Veselin Topalov has won his de facto Candidates Final match against Gata Kamsky, to set up a title match versus Anand in late 2009. The decisive Game 7 was a thriller. Kamsky was behind 1-2 and needing to win, he accepted a razor-sharp gambit in the French defence. Through an excellent mixture of defence and counter-attack, Kamsky set up a winning position before he blundered in extreme time trouble.

CHESS #578

Business Standard

The first dollar billionaire was a Rockefeller, but others have been much wealthier. Rrishi Raote picks out a selection of 10 &ldquo;rich reads&rdquo; for those who seek inspiration in these tough times.

Ten figures

Despite his wine and Cognac-making roots, Jean-S&eacute;bastien Robicquet turned to distilling fine vodka. He tells Rrishi Raote about C&icirc;roc.

The vodka made from wine!

Watch (or bid at) these major auctions that are signalling a downturn in the prices of art.

The ides of March

There&rsquo;s something uplifting about this jewel-like little book. It&rsquo;s brightly coloured and glossy, the author&rsquo;s name is striking, it&rsquo;s printed in a nice large font, it feels like it belongs in your hands. But the best thing on the cover is the title.

Nosing around

Till the economic downturn, the art market was booming. At its peak, in 2007, Mithu Sen launched her dhamaka, Free Mithu. She offered those who sent her a love letter by post, a free work of art. Not any old art work, but an option to pick from the various genres she creates. She invited approximately 300 people to participate, although the offer was open to everyone.

Free gift with every love letter!

Slick graffiti has found its way on to the walls of a store-with-a-difference, Nun. You can import it on your walls too.

Smile at the wall

All the exciting cars to hit the most important European Motor Show.

Swiss Set

More proof that India is indeed an important market for major international automobile manufacturers. And they do not get more major than Mercedes-Benz. The company with the famous three-pointed star symbol has inaugurated its spanking new manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune this week. The old facility at Pimpri, Pune was required by the land owners, Tata Motors, for their own expansion, so the need for a new address of their own was accentuated even more.

Change of address

I am a college student and I drive a Maruti Suzuki Zen. My father is planning to replace it with another hatchback. A couple of months ago, he had been to Bangkok and saw the Honda Jazz there. He really liked the car. So I did a bit of research and found out that it will be launched in India by June 2009. Is this correct? Secondly, should I wait for this car to be launched? Or should I buy one which is already available? My main concerns are the looks of the car/styling and interiors.

Jazzing it up

Behind the headlines, the media industry is grappling with issues of a liquidity crunch, an advertising squeeze and rumoured layoffs. Shuchi Bansal &amp; Shobhana Subramanian report.

Breaking news

For all those who have sniggered at &ldquo;halwai-Chinese&rdquo;, chaat masala- or curry leaves-infused chowmein, here is news: A chef from Hyderabad I met this week tells me of a secret &ldquo;masala&rdquo; now being used to enhance flavours of restaurant-biryanis &mdash; and here I will differentiate these from the authentic version of the kachche gosht ki biryani.

Tricky treats

I&rsquo;ve spent eight hours sitting in a Wi-Fi cafe, have already consumed seven hundred recessive rupees&rsquo; worth of Lemongrass Tea, Marinated Lamb Sandwich, Bisleri and Superb Coffee Ice Cream, and am now seriously eyeing the Gooey Chocolate Cake, all in an effort to find something to say in this week&rsquo;s column.

Surf&#39;s up

It's not the usual season to plant flowers, but Neha Bhatt tells you how to green up the home or office.

Not far to grow

What most defines Indianness? The quintessential dhaba or the iconic seals from the Indus Valley Civilisation, the Ganga or the Taj Mahal by the banks of the Yamuna, Nehru jackets or Gandhi topis, the

The icons that most define Indianness

Back in school, one of our more rabid history books devoted much spleen to the evil wreaked by Emperor Aurangzeb, caricatured as a hook-nosed, skinny guy with an expression of cunning idiocy on his

Gourmets in history

Topalov leads the rating list with 2796 &mdash; it would have been 13 points more but the Nanjing Pearl Classic ended after the December rating cut-off.

CHESS #570

The most common New Year resolutions include: I will quit smoking; I will lose weight; I will exercise; I will quit drinking; I will stop procrastinating; I will help others; I will save money; I will

Happy NY, world

One of the hazards of having built up a reputation as a cerebral actor-cum-producer &mdash; more interested in perfecting one&rsquo;s craft and being associated with original, well-scripted projects

Being Aamir Khan

We ride India&rsquo;s first and only pocket rocket.

Atom Ant

I&rsquo;m looking at purchasing a used car and have zeroed in on an Indica Xeta. One of the cars I have seen is available for Rs 1.6 lakh for a 2006 model.

Xeta knows

- Find Specials News, Features, Analysis and more at Business Standard. Full coverage of Goafest 2014

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