Chennai G7: A toothless draw

FIDE World Chess Championship Anand-Carlsen 2013

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and his challenger world number one Magnus Carlsen is taking place from November 9 to 28 2013 in the the Hyatt Regency, Chennai, India. The match is over twelve games, with time controls of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 61. The games start at 3:00 p.m. Indian Time, which is 4:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (New York), 10:30h Central European Time (Paris), 1:30 p.m. Moscow Standard Time. Find your local time here.

Round seven report

After his loss in game six, facing a two point deficit and only six games left to try to make up for it, the general consensus was that the world champion would have to change tactics, and get ready to take his chances. Some fans felt that perhaps damage control was needed, and it was better to avoid finding himself with a three point deficit. However, it is too late for that, and there is a football adage in Brazil that states that losing by ten goals or by a thousand is much the same. In other words, if you have nothing to lose, then the score stops being a factor in your decision making.

Anand arrived first as in the previous games, and appears relaxed

Carlsen arrives and they shake hands for the hard battle ahead. At least, that
is what many expected.

Most grandmasters felt the time was already on him, and with a white to look forward to in game seven, the stars were aligned for a Rambo mission against Carlsen’s king. What would it be? A juicy King’s Gambit? Realistically, it did not seem likely, but one could always hope. More serious speculations were the Scotch, though anything that kept the pieces on the board, maximizing a gung-ho battle, would do just as well. When the same opening as game six appeared, the 4.d3 Anti-Berlin, the experts were left scratching their heads a bit. What did he have in store? Had he (or his seconds) found something to revitalize his fight against Carlsen’s Berlin?

What Anand's fans had hoped to see him do in game seven

The answer was sadly a very loud no. In no time at all, seemingly without any threat, Carlsen had equalized, and had at least as many chances as his opponent. It did not take long for the heavy pieces to come off, and a draw was agreed on at move 32. For Carlsen, it was a perfectly happy result as he played Black and had neutralized any possible ambitions by the world champion. Still, the question is: what will Anand prepare for the final games to make a fight of it? To quote Yasser Seirawan commenting on Playchess: if you are going to make chicken salad, don’t forget the chicken.

For those who are already considering the match a forgone conclusion, know that it is not by any means. If Anand wins one of the next two games, it will not only place him within one point, but will put enormous pressure on Carlsen to protect his lead, and nerves may become a serious factor.

Score

Tournament details

Schedule: the match will be played over a maximum of twelve games, and the winner of the match will be the first player to score 6.5 points or more. If the winner scores 6.5 points in less than 12 games then the closing ceremony will take place on the day after the World Championship has been decided or one day thereafter.

Live commentary on Playchess in English

Live commentary in other languages

The commentary will commence around 30 minutes after the start of the games. The schedule and commentators may be changed before the start of the Championship on November 9th, with long and short castlings possible.