoly Karpov in 49 moves.

Effectively, from here on, Karpov -- rated the best defensive player in the world -- merely needs to draw the next two games, with the further advantage of playing white in game five, in order to retain his title. Anand, on the other hand, needs to win both games to dethrone the defending champion, who has retained this crown for 10 successive years.

Ironically, heading into game four, it was expected that Anand had the better prospects, having levelled scores at the halfway stage, and with the advantage of playing white in game four. However, the famed Caro Kann defence of Karpov proved too much for the Indian ace. The game, which Anand began with his pet e4, went as per book till move 12, when Karpov produced ...Nf5, a surprise variation the defending champion played after a good 35 minutes of thought. From there on, Karpov's bid was to simplify the position with a flurry of exchanges. Anand produced a superb rearguard action, but his defeat became increasingly inevitable given the better pawn position of his opponent.

The two meet again Wednesday (late night in India) for the fifth of the six-game title bout.

The moves follow: