Anand to face Radjbov in bid to win ninth Chess Classic

Turin, May 24 (UNI) Viswanathan Anand will open his campaign in the Grenkeleasing Rapid World Championship against 19-year-old Azerbaijan Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov as he bids for a seventh successive and ninth overall Chess Classic title in Mainz, Germany.

The Chess Classic is among the most prestigious tournaments in the world and will be held from August 15 to 20 this year. The event will feature an impressive cast of players. Three of the world's top four Grandmasters, including Anand, Armenian Levon Aronian and Russian Peter Svidler, will play in the Rheingoldhalle.

Meanwhile, apart from Radjabov Indian P Harikrishna will form the strong under-20 field, also comprising World number three among women Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia, Arkadij Naiditsch and Elisabeth Pahtz of Germany.

The players for the matches in Mainz were selected out of this elite group.

The centre of the attention will once again be the GrenkeLeasing Rapid Chess World Championship featuring Anand who has slowly but surely, run out of opponents.

The 36-year old has won the Chess Classic eight times, the last six being consecutive for him. Radjabov will try his luck against the perennial winner and Anand would do well not to make the mistake of underestimating his opponent, who is the world's strongest player under the age of 20 after becoming the youngest ever to defeat longtime World Champion Gary Kasparov in 2003.

That same year he tallied victory against Anand as well.

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