No major tournaments stand between now and the world championship. That means every championship candidate should already be tuned up. Preparation comes in three thrusts: theoretical, psychological and physical.

Theoretical preparation takes place with trainers. Every player in the world championship knows what opening he is going to play, the weakness of his rivals, teamed with knowledge of his own weaknesses. This work within each team is crucial, tedious, and time‑consuming.

The second area of preparation, the psychological, has to do more with a competitor’s state of mind. The players know they are going to play against extremely intense competition and therefore cannot lack fortitude. Placing first at the beginning of the tournament pales when the desire is to be in first after the last round. If after the first half of the world championship you are in first place but are exhausted, you have zero chance to win. That is why your mind has to be ready for an extended and trying battle.

Physical preparation also factors in importance. Come tournament time, every candidate has a strict diet to which each must adhere. Participants also work out at length in order to grow accustomed to the fatigue they will suffer during the world championship.

Three weeks ago, we saw that world champion Vladimir Kramnik is in perfect tournament shape. Earlier in July, another participant in the world championship, the 38‑year‑old Indian Viswanathan Anand, showed us that he has been doing his homework. Anand has won the 20th edition of the “Ciudad de León” Chess Tournament. In order to do so, he had to defeat three ex‑world champions: Ruslan Ponomariov (24, Ukraine), Rustem Kasimdshanov (27, Uzbekistan) and Veselin Topalov (32, Bulgaria).

In the final, Anand had to play against the Bulgarian. Today we present the last game of the tournament. Topalov could only resist 30 moves before giving in to Anand.