World Chess Championship 2012
Anand defends the title in Moscow — defeats Boris Gelfand in rapid tiebreaks after the classical match ends 6–6.
- Year
- 2012
- Format
- Best of 12 classical games + rapid tiebreaks
- Venue
- Tretyakov Gallery
- Prize fund
- €2,550,000
- Cycle
- unified
The 2012 match was held at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow from 10 to 30 May 2012. Boris Gelfand, 44 years old, had won the 2011 Candidates Tournament knockout to earn the title shot — a deeply respected positional player who had been near the top of the world rating list for two decades without previously qualifying for a title match.
The Classical and Tiebreak
The 12-game classical match ended 6–6 with one win each (Gelfand won Game 7, Anand levelled in Game 8). Under the unified-cycle rules, ties go to a four-game rapid tiebreak at 25+10. Anand won the rapid tiebreak 2.5–1.5, with the decisive game coming in Game 10 of the overall match — a sharp Nimzo-Indian where Anand’s middlegame coordination was decisive.
The Fourth Defence
Final score 8.5–7.5 across classical and tiebreak. Anand’s fourth successful championship defence — and his last. He lost the title to Magnus Carlsen in Chennai the following year. (See our 2013 entry for the next match.)