Sochi G3: Anand strikes back – with a vengeance!

by Alejandro Ramirez
11/11/2014 – The match has exploded and is now wide open! Last year's match finished with not a single win for Viswanathan Anand, and today this has changed! The Indian struck back immediately after his loss in the previous round and used a combination of precise play and opening preparation to vanquish the World Champion. The match is now tied 1.5-1.5 The tiger is back!
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FIDE World Chess Championship Carlsen-Anand 2014

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between defending champion Magnus Carlsen and his challenger Viswanathan Anand is taking place from November 7 to 27, 2014 in Olympic Media Center located in the Adler City District of Sochi, Imeretinsky Valley, on the Black Sea.

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. Sochi Time, which is the same as Moscow time:

Moscow (Russia)   3:00:00 PM MSK UTC+3 hours
New York (U.S.A. - New York)   7:00:00 AM EST UTC-5 hours
Paris (France)   1:00:00 PM CET UTC+1 hour
Beijing (China - Beijing Municipality)   8:00:00 PM CST UTC+8 hours

Round Three

What a turn of events! When Magnus Carlsen won the first decisive game of the match in the previous round, many gave the challenger, Viswanathan Anand, no hope of recovering. After all, last year he was unable to put any pressure on the then-Challenger Carlsen and he won not a single game. But this all changed.

A fantastic preparation by team Anand left the Indian in a commanding position. The players repeated the game Aronian-Adams from 2013, but Vishy had a nasty surprise in store. The precise sequence of moves allowed White a strong advantage and a powerful passed c-pawn. Anand took the advantage and with surgical precision he won the game.

Carlsen seemed very unfamiliar with the position, taking a long time for his moves

Anand was also taking his time, but somehow it felt as if he was very familiar with the whole variation. He revealed in the press conference that there are so many variations in this complicated line that he did not want to reveal when his preparation ended. However, he did let know that the move 24.Qxb6 was still preparation, while 27...Bb4 was not considered by Anand.

Daniel King analyses the key moments of the game

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 This style of the "Aronian Queen's Gambit" has become popular in recent years. In the super-tournament in Moscow, Tashir, we have seen this position several times. c6 7...Nh5 was Black's favorite in the Tashir tournament. 8.Bd3 b6 9.b4 a5 10.a3 White's expansion on the queenside looks scary, but if Black can neutralize it, open the a-file and trade off his light-squared bishop (which is often useless), then he can hold comfortably. Of course, doing this takes a long time. Ba6 11.Bxa6 Rxa6 12.b5! All of this is well-known theory. cxb5 13.c6 Qc8 14.c7 b4 15.Nb5 a4 16.Rc1 Ne4 17.Ng5 Taking twice on g5 is impossible, but taking once might be necessary. Ndf6 17...Bxg5 18.Bxg5 Ra5 18...Nxg5?? 19.Nd6+- rips apart the blockade and wins the queen. 19.Be7!? Re8 19...Rxb5 20.Bxf8 Kxf8 21.Qxa4 Ra5 22.Qxb4+ is unclear. The passed pawn on c7 does compensate for Black's material advantage of having two knights against a rook. Ke8!∞ 20.Bxb4 Rxb5 21.Qxa4 and the rook on b5 is trapped. This must favor White as Black's rook on e8 is very passive. 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.f3 Ra5 20.fxe4 Even though both players took a long time to get here (about an hour and a half to get to this position between the both of them) only 20.fxe4! is a novelty. 20.Qe2 Qd7 21.fxe4 Rc8! Aronian-Adams, 2013. Vishy must have taken a fresh look at this game. 20...Rxb5 21.Qxa4 Ra5 22.Qc6 bxa3 23.exd5 Rxd5 24.Qxb6 A fascinating position. Material is equal, but White's position is clearly preferable. The a-pawn is not as dangerous as the c-pawn, which needs to be blockaded immediately. Qd7 25.0-0 25.Qa6 The computers again and again were screaming for this move but it's consequences are not always clear. 25...Rc8 25...g5 26.Qb8! Rc8 27.Qxc8+ Qxc8 28.Rb1± 26.Rc6 Interestingly, this exact position was seen in the game Tomashevsky, Evgeny - Riazantsev, Alexander from the 2008 Russian Super Final. However, in that game White's pawn was on h3, and not on h2!  Tomashevsky won cleanly. g5 Black is running out of resources. He has to devote too much time to stopping the c-pawn and this means his a-pawn is not playing. 27.Bg3 Bb4 28.Ra1! An excellent move. There is no way to rip through the blockade immediately, so Anand adds pressure on the a-pawn. Ba5 29.Qa6! Keeping an eye on the a-pawn and especially the bishop on a5. Bxc7 30.Qc4! The pressure on the bishop is huge. This will cost Carlsen a piece. At this point he also had very little time left on the clock. 30.Rxa3 was also strong as the bishop is pinned. 30...e5 31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.dxe5 As Svidler pointed out, Black has excellent chances to draw this game if he can break the pin and put pressure on White's weak pawns. But that, simply put, is not going to happen! Qe7 33.e6! The easiest. Now Black's king is also a factor. There is no way to dismantle the pin and Black's position is simply resignable. Kf8 34.Rc1 And it is over! Anand does it! Excellent preparation by the Indian player, followed by precise and surgical play leading to a clear and convincing win. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M28631–02014D37WCh 20143

Carlsen: "It was a poor choice of opening, and he played very well... I could have done better."

Carlsen: "I was trying to hold on... I had seen this position from afar, this stuff with Qb6, I thought I would be a little worse but I would be able to neutralize it, but he got in Rc6... after that all this stuff with g6 and Bb4 just did not work. I probably had to do something else earlier on."

Anand claims that he only prepared three hours on the rest day. He said that he was aware of the Tomashevsky-Riazantsev game mentioned in the notes, but also claimed that the little detail of the pawn being on h3 instead of h2 changed things.

The face of despair

It's over! Carlsen resigns the game after Anand's 34th move...

The first Anand victory over Carlsen in classical chess in quite some time

"When something goes wrong it is always my fault" – Carlsen answering
the question how much influence his seconds had in choosing this opening.

Score

Game:
 Rtg
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
Score
Perf.
M. Carlsen 2863
½
1
0
                  
1.5
 2792
V. Anand 2792
½
0
1
                  
1.5
 2863

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.

Report in Hindi by Niklesh Jain

राउंड 3 – आनंद की शानदार जीत के साथ बेहतरीन वापसी

भारत के लिए आज का दिन बहुत ही शानदार और अच्छी खबर ले कर आया हाँ जी हमारा टाइगर वापस आ गया है फिर वैसे ही । मद्रास टाइगर के नाम से प्रसिद्ध पाँच बार के विश्व विजेता भारत के विश्वनाथन आनंद ने वो कर दिखाया जो लगभग पूरी दुनिया ने सोचना ही बंद कर दिया था क्या शानदार समय था इस जीत का । जब उनके आलोचक उनका मज़ाक उड़ाने या उन्हे चुका हुआ घोषित करने में व्यस्त थे उन्होने मौजूदा विश्व विजेता कार्लसन को अपनी शानदार ओपेनिंग तैयारी और फिर उसके बेहतरीन नियंत्रण से बुरी तरह पराजित कर दुनिया को बता दिया की उनके पास शतरंज को देने को अभी बहुत  कुछ बाकी है । आज के मैच की जंहा तक बात है खेल क्वीन गेंबिट डिकलाइन मे खेला गया जिसमे आज आनंद ने देखने लायक  पैदल ब्रेक ,पासर पैदल के शानदार उपयोग साथ ही साथ मेजर मोहरो के जबरजस्त खेल से कार्लसन को आज कोई मौका नहीं दिया वापसी का । एक बात अब बिलकुल साफ है आनंद की ये जीत अब इस विश्व चैंपियनशिप मैच को बहुत ही रोमांचक मोड पर ले आई है अब कार्लसन पहली बार दबाव मे है और ये देखना रोचक होगा की वो इस दबाव का सामना कितनी मुस्तैदी से करते है साथ ही साथ आनंद का आत्मविश्वास उनके खेल के स्तर को जरूर उपर ले आएगा

आपका निकलेश जैन 

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5!? The Grunfeld must be one of the most popular ways of meeting 1.d4 at the top level of chess; however it is not part of the World Champion's common repertoire. It is clear that Carlsen is bringing new things to the table and Anand's team will have to adapt quickly. 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 In the face of an opening that he did not expect, Anand decides to play a variation that is relatively quiet and is far from being a theoretical duel. Bg7 6.e4 Nxc3 7.Bxc3 0-0 8.Qd2 This type of Grunfeld focuses on holding the central tension without committing White's pawn to c3, which leaves it vulnerable to the pressure from the g7 bishop. In this case White will rely on his pieces to support his d4 and e4 pawns. Nc6 Carlsen played this relatively quickly, but it is a rare line. 8...c5 has been seen in many grandmaster games. 9.d5 e6 10.Bc4 was the very recent Tomashevsky-Kasimdzhanov from the Grand Prix last month. 9.Nf3 After this move Carlsen went on a 15 minute think. Interestingly, Carlsen this time around has already revealed that his seconds are "the Dane and the Hammer" referring to Nielsen and Hammer. However, many speculated that maybe Nepomniachtchi would help Carlsen, and this line has been played by the Russian player recently. 9.Ne2 is also possible but it blocks the development of the f1-bishop. 9...Bg4 10.d5 Bxf3 11.Bxg7 This is a novelty already. 11.gxf3 Ne5 12.Be2 c6 Moiseenko-Nepomniachtchi, 0-1 August 2014. 11...Kxg7 12.gxf3 Ne5 13.0-0-0 c6 13...Nxf3? Drops a kn ight. 14.Qc3+ 14.Qc3 f6 15.Bh3 cxd5 16.exd5! Anand ruins his structure! To compensate this he now has a strong hold over e6 and will be able to kick out Black's knight from e5. For Black, he will be able to reroute this knight somewhere else that is useful and his structure remains very solid. 16.Rxd5 Qb6 starts looking bad for White. His control of the d-file is worthless as long as the knight is stable on e5, since it guards d7. Kicking out t he knight is not an option. 17.f4? e6! And the strong threat is Rac8. Black would already be winning. 16...Nf7 17.f4 Qd6 Black's blockade on the dark-squres is keeping his position together. There is no easy way to penetrate and Black will create counterplay if left alone. The idea of pushing the a-pawn down the ranks comes to mind. 18.Qd4 A fascinating strategical game. White has a clear clamp on the position, but on the long-term he is worse because of his ruined pawn structure. Practically speaking it seems as if White has the easier time finding moves, but by no means do I think Black is objectively worse. Carlsen whos great resilience in finding passive but solid moves. Rad8 19.Be6 Qb6! I like this plan. Anand can now go into an endgame, but that seems counter-intuitive. 20.Qd2?! This might be turning point. The concession seems natural; give up the good position of the queen on d4 to avoid the queen trade. However It seems that after this White has no good way of continuing. 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Kb1 Even though this might still be far from an advantage, the possibility of quickly going to c7 with the rook and the passive position of the black rooks allow White to have some chances to create problems. Nd6 22.Rc1 f5! 23.Rc7 Kf6 24.Bd7! Ne4 25.Rxb7 is only slightly unpleasant for Black. 20...Rd6 21.Rhe1 21.Kb1 Nd8 22.Bg4 Nc6!? 22...e6 23.Bf3 exd5 24.h4!? This kind of computer idea is hard to play over the board. It is, at least immediately, not c lear to me why White has enough compensation for the pawn. There is some initiative on the queenside but Black's position does look solid. 23.h4 Nb4 24.Bf3 Rc8 21...Nd8 22.f5 Nxe6 23.Rxe6 Despite White's bind on the e6 square, it is Black that is now better. As soon as he solidifies his e7 pawn he can start working on grinding down White's structure. Qc7+ 23...Rxe6 24.fxe6 Rc8+ 25.Kb1 Qd6 is also rather appealing, but it does seem that Black might run out of ideas if the blockade must be preserved. 24.Kb1 Rc8?! perhaps letting White establish a rook on e6 is not a good way to push for any advantage. 25.Rde1 Rxe6 26.Rxe6 Rd8 27.Qe3 Rd7 28.d6! A tactical way of getting rid of his weakness. Anand is v ery close to equalizing. exd6 29.Qd4 Rf7 30.fxg6 hxg6 31.Rxd6 White's structure on f2 and h2 is still somewhat weak, but with his piece activity it does seem as if he should hold comfortably. a6 32.a3 Qa5 33.f4 Despite the computer's approval of this move, it is somewhat strange. Why push the f-pawn instead of the h-pawn? 33.h4 Qf5+ 34.Ka2 Qe5 perhaps Anand didn't want to deal with another rook endgame, considering how haunted by them he was last year... 35.Qxe5 fxe5 36.Re6= 33...Qh5 34.Qd2 Qc5 35.Rd5 Qc4 36.Rd7 Qc6 36...Rxd7 37.Qxd7+ Qf7 would force the queen to permanently defend the second rank, leaving it as a simple draw. 37.Rd6 37.Rxf7+ Kxf7 38.Qe3 a5! This would be what we have been calling a "Carlsen position". With the weak structure on the kingside Black has some chances of making progress by bringing in the king, as long as there is no perpetual, but of course with perfect play it should be drawn. 37...Qe4+ 38.Ka2 Re7 39.Qc1 a5 White has no way to improve so Black tightens the noose around White's king ever so slightly. This doesn't have a particular threat in mind, it is simply improving Black's chances. 40.Qf1 a4 With time control reached it is clear that the position is nothing but unpleasant for White. He is now passive, has to defend f4, and his king doesn't feel very comfortable. 41.Rd1 Qc2 42.Rd4 Black has to set-up some kind of lethal threat to make progress. The main thing is that if he can create real problems to the White king, White might run out of resources to defend both the king and the pawns on the kingside. Re2?! 42...Re3 The commentary team was very worried about this move appearing on the board. 43... Rxa3+! is a lethal threat. 43.Qd1 43.Rd7+ Kf8 44.Rxb7 Rb3 45.Rxb3 axb3+ 46.Ka1 Qxh2 White's badly placed king and the need to keep the queen on the first rank (or at lest protect the checkmate threats on the first rank) make this an incredibly unpleasant endgame that might just be lost. 47.Qd1! immediately threateining perpetuals. 47.Qd3 Qh1+ 48.Qb1 Qf3 49.Qxg6 Qxf4 47...Qh3! A hard move to find, especially from far away. 47...Qxf4 48.Qd8+ Kg7 49.Qd7+ Kh6 50.Qh3+ Kg5 51.Qxb3= 48.a4 Kg7 49.a5 Qe6! 50.Kb1! Qe4+ 51.Kc1 Qxf4+ 52.Qd2 Qf1+ 53.Qd1 Qc4+ 54.Kd2 Qd4+ 55.Ke1 Qe5+ 56.Kf1 Qxb2 57.Qd7+ Kh6 58.Qh3+ Kg5 59.Qe3+ Kf5 60.Qf3+ Ke6 61.Qg4+ Kd6 62.Qf4+ Kd7 63.Qg4+ f5 64.Qa4+ Ke6 65.Qc6+ Ke5 66.Qc7+ Ke4 67.Qc6+ Kd3 68.Qb5+ Kc2 69.Qe2+ Kb1 And Black has finally run away from the checks. 43...Qxd1 44.Rxd1 Rb3 is very unpleasant as Black's king will march in and once b5 is played the queenside is locked down. 43.Rb4 Now White's defensive set-up also includes pressure against the b7 pawn. Black cannot be careless with his own king. b5 Paralyzing White's position, but Anand still has an important resource. 44.Qh1! Incredibly important! Now Black's king is under threats of a perpetual. Re7 45.Qd5 Re1 46.Qd7+ Kh6 47.Qh3+ Kg7 48.Qd7+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M2863½–½2014D85WCh 20141
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V27921–02014C65WCh 20142
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M28631–02014D37WCh 20143

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Our team of commentators will analyse and comment the games of the match live on the playchess.com server. In four languages: English, German, French, and Spanish.

Schedule

Saturday 08.11.2014 Round 1 Daniel King, Parimarjan Negi
Sunday 09.11.2014 Round 2 Simon Williams, Nicholas Pert
Monday 10.11.2014 Rest day  
Tuesday 11.11.2014 Round 3 Daniel King, Loek van Wely
Wednesday 12.11.2014 Round 4 Daniel King, Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Thursday 13.11.2014 Rest day  
Friday 14.11.2014 Round 5 Simon Williams, Irina Krush
Saturday 15.11.2014 Round 6 Daniel King, Yannick Pelletier
Sunday 16.11.2014 Rest day  
Monday 17.11.2014 Round 7 Simon Williams, Loek van Wely
Tuesday 18.11.2014 Round 8 Daniel King, Loek van Wely
Wednesday 19.11.2014 Rest day  
Thursday 20.11.2014 Round 9 Simon Williams, Irina Krush
Friday 21.11.2014 Round 10 Daniel King, Simon Williams
Saturday 22.11.2014 Rest day  
Sunday 23.11.2014 Round 11 Chris Ward, Parimarjan Negi
Monday 24.11.201 4 Rest day  
Tuesday 25.11.2014 Round 12 Simon Williams, Rustam Kasimdzhanov

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Our team of World Championship commentators (English)


Irina Krush: The female in the commentator team, several times US Women's Champion.		  
Daniel King: Well known, popular, experienced, and very good. Author of many Fritztrainer DVDs

Simon Williams: Englisher grandmaster, author of two popular ChessBase King's Gambit DVDs.		  
Chris Ward: Dragon expert and chess commentator at the London Chess Classic.

Nicholas Pert: Grandmaster, trainer, and author of a number of excellent Fritztrainer DVDs.		  
Loek van Wely: Several times Dutch champion and quick-witted chess commentator.

Parimarjan Negi: Once the world's youngest grandmaster, author of books and DVDs.		  
Rustam Kasimdzhanov: The FIDE-World Champion 2004, former second for Vishy Anand

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Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

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