Anand beats Radjabov, placed joint-third

World champion Viswanathan Anand outclassed Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan to jump to joint-third after the seventh round of Norway chess 2013 super tournament, in Sor Hidle.

It turned out to be a good day in office for Anand as he won an important game with black pieces, adding to the woes of Radjabov whose slide in the world ranking continued.

The full point also took Anand to four points out of a possible seven.

Karjakin accounted for Hikaru Nakamura, showing great signs of recovery after losing to Carlsen in the fifth and salvaging a half point against Anand in the sixth round.

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway scored a lucky victory against compatriot Jon Ludvig Hammer while in the other two games Levon Aronian of Armenia played out a draw with Chinese Wang Hao and Russian Peter Svidler signed peace with former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.

Karjakin stayed ahead with 5.5 points and Carlsen remained on his toes a half point behind.

Aronian shares the third spot along with Anand on four points while Svidler and Nakamura have 3.5 points each for the shared fifth place.

Topalov is next in the standings on three points, a half point clear of Wnag Hao and Nakamura while Hammer remained on the bottom having 1.5 points from his seven games.

The Catalan opening holds a solid reputation as white but Radjabov was on the receiving end after some reckless play in the middle game.

Anand capitalised on his queen side pawn majority and an open file in the center to exert pressure and Radjabov’s position crumbled in quick time. The world champion ended the game with a tactical finesse winning material.

Karjakin faced the Najdorf Sicilian and went for the blood early. Nakamura’s attempt for counter play did not materialize as he lost his queen for two pieces. The technicalities remained but the result of the game was never in doubt as Karjakin cruised home in 59 moves.

Carlsen was lucky as himself admitted, "I need some rest," said the Norwegian who is set to meet Anand in the next World Championship match at Chennai.

Hammer not only had a slight advantage but was also on top with extra time on his clock. However, a mistimed pawn advance in the center led to a bad endgame wherein Carlsen struck form quite easily.

After a rest day now, Anand will play with Hammer and then Wang Hao which means his chances of a good finish are much on cards. Carlsen has to meet Wang Hao and Aronian while Karjakin plays with Svidler and Topalov. The stage is set for a thrilling finish with Karjakin holding an edge over the rest.

Results round 7: Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 2.5) lost to V Anand (Ind, 4); Jon Ludvig Hammer (Nor, 1.5) lost to Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 5); Sergey Karjakin (Rus, 5.5) beat Hikaru Nakamura (Usa, 3.5); Wang Hao (Chn, 2.5) drew with Levon Aronian (Arm, 4); Peter Svidler (Rus, 3.5) drew with Veselin Topalov (Bul, 3).