As expected, Anand got his draw, and retained his title. I think it's good for chess that he won, as it legitimizes his unified title as World Champion, which he won in a tournament last year, as opposed to a traditional one-on-one match against Kramnik. Going forward, no one has a valid argument that Anand didn't earn it, and stability is what the title needs right now. Plus, I'm also happy for Anand, because he's been so close for so long.

The World Chess Championship 2009 will be played by Anand (India) and the winner of the challenger match between Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Gata Kamsky (Russia/USA). I think Topalov (who barely lost a controversial title match to Kramnik in 2006) has to be considered a heavy favorite against Kamsky.

RE: World Chess Championship 2008