Dezember 12, 2024

Anand Beats Topalov As Indian Legend Hunts 10th Leon Masters Title

14 years after their World Championship match, Topalov and Anand met again in Leon. Photo: Leon Masters.

15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand defeated one of his great rivals GM Veselin Topalov 2.5-1.5 on Friday to reach the Final of the 2024 Leon Masters. He’ll face the winner of Saturday’s Semifinal between GM Arjun Erigaisi and local hero GM Jaime Santos in Sunday’s Final as he aims to make it ten titles in the Spanish city.

The second Semifinal starts Saturday, June 29, at 10:30 a.m. ET / 16:30 CEST / 8 p.m. IST.

This is already the 37th edition of the Leon Masters, a tournament that has been won by World Champions Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Magnus Carlsen. The player who has most made Leon his home, however, is Anand, who has played the event 15 times and won on no less than nine occasions.

Leon Masters Winners