World Championship G5 – Sveshnikov drawn in 27 moves

by ChessBase
5/17/2012 – In the fifth game Anand and Gelfand played 17 moves of theory, after which White deviated from the previous 2009 game and seemed to get a small advantage. However Anand allowed his Israeli challenger to trade down and after ten more moves there was nothing left to play for. Full report with pictures and videos, as well as double analysis by GM Romain Edouard and IM Malcolm Pein.
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The World Chess Championship 2012 is being staged in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, between the current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and the winner of the Candidates tournament Boris Gelfand of Israel. The match is over twelve games and lasts from May 11 to 30. The prize fund is US $2.55 million, the winner getting $1.53 million (60%), the loser $1,02 million (40%).

Round five: drawn in 27 moves

The wait wasn’t long for enthusiasts expecting the King Pawn Opening from World Champion Viswanathan Anad. Playing with white in the fifth game, Anand opened with the king pawn for the first time in this twelve-game World Championship match against challenger Boris Gelfand.


Boris Gelfand before the start of game five

The surprise element as expected was missing with the Israeli GM too having anticipated this move by Anand. Gelfand counter surprised Anand by skipping his favourite Petroff Defence and instead opted for the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence.


World Champion Anand played 1.e4 and faced the Sicilian Sveshnikov

Anand was once again not his usual self, and it was another slow and safe approach by the Indian, who is fighting in the Classical World Championship format for the third time, having defeated Vladimir Kramnik in 2008 and Veselin Topalov in 2010. It was once again a technical and positional battle which beginners and amateurs may find difficult to follow, but neither player conceded an inch. They followed the well analyzed and dissected main line of the Svehnikov and play was focussed on the queen side with pieces swapped at regular intervals. After 26 moves each player was left with a queen, rook and opposite colour bishops which had them unhesitatingly settling for a draw without anything left in the position.


Ilya Smirin and Alexander Grischuk doing commentary during round five

This was the fifth successive draw in as many games and leaves the score tied at 2.5-2.5.Gelfand will wield white pieces in the 6th game scheduled on Friday night.

Game five analysis by GM Romain Edouard

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1.e4 Does it mean the Grunfeld cannot be refuted? c5 Does it mean Petroff can be refuted? Well, at least, it's good to see something different going on. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 Gelfand had already played this system... almost ten years ago! 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c4 Definitely not the most fascinating line, though most popular recently. b4 12.Nc2 0-0 13.g3 It is well know that 13.Ncxb4 Nxb4 14.Nxb4 Qb6 is good for Black. 13...a5 14.Bg2 Bg5 15.0-0 Be6 16.Qd3 Bxd5!? A novetly. Black is just trying to set a draw immediatly. 16...Qb8 used to be played, while after 17.f4 Black can even keep the tension playing Bd8!? as it came in the game Borisek-Moiseenko, Porto Carras 2011. 17.cxd5 A bit symmetric, but necessary. In general White always has a small advantage in that kind of positions, due to some space avantage. The main problem is that the bishop on h6 prevents White from using the c-file... Nb8 18.a3N Na6!? My engine prefers 18...bxa3 19.Nxa3 Nd7 which is probably also not so much for White. 19.axb4 Also necessary. White has nothing better to do than trying this slightly better sort of endgame. Nxb4 20.Nxb4 axb4 21.h4 Bh6 22.Bh3?! Too slow. But the reason White cannot win - in general - this kind of positions is that Black may sometimes just give up the b-pawn and still make a draw. All Black has to avoid is to lose the d6-pawn (unless the b-pawn is queening!). Normally, in that kind of positions, a bishop on d5 would be very welcome, in order to be able to put pressure out of the f7-pawn. But White has a irremovable pawn on d5, while Black may be able to put a bishop on d4 (or c5) one day, which would be enough to make a draw even a pawn down in most of the cases. White should probably try 22.Qc4 Qb6 Even 22...b3!? 23.Qxb3 Bd2 might be enough for a draw: not sure White can prevent Black from playing ...Qb6 and putting a bishop on c5. White would have an extra pawn, but no way at all to create problems. It is well known that in "opposite colored bishops endgames, the material is not preponderant. 23.Qc6 Rab8 24.Rfd1!? 24.Ra6 Qd4 24...Rfc8 25.Qxb6 Rxb6 26.Bh3 Rcb8 27.b3 and White has a small pressure, though I'm not sure winning chances are so real. 22...Qb6 23.Bd7 b3! 24.Bc6 Ra2 25.Rxa2 bxa2 26.Qa3 26.b3 is an option but one forced draw would be Rb8 27.Ba4 Rc8 28.Ra1 Rc1+ 29.Rxc1 Bxc1 30.Qc2 g5! 31.Qxa2 gxh4 32.gxh4 Qd8= 26...Rb8 27.Qxa2 A very good opening choice by Gelfand. After such a game, my opinion is that there might be no decisive result at all if one of the players doesn't go out of the main theory with White. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2791Gelfand,B2727½–½2012B33World Chess Championship Match5

GM Romain Edouard, 21 years old, learnt to play chess at the age of five. He played his first national youth championship at ten, became a FIDE Master at 16, an IM at 17, and a GM at 18.

Romain won the French and European U16 Championships in 2006, came second in the U18 section in European and World Championships in 2007, and came second in the French Championship 2010 (shared first on points with Laurent Fressinet).

He has been a member of the French national team since 2009 (except in 2011). He won several international open tournaments: Bad Wiessee 2008, Zaragoza 2008, Echternach 2009, Andorra 2009, Hastings 2010, Echternach 2010, Clermont-Ferrand 2011, etc. as well as closed tournaments: Grand Prix de Bordeaux 2007, Antwerp 2011, Nancy 2012.

Romain delivers his analyses of the World Championship in Moscow minutes after the games have ended, something we greatly appreciate.
 

Game five analysis by Malcolm Pein

IM Malcolm Pein comments on the games on TWIC and live during each game via Twitter #telegraphchess.

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 Another surprise with Black from Boris. He abandons his beloved Najdorf and once again Vishy's preparation is sidestepped 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nd5 Is the sharp line 8...b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c4 This has been a trendy line, we don't get the long forcing and tactical lines where Black takes on f6 with the pawn. It's very positional. Black's activity usually compensates for weak d5 square and backward d6 pawn b4 12.Nc2 0-0 13.g3 13.Ncxb4 Nxb4 14.Nxb4 Qb6 15.Nd5 Qxb2 16.Bd3 Bd8 17.0-0 Be6 18.Qb3 Qxb3 19.axb3 Rb8 20.Rfb1 Bxd5 21.cxd5= Anand - Radjabov 13...a5 14.Bg2 Bg5 15.0-0 Be6 16.Qd3 Bxd5 16...Qb8!? Played by Moiseenko and McShane 17.cxd5 17.exd5 Anand could make the play sharper with no risk but it's still not much Nb8 Black can spoil the fun with 17...Nd4 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Qxd4 Bf6 As pointed out to me via Twitter by GM Erwin L'Ami 20.Qd2 a4= 17...Nd4 18.Nxd4 exd4 And again just a tiny edge for White after 19.Rfe1 Bf6 18.c5 dxc5 Then a variety of interesting lines, some risky 19.Rfe1 19.d6 c4 20.Qd5 Ra6 21.Rad1 19...g6 20.h4 20.Rxe5 Bf6 20...Bh6 21.Ne3 Bxe3 22.Qxe3 Nd7 23.Rad1 17...Nb8 18.a3 Na6 19.axb4 Nxb4 That completely deadens it 20.Nxb4 axb4 21.h4 Bh6 22.Bh3 Some commentators were getting excited about 22.Qc4 but it looks similarly uninspiring 22.Qc4 Qb6 23.Qc6 Rab8 24.Bh3!? 24.Rfd1 Anticipating Qxc6 is an edge Rfc8 25.Qxb6 Rxb6 26.Bh3 Rcb8 but not much 22...Qb6 22...Qb6 23.Qc4 Qc5 24.Qxc5 dxc5 25.d6 25.b3 Bd2 26.Rxa8 Rxa8 27.Rd1 Bc3 28.d6 Bd4 25...c4 23.Bd7 b3 24.Bc6 Ra2 25.Rxa2 bxa2 26.Qa3 Rb8 27.Qxa2 27.Qxa2 Qxb2 28.Qxb2 Rxb2 29.Ra1 g6 30.Ra7 Rb1+ 31.Kg2 Rb2 32.Kf3 Rb3+ 33.Kg4 Rb2 34.Rd7 Bf8= Or the computer line 27.Qxa2 Qd4 28.Qa3 g6 29.Qxd6 Rb3 30.Kh2 Bf8 31.Qf6 Qxe4 32.Be8 Qxd5 33.Rd1 Rf3 34.Rxd5 Rxf6 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2799Gelfand,B2739½–½2012B33WCh 20125

Analysis of game five by GM Daniel King on Playchess

GM Robert Fontaine and his video producer Gérard Demuydt are in Moscow, producing video reports and interviews after each round for the French chess magazine Europe Echecs. We are grateful to receive the reports very soon after the end of the games, so that we are able to publish them on the same day. It is also great to catch a glimpse of the many interesting personalities that visit the World Championship.

Andrew Martin comments on game five

Video stream of the round (from the official World Championship site)

Once again the Russian organisers are providing unprecedented coverage,
with a HD video stream of the action and commentary by visiting grandmasters.

Pictures by Anastasya Karlovich in Moscow

Scoreboard

 Players
Rtng
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Tot.
Perf.
+/–
 Vishy Anand
2791
½
½
½
½
½
              
2.5
2727
–4
 Boris Gelfand  
2727
½
½
½
½
½
              
2.5
2791
+4

Remaining schedule

Days of play, with live commentators on Playchess.com. Note that the games start at 15:00h local time = 13:00 CEST, 07 a.m. New York or here in your location.

Fri May 18 Game 6 Loek van Wely
Sat May 19 Rest day  
Sun May 20 Game 7 Lawrence Trent
Mon May 21 Game 8 Oliver Reeh
Tues May 22 Rest day  
Wed May 23 Game 9 Daniel King
Thur May 24 Game 10 Yannick Pelletier
 
Fri May 25 Rest day  
Sat May 26 Game 11 Daniel King
Sun May 27 Rest day  
Mon May 28 Game 12 Sam Collins
Tues May 29 Rest day  
Wed May 30 Tiebreaks  
Thurs May 31 Closing  

Links

The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

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