11/13/2014 – The match between Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand is getting exciting. Four of twelve games are played, in the first two Carlsen dominated, but in game three Anand inflicted the first loss in a World Championship match on Carlsen. The fourth game was an unspectacular, hard-fought draw. Today's a rest day. A good opportunity to predict who will win the match.
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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:
Who will win the World Championship 2014 match in Sochi?
Vishy Anand will win the match and regain the title.
90
43%
Magnus Carlsen will win the match and defend his title.
87
42%
The match will end in a 6-6 draw and we will see a tie-break.
30
14%
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1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3d5!?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.cxd5Nxd55.Bd2In 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.Bg76.e4Nxc37.Bxc30-08.Qd2This 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.Nc6Carlsen played
this relatively quickly, but it is a rare line.8...c5has been seen in
many grandmaster games.9.d5e610.Bc4was the very recent
Tomashevsky-Kasimdzhanov from the Grand Prix last month.9.Nf3After 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.Ne2is also possible but it blocks the
development of the f1-bishop.9...Bg410.d5Bxf311.Bxg7This is a
novelty already.11.gxf3Ne512.Be2c6Moiseenko-Nepomniachtchi, 0-1
August 2014.11...Kxg712.gxf3Ne513.0-0-0c613...Nxf3?Drops a kn
ight.14.Qc3+14.Qc3f615.Bh3cxd516.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.Rxd5Qb6starts 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...Nf717.f4Qd6
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.Qd4A
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.Rad819.Be6Qb6!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.Qxb6axb621.Kb1Even
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.Nd622.Rc1f5!23.Rc7Kf624.Bd7!Ne425.Rxb7is only slightly unpleasant for Black.20...Rd621.Rhe121.Kb1Nd822.Bg4Nc6!?22...e623.Bf3exd524.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.h4Nb424.Bf3Rc821...Nd822.f5Nxe623.Rxe6Despite 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...Rxe624.fxe6Rc8+25.Kb1Qd6is also rather appealing, but it does seem that
Black might run out of ideas if the blockade must be preserved.24.Kb1Rc8?!perhaps letting White establish a rook on e6 is not a good way to push for
any advantage.25.Rde1Rxe626.Rxe6Rd827.Qe3Rd728.d6!A tactical
way of getting rid of his weakness. Anand is v ery close to equalizing.exd629.Qd4Rf730.fxg6hxg631.Rxd6White's structure on f2 and h2 is still
somewhat weak, but with his piece activity it does seem as if he should hold
comfortably.a632.a3Qa533.f4Despite the computer's approval of this
move, it is somewhat strange. Why push the f-pawn instead of the h-pawn?33.h4Qf5+34.Ka2Qe5perhaps Anand didn't want to deal with another rook
endgame, considering how haunted by them he was last year...35.Qxe5fxe536.Re6=33...Qh534.Qd2Qc535.Rd5Qc436.Rd7Qc636...Rxd737.Qxd7+Qf7would force the queen to permanently defend the second rank, leaving it
as a simple draw.37.Rd637.Rxf7+Kxf738.Qe3a5!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.Ka2Re739.Qc1a5White 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.Qf1a4With 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.Rd1Qc242.Rd4Black 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...Re3The
commentary team was very worried about this move appearing on the board. 43...
Rxa3+! is a lethal threat.43.Qd143.Rd7+Kf844.Rxb7Rb345.Rxb3axb3+46.Ka1Qxh2White'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.Qd3Qh1+48.Qb1Qf349.Qxg6Qxf447...Qh3!A hard move to find, especially from far away.47...Qxf448.Qd8+Kg749.Qd7+Kh650.Qh3+Kg551.Qxb3=48.a4Kg749.a5Qe6!50.Kb1!Qe4+51.Kc1Qxf4+52.Qd2Qf1+53.Qd1Qc4+54.Kd2Qd4+55.Ke1Qe5+56.Kf1Qxb257.Qd7+Kh658.Qh3+Kg559.Qe3+Kf560.Qf3+Ke661.Qg4+Kd662.Qf4+Kd763.Qg4+f564.Qa4+Ke665.Qc6+Ke566.Qc7+Ke467.Qc6+Kd368.Qb5+Kc269.Qe2+Kb1And Black has finally run away from the checks.43...Qxd144.Rxd1Rb3is very unpleasant as Black's king will march in and
once b5 is played the queenside is locked down.43.Rb4Now White's
defensive set-up also includes pressure against the b7 pawn. Black cannot be
careless with his own king.b5Paralyzing White's position, but Anand still
has an important resource.44.Qh1!Incredibly important! Now Black's king
is under threats of a perpetual.Re745.Qd5Re146.Qd7+Kh647.Qh3+Kg748.Qd7+½–½
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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Worth mentioning, We've got a brand new Anand this time around!
Carlsen can only win if he stop complicating the position in a way that result the position to be complicated to himself.
zedsdeadbaby 11/14/2014 09:15
I was expecting articles when I clicked on the link, instead it was a poll. Looks like I think Vishy is going to win - I did not know this :)
pantheracorbetti 11/14/2014 07:54
@ Camembert
Fischer was right. The first quality to be good at chess is memory. Also,
• “A strong memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will is required to become a great Chess player” (Bobby Fischer)
• “Chess is the art of analysis” (Mikhail Botvinnik)
• “Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation” (Max Euwe)
• “I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves” (Bobby Fischer)
• “Could we look into the head of a Chess player, we should see there a whole world of feelings, images, ideas, emotion and passion” (Alfred Binet)
• “During a Chess competition a Chessmaster should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk” (Alexander Alekhine)
• “Chess is as much a mystery as women” (Purdy)
• “Chess is everything: art, science and sport” (Anatoly Karpov)
• “Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic” (Mikhail Botvinnik)
• “Not all artists are Chess players, but all Chess players are artists” (Marcel Duchamp)
And finally…
• “Those who say they understand Chess, understand nothing” (Robert Hubner)
As you can see, chess is not just about memory and grandmasters are not just parrots. There is much more to it than having a strong memory. Chess is mathematics, analytics, logic, art, science, psychology, exercise, emotion, imagination and many other things (I’m not saying it, but the ones who are qualified to say so). If it was just a game of parroting with the help of computers, then any individual with a good memory would be replacing Anand or Carlsen at Sochi, isn’t’ it? Do you think that Kramnik, Caruana, Topalov, Aronian, Karjakin and such players don’t have good memory or don’t use computers that they couldn’t make it to Sochi? Chess is not just a game of parroting my friend. And top players are not just parrots. Let’s give them the respect they deserve. And let's enjoy their games coz that's the best we can do!
bronkenstein 11/14/2014 07:01
Vishy will win the match even before the tiebreak, in fact the match might even last only 9 or 10 games if he continues to play brilliantly as he did in his crushing victory over the young champ - at least that is what I hope for. I will be patiently waiting for Kasparov´s tweets in that case =)
PS just a little remark on Carlsen´s supposed ˝domination˝ in game 1 - for whatever reason people (including journalists and, strangely, even GMs) like to put an accent on the final phase of that game, forgetting that Vishy had promising position in the beginning.
Had he not misplayed his advantage (and it seems that he wanted more than just a microplus) he could even comfortably push for victory, and with reasonable winning chances according to GM Pavel Maletin, who took few days (!) to do quite extensive analysis of that game (available on the site of Russian chess federation, only on Russian thou).
Shortly, IMO the word ˝domination˝ is quite inappropriate and misleading (even somewhat populistic), or - at best - onesided, if used to describe the content of the first game.
Rinzou Wilkerson 11/14/2014 04:53
Carlsen the Magnusifent!
thlai80 11/14/2014 03:46
Anand made the mistake by taking Carlsen as his junior and revealed everything about his team of seconds during the 1st match, while Carlsen then choosed to keep it secret.
Anand major trump this time around is his secretive seconds. Remember when Kramnik, Kasparov and Carlsen himself helped Anand during his match vs Topalov ... I believe at least Kramnik is behind helping. Especially interesting is Anand managed to obtain good fighting position right after the opening rather than the dry games during the 1st edition.
samvils 11/14/2014 03:40
i like this match no one can tell who will win,,,this is more exciting than the previous match,,,
cptmajormajor 11/13/2014 11:25
Computers being the death of chess. Laughable.
Its a very exciting time to be a chess fan.
Only thing changed now is that everyone is an expert during the game about who is winning and what the players should have done because they sitting with a 3300 + computer telling them so. Before this, very few other than the champions at the board ,knew the story of the battle.
I'm hoping for a Magnus win.
Balthus 11/13/2014 11:21
Bostonian, who are you? Some sort of an Oracle? If you just look at 2-2, surely, it seems very similar to the previous match, where Carlsen drew first blood after this stage. But this time around, two very important psychological factors benefit Anand: (1) he has come back from -1 to level, which is emotionally central; (2) he has beaten Carlsen for the first time in so many years, and the first ever time in World Championship matches. That sure qualifies as a significant breakthrough. On Monday, I had no fears for Carlsen. Now I see a match that has opened up wide. I would estimate chances at 50-50% now. Friday will answer many questions.
Steven E DuCharm 11/13/2014 10:38
Lovers of good chess will emerge victorious!....hopefully
Camembert 11/13/2014 06:44
Lol !
Who will win ? the Tiger or the Python/Boa ?
None of both, but the Parrot !
With all these home-prep, computer prep, it's just a question how good a parrot you can be.
Fischer said it in a famous interview, first quality to be good at chess is MEMORY.
Fischer said also " With the coming of computers, Chess is dead and it's only about books".
The game won by Anand was just a remake of the game Aronian-Adams Bilbao, 9/10/2013, where
Carlsen forgot at the 23rd move, that he should take back the pawn with the pawn and not the rook as any engines underlines it.
(I heard also it was a replica of the game Tomachevsky-Riazantsev, but couldn't find it, anyone has any info ?)
May the best Parrot win !
LOL !
Felixtiza 11/13/2014 06:37
The one who scores the best... or not?
H B 11/13/2014 06:18
Anand will win!
hpaul 11/13/2014 06:08
Hm... The poll results so far seem to suggest that there are more Indians than Norwegians. I suspected that all along.
karavamudan 11/13/2014 04:42
Simple - Carlsen will win. But it will be closer this time. Anand should avoid time trouble, Berlin, passive
play and loss of self confidence
begamot 11/13/2014 03:48
Carlsen seems agitated and tired. It could be a personal or physical issue, or, it could be his dislike for the Sochi site. He did not want to play there and it shows. Of course, he is still the favorite, as he is 20yrs younger and the match will become an endurance contest. He will drag every game out to wear down his opponent, just as he does in all his games, no surprise here. And I believe he will triumph. But, my heart is with Anand.
Bostonian 11/13/2014 03:34
Pointless article. All the predictions have been done already before the match started. The match is still evenly tied after 4 games so predictions don't change much. The statistical favorite remains the favorite and the challenger remains the dark horse. The tide is still even.
ulyssesganesh 11/13/2014 03:07
one who displays steely nerves/determination ; makes less mistakes and has a bit of champion's luck is going to become the world champion! it can be both the MAGNIFICENT CHAMPION OR THE VICTORIOUS ACE!!!!
Anandkumar 11/13/2014 01:44
Expected an article with opinions of some experts. Instead, its a poll. I think Chessbase can improve its coverage of the WC match
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