Match Carlsen-Anand 2014 Partie 7 : 1/2-1/2

   [Event "FWCM 2014"]  [Site "Sochi"]  [Date "2014.11.17"]  [Round "7.1"]  [WhiteID "1503014"]  [White "Magnus Carlsen"]  [BlackID "5000017"]  [Black "Viswanathan Anand"]  [Result "1/2-1/2"]  [BlackElo "2792"]  [WhiteElo "2863"]  [ECO "C67"]  [Annotator "Sagar Shah"]   {Let's save the time today for an introduction! We have 122 moves to cover! But  let me tell you just this, today's game was really high class. A true battle  of ideas that saw the two gladiators fighting right until the end!} 1. e4 e5 {  Anand switches back to e5 after two outings with the Sicilian. After a  disappointing loss in game six, Vishy seemed to come with a clear head today.  Draw game seven and then start to cover the one point deficit from game eight  onwards.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O {In game two Magnus went for the line  with 4.d3 but today he is ready to test Anand in the main lines of Berlin.}  Nxe4 5. d4 $5 {A very interesting decision by Carlsen. He has a one point lead.  He could have gone for this equal line with 5.Re1 which he had played  successfully in the last World Championship and it has been proved that White  can make a draw with that line quite easily. But in this match, Magnus is not  so comfortable facing Anand with the black pieces and he realizes that a one  point lead is not very safe. That's the reason he goes for this much more  ambitious line.} (5. Re1 {is a pretty dull and boring line which more often  than not ends in a draw.}) 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {As  Peter Svidler rightly mentioned in the commentary, it is thanks to the Berlin  that he switched from being a totally 1.e4 player and branched out his  repertoire with 1.d4, 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 as well. Truly. the Berlin has been a  hard nut to crack for the White players. Black's position is so solid that  more often than not he is able to hold himself against any White plans. There  are two very important points you should know about the Berlin. First: because  of the superiority in the structure, if miraculously a pawn ending arises it  shall be winning for White. And second: The white pawn on e5 is the main  reason why Black has a good position. If the white pawn were on e4, it would  have greatly hindered the black pieces. With the pawn on e5 as you can see,  the Knight feels comfortable on f5 and the Bishop has a good home on e6. These  are little points but they go a long way into making Berlin such a solid  defense. By the way, I must use this opportunity to introduce you to a  wonderful book written on the Berlin Endgame named "Berlin Wall" by John Cox.}  9. h3 {Fabiano Caruana who is one of the best players as White against the  Berlin endgame, once said that he studied this endgames quite deeply from the  White side. Though Black players came up with novelties every now and then he  would be able to win his games. His logic was, novelties come and go but  understanding remains forever. Quite a thought provoking statement.  h3 is the  much more fashionable move these days. White does not develop his Knight to c3,  and keeps his options open. Sometimes the Knight goes to f3 via d2.} (9. Nc3 {  Earlier this move was played almost without any thought but h3 is slowly  taking over.}) 9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 {cementing the Knight on f5 and making g4  undesirable.} 11. Bf4 Be7 12. Rad1 Be6 {It is said, in the Berlin, the  Bishop on e6 is the most crucial piece. It is the one who holds Black's  position together. The logic is that after Black places his pawns on  c5 b6 c7, they cover the important dark squares, and the Bishop is able to  take control of the light squares. Eliminating this Bishop is one of the main  aims of white players in this opening and that explains the next move.} 13. Ng5  Rh6 {This is one of the most fashionable lines these days with the likes of  Caruana, Giri, Radjabov and Anand himself having tried it.} (13... Bxg5 14.  Bxg5 $14 {Would give White a clear advantage as he controls the crucial d8  square.}) 14. g3 {in order to play h4 in the future.} (14. Nxe6 {eliminating  this Bishop is usually an achievement for White but here it gives Black quick  and efficient counterplay.} Rxe6 15. Rfe1 g5 16. Bh2 Bb4 $1 $11 {Black is  doing pretty well.}) 14... Bxg5 {The Knight is eliminated because now Black  can get his rook to a superior square on g6.} (14... Rd8 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 16.  Rd1+ Ke8 17. h4 $14) 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 (16. Bf4 Nh4 {is an immediate draw  and was seen in the game Grischuk-Anand 2011.} 17. Kh2 Nf3+ 18. Kg2 Nh4+ $11)  16... f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bf4 Nxh4 {Black wins a pawn but in return he gets a  much better co-ordination. As you can see from the position on the board, each  of White's piece is on a good and active square. The same cannot be said about  the black pieces.} 19. f3 Rd8 (19... Nxf3+ $2 20. Rxf3 Bg4 21. Re3+ $18) 20.  Kf2 Rxd1 21. Nxd1 {It is important to take with the Knight here. Taking with  the rook falls into a little tactic.} (21. Rxd1 Nxf3 22. Kxf3 Bg4+ 23. Ke4 Bxd1  24. Nxd1 Rg7 $11 {Add a pair of rooks for both sides and White would be better  here. But with just minor pieces it will not be easy for White to win this.})  21... Nf5 22. Rh1 Bxa2 $1 {This reminds me of the fourth game of Chennai match  between the two players. Carlsen grabbed the a2 pawn with his Bishop. But  there it was much more perilous to do so. Here it cannot be trapped.} 23. Rxh5  (23. b3 $6 Bb1 $15 24. Rxh5 $6 Bxc2 $17) 23... Be6 24. g4 {Following the game  Giri vs Radjabov which happened just 20 days prior to this game. After the  press conference, Carlsen said that he did not risk much in this position and  could press quite effortlessly.} (24. Bxc7 Rh6 25. Rxh6 Nxh6 26. g4 Nf7 27. Ke3  Kd7 $11 {Would also be a logical way to play but I think that with f5 coming  up next move, Black has enough resources to hold the draw.}) 24... Nd6 25. Rh7  Nf7 $146 {A good move by Anand improving upon the previous game.} (25... f5 {  was played in the game Giri-Radjabov and White went g5 but I think White can  just take on c7 and have quite good prospects.} 26. Rxc7 Nb5 27. gxf5 Bxf5 28.  Rxb7 Bxc2 29. Ne3 $14) 26. Ne3 Kd8 27. Nf5 {It was only now that Anand sank  into thought. While many World Championship games have ended in 27 moves, in  this game it is only now that the players have to make use of their mind.} c5 {  stopping the Knight to come to d4.} (27... Bxf5 28. gxf5 $18 {would just lose  a piece.}) 28. Ng3 Ne5 $5 {This move was met with a lot of uproar on Twitter.  The best one was that Anand plays Ne5 in game seven instead of six. Better  late than never!  But on a serious note, this move is quite provocative. I  have a feeling that Anand wanted to play concrete chess and this was one such  move in the position. But the problem is that White has a way to reach a  position in which he has excellent winning chances. As we will see Carlsen  doesn't miss them.} 29. Rh8+ Rg8 (29... Ke7 {would have been just as logical  as the game continuation.} 30. Bxe5 fxe5 31. Rh5 Bxg4 32. fxg4 Rxg4 {is  similar to the game.}) (29... Kd7 30. Ne4 {would be a tad uncomfortable.} Kc6  31. Bxe5 fxe5 32. Rh5 $14) 30. Bxe5 {This is the only way in which White can  fight for an advantage.} fxe5 (30... Rxh8 {is of course a blunder.} 31. Bxf6+  $18) 31. Rh5 Bxg4 $5 {Many people would judge this move to be a mistake but  remember one thing, decisions as radical as these will not be made by a player  of Anand's class if he knows that there is a better option available. Anand  knows that once he makes this move there is no going back. He has to defend  for the entire period of the game with all his might only for a draw. So let  us see if Black had any other options.} (31... Rf8 {With the threat of Bxg4}  32. Ke3 Bd5 33. Ne4 Bxe4 34. Kxe4 Rf4+ 35. Ke3 {players mentioned this  position in the press conference.} (35. Kxe5 Rxf3 36. Ke6 {Radjabov thought  that this position is winning for White. You cannot be sure but definitely  white is the one who has a very pleasant advantage after something like} Re3+  37. Kf6 Re2 (37... Rf3+ 38. Rf5) 38. Rxc5 $16) 35... Rb4 36. Rxe5 Rxb2 37. Rxc5  b6 {Anand said that he definitely had a look at this line but he felt that his  pawns were much slow as compared to the white pawns and this I think is the  correct assessment. This line prompted him to go for the piece sacrifice in  the game.} 38. Rc3 $16) 32. fxg4 Rxg4 33. Rxe5 b6 {A fascinating endgame  position has arisen. If White had a Bishop on g3, the game would have been all  but over. But with the Knight, White has difficulties in co-ordinating an  attack on Black's weakness. Carlsen felt after the game that he should be  winning in this position. So did Kasparov. But Anand was sure that with  accurate play he could hold and he was backed up by Caruana who said that he  couldn't understand why people were overestimating White's chances. It looked  like a draw to him.  That shows how difficult this position is to assess. But  one thing is clear, Black is on the defensive and he has to fight for his life  before he can gain the coveted half point.} 34. Ne4 Rh4 35. Ke2 Rh6 36. b3 Kd7  37. Kd2 Kc6 38. Nc3 a6 $5 {The official commentators Svidler and Sopiko were  quite excited at this point. According to them the fact that Anand kept his  pawn on a6 instead of a5 meant that he had studied this position earlier. Of  course one can disagree with them because the move a6 is extremely logical  from the point of taking away the b5 square from the Knight in the future. But  to be sure someone asked this question to  Anand in the press conference and  he replied saying that if one is talking about the material balance then  surely he has seen such positions before but this exact one had not been  studied by him.} 39. Re4 Rh2+ 40. Kc1 Rh1+ 41. Kb2 Rh6 {Black's defense is  difficult but at the same time it is limited to just reacting to White's plans.  Anand very correctly mentioned that he had to find a setup which would last  for ten moves or so and then as White would start planning a new set up, he  had to change accordingly. So it was tough but not to such an extent that he  had to be vigilant on each and every move.  Let's try to understand what Magnus'  plan should be to win in such positions. First things first. If the rooks are  exchanged, White will win the Knight endgame. We will see the proof of it in a while  but, look closely and you will realize that there is only one weakness in  Black's position and that is the pawn on c7. White has to co-ordinate his  forces in some way or the other to attack it with his Knight and Rook. And the  only plan that comes to my mind is somehow to get the Knight to d5, fix it with  c4 and then proceed with Re7 in order to attack the c7 pawn. This is what  Magnus eventually does in the game.} 42. Nd1 Rg6 43. Ne3 Rh6 44. Re7 Rh2 45.  Re6+ Kb7 (45... Kd7 {was also possible. I am not sure if it is too bad. It's  just that from the two options, Anand went for Kb7.}) 46. Kc3 {At this point I  felt that Magnus is trying to get his king into the game but Anand's next move  stops it right in its tracks.} Rh4 $1 47. Kb2 (47. Kd3 Rd4+ 48. Kc3 Rh4 {is no  progress.}) 47... Rh2 48. Nd5 {Re7 is threatened now so Black has to be  careful.} Rd2 (48... Rh5 {will allow} 49. c4) 49. Nf6 Rf2 50. Kc3 Rf4 51. Ne4  Rh4 52. Nf2 {This is one of the biggest traits of Magnus. He has loads of  patience. He keeps moving his Knight from one square to another, his king  comes out goes back. All this is done with the intention to tire out Anand and  make him blunder. More often than not such strategies work. We can all learn a  lot from the fighting qualities of this young World Champion.  Here it would  be appropriate to point out that Anand had his chances to press Magnus in the  fifth game but he did not take them. Carlsen is not so benevolent.} Rh2 53. Rf6  Rh7 54. Nd3 Rh3 55. Kd2 Rh2+ 56. Rf2 Rh4 57. c4 {Finally the c-pawn moves  ahead. This is what Anand was talking about. He has to be careful now as the  structure has changed and so has White's plans. The idea is now as previously  mentioned: get the Knight to d5 and the rook to e7.} Rh3 58. Kc2 Rh7 59. Nb2  Rh5 60. Re2 Rg5 61. Nd1 b5 $1 {Great sense of danger shown by Anand. He could  have just waited and watched but that would have led to his doom. With this  pawn advance he is weakening the c5 pawn but it was necessary.} (61... Rh5 62.  Nc3 Rh7 63. Nd5 Rg7 {Black continues to wait but now we shall see how the  Knight vs pawns endgame is completely losing for Black.} 64. Re7 Rxe7 65. Nxe7  $18 {Why is this position winning for White. The main problem is that Black  cannot exchange all of the pawn. Say for example he plays b5. White does  nothing. Now he tries to go c6 followed by a5-a4. The point here is that White  will take bxa4. Now if Black takes back bxa4, the c4 pawn will remain on the  board and if he takes back bxc4 then the a4 pawn lives. In short there is  absolutely no way to exchange the pawns and hence White wins.} b5 66. Nd5 c6  67. Nf6 a5 68. Ne4 Kb6 69. Kc3 a4 70. bxa4 $1 bxa4 (70... bxc4 71. Kxc4 $18)  71. Kb2 $18) 62. Nc3 c6 63. Ne4 Rh5 64. Nf6 Rg5 65. Re7+ Kb6 66. Nd7+ Ka5 {The  black king now joins the battle. This was the critical moment of the game and  Carlsen eventually fumbled.} 67. Re4 Rg2+ {Now there is no way to get away  from the checks unless the king goes away from his own pawns.} (67... Kb4 $2  68. cxb5+ Kxb5 69. Ne5 $18) 68. Kc1 Rg1+ (68... Kb4 $1 {was a little tactical  trick that Black had at his disposal.} 69. cxb5+ Kc3 $1 {threatening a mate.}  70. Re3+ (70. Re1 cxb5 $11) 70... Kd4 $11) 69. Kd2 Rg2+ 70. Ke1 (70. Re2 Rxe2+  71. Kxe2 Kb4 72. Kd3 Kxb3 73. Nxc5+ Ka2 $11) 70... bxc4 $1 {A brave decision.  Such moves are never made easily as they are ones you can never go back on.  But Anand calculated everything upto a draw from this point onwards.} 71. Rxc4  Rg3 72. Nxc5 Kb5 73. Rc2 a5 74. Kf2 Rh3 75. Rc1 Kb4 76. Ke2 Rc3 {The last  White pawn is about to fall and we will reach a theoretical draw.} 77. Nd3+  Kxb3 {The players could have agreed to a draw at this point but Carlsen is  Carlsen. He wants to keep playing even if he has 0.01% chances of success.} 78.  Ra1 Kc4 79. Nf2 Kb5 80. Rb1+ Kc4 81. Ne4 Ra3 82. Nd2+ Kd5 83. Rh1 a4 84. Rh5+  Kd4 85. Rh4+ Kc5 86. Kd1 Kb5 87. Kc2 Rg3 88. Ne4 Rg2+ 89. Kd3 a3 90. Nc3+ Kb6  91. Ra4 a2 92. Nxa2 Rg3+ 93. Kc2 Rg2+ 94. Kb3 Rg3+ 95. Nc3 Rh3 96. Rb4+ Kc7 97.  Rg4 Rh7 98. Kc4 Rf7 99. Rg5 Kb6 100. Na4+ Kc7 101. Kc5 Kd7 102. Kb6 Rf1 103.  Nc5+ Ke7 104. Kxc6 {Both the black pawns fall but it really doesn't matter  because the Knight vs Knight + Rook is a pretty simple draw. Although here I  must point out that great players like Judit Polgar, Erwin L'Ami, Yuri Kuzubov,  Quesada Perez and many others have lost it. And Erwin had lost it to Magnus!  This is where Magnus must have got the motivation to continue playing! But  Anand I am sure was confident that he would hold this without any difficulties.  } Rd1 105. Rg6 Kf7 106. Rh6 Rg1 107. Kd5 Rg5+ 108. Kd4 Rg6 109. Rh1 Rg2 110.  Ne4 Ra2 111. Rf1+ Ke7 112. Nc3 Rh2 113. Nd5+ Kd6 114. Rf6+ Kd7 115. Nf4 Rh1  116. Rg6 Rd1+ 117. Nd3 Ke7 118. Ra6 Kd7 119. Ke4 Ke7 120. Rc6 Kd7 121. Rc1 Rxc1  122. Nxc1 {A grandiose struggle I must say. More than anything else the game  will be remembered for 2 things.  1. Magnus's never say die spirit in which he  tried his level best from move no. 31 when Anand sacrificed his piece.  2.  Anand's fortuitous defence which will give the Indian player, much needed  confidence in this match.  This game was definitely a psychological victory  for Anand and this was just what he needed to try his best with the white  pieces in the eighth game of the match.} 1/2-1/2