Anand, Wenjun, Carlsen and Dzagnidze ended 2017 on top of chess world

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |
Viswanathan Anand (left) and Ju Wenjun, seasoned international grandmasters from India and China respectively, won the male and female 2017 World Rapid Chess Championships in December in Saudi Arabia. The Rapid Championships are prestigious titles equalling the World Blitz Championships and to a lesser extent, the World Classical Chess Championships. Anand succeeded Vassily Ivanchuk, the 2016 champion, while Wenjun replaced Anna Muzychuk. (Photo: Anastasia Karlovich)
Viswanathan Anand (left) and Ju Wenjun, seasoned international grandmasters from India and China respectively, won the male and female 2017 World Rapid Chess Championships in December in Saudi Arabia. The Rapid Championships are prestigious titles equalling the World Blitz Championships and to a lesser extent, the World Classical Chess Championships. Anand succeeded Vassily Ivanchuk, the 2016 champion, while Wenjun replaced Anna Muzychuk. (Photo: Anastasia Karlovich)

Chess grandmasters Viswanathan Anand and Ju Wenjun, and Magnus Carlsen and Nana Dzagnidze completed 2017 in fine style as they won the World Rapid Championships and the World Blitz Championships.

Anand and Wenjun won the Rapids while Carlsen and Dzagnidze took the top Blitz prizes in both the male and female sections of the Championships.

2017 was a splendid year for chess internationally. Anand continued to win world titles and Carlsen, as world classical chess champion, made his presence felt in all of the tournaments in which he participated.

In trying to determine which chess game was the best for 2017, Chess Base listed 10 of the very best and asked readers to pick one. Here is one which was listed in the line-up. Readers may wish to replay the game for their enjoyment.

White: Viswanathan Anand

Black: Fabiano Caruana

1.c4e52.Nc3Nf63.Nf3Nc64.g3d55.cxd5Nxd56.Bg2Bc57.O-OO-O8.d3Bb69. Bd2Bg410. Rc1Nxc311.Bxc3Re812.b4Qd613.Nd2Qh614.Nc4Qh515.Rc2Rad816.Nxb6cxb617.f3Be618.Qd2b519.f4Bg420.Bxc6bxc621.fxe5f622.exf6Rxe223.f7+Kf824.Bxg7+Kxg725.Qc3+Re526.Qd4Qg527.Rc5Rxd428.f8=Q+Kg629.Qf7+1-0.

Black played: …f3+ if Kg1 Qxf1+