5/11/2012 – In the most anticipated match of the year, the World Championship got under way with Vishy Anand against challenger Boris Gelfand. It was neither the cataclysmic opener of his match against Topalov in 2010 nor a dull draw, though draw it was. The game was a fascinating Grünfeld, which has been summarised for us by IM Malcolm Pein. Full report with pictures and commentary.
new: Fritz 20
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
€39.90
The World Chess Championship 2012 is being staged in the Tretyakov Gallery
in Moscow, between the current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and
the winner of the Candidates tournament Boris Gelfand of Israel. The match is
over twelve games and lasts from May 11 to 30. The prize fund is US $2.55 million,
the winner getting $1.53 million (60%), the loser $1,02 million (40%).
Round one report
By IM Malcolm Pein
In game one of the 2010 WCC final, Anand played the Gruenfeld against Topalov
and after 24 moves he could resign. In 2012, Anand had to face the Gruenfeld
in the first game and after 24 moves, the challenger Boris Gelfand had secured
a draw with black and will be the slightly happier of the two. Gelfand would
have been satisfied with a draw before the game and psychologically speaking,
he struck a small blow by springing a surprise and answering 1.d4 with the Gruenfeld
Defence.
The d-pawn! Anand tells FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov which move to
make...
... and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov ceremoniously starts the first game with 1.d4
Boris usually plays Slav, Semi Slav, Queen's Gambit or Nimzo/Queen's Indian
and so he immediately demonstrated that he has plenty of ideas. The Gruenfeld
is considered a bit risky at the very top level. Kasparov lost a few times with
it, but Anand has not faced it often, so it was a shrewd choice. As they say
in the financial markets there was a 'flight to safety' as Anand opted for 8.Bb5+
which has a reputation of being a harmless line but one which requires a little
accuracy from Black. On move nine, Anand decided to play aggressively and avoid
9.0-0 which he has played before but which can lead to dull equality. 9.d5!?
was almost a novelty but I thought it had been played before. I couldn't place
it but then, in the darker recesses of my (very unreliable) memory I remembered
losing a game against GM Gyozo Forintos at the Benedictine International in
Manchester 30 years ago. But ChessBase is a wonderful thing sometimes and it
turns out that was with 9.0-0 0-0 10.d5 Qa5 11.Rb1. So I can't claim ownership
of that move, but the way it turned out, it wouldn't be much of a claim.
Press photographers bustling around the stage at the start of game one Anand-Gelfand
Vishy Anand watches as Boris Gelfand goes for the Gruenfeld with 2...g6
and...
3...d5. This must have come as a bit of a surprise for the World Champion.
Gelfand comfortably navigated the complications and when Anand went in for
a long think after 13...Qa5 the silicon collective, otherwise known as 'Let's
Check' had decided Black was more than okay. Anand had sacrificed a
pawn and by the time he retrieved it, Gelfand had safely castled. Then it was
just a question of whether Black had something tangible, as he was in possession
of the bishop pair and a potentially strong passed 'a' pawn. 22...Bd7 was more
ambitious but as the players said after the game, Black had no real advantage.
One shouldn't pay too much attention to a computer assessment of +0.1-0.2.
Commentary on game one by Daniel King
Commentary on game one by Andrew Martin
Video stream of round one (from the official World
Championship site)
Once again the Russian organisers are providing unprecedented
coverage,
with a HD video stream of the action and commentary by visiting grandmasters.
Pictures by Anastasya Karlovich and Alexey Yushenkov
Scoreboard
Players
Rtng
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Tot.
Perf.
+/–
Vishy Anand
2791
½
0.5
2727
Boris Gelfand
2727
½
0.5
2791
Schedule
Days of play, with live commentators on Playchess.com.
Note that the games start at 15:00h local time = 13:00 CEST, 07 a.m. New York
or here
in your location.
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the
chess server Playchess.com.
If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there
and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase
11 or any of our Fritz
compatible chess programs.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas.
Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains a total of 11 766 games from Mega 2026 or the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 1136 are annotated.
For the Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbook 2026 the ratings average was set again at 2400. 2.24 million games from the engine room of playchess.com met this threshold, to which were added over 130 000 games played by humans.
In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
€49.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.
