Anand defends world chess title vs Gelfand May 10-31

THE world chess championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India and challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel will be held at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia from May 10 to 31.

The match will consist of 12 games and tie-break games if necessary. The opening ceremonies are set for May 10 with the first game on the afternoon of May 11 (Moscow Time). The prize fund is 2.55 million US dollars.

The 42-year-old Anand has reigned as world champion since 2007 and has successfully defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in 2008 and Vesselin Topalov of Bulgaria in 2010.

The 43-year-old Gelfand earned the right to play for the title when he won the Candidates tournament in Kazan, Russia last May 2011. Gelfand was born in the former Soviet Republic of Byelorussia but he immigrated to Israel in 1998.

Both grandmasters have links to the Philippines. Gelfand won the Manila Interzonal in 1990 while Anand lived in the Philippines as a child where he learned the finer points of the game from a chess instructional program shown on a Philippine TV station. /Correspondent Rene Bonsubre Jr.