29th January, 2003

NOT since Billie Jean King humbled Bobby Riggs in tennis's battle of the
sexes in 1973 has sport witnessed a near comparable cross-gender upset
than the final result of the Corus super-tournament in Wijk aan Zee, as
India's Vishy Anand managed to hold off a feisty challenge for the top
spot from Hungary's Judit Polgar, the world's leading female player.

By winning the first big event of the year with a plus four score,
Anand, the world No.3, continues his magnificent run of winning every
tournament he's played in since the early half of last year.  For
Polgar, the result is easily her best performance in such a strong
tournament - and one that is likely to push her once again into the
world's top-ten ranking list.  In 1996, she made it to the No.10 spot
with a rating of 2675.  Currently she stands at thirteen with a rating
of 2700.  

The field at Corus included two reigning world champions, two ex world
champions and two world championship challengers -- and Anand and Polgar
were the only players to finish unbeaten in the star-studded category 19
all-play-all. Anand had four wins, against Ponomariov, Shirov, Topalov
and Karpov and drew his other nine games.  Polgar had three wins,
against Timman, Karpov and Grischuk and drew her other ten games.
The decisive meeting of the two came in the penultimate round, when
Polgar threw everything bar the kitchen sink at Anand in an effort to
win the tournament.  However Anand calmly avoided any mistakes to draw
the game and hold his lead.

Final scores: 1 Anand (India) 8.5/13; 2 Polgar (Hungary) 8; 3 Bareev
(Russia) 7.5; 4-8; Van Wely (Holland), Kramnik (Russia), Grischuk
(Russia) Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Shirov (Spain) 7; 9-10 Radjabov
(Azerbaijan), Topalov (Bulgaria) 6.5; 11-12 Ponomariov (Ukraine), Karpov
(Russia) 6; 13 Krasenkow (Poland) 4.5; 14 Timman (Holland) 2.5;

J Polgar - V Anand
Corus 'A', (12)
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bf5 5 Ng3 Bg6 6 h4 h6 7 Nf3 Nd7 8 h5
Bh7 9 Bd3 Bxd3 10 Qxd3 Ngf6 11 Bf4 e6 12 0-0-0 Be7 13 Kb1 0-0 14 Ne4 Qa5
15 Nxf6+ Nxf6 16 g4 Nxg4 17 Rdg1 Qf5 18 Qd2 g5 19 hxg6 fxg6 20 Bxh6 Qxf3
21 Bxf8 Rxf8 22 d5 cxd5 23 Qd4 Nf6 24 Rxg6+ Kf7 25 Rhg1 Rc8 26 Rg7+ Kf8
27 Qh4 Ke8 28 Qa4+ Kf8 29 Qh4 Ke8 30 Qa4+ Kf8 draw

JOHN B HENDERSON