Match Carlsen-Anand 2014 Partie 3 : 1-0

   [Event "FWCM 2014"]  [Site "Sochi"]  [Date "2014.11.11"]  [Round "3.1"]  [WhiteID "5000017"]  [White "Viswanathan Anand"]  [BlackID "1503014"]  [Black "Magnus Carlsen"]  [Result "1-0"]  [BlackElo "2863"]  [WhiteElo "2792"]  [ECO "D37"]  [Annotator "Sagar Shah"]   {1432. Do you know what that number stands for? Those are the number of days it  took Vishy to beat Magnus in Classical chess. The last time it happened was at  the London Chess Classic in December 2010. And for chess fans, this win  couldn't have come at a better time. Just when it seemed like the Sochi match  too would be one-sided, the Tiger is back! Today's game was a phenomenal show  of pre-game preparation by Vishy Anand. He proved why he is considered as one  of the best theoreticians in the world. Let's get started!} 1. d4 {After  his successful opening result in game number one where he had Carlsen on the  ropes in the initial stages of the game, Vishy sticks with the Queen Pawn  Opening.} Nf6 {Carlsen too brings out his knight, just like in the first game.  Is it going to be a Grunfeld again?} 2. c4 e6 {Magnus politely declines the  offer to play Grunfeld. This was Magnus' strategy in Chennai too. He had  started off with the Caro Kann against 1.e4 in his first game as black and  then stuck with the Berlin. Maybe in Sochi, the Nimzo/ Queen's Gambit declined  are going to be his long term friends! Only time will tell.} 3. Nf3 {No  Nimzo-Indian today!} (3. Nc3 Bb4 {Was seen in the game no. 9 of the Chennai  World Championship Match.}) 3... d5 {It is said that Ruy Lopez and Queen's  Gambit Declined are the openings of World Championships. In game two we saw  Magnus playing the former and now he plays the latter. Classical chess at its  best in Sochi!} (3... b6 {would lead to Queen's Indian which is one of  Magnus' favorite defence. Maybe after today's loss we can expect it from him  in the next games as Black.}) 4. Nc3 Be7 {Off late Magnus has developed a  liking towards the Ragozin that begins with 4...Bb4. But there are some highly  complicated and theoretical lines in the Ragozin. Hence, he decides to play it  solid and go for the much less ambitious move 4...Be7} (4... Bb4 {is the  Ragozin system.}) 5. Bf4 {This is the new treatment of the Queen's Gambit  Declined. Earlier players used to, almost without thinking, play 5.Bg5. But  then slowly the Lasker and the Tartakower systems became hard nuts to crack.  The wonderful thing about this 5.Bf4 line is that it is safe and at the same time  ambitious. A perfect line when you are trailing the match by a point. Not to  forget, one of his seconds, Wojtaszek, is one of the biggest experts in this  line with White.} O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 $5 {This move tries to spice up the things in  the solid opening. Black keeps the tension and throws the ball back in White's  court.} (6... c5 {is the main line and has been played in many World  Championship matches before.} 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 {with many  interesting battles being fought in it.}) 7. c5 {Vishy takes up the challenge  and goes for the sharpest line in the opening. One of the main points of this  opening is that White gains space on the queenside but is a little bit behind  in development. Now it is upto Black to play in extremely dynamic fashion in  the next few moves in order to take advantage of this imabalance.} c6 (7... Nh5  {is another popular move and we see the very nice point behind this opening.}  8. Bd3 $1 Nxf4 9. exf4 $14 {White does not mind giving up his bishop and  having the doubled pawns. They do a wonderful job of preventing the liberating  break of e6-e5 which is what Black is usually aiming for after White goes c5.})  8. Bd3 (8. h3 {is a little move that had a huge impact on this game. Curious  to know how? Read on! All will be revealed after White's 26th move.}) 8... b6 {  As previously mentioned, Magnus quickly tries to break up the position before  Anand completes his development.} 9. b4 {That's the only way for White to  maintain an advantage.} (9. cxb6 axb6 $15 {would already be excellent position  for Black.}) 9... a5 10. a3 {So Anand has been able to maintain his queenside  space advantage. Is it true that Black is going to suffocate in this position  now? Not really. Magnus' next move shows that positionally he has got things  under control.} Ba6 {The c8-Bishop was the problem bishop for black. It is a  bad bishop because the central pawn c6 d5 and e6 are all on the same coloured  square as the light squared bishop. So Magnus does the most perfect thing by  exchanging it. That's one headache less.} 11. Bxa6 (11. O-O {has been played  more often but then we get Carlsen-like positions after} Qc8 12. h3 Qb7 13. Rb1  axb4 14. axb4 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Ra3 {One open file, slow maneuvering struggle,  something that Vishy consciously avoided.}) 11... Rxa6 {Positionally black has  a very solid setup. and he just needs some time to re-organize his pieces. For  example the rook on a6 is currently not really very well placed. Now just look  at how Anand takes advantage of that little fact.} 12. b5 $5 {A sharp move and  the perfect one for Anand to prepare deeply. This is when everything fell in  place for the Indian player. The position is not strategical and deep, the  ones that Carlsen loves. It is dynamic and sharp just the kind Vishy thrives  upon. And to add to it, the Indian player is very well prepared. Magnus has to  be very careful here.} cxb5 {The pawn had to be taken, there was no other way.}  13. c6 {The knight on d7 is trapped. It has nowhere to go. If it goes to b8,  the pawn push to c7 will be a deadly fork. This position would bring the  viewers on the edge of their seats, but to bring things into perspective: This  position has already been reached 11 times before. Now that would drain out  some of your enthusiasm. But such highly theoretical battles are interesting  because we get to see some really deep preparation by these great players.} Qc8  (13... b4 {will be quite well met with} 14. Nb5 $1 $16) 14. c7 $1 {This  improvement was first introduced by the great Anatoly Karpov back in 2002 in  his game against Georgiev. White is ready to even lose a pawn at the cost of  maintaining the beast on c7.} (14. Nxb5 Qxc6 15. Nc7 Ra7 16. Rc1 Qb7 $15 {And  it is not clear whether Black has enough for the pawn.}) 14... b4 {This looks  the most natural move trying to save the b5 pawn but there was another  possibility here.} (14... Bxa3 $5 $146 {This move has never been played before  is definitely worthy of consideration.} 15. Nxb5 (15. Rxa3 b4 16. Rb3 bxc3 17.  Rxc3 b5 $17 {is a clearly better position for Black.}) (15. O-O Bb2 16. Nxb5  Bxa1 17. Qc2 {threatening Nd6} Bb2 18. Nd6 Qa8 19. c8=Q (19. Qxb2 Ne4 $17)  19... Rxc8 20. Nxc8 h6 $17) 15... Bb4+ 16. Ke2 Ne4 $13 {looks like a very  interesting and double edged position. But if I were in Carlsen's place I  would not risk to play this line again as Black against Anand.}) 15. Nb5 a4 {  This was played almost instantly by Magnus. He was well prepared in this line.  From the way Vishy was playing it, it seemed as if he knew the ins and outs of  this line. The idea of this move a4 is to threaten the move b4-b3 and create a  protected passed pawn, deep in the enemy territory.} (15... bxa3 {looks like a  possibility.} 16. O-O {White is two pawns down with no concrete threats but it  is difficult for Black to wriggle out from the bind.}) 16. Rc1 {The threat now  is simple. White wants to remove all the defenders of the d6 square. So for  example if it were White to move here, he would already be winning with the  move Bd6.} Ne4 {Looks like the only logical move.} (16... Ne8 {is just too  passive.} 17. axb4 Bxb4+ 18. Ke2 {next comes Qd3 then Rc2 and the other rook  joins the party while the black pieces are all coiled up on the last rank. It  looks very bad.}) (16... Ra5 {is not as silly as it looks but White comes out  on top after.} 17. Bd6 (17. Qd3 b3 $17 18. Bd6 b2 $19) 17... Rxb5 18. Bxe7 b3  $1 (18... Re8 19. Qxa4 $18) 19. Bxf8 Nxf8 {How to assess this position? Let's  put it this way. Black is materially down and the c7 pawn is a monster. it  will be a long and tiring journey before he can dream of getting the half  point.}) 17. Ng5 $1 {The number of games that have been played before, start  dwindling as the moves progress. We are now left with only one game:  Aronian-Adams Bilbao 2013. The move looks spectacular at first sight but the  idea is to clear the defenders of the d6 square. People say the game of chess  is an individual sport. But I would like to show you the team spirit on the  chess board. The knight on b5 says to its army, I would like to enter d6. Can  anyone help me? The knight on f3 rises upto the occasion and bravely  sacrifices itself on g5 so that its partner can move to d6. And move to d6  for what? So that the pawn on c7 can be queened! A nice example of team spirit  running through White's camp.} (17. Nd2 {could be another way to distract the  e4 knight.} e5 $5 {Maybe Anand did not like that Black could play this move.} (  17... Nc3 18. Nxc3 bxc3 19. Rxc3 $14) (17... Ndf6 18. Nxe4 {would transpose to  the game.}) 18. Nxe4 (18. dxe5 $2 Ndc5 $15 {now the b4 pawn cannot be taken  because of Nd3+}) 18... dxe4 (18... exf4 19. Ned6 $18) 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. dxe5  Bc5 21. Qd5 bxa3 {The position remains unclear.}) 17... Ndf6 {Magnus made this  move after some deliberation. It is surprising because the game between  Aronian and Adams happened quite recently. Sometimes its possible that the  best of players forget their analysis. This move was not the only option at  Black's disposal but maybe it was the best.} (17... e5 {this idea is not so  powerful now because of} 18. dxe5 $1 Ndc5 19. axb4 $1 $16 {and there is no  check on d3 as in the above variation.}) (17... Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Ra5 19. axb4 $1  Rxb5 20. Qxa4 Rxb4 21. Qxb4 Nxg5 22. O-O $14 {Black is materially ahead. But  he cannot be better because his knights need outpost. In this position there  are none. Whereas the rooks are a potent force and combined with the c7 pawn.  Hence, White is better.}) (17... Nxg5 $2 18. Bd6 $1 (18. Bxg5 Nf6 $11 {might  be fine for Black.}) 18... Ra5 19. axb4 Rxb5 20. Bxe7 Re8 21. Qxa4 $16 {and  White is just better.}) 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 (18... dxe4 $5 {With all the talks going  around on defending the d6 square, how is this move even possible?} 19. Bd6 (  19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 b3 $1 (20... Re8 21. Bxb4 $14 {is just one way traffic.  White is better.}) 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 $13 {and I am not really sure how to assess  this position. I would have said that White is better here but the fact that  the knight has a wonderful outpost on d5 makes this statement less obvious.})  19... Nd5 $1 {The crucial move.} 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 $15 {and very surprisingly the  knight defends the c8 square now and Black is doing very well in this position.  }) 19. f3 {Anand kept playing quickly. He had used around 20 minutes of his  time but it was only because he would be trying to remember the analysis and  not to go wrong. On the other hand Magnus had already used up close to an hour  by now. He was well and truly on his own.} Ra5 {Peter Svidler mentions the  problem faced by every chess player when confronted with a well prepared  opponent. Black has two options in this position. One is Nc3 and the other is  Ra5. The first one is safe but also unambitious. It gives White a small but  stable edge. But Black does not risk a lot. The second alternative is the much  sharper Ra5. There it is difficult to calculate things accurately because it  is so complicated. There is also the fear that opponent might have worked out  everything at home. In such situation what would you choose? There is no set  answer for this but Magnus went for the sharp option.} (  19... Nc3 20. Nxc3 bxc3 21. Rxc3 $14 {This is a safe and steady advantage for  White.} b5 22. O-O Qb7 23. Qd3 b4 24. axb4 Bxb4 25. Rc2 $14 {I would agree  that Magnus has better chances of defending this position than what occurred  in the game but it is natural that he did not want to go into a line where he  is only playing for two results: draw or a loss.}) (19... g5 20. fxe4 gxf4 21.  Qg4+ Kh8 22. Qxf4 $18 {is a quick rout.}) 20. fxe4 $146 {The first new move of  the game and Anand's novelty over Aronian-Adams which continued 20. Qe2. The  novelty was not so difficult to find but as all of you could see from the  analysis above, there were so many diverging paths that it becomes difficult  to remember such reams and reams of analysis. This is where we should really  salute Anand. He not only analyzed this line which many players might have  done but he was able to remember it and use it at the most appropriate moment.}  (20. Qe2 $6 {was the game Aronian-Adams and Black played very well to gain an  excellent position.} Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 $1 {The knight on b5 is trapped.} 22.  exd5 exd5 23. axb4 Rxb5 $15) 20... Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 {Everything was  pretty natural and forced until this point. Now Magnus had a big decision to  make. Whether he would take on a3 with the rook or with the pawn.} bxa3 (22...  Rxa3 23. exd5 exd5 24. O-O {The Black pawns look really weak and a pawn on  b-file looks much less harmful than the one on a3. So taking bxa3 is the right  decision.}) 23. exd5 $1 {This was the crucial move to gain the advantage. It  looks natural but imagine if you aren't home prepared for this line, wouldn't  Qxb6 look equally tempting?} (23. Qxb6 $6 Ra6 24. Qb5 dxe4 {Black looks much  more comfortable than in the game.}) 23... Rxd5 (23... Bb4+ {I presume would  only help White has it connects his rooks quite effortlessly.} 24. Kf2 $1 $16)  (23... exd5 {This was the move which I felt was more interesting. The main  point is that the rook remains on a5 behind his runner on a3.} 24. O-O $1 (24.  Qxb6 Ra6 25. Qb5 Qe6 $1 $11 {With the rook coming to c8, Black is more than  fine here.}) 24... a2 25. Ra1 $16 {and here too things look bleak for Black.})  24. Qxb6 {This pawn is not the most important thing on Anand's mind right now.  He would be happier to just 0-0 and bring his other rook into play. But then  black plays b5 with the threat of b4 and these connected passers become too  strong. So it was important to get rid of atleast one of them. As Vishy  revealed in the press conference this was all prepared by him at home.} (24.  O-O $2 b5 $17) 24... Qd7 {To tell you the truth these moves are so natural  that even beginners can understand them. The Queen is not the best blockading  piece and it has to be substituted with the Rook and hence Qd7 is natural and  the best.} 25. O-O {The other rook has to come into play and hence 0-0 is an  easy move to make.} (25. Qa6 {Did Anand consider about this possibility?} Qc8 {  This was almost forced.} (25... Rc8 $6 {The most natural move turns out to be  a mistake because of} 26. Rb1 $1 $18 {and the threat of Rb8 is just killing.})  (25... Bb4+ 26. Kf2 {Also with the threat of Rb1 looks very strong for White.})  26. Qc6 $16 {and White is just better.}) 25... Rc8 26. Rc6 $1 {Vishy plonks in  his rook to the c6 square with the idea of stopping Bd6 in future. Suddenly it  seemed as if the roles had been reversed. Moves like Rc6 are very  characteristic of Magnus's style. Did Anand calculate Rc6 on the board? The  amount of time he took suggests that he was trying to calculate it on the  board but a game between Tomashevsky and Riazantsev had reached the exact same  position on the board as Vishy-Magnus after move 26 with the only addition  that the pawn was on h3 instead of h2. In the press conference when Peter  Doggers, a popular chess journalist, asked Vishy whether he was aware of this  game, Vishy replied saying I was quite familiar with all the material. Phew!} (  26. Qb8 {As I already have mentioned before, I have this habit of playing out  the positions on the board with my wife who is also a chess player. I would  heartily recommend it to everyone to play a position against your friend or  maybe against a computer when the players are thinking because you get to know  the practical problems inherent in the position. This is how our game  continued. As usual I took the inferior side (black).} Bd6 {I felt that the f4  bishop was an important piece defending c7 and should be exchanged.} (26... Rb5  $1 {was the best move and Black is fine.}) 27. Rb1 (27. Bxd6 Rxd6 28. Rb1 Rc6  $11) 27... Bxf4 $2 (27... Bxc7 $3 {was the star move.} 28. Bxc7 h6 $3 {  unbelievable double attack! There is no way to defend both b8 and c7 and the  game ends in a draw.} (28... Qxc7 $2 29. Qxc7 Rxc7 30. Rb8+) 29. Qxc8+ Qxc8 30.  Rb8 Qxb8 31. Bxb8 a2 32. Ra1 Rb5 33. Rxa2 Rxb8 $11 {what a nice variation.})  28. exf4 {The threat is deadly now. To take on c8 followed by Rb8.} Ra5 29.  Qxc8+ Qxc8 30. Rb8 Ra8 31. Rxa8 Qxa8 32. Rb1 $1 $18 {And it was all over. This  game made me realize about so many little problems that Magnus was facing and  how accurate he needed to be if he wanted to get over them.}) 26... g5 {  Svidler mentioned that this move cannot really be bad because it clears all  the back rank problems that Black has. But one cannot deny the fact that it  weakens the Black king.} (26... -- 27. h3 {This is the position I was talking  about. The game Tomashevsky-Riazantsev that White won easily. White has this  extra move over the game because he played h3 instead of Bd3 in the opening.  And when Black played Ba6 he took the bishop. That explains why he is a tempo  up.} h6 28. Rfc1 Kh7 29. Qa6 Rf5 30. Bd6 $1 Bh4 31. Qxa3 Bf2+ 32. Kh1 Rd5 33.  Bf4 f5 34. Qc3 Bh4 35. Rb6 Bg5 36. Be5 Bd8 37. Rb8 {1-0 (36) Tomashevsky,E  (2646)-Riazantsev,A (2656) Moscow 2008 EXT 2010 [Ftacnik,L]}) (26... Bf6 27.  Qb7 $1 $16) 27. Bg3 {Anand instantly made this move. Be5 was an equally good  option.} (27. Be5 Bb4 {can now be met with} 28. Qxb4 Qxc6 29. Qe7 Rxe5 (29...  Qe8 30. Qxg5+ $1 {and you see the usefulness of B on e5.}) 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31.  Qf6+ Kg8 32. Qxe5 $16) 27... Bb4 {A surprising move by Magnus. He would like  to eliminate the pawn by bringing his bishop to a5.} 28. Ra1 $1 {fantastic  move by Vishy. Almost putting Black into a zugzwang. Try doing this: find a  good move for Black that does not damage his position in some way or the other  and I am sure you will be unsuccessful. Vishy was proud of this move he made  and rightly so.} (28. Rb1 Bd2 $1 {is quite an irritating move.} 29. Kf2 a2 30.  Ra1 f5 {White has to be careful here.}) (28. Qxb4 Qxc6 29. Qe7 Qd7 $11 30. Qxa3  Rxc7 $1 31. Bxc7 Qxc7 $11 {should be a draw.}) 28... Ba5 {It was important to  note that at this point Magnus had less than ten minutes left on his clock. A  difficult position to defend plus time pressure, that's really a nightmare.}  29. Qa6 $1 (29. Qb7 {was also very strong.}) 29... Bxc7 {Magnus breaks down  finally! It is not usual for him but I guess the pressure was just too much  for him to hold.} (29... e5 30. Bxe5 Rxe5 31. dxe5 Rxc7 32. Rd6 $18) 30. Qc4 $1  {The most accurate finish to the game.} (30. Rac1 $2 {was the final trick to  avoid.} Ra5 $1 31. Qc4 a2 $11 {and things aren't clear.}) (30. Rxa3 {was also  very strong.}) 30... e5 {The way Magnus made this move showed that he had lost  all the interest in the game.} 31. Bxe5 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Qe7 33. e6 $1 {The final  accurate move.} (33. Rc1 a2 34. Qxa2 Qxe5 {might give black some unnecessary  counterplay.}) 33... Kf8 34. Rc1 {Magnus stretched out his hand in resignation  and the match was wide open once again! The game was an example of what top  level opening preparation is all about. And these guys are so good that once  they get in the stuff that they have prepared at home, they hardly let the  advantage slip. Magnus chose an opening where Anand could really show his true  strength. Such mistakes are costly and surely the reigning World Champion  would not repeat them again. But as of now for the first time in the history,  Carlsen-Anand World Championship match looks like a battle of evens!  } 1-0