Anand signs off at third, Topalov wins Mtel Masters

Sofia May 22 (UNI) White jinx continued for Viswanathan Anand as he split points with Ruslan Ponomariov to finish third, while world number one Veselin Topalov capped a remarkable second half comeback by winning his fourth game in a row to claim his second successive Mtel Masters title here.

The defending champion, who had a disastrous first half losing two successive games, made a remarkable recovery in the second half winning four consecutive matches to capture the title with 6.5 out of 10 points.

Playing with White, Topalov attacked Etienne Bacrot in a Queen's Gambit Declined Slav variation in his final round game. The Bulgarian was determined to defend his title and played an extremely good game to beat Bacrot to annex the title after 42 moves.

''I am very happy to take the title for the second time. I had a bad start but I played well in the second half,'' a beaming Topalov told UNI.

''The turning point of the tournament was the game with Ponomariov where I was losing the game but he committed a mistake and I won,'' Topalov added, analysing his performance in the tournament.

The other contender for the title, Gata Kamsky drew with Peter Svidler to finish second with six points.

Meanwhile, the game between Anand and Ponomariov followed the Queen's Indian Pattern. Ponomariov played a good game but Anand defended well and after 53 moves both the players made peace and shared the point.

''White let me down,'' a disappointed Anand said of his performance after the game.

The third game between Svidler and Kamsky -- played on the Ruy Lopez pattern -- ended without a decisive result despite Svidler being better placed. The Russian did not have favourable squares on his side and therefore did not press for a win and agreed to share the points after 33 moves.

Final standings: Veselin Topalov 6.5 points Gata Kamsky 6 points Viswanathan Anand 5.5 points Peter Svidler 5 points Ruslan Ponomariov 3.5 points Etienne Bacrot 3.5 points UNI XC PM PR VA VV1028