HYDERABAD. Aug 7: American Grandmaster Gata Kamsky swept Vlshwanathan Anand of India off his feet Sunday to find himself a berth in the semifinals of the dlrs 150.000 FIDE World Chess Championship, reports AP.

In the other match, Russian Grandmaster Valery Salov drew with Jan Timman of the Netherlands on the 40th' move to qualify for the semifinals. Salov beat the Dutchman 4.5 to 3.5 points.

Kamsky, who was trailing 1-3 at the end of the first four games in this southern city, cime back to beat Anand 6-4 via a tie-breaker that was applied when both players were locked at 4 at the end of eight games.

Observers said Kamsky outplayed Anand to assure himself of dlrs 80.000* in prize inoney in the semifinals.,

Kamsky said he was lucky to enter the semifinals as Anand was the favourite, "but I proved everybody wrong.''

The first two games ended in. a draw. In the third game. Anand stayed Kamsky's Marshall attack, regrouped his pieces and launched his counter attack to beat the American.

The 20-year-old American then employed the Petrosyan system against his rival in the fourth game but lost his queen and the game after 53 moves. Kamsky escaped with a draw in the next game, but fought hard in the sixth game and outplayed Anand, for the first tipie in his career. .

Looking confident now. Kamsky employed an Archange variation and beat Anand. But the Indian Grandmaster fought back In the last game with his pet Russian defence and Kamsky had to settle for a draw..

It appeared to be a drawn position until the fourth game. The fifth and sixth games ended without any result and the seventh ended in a deadlock. Tlmman's hasty exchange of queens helped Salov get a phalanx of pawns in the centre and eventually forced the Dutchman to resign, giving the Russian a ’decisive 4-3 lead. Sunday's draw helped Salov maintain the lead.

' Six Grandmasters are taking part in the 17-day tournament sponsored by the World Chess Federation, known by its French acronym FIDE. Three of them will qualify for the semifinals.