Candidates R11: Vishy Anand, the comeback man!

by ChessBase
3/24/2016 – A billion fans are cheering: Anand defeated Sergey Karjakin in brilliant manner (ask Garry!) and changed the tune in the Candidates. Prior to the round, Karjakin was leading, together with Fabiano Caruana, both at 6.0/11. With Anand’s victory the five-time World Champion has now joined Caruana at the top. You will find pictures, comprehensive ananlysis and exclusive postgame interviews in our round eleven report.

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The 2016 FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament is a 14-round event, which determines the next Challenger to Magnus Carlsen's title, is taking place in Moscow from March 10–30. Eight players, including six of the World's top-ten rated grandmasters. The time control is 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one. The guaranteed prize fund is US $420,000.

Round 11, Thursday 24 March 2016
Aronian Levon
0-1
Svidler Peter
Topalov Veselin
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Anand Viswanathan
1-0
Karjakin Sergey
Giri Anish
½-½
Nakamura Hikaru

Note that ChessBase is doing daily one-hour roundup shows after each round

Candidates round eleven – Vishy Anand, the comeback man!

Report from Moscow by IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal

Vishy Anand’s win against Sergey Karjakin was not only the game of the day but also the competitively most important result of the eleventh round. Prior to the round, Sergey Karjakin was leading the event, together with Fabiano Caruana, both at 6.0/11. With Vishy’s victory the five-time World Champion has now joined Caruana at the top, with 6.5/11. What makes this tournament extremely interesting is the fact that six players have a theoretical chance of winning. This is what the standings after the eleventh round look like:

Currently Fabiano Caruana has the best chances of winning this tournament. This for two reasons: he has two whites in the remaining three games, and thanks to his age he should be in a better physical state than Vishy Anand in this long and tiring event. The good news for Anand fans is that even though he has two blacks left now, and his performance from the black side in this tournament has been nothing short of dismal, he has already played against the leaders Caruana and Karjakin. Fabiano and Sergey are yet to play each other and will meet in the final round, which might well decide the outcome of this event.

Vishy Anand – Sergey Karjakin 1-0

Fabiano Caruana is definitely interested in who will be his biggest rival to the finish line

“Vishy Anand simply outclassed Sergey Karjakin! Karjakin is not in the same league as Anand.” These are the words of Garry Kasparov who describes Anand's win for Today in Chess with the words, "Hats off!" and recognizing that he "beat a very strong player 20 years ago!" Anand really did play one of the most profound endgames ever. Sergey Karjakin is known to be a tenacious defender. However, he completely underestimated Vishy’s endgame play and was handed his first defeat of the tournament.

10.Nxe5 was the first new move of the game. In the post-game interview Anand credited his second Grzegorz Gajewski with finding that this line was not as equal as it looked and that the endgame could get quite unpleasant.

Many people thought that 19.Qg5 was synonymous to a draw offer by Anand. But little would they have thought that the game would go on for another 50 moves! The opposite coloured bishop endgame was definitely drawish, but the crucial period of the game came around move 35 when Sergey was already under some time pressure and needed to find the accurate moves to hold the balance.

36…Rc8 was played by Karjakin, and it turned out to be a mistake. Instead he should have broken back with 36…f5!, when the game would have ended in a draw. After 36…Rc8 Anand made two extremely accurate moves 37.f5! Bd7 and now 38.h4! And with these two pawn moves he had already secured a near to decisive advantage.

[Event "Candidates 2016"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.03.24"] [Round "11"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2762"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "139"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {After his exploits with the Guioco Piano Anand is back to his Ruy Lopez, not fearing the Anti-Berlin.} Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 {As Samuel Shankland explained in his annotations, this move is a little bit slow because now Black can go back to e7 with his knight, rerouting it to g6, and he is not afraid of d3-d4 because the e4 pawn hangs. Hence Re1 is the main move here. But Anand played 7.h3 against Caruana and now tries it over here again, so he doesn't really agree with the opening assessment and instead is trying to blaze new paths.} Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Bd3 d5 (9... Ng6 { was played by Fabiano and after Qc2 it lead to a complex battle. Sergey goes for the more combative approach.}) 10. Nxe5 $146 {[%cal Gf3e5] This is the first new move of the game. It was prepared by Grzegorz Gajewski who saw the dangers and difficulties that lie for Black in this relatively sedate line.} ( 10. Nbd2 {was played by Magnus Carlsen against Vladimir Kramnik.}) (10. dxe5 { was played by Ivanchuk against Karjakin in 2012.}) 10... Nxe4 (10... dxe4 11. Bc2) 11. Nd2 Nd6 {The knight is well placed on d6.} 12. Nb3 c6 {Karjakin thought for a long time for this move.} (12... Bf5 {was also possible and looks like the most natural way to continue.} 13. Bf4 Bxd3 14. Nxd3 $14 { White has a small edge.}) 13. Nc5 $5 {A very interesting move made quickly by Anand. It puts pressure on the b7 pawn, and to get rid of that pressure Black must give up one of his bishops.} Ng6 14. Qh5 Bxc5 {A decision which cannot have been made with a light heart. The knights were irritating and Sergey thought it was a good deal to give up his dark squared bishop.} 15. dxc5 Ne4 16. Bxe4 (16. b4 $6 Re8 $1 $15 (16... Nxc3 17. Bb2 $13)) (16. Be3 {is also possible but after} Re8 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. Qd1 Qe7 {Black should be fine.}) 16... dxe4 17. Rd1 Qe7 18. Nxg6 {Anand is in some sort of a must win scenario. To play this move shows great objectivity. Of course the position is round about equal, but with the control of the d-file White has something to play for.} (18. Nc4 {would be ideal but it met with} f5 19. Nd6 b6 $1 $11 { immediately breaking the queenside structure. Black is completely fine here.} ( 19... Be6 20. Bg5 $14)) 18... hxg6 19. Qg5 {[%cal Gh5g5] When Vishy played this move many people thought that the players would make a quick draw and get back home early for a dinner. But instead the game went on for another 50 moves!} Qxg5 20. Bxg5 {White's advantage lies in the fact that he controls the d-file. Black on the other hand is a tad passive and the e4 pawn will act as a hindrance for his bishop.} f6 (20... Be6 21. Rd4 f6 22. Bf4 f5 23. Rd6 Kf7 24. Rad1 $14 {is a much better version for White than what happened in the game.}) 21. Be3 {White has the d-file but that is where his advantages end. It is really surprising that Anand could win such a position against a defender like Sergey Karjakin!} g5 (21... Be6 22. Rd4 f5 {Provoking f5 helps to control the dark squares.} 23. Rd6 Kf7 24. Rad1 $14) 22. Rd6 Re8 23. Rad1 Be6 24. b3 Kf7 25. R1d4 $1 Bf5 26. a4 $5 {Anand mixes up his play. He keeps the move g4 in reserve and starts his queenside expansion. Playing on both wings is bound to create some difficulties for the opponent.} Re7 (26... Ke7 27. g4 Be6 28. Rxe4 $16) 27. g4 Bh7 28. b4 Bg8 (28... a5 $5 {could have been tried.} 29. b5 cxb5 30. axb5 a4 {and the a-pawn is pretty strong.}) 29. b5 Rc8 30. Rd7 (30. Rb4 Ke8 31. bxc6 Rxc6 32. Rxc6 bxc6 33. Rb8+ Kf7 $11) 30... Rce8 (30... cxb5 31. Rxe7+ Kxe7 32. Rxe4+ Be6 33. axb5 $14) 31. b6 $5 {A highly committal move but at the same time an excellent one. With the pawn entrenched so deeply in enemy territory this is bound to create some difficulties for the opponent.} a6 ( 31... axb6 32. cxb6 {gives White additional options of creating a passer with a5-a6.}) 32. Rc7 Kf8 (32... Rxc7 33. bxc7 Rc8 34. Rd7+ Ke8 35. Rxg7 Kf8 36. Rd7 Ke8 37. Rd6 Ke7 38. Rd4 Rxc7 39. Rxe4+ $14 {wins a pawn, and although it may not be sufficient to win, it is something to play for.}) 33. c4 Be6 {Some might argue that it was not necessary for Sergey to give up the e4 pawn. But the pawn was anyway weak and not worth clinging on to. Meanwhile White could have just improved his king. So Karjakin decides to give up the pawn and simplify the position.} 34. Rxe4 Kf7 (34... Rxc7 35. bxc7 Ke7 $1 (35... Kf7 36. Bd2 $1 Rc8 37. Ba5 {is quite a nice position for White to play!}) 36. f4 $14 ( 36. Bd2 $6 Kd7 $1 37. Ba5 Kc8 38. Rd4 Bd7 $11) 36... gxf4 37. Bxf4 Kd7 38. Kf2 {Once again White's position is preferable.}) 35. f4 $1 {Anand was on top of his game at this point and made all the best move in the position.} Rxc7 36. bxc7 {[%cal Re8c8,Gf6f5]} Rc8 $6 {The important mistake of the game by Karjakin, and that too at a critical juncture. He has less time and there are still four moves to be made until the time control.} (36... gxf4 37. Bxf4 $16) (36... f5 $1 {was the strong move that would have secured Karjakin the draw.} 37. Re5 (37. Rd4 Rc8 38. fxg5 Rxc7 $11) 37... fxg4 38. f5 Bc8 39. Rxe8 Kxe8 40. hxg4 Kd7 41. Bxg5 Kxc7 $11) 37. f5 $1 Bd7 38. h4 $1 {Amazing accuracy by Anand. In time pressure he makes Karjakin's task extremely difficult.} g6 (38... Rxc7 39. hxg5 fxg5 40. Rd4 $1 (40. Bxg5 $6 Bc8) 40... Be8 41. Bxg5 $16) (38... gxh4 39. Rd4 $1 {With the idea of Bf4.}) 39. Rd4 Rxc7 40. hxg5 fxg5 (40... gxf5 41. Bf4 $18) 41. Bxg5 Be8 (41... Bc8 42. Rd8 $18 {with the threat of Bf4 decides the game.}) 42. f6 $1 Kf8 43. Bf4 (43. Rd8 Rd7 44. Rb8 Rd4 45. Bh6+ Kf7 46. g5 Rd7 47. Kf2 Rc7 48. Ke3 Rd7 49. Ke4 $18 {is just clearly winning.}) (43. Bh6+ $1 {was also possible.} Kf7 44. Re4 $1 Rd7 45. Kf2 $18) 43... Rh7 (43... Rd7 44. Bd6+ Kf7 45. g5 $18 {is just winning.}) 44. Kg2 Bd7 45. Bg5 $1 {A good decision by Anand, not committing the move g4-g5 and not giving the f5 square for the bishop.} (45. g5 Bf5 {gives Black good defensive chances.}) 45... Be6 46. Rd8+ Kf7 47. Rb8 Bxc4 (47... Bxg4 48. Rxb7+ Kg8 49. Rb6 $18) 48. Rxb7+ Kg8 49. Rb8+ Kf7 50. Kg3 Ke6 51. Re8+ Kf7 52. Rc8 Bd5 53. Kf4 {The f6 pawn, rook and bishop combine to give White an easy win here. The a6 pawn is also quite weak.} Ke6 54. Re8+ Kd7 55. Ra8 Ke6 56. Re8+ (56. Rxa6 Rh3 {gives Black huge counterplay.}) 56... Kd7 57. Re3 a5 58. Kg3 Rf7 59. Kf4 Rh7 60. Re1 Kc8 61. Kg3 Rf7 62. Re8+ Kd7 63. Ra8 Kc7 64. Kf4 (64. Rxa5 Kb7 {traps the rook. Anand would of course not go for this.}) 64... Rd7 65. Bh4 Kb7 66. Re8 Bf7 67. Re4 Bd5 68. Re3 Bf7 69. Kg5 Ka6 70. Re7 {What a beautiful endgame by Anand! As Kasparov said, "Vishy was just in a different league altogether in this game!"} 1-0

We are seeing a completely new Anand at this event. One who is ready to grind slightly better positions for hours on end. Garry Kasparov once said that his matches with Karpov made him what he is today. Maybe the World Championship matches with Magnus Carlsen have inspired Anand to take up the slow and incremental approach towards chess!

A great gesture by Karjakin: he maintained a smiling and friendly atmosphere in the press conference.
This game was extremely crucial for his chances to qualify, but in spite of his defeat he showed wonderful sportsman spirit.

Anand and Karjakin make their way out from the playing hall, with fans and reporters following them

Veselin Topalov - Fabiano Caruana 0.5-0.5

The game was a complete roller coaster ride. The opening was one of the most exciting positions that we got in the entire tournament. Just take a look:

10…Ra7!!? What in the world is going on!
The game analysis given below will come to your rescue.

Topalov knows that this is going to be a tense game!

The opening went like a dream for Topalov, who got an excellent position. Usually such advantages are enough for Veselin to convert them into a full point, but in Moscow, he has been completely off colour. He immediately went wrong and handed the advantage to Caruana. Fabiano played the middlegame very well and was completely winning when his nerves began to show. He was low on time and made a few elementary mistakes. As soon as the time control was reached, the position was no longer so clear. He took the pragmatic decision to making a draw before things went completely out of control.

[Event "Candidates 2016"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.03.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2794"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "83"] {From the point of view of the standings this is an extremely important game.} 1. c4 {Topalov is going for different moves. Against Svidler he played 1.e4 and now against Caruana 1.c4.} c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g3 {The g3 line in this variation can lead to highly interesting games but many times they end in long theoretical draws.} Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 (9. Qa4 {The game Shankland vs Peter Leko comes to mind.}) 9... a6 10. Qa4 { We still have nine games that are played in this variation.} Ra7 {[%cal Ga8a7] Although this is unusual, this is still not a novelty. It has been played before by Alexander Grischuk and Amin Tabatabaei.} (10... Rb8 {is one of the main moves.} 11. Be2 axb5 12. Nxb5 g5 13. Bxg5 {Leads to a very complicated position.}) 11. h3 $1 {The only move in the position.} (11. Nxa7 $2 Qxb2 12. Rd1 Qxf2#) 11... axb5 $146 (11... g5 {was played by Grischuk against Matlakov.} 12. hxg4 gxf4 13. gxf4 axb5 (13... Nxg4 14. Bh3 $14) 14. Qxb5 Qxb5 15. Nxb5 Nc6 16. Nxa7 Nxa7 17. Bd3 $16 {White already had a huge advantage.}) 12. Qxb5 Qc6 13. hxg4 $1 {Such exchange sacrifices are Topalov's bread and butter.} (13. Qxc6 Nxc6 $1 (13... bxc6 $6 14. hxg4 Nxg4 15. f3 $16) 14. hxg4 e5 $15) 13... Qxh1 (13... Nd3+ {might have been a stronger way to continue but doesn't really change the nature of the position.} 14. Bxd3 Qxh1+ 15. Bf1 $13) 14. Bxe5 (14. Qxe5 {was also possible.}) 14... Qc6 15. Bd4 Ra8 16. a3 $5 {A calm move, just improving the position. At some point when White castles the pawn on a3 will in general be useful controlling the b4 square and shutting out the a8 rook.} Be7 17. Qh5 $1 {White understands that keeping the queens on the board improves his position. Now it is difficult for Black to co-ordinate his pieces. } (17. Bxg7 {was completely possible.} Rg8 18. Bd4 Rg5 (18... Rxg4 $2 19. Qh5 $18) 19. Qb3 $14) 17... Kf8 (17... O-O 18. f4 $1 {[%cal Gf1d3,Ge1c1,Ga1h1]} ( 18. O-O-O $40)) 18. O-O-O (18. c5 $5 $14 {would have been pretty strong.}) 18... b6 {After this move Caruana was already feeling good about his position.} 19. Kb1 Ba6 20. Nb5 Rd8 21. Bc3 $6 (21. Nd6 $5 {This would have ended the game in a draw.} Bxd6 (21... Qxd6 22. Bxg7+ Kxg7 23. Rxd6 Bxd6 24. Qg5+ $18) 22. Bxg7+ Kxg7 23. Qg5+ Kf8 24. Qxd8+ $11) 21... Bxb5 22. cxb5 Qf3 23. Rd2 Bf6 $17 {White's compensation is almost non-existent and Black is clearly better.} 24. Bb4+ Kg8 (24... Ke8 $17) 25. Bd6 Rc8 26. Qh3 Qe4+ 27. Bd3 Qd5 28. Bb4 Qf3 29. Bf1 h5 $1 30. Bg2 Qxg4 31. Qxg4 hxg4 {White doesn't even have a pawn right now for his sufferings.} 32. Bd6 (32. Rxd7 Rh2 33. Bb7 Rb8 34. Be1 Rxb7 35. Rxb7 Rh1 36. Rxb6 Rxe1+ 37. Kc2 Re2+ 38. Kd3 Rxf2 39. a4 Be5 $1 40. a5 Bc7 $19 { and Black manages to win – although it seems like there can be a lot of improvements and variations on every move of this line.}) 32... Rc4 33. Ka2 Rh2 34. Bf1 Rc1 35. Bd3 Bg5 36. Bf4 Be7 {This is still winning, but why didn't Caruana exchange the bishops and win it in a simple fashion?} (36... Bxf4 $1 37. exf4 Kf8 {was just an easy win.} 38. a4 Ke7 39. b4 Rg1 $1 40. a5 Rxg3 41. a6 Rgh3 42. a7 Rh8 $19) 37. e4 Bc5 38. e5 Re1 $6 39. Rc2 $1 {Suddenly there are threats of Rxc5 and queening the b-pawn.} g5 (39... Kf8 $17 {was the best, but under time pressure it wasn't easy for Fabiano to find this move.}) 40. Bxg5 Rxe5 41. Bf6 Rd5 42. Be4 {At this point the players agreed to a draw. It is already quite dangerous for Black. The two bishops combined with queenside majority looks really threatening.} 1/2-1/2

Fabiano’s expression says it all

Levon Aronian – Peter Svidler 0-1

We haven’t seen many black wins in this event – there has been only one prior to Svidler’s win against Aronian today. Going into the middlegame it definitely did not look as if Svidler would win this one. However, Aronian tried to play it a little bit too safe. Instead of going for the most decisive continuation with 24.Nh6+! he settled for the practical 24.Bxe7 followed by Ne5. As Aronian said after the game, “This practical approach was not at all practical! I should have attacked.” We could say that Svidler was lucky today, but in the event he has been one of the unluckiest players. He has drawn or lost so many better or winning positions. Finally, he was rewarded for his persistence.

Can you spot something terribly wrong in this picture?

[Event "Candidates 2016"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.03.24"] [Round "11"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D16"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "96"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. Be3 (10. Qe2 {followed by Rd1 was played by Nakamura against Svidler.}) 10... O-O 11. Qe2 Nb4 12. Ne5 {No real top player has played this way. So it is possible that Aronian came up with this idea on his own at home, because he was playing pretty fast.} Bd7 13. Rad1 Nbd5 14. Bc1 { Making way for the rook lift from d3 to the kingside.} Bc6 15. Rd3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bd5 17. Rg3 Bxc4 18. Nxc4 g6 19. Ne5 {White has got his pieces in an attacking and aggressive position, but unfortunately they do not look so threatening because of the missing light squared bishop.} Nd7 20. Bh6 Re8 21. f4 Bf8 22. Bg5 Be7 23. Ng4 $1 h5 24. Bxe7 {Levon chooses the practical approach. But there was a chance for him to launch a nearly decisive attack.} ( 24. Nh6+ Kg7 (24... Kf8 25. f5 $3 exf5 26. Qc4 $18) 25. h4 $5 {This was discussed by the players in the press conference and it definitely looks like a strong move.} (25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Qxh5 Rh8 (26... Nf6 27. Qg5 Ne4 28. Qe5+ $18 ) 27. Qg5 Rae8 (27... Nf6 28. Rh3 Ng8 29. Rff3 $16) 28. Ng4 $14) 25... Qc7 26. Re3 $40 {with the idea of moves like f5 and Nxf7 looks pretty strong.}) 24... Qxe7 25. Ne5 $14 {White is definitely slightly better, but the worst seems to have ended for Black.} Kh7 26. Qc2 Rg8 27. Rg5 Kh8 28. Rf3 Nxe5 29. Rxe5 Qd6 30. Qd2 Kg7 31. Rg3 Rh8 32. Qb2 Rac8 33. Qxb7 Rb8 34. Qe4 (34. Qxa7 Rb1+ 35. Kf2 Rb2+ 36. Kg1 Qa3 $17) 34... Rhc8 35. Rb5 Rxb5 36. axb5 Qa3 {At this point it would have been wise to take on g6 and just agree to a draw, but instead, out of inertia, Levon tries to continue and gets into a perilious situation.} 37. Qc2 Rb8 38. Qe2 Qc1+ 39. Kf2 Qxf4+ 40. Kg1 Qc1+ 41. Kf2 Qf4+ 42. Kg1 { Peter was quite confused whether to continue or make a draw. But when he saw the move Kg8, he decided to give it a go.} Kg8 43. Qb2 a6 $1 44. c4 axb5 45. c5 Qe4 46. Qd2 Qb1+ 47. Kf2 Ra8 48. Qe1 Qb2+ {Quite a heartbreaking loss for Levon whose chances of qualifying to the World Championship Match look pretty slim now.} 0-1

The usually jovial Levon Aronian was heartbroken in the press conference. This loss had effectively ended his chances of being the World Championship Challenger for 2016. It was obvious that as the wildcard entry he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He started off well, but with this loss to Peter Svidler he has put himself in a precarious situation. He might need +2 or even +3 from the last three rounds for any chances of qualification. It must be mentioned that Peter Svidler was very sensitive to his opponent’s loss and did not for once smile or show his happiness in the press conference. This is what true sportsmen are made up of. They know how to control their emotions.

In the picture of Aronian smiling at the start of the game, did you notice that the rook on h1 is missing? It fell off the board, to the amusement of the players (a rook odds game at the Candidates? No way!)

Anish Giri – Hikaru Nakamura 0.5-0.5

Eleven draws in eleven rounds – is that a new record for the Candidates?

There is a cruel mime being spread on Twitter: "Anish Giri was in deep trouble and in danger of winning. But he has managed to fight back and save the draw." If Anish had taken all the chances that he has got until now, he would have been the leader of the event. Unfortunately he is simply unable to win his games. Today he had a very pleasant position against Hikaru right until the very end of the game. Then he made a tactical oversight and was lucky that he still had a possibility to make a draw. But in any case Anish will be the one who would be depressed with his result as he was in driver’s seat for most of the game.

[Event "Candidates 2016"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.03.24"] [Round "11"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2790"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "105"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 O-O 8. Re1 Ba7 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. Nf1 Ng6 12. Ng3 c6 13. Ba2 Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 d5 17. exd5 {[%cal Ge4d5]} (17. e5 Nd7 $11 {is fine for Black} ) 17... exd5 (17... Nxd5 $1 {This was the right move. Black must use his activity to compensate for the e6 weakness.} 18. Rxe6 Nh4 $44) 18. Qd3 Ne7 19. Bd2 {White is simply better as his pieces are much better placed and his rooks will double down the e-file.} Bb8 20. Bb4 Bd6 21. Bxd6 (21. Qa3 $5) 21... Qxd6 22. Re3 Rae8 23. Ne5 Qc7 24. b4 Nc8 25. Rc1 Qd8 26. b5 $1 {A typical minority attack which is not often seen in e4-e5 openings. Black will be left with a few weaknesses on the queenside when the smoke clears.} axb5 27. axb5 cxb5 28. Qxb5 Nd6 29. Qb3 b5 30. Rce1 Qa5 31. Qb1 Qb6 32. Qg6 Qc7 (32... Qxd4 $5 33. Nh5 Nxh5 34. Qxd6 Rf6 35. Qd7 Rxe5 36. Rxe5 Qxf2+ 37. Kh1 Ng3+ 38. Kh2 Nf1+ 39. Kh1 Ng3+ $11) 33. Qd3 Re6 34. Ne2 Rfe8 35. Nf4 R6e7 36. Nfg6 Re6 37. Qb1 Qb7 38. Qb4 Nf5 39. Rf3 Ne7 40. Nf4 Nc6 41. Qb2 R6e7 42. Rfe3 {White has co-ordinated his forces in the best possible manner and stands clearly better.} Na7 43. Qb3 Nc8 44. Qb4 (44. Rc3 {with the idea of Rc5 is also strong.}) 44... Nd7 45. h4 ( 45. Nh5 Nxe5 46. dxe5 $16) 45... Nxe5 46. dxe5 Rf7 47. Nh5 Qe7 48. Qd4 Ref8 49. e6 Rf5 50. Nxg7 $2 (50. Re5 {would have given White excellent winning chances because of the weak d5 pawn and the strong one on e6.}) 50... Qxg7 51. Rg3 Rg5 $1 {This move was missed by Anish and now he is no longer better.} 52. Rxg5 hxg5 53. Qxd5 {A draw looks like the most logical result as Black will in all probability lose all his pawns.} 1/2-1/2

March 24 was the 70th death anniversary of the great fourth World Champion Alexander Alekhine

The best way to follow the games: plug in earphones to listen to the Russian
commentary and check the moves on the large screen and analyze with your mom!

The only thing you can do when your idol is battling it out inside is to wait patiently

All photos by Amruta Mokal of ChessBase India

Standings after eleven rounds

Pairings and results

Round 1, Friday 11 March 2016
Karjakin Sergey
½-½
Svidler Peter
Nakamura Hikaru
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Giri Anish
½-½
Aronian Levon
Anand Viswanathan
1-0
Topalov Veselin
Round 2, Saturday 12 March 2016
Svidler Peter ½-½ Topalov Veselin
Aronian Levon ½-½ Anand Viswanathan
Caruana Fabiano ½-½ Giri Anish
Karjakin Sergey 1-0 Nakamura Hikaru
Round 3, Sunday 13 March 2016
Nakamura Hikaru
½-½
Svidler Peter
Giri Anish
½-½
Karjakin Sergey
Anand Viswanathan
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Topalov Veselin
0-1
Aronian Levon
Rest day, Monday 14 March 2016
Round 4, Tuesday 15 March 2016
Svidler Peter
½-½
Aronian Levon
Caruana Fabiano
½-½
Topalov Veselin
Karjakin Sergey
1-0
Anand Viswanathan
Nakamura Hikaru
½-½
Giri Anish
Round 5, Wed. 16 March 2016
Giri Anish ½-½ Svidler Peter
Anand Viswanathan ½-½ Nakamura Hikaru
Topalov Veselin ½-½ Karjakin Sergey
Aronian Levon ½-½ Caruana Fabiano
Round 6, Thursday 17 March 2016
Anand Viswanathan
1-0
Svidler Peter
Topalov Veselin
½-½
Giri Anish
Aronian Levon
1-0
Nakamura Hikaru
Caruana Fabiano
½-½
Karjakin Sergey
Rest day, Friday 18 March 2016
Round 7, Saturday 19 March 2016
Svidler Peter
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Karjakin Sergey
½-½
Aronian Levon
Nakamura Hikaru
1-0
Topalov Veselin
Giri Anish
½-½
Anand Viswanathan
 
Round 8, Sunday 20 March 2016
Svidler Peter
½-½
Karjakin Sergey
Caruana Fabiano
1-0
Nakamura Hikaru
Aronian Levon
½-½
Giri Anish
Topalov Veselin
½-½
Anand Viswanathan
Round 9, Monday 21 March 2016
Topalov Veselin
½-½
Svidler Peter
Anand Viswanathan
1-0
Aronian Levon
Giri Anish
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Nakamura Hikaru
½-½
Karjakin Sergey
Rest day, Tuesday 22 March 2016
Round 10, Wed. 23 March 2016
Svidler Peter
½-½
Nakamura Hikaru
Karjakin Sergey
½-½
Giri Anish
Caruana Fabiano
1-0
Anand Viswanathan
Aronian Levon
½-½
Topalov Veselin
Round 11, Thursday 24 March 2016
Aronian Levon
0-1
Svidler Peter
Topalov Veselin
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
Anand Viswanathan
1-0
Karjakin Sergey
Giri Anish
½-½
Nakamura Hikaru
Round 12, Friday 25 March 2016
Svidler Peter   Giri Anish
Nakamura Hikaru   Anand Viswanathan
Karjakin Sergey   Topalov Veselin
Caruana Fabiano   Aronian Levon
Rest day, Saturday 26 March 2016
Round 13, Sunday 27 March 2016
Caruana Fabiano   Svidler Peter
Aronian Levon   Karjakin Sergey
Topalov Veselin   Nakamura Hikaru
Anand Viswanathan   Giri Anish
Round 14, Monday 28 March 2016
Svidler Peter   Anand Viswanathan
Giri Anish   Topalov Veselin
Nakamura Hikaru   Aronian Levon
Karjakin Sergey   Caruana Fabiano

Roundup broadcasts

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Here is the full schedule of future broadcasts – you need to be a premium member to watch

Roundup Commentary Schedule

Date Day Round English German
24.03.2016 Thursday Round 11 Simon Williams Klaus Bischoff
25.03.2016 Friday Round 12 Daniel King Oliver Reeh/Karsten Müller
26.03.2016 Saturday Free day Summary Yannick Pelletier  
27.03.2016 Sunday Round 13 Daniel King Klaus Bischoff
28.03.2016 Monday Round 14 Yannick Pelletier Klaus Bischoff

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ulyssesganesh ulyssesganesh 3/26/2016 11:58
great to see karjakin retaining pleasant spirits even after a loss to vishy! truly remarkable!
Pakultog_1914 Pakultog_1914 3/26/2016 06:10
No disrespect to Vishy and to his fans, but I want to see Capuana vs Carlsen both are in their prime.

KOTLD KOTLD 3/25/2016 11:16
@Morphic6, i totally agree.
X iLeon aka DMG X iLeon aka DMG 3/25/2016 07:47
Wow, just as I commented yesterday, the competition is still wide open! Great to see Svidler get a win at last! And with black!!! As for Anand, wow! That endgame was art! Karjakin, Anand and Caruana are all still in for it!
Mike Magnan Mike Magnan 3/25/2016 06:13
Things would be soooooooooo different if Kramnik (who belongs here) was playing.
johnmk johnmk 3/25/2016 12:49
So far no really clear leader here. Chess tourneys are not just about who has deepest knowledge, they are also sporting events and physical marathons, so all that comes in to who will emerge triumphant.
johnmk johnmk 3/25/2016 12:48
Good Anand game, but how much was Karjkans fatigue?? Also I do wonder if Anand is so much classier than everyone else, then why didn't he jump out to a clear lead long ago?....

We'll see.

vladivaclav vladivaclav 3/25/2016 11:09
Well, just like Leko, Giri *knows* perfect chess game is a draw. Why to spoil it? :xD
bondsergey bondsergey 3/25/2016 10:02
Giri is draw man. I wonder why he never loses, never wins. There must be a reason.
wowbagger wowbagger 3/25/2016 08:24
Nakamura and Topalov are out. Everybody else can still dream of three wins. Once again, the format and the pressure create a very interesting situation. Smooth talking and relaxed attitude won't help. Nerves and mistakes and exhaustion are part of the game, yours as well as your opponent's. Now the hard work pays off: Physical fitness, opening preparation, well-functioning team, reasonable game plan. And the one who is best prepared to force his luck when the opportunity arrives, will win.
oldsalt7 oldsalt7 3/25/2016 08:12
'Peter B' is entirely correct. Candidates matches is the right way to pick a challenger.
Peter B Peter B 3/25/2016 07:39
this is an exciting tournament, but there is no guarantee that the best player will win. I wish they'd bring Candidates' matches back! Even best of 6 would be enough.
Hawkman Hawkman 3/25/2016 03:37
5 Vachier-Lagrave 2788.1 −3.9 2784.0 2872.0 25
6 ↑1 Aronian 2784.4 −1.6 2739.0 2788.4 33
7 ↓1 Nakamura 2777.8 −12.2 2846.0 2886.6 28
8 ↑1 Ding Liren 2777.0 0.0 2703.6 2875.2 23
9 ↑3 Anand 2774.7
karavamudan karavamudan 3/25/2016 03:08
When Anand and Sergei shook hands, Anand was not clasping Sergei's hand fully while the latter did so (Chessbase Photo) .

By giving a unfriendly handshake, Anand must be trying psychological tactics as well, right from the beginning.

Full credit to Sergei for chatting on the game with Anand after his loss.
algorithmy algorithmy 3/25/2016 01:49
(Money by Martin Amis) is your best book, Svidler?! hmm! I always knew that a brilliant chess player doesn't necessarily mean brilliant mind!
sicilian_D sicilian_D 3/25/2016 01:25
ok, so we've seen the White Anand play Magnus-like. now Black Anand needs to develop that side too. then at least (if Anand wins this), we could see 2 computer-like players play the title match.
or else it'd be just 1.5 of them ;)

anyway, good win. thanks Anand!
Rational Rational 3/25/2016 12:55
Nakamura v Anand to come Nakamura leads Anand at classical by 6-1 disoounting draws. Though it seems Anand either saves himself for Candidates, WC events or his younger opponents lose their nerve.
VVI VVI 3/25/2016 12:43
Anand; fantastic game again on demand. Keep up the momentum . You deserve to win the candidates.
murali100 murali100 3/25/2016 12:08
Looks like Anand has improved his end game techniques...His recent end game wins remind me of Carlsen, almost equal positions, may be a slight advantage and squeezing a win out of it, May be playing 2 WC matches against Carlsen have helped Anand grow his end game techniques along the lines of Carlsen..
sranj sranj 3/24/2016 09:48
The last round may be similar to London2013.. Svidler plays Anand, Karjakin plays Caruana.. guess who goes through?
Rational Rational 3/24/2016 09:35
Even the guys on 5.5 have a chance if they can win 2 of the last 3. Anand seems to have gained something from his matches with Carlsen the way he dragged out his two ending wins.
bolter41 bolter41 3/24/2016 08:21
Aronian now behind Svidler, lol
horius horius 3/24/2016 07:45
pls Caissa not another Anand - Carlsen!!!
karavamudan karavamudan 3/24/2016 07:24
Anand's endgame technique would have made Capablanca proud
ameyasamant ameyasamant 3/24/2016 07:09
Wow... see Anand's game. Position was a draw with a very slight pull for white. Anand played beautifully to get a full point here.
okfine90 okfine90 3/24/2016 07:09
Anand has won, but tomorrow is a big task with Black against Hikaru. Both Caruana and Anand have a big task ahead of them tomorrow(Anand's task is more challenging than Caruana's). On the other hand Sergey has good time to recover and beat Topalov tomorrow. Is Hikaru going to be a spoiler for Anand tomorrow?. Can Aronian pull back tomorrow?. Very thrilling candidates chess 2016 will be.
kassy kassy 3/24/2016 07:07
Unfortunately for Anand he has to outscore Caruana by 1/2 down the stretch since he loses on the first tiebreaker(head to head)
Karjakin-Caruana in round 14 may be a very important game.
blue1234 blue1234 3/24/2016 07:06
Is Anand going to challenge Carlsen again? This gentleman has stamina at this age, wow!!! playing vs these kids of steve jobs era!!
depsipeptide@gmail.com depsipeptide@gmail.com 3/24/2016 07:06
Aronian-Svidler: Before the tournament, I noted Levon's potential for self-destruction under pressure. He's had a torrid few rounds. In a better middlegame he went badly astray and Peter picked up his first win- too little too late sadly.
Topalov-Caruana: If he can't join them, he might as well dare them to beat him. Veselin followed up a sharp exchange sacrifice rather quietly and was going under in the middlegame before the time scramble saved him. Another one that got away from Fabiano but he still leads with the best tiebreaks.
Giri-Nakamura: Hikaru's poor form allowed Anish to press and even reach a clearly better position. Anish's poor form allowed Hikaru to salvage the half point and maintain Anish's perfect score.
Anand-Karjakin: Game of the round. His fellow candidates have given up trying to obtain an advantage after 1. e4 and turned to 1. c4 and 1. Nf3. Anand however seems happy to nurse a microscopic edge and has scored two Magnus-like victories against Levon and Sergey. Energizer bunny or tiger with nine lives, the Indian keeps bouncing back every time he's written off.
GMMikrokodinyo GMMikrokodinyo 3/24/2016 07:02
The "python of madras!!!" is showing its fangs!! Go Anand!!
morphic6 morphic6 3/24/2016 07:01
No disrespect to Anand (the great player he is!) but another Anand vs Carlsen.... Yawn! Ho Hum... It's time to see what Caruana is made of. Can he rock the World Champion.
dentry dentry 3/24/2016 07:00
Our Vishy the undisputed king of entire India in any sport will win this candidates..go anna go...
chesspartzer chesspartzer 3/24/2016 06:58
What doesn't kills you make you stronger! Go Anand!
Stupido Stupido 3/24/2016 06:58
Very strange round. I guess fatigue and stress are playing a bigger part now.
push79 push79 3/24/2016 06:53
Tiger roared again !
duellum duellum 3/24/2016 06:51
Anand is the man
AlvaroFrota AlvaroFrota 3/24/2016 06:51
Go Anand Go!!!!
dentry dentry 3/24/2016 06:46
Our Anand will win ...
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