The Carlsen years (2): Rematch

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/24/2021 – With the World Championship match in Dubai scheduled to kick off on Friday, we get ready for the showdown between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi by recapping the four previous matches, which were all won by Carlsen. In the second instalment, we go over the second match between Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand. Few had predicted it, but the Tiger from Madras gained the right to have a rematch. It was a tense-packed confrontation, with a case of mutual blindness playing a big role in the result. | Photos: Anastasiya Karlovich

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The tiger returns

Magnus CarlsenA new chess king had been crowned in 2013, and he had to quickly prove his worth in another match. Only a year after becoming world champion, Magnus Carlsen was faced with the challenge of trying to defend his title for the first time. His first victory had garnered massive media attention around the world, especially in Norway, where a new national hero prompted an unprecedented chess boom.

The favourites to become the new challenger were Levon Aronian, who had been ranked second in the world ranking in every FIDE list but one since April 2013, and the ever-dangerous Vladimir Kramnik. Pundits never fully wrote Vishy Anand off, but it seemed unlikely that the Indian legend would manage to win the Candidates soon after having lost a tough match against Carlsen while facing such strong opposition at 44 years of age.

But the Tiger from Madras prevailed. Anand won the 8-player double round-robin tournament in style, collecting three wins and eleven draws to finish a full-point ahead of second-placed Sergey Karjakin. The man from Chennai, ranked eighth in the world when he gained the right to have a rematch, became the second-oldest player to win a Candidates Tournament, behind Viktor Korchnoi.

Getting the match going was no easy task, as less than twelve weeks prior to the scheduled start Carlsen was unhappy with the venue and the financial arrangements, which prompted him to request a postponement. In the end, the contest took place as scheduled. Then-FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Agon Limited managed to sign an agreement with the regional governor of Russia’s Krasnodar Region, Aleksandr Tkachyov, for the match to take place in Sochi.

The rematch was played on November 8-23. For a second year in a row, it was decided before the planned twelve games were completed, as Carlsen secured overall victory with a game to spare. The Norwegian had a tougher time the second time around, though.

Anand loses, bounces back

Given the difficulties he had faced in 2013 with the white pieces (he lost twice with that colour), Anand decided to switch to 1.d4 in the rematch. His choice worked out just fine all throughout the match, as he did not allow his opponent to get chances the times he was the first one to move. As Carlsen put it in an interview with Anastasiya Karlovich:

Last time I had playable positions with both colours. This time, apart from the first game, I didn’t get to play with black at all. I just had to defend, and then it is much more difficult.

After failing to make the most of his chances in game 1, though, Carlsen was the first one to score, as he defeated Anand’s Berlin Defence in the second game of the match. Would we see a repeat of the 2013 match, with Anand unable to recover after going down on the scoreboard?

Not at all. The Indian immediately levelled the score.

 
Anand vs. Carlsen - Game 3

Out of a Queen’s Gambit Declined, Anand grabbed the initiative on the queenside, somewhat compromising his pawn structure to get a passer on the c-file. Carlsen could not do much against his opponent’s excellent preparation and found himself in a worse position. In the diagrammed position, Black is already in deep trouble, but his 28...Ba5 made things easier for Anand — 29.Qa6 Bxc7 30.Qc4

 

The pin along the c-file is lethal. Carlsen tried 30...e5 31.Bxe5 Rxe5, but after 32.dxe5 Qe7, Anand had no trouble finding 33.e6

 

There is nothing Black can do. Resignation came after 33...Kf8 34.Rc1.

Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand

Anand beat Carlsen in game 3

This was the first game Carlsen ever lost in a World Championship match (one of only two in 48 classical games so far). The youngster was not unbeatable, and Anand looked as strong as ever, showcasing the strength of his preparation, which according to his opponent was almost impossible to equal at the time. Carlsen later confessed:

In general Anand is better prepared than I am, and that has been the case for many years. Even though we try our best, it’s difficult to close the gap.

Anand played the Sicilian Defence in game 4 and defended a slightly inferior position until getting a 47-move draw. A draw was also seen in game 5.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nxc3 7.Bxc3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Nf3 Bg4 10.d5 Bxf3 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.gxf3 Ne5 13.0-0-0 c6 14.Qc3 f6 15.Bh3 cxd5 16.exd5 Nf7 17.f4 Qd6 18.Qd4 Rad8 19.Be6 Qb6 20.Qd2 Rd6 21.Rhe1 Nd8 22.f5 Nxe6 23.Rxe6 Qc7+ 24.Kb1 Rc8 25.Rde1 Rxe6 26.Rxe6 Rd8 27.Qe3 Rd7 28.d6 exd6 29.Qd4 Rf7 30.fxg6 hxg6 31.Rxd6 a6 32.a3 Qa5 33.f4 Qh5 34.Qd2 Qc5 35.Rd5 Qc4 36.Rd7 Qc6 37.Rd6 Qe4+ 38.Ka2 Re7 39.Qc1 a5 40.Qf1 a4 41.Rd1 Qc2 42.Rd4 Re2 43.Rb4 b5 44.Qh1 Re7 45.Qd5 Re1 46.Qd7+ Kh6 47.Qh3+ Kg7 48.Qd7+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M2863½–½2014WCh 20141
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V27921–02014WCh 20142
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M28631–02014WCh 20143
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V2792½–½2014WCh 20144
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M2863½–½2014WCh 20145

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Mutual blindness

There was a clear turning point in the 2014 match. The tension was rising, as Anand’s chances to take back the title increased in the eyes of the chess enthusiasts all around the world. But then came game 6, when the Indian wasted a huge chance to take the lead, and even went on to lose against the champ.

 
Carlsen vs. Anand - Game 6

Carlsen’s 26.Kd2 was a blunder, as it allowed 26...Nxe5 — after 27.Rxg8, Black can give an intermediate check with 27...Nxc4, and after 28.Kd3 there is 28...Nb2+ 29.Ke2 Rxg8. Had Anand found this move, he would have ended up two pawns up in a winning position.

 
Analysis diagram

Instead, in a case of mutual blindness, the veteran went for 26...a4, which in fact gives White an advantage. Carlsen did not falter again, and ended up getting what turned out to be the crucial win of the match.

Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen

The body language says it all — Anand and Carlsen during game 6

The ever-straightforward Garry Kasparov later told Der Spiegel that the quality of the games in this match was not as high as the quality in the previous match. The former world champion elaborated:

The quality of the games was not so high, due to nerves, though for some fans this uncertainty and the potential for mistakes creates drama. Anand missed quite a few chances, and had he found them all, Carlsen would have been pushed to the limit. As it was, Magnus did not have to play his best chess to win the match.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qd3 Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.e5 Nd7 11.Bf4 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Kc7 13.h4 b6 14.h5 h6 15.0-0-0 Bb7 16.Rd3 c5 17.Rg3 Rag8 18.Bd3 Nf8 19.Be3 g6 20.hxg6 Nxg6 21.Rh5 Bc6 22.Bc2 Kb7 23.Rg4 a5 24.Bd1 Rd8 25.Bc2 Rdg8 26.Kd2 a4 27.Ke2 a3 28.f3 Rd8 29.Ke1 Rd7 30.Bc1 Ra8 31.Ke2 Ba4 32.Be4+ Bc6 33.Bxg6 fxg6 34.Rxg6 Ba4 35.Rxe6 Rd1 36.Bxa3 Ra1 37.Ke3 Bc2 38.Re7+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V27921–02014WCh 20146

Tense final games

An experienced fighter, Anand decided to put all his hopes on his games with the white pieces, returning to the Berlin Defence when he had the black pieces in the second half of the match. In games 8 and 10, when he had white, he faced an old line of the Queen’s Gambit Declined and a Grünfeld Defence, and could not get past Carlsen’s defences. The tension continued to rise: there were only two games left, and the Indian was still down on the scoreboard.

In another Berlin Defence, Anand got an easier position to play out of the opening. An impatient sacrifice wrecked his winning chances at once, though.

 
Carlsen vs. Anand - Game 11

Had 27...Rb4 ended up working for Black, this move would have gone into the history books as a memorable illustration of the value of the initiative over material, as after 28.Bxb4 cxb4 Black gets more active play with the bishop pair and a passer on the b-file.

However, the exchange sacrifice was simply unsound, with Anand calling it “a bad gamble”. Carlsen managed to open up lines for his rooks and showed good nerves to convert his advantage into a 45-move victory. Exactly a week before turning 23 years old, the Norwegian had defended his title against a more-than-worthy opponent.

Magnus Carlsen

“I got this” — Magnus Carlsen

In typical, confident style, Carlsen shared his happiness on Twitter while also showing he was ready to go for more — ‘Two down, five to go’, wrote the champ, referring to Kasparov’s record of six victories in World Championship matches. 

Magnus Carlsen

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Bf4 Be7 12.Rad1 Be6 13.Ng5 Rh6 14.g3 Bxg5 15.Bxg5 Rg6 16.h4 f6 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Bf4 Nxh4 19.f3 Rd8 20.Kf2 Rxd1 21.Nxd1 Nf5 22.Rh1 Bxa2 23.Rxh5 Be6 24.g4 Nd6 25.Rh7 Nf7 26.Ne3 Kd8 27.Nf5 c5 28.Ng3 Ne5 29.Rh8+ Rg8 30.Bxe5 fxe5 31.Rh5 Bxg4 32.fxg4 Rxg4 33.Rxe5 b6 34.Ne4 Rh4 35.Ke2 Rh6 36.b3 Kd7 37.Kd2 Kc6 38.Nc3 a6 39.Re4 Rh2+ 40.Kc1 Rh1+ 41.Kb2 Rh6 42.Nd1 Rg6 43.Ne3 Rh6 44.Re7 Rh2 45.Re6+ Kb7 46.Kc3 Rh4 47.Kb2 Rh2 48.Nd5 Rd2 49.Nf6 Rf2 50.Kc3 Rf4 51.Ne4 Rh4 52.Nf2 Rh2 53.Rf6 Rh7 54.Nd3 Rh3 55.Kd2 Rh2+ 56.Rf2 Rh4 57.c4 Rh3 58.Kc2 Rh7 59.Nb2 Rh5 60.Re2 Rg5 61.Nd1 b5 62.Nc3 c6 63.Ne4 Rh5 64.Nf6 Rg5 65.Re7+ Kb6 66.Nd7+ Ka5 67.Re4 Rg2+ 68.Kc1 Rg1+ 69.Kd2 Rg2+ 70.Ke1 bxc4 71.Rxc4 Rg3 72.Nxc5 Kb5 73.Rc2 a5 74.Kf2 Rh3 75.Rc1 Kb4 76.Ke2 Rc3 77.Nd3+ Kxb3 78.Ra1 Kc4 79.Nf2 Kb5 80.Rb1+ Kc4 81.Ne4 Ra3 82.Nd2+ Kd5 83.Rh1 a4 84.Rh5+ Kd4 85.Rh4+ Kc5 86.Kd1 Kb5 87.Kc2 Rg3 88.Ne4 Rg2+ 89.Kd3 a3 90.Nc3+ Kb6 91.Ra4 a2 92.Nxa2 Rg3+ 93.Kc2 Rg2+ 94.Kb3 Rg3+ 95.Nc3 Rh3 96.Rb4+ Kc7 97.Rg4 Rh7 98.Kc4 Rf7 99.Rg5 Kb6 100.Na4+ Kc7 101.Kc5 Kd7 102.Kb6 Rf1 103.Nc5+ Ke7 104.Kxc6 Rd1 105.Rg6 Kf7 106.Rh6 Rg1 107.Kd5 Rg5+ 108.Kd4 Rg6 109.Rh1 Rg2 110.Ne4 Ra2 111.Rf1+ Ke7 112.Nc3 Rh2 113.Nd5+ Kd6 114.Rf6+ Kd7 115.Nf4 Rh1 116.Rg6 Rd1+ 117.Nd3 Ke7 118.Ra6 Kd7 119.Ke4 Ke7 120.Rc6 Kd7 121.Rc1 Rxc1 122.Nxc1 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V2792½–½2014WCh 20147
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M2863½–½2014WCh 20148
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V2792½–½2014WCh 20149
Anand,V2792Carlsen,M2863½–½2014WCh 201410
Carlsen,M2863Anand,V27921–02014WCh 201411

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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