Vishwanathan Anand is the world chess champion. He won the championship tournament played in Mexico City in September 2007. A hugely satisfying result to a never-perfect system for determining who gets to be called world champion.
Anand won the 14-player double round-robin tournament with a score of +4. He was +3 in the first half of the tournament, but only a half-point clear of Gelfand. Both Kramnik and Gelfand lost round 9 to give Anand a 1.5 point lead. He was two points clear ahead of the field after round 11, and coasted to the win from there on.
It remains to be seen if FIDE can sustain a fair and well-run world championship system. Hope springs eternal. And at least for the next year or so, Anand can savour the view from the top...
