However the final game of the intriguing match-up was ultimately decided by "a moment of madness" from his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov, who all but pressed the self-destruct button at the critical moment to sway the game and with it the match to the defending champion.

Topalov seemed to lose his nerve and with it any aspirations he had for the title following the calamitous 32 fxe4?? It didn't take long for Anand to hone in on the severe weakness of his opponent's king with 34 ...Qe8! to score a memorable title-winning victory by a score of 6.5-5.5. The dramatic final game is expertly annotated by Chess.FM commentator GM Miguel Illescas in his Game of the Day video - there is a free 5 minute preview of GOTD for non-members; to join ICC to view in full, click here.

Anand, 40, the man recently named India's greatest sportsman of all time, first won the world title in a tournament in 2007, and now has successfully defended it twice in match-play.

Congratulations on behalf of all the members at ICC, Vishy!

Presented by: GM Miguel Illescas GM Veselin Topalov vs. GM Vishy Anand World Championship - Game 12 ECO: D56 Queen Gambit Declined To watch the full video, and hundreds more full-length DVD quality videos, sign up for a FREE trial! Member-only: FULL VIDEO

N Name FED FIDE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 PTS 1 Vishy Anand IND 2787 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 6.5 2 Vesselin Topalov BUL 2805 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 5.5 5-minute GOTD preview:

  Karpov for Prez?

In an exclusive ICC Chess.FM FIDE election special coming soon, former World Champion Anatoly Karpov speaks with Mig Greengard on why he (Karpov, not Mig) is seeking the presidency of FIDE, and many other topics. The 12th World Champion is running to replace Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, and how best to reform FIDE is sure to be on his mind. The conversation won't be limited to chess politics, of course, and Karpov will also talk about his many chess and non-chess activities, his books, the Anand-Topalov match, and other hot topics. We'll also hear about a remarkable event taking place in New York City in a week's time. Karpov is heading to the United States for an old-fashioned campaign fundraiser on May 17 (see invitation below) that will include his old rival Garry Kasparov and the current world #1 Magnus Carlsen! This is a good chance to hear Karpov's opinion of Carlsen, who many, including Kasparov, have compared to Karpov in his tremendous positional sense. Who better to say whether or not the young Norwegian is truly Karpovian? Click on the official invitation (below) to the May 17 fundraiser in NYC below for further details. If you attend, send us a report!