Almost There

Peter Svidler made a huge step towards the overall win at the FIDE World Cup 2015. He was successful in the second game against Sergey Karjakin. Excellent opening preparation gave him a chance to almost effortlessly equalize and when the game was heading to the logical result...Karjakin blundered badly:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.10.02"]
[Round "56.1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:14:23"]
[BlackClock "0:02:37"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Diagram [#] The Ruy Lopez was the most expected
opening in this game. It served very well Svidler so far and Karjakin would
not mind the complex, rich positions that he can get.} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7
6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Nb8 {Diagram [#] Today's choice is the
Breyer line. Black reroutes the c6 knight to d7 and opens up the bishop on b7.
The other one may go to g7 in order to open the e file and put more pressure
on white's center. This line was a favorite one to the twelfth world champion-
Anatoly Karpov in the mid-seventies and the beginning of the 1980-ties.} 10. d4
Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 15. Qc2 ({Another plan is}
15. Nf1 Qc7 16. Ng3 g6 17. Bg5 {as in Dominguez Perez,L (2732)-Adams,M (2742)
Baku 2015}) 15... Rc8 16. axb5 axb5 17. b4 c5 $1 $146 {[%csl Rc2][%cal Rc8c2]
Diagram [#] "A very new interesting, sharp idea which probably solves Black's
problems" Svidler. The Russian GM revealed also that this was an idea of a
friend(s) of his which he received in a conversation through Skype. The name(s)
of the helper(s) remained a secret.} ({Previously Black had developed with}
17... Qc7 18. Bb2 Ra8 19. Rad1 Nb6 20. c4 {as in the game...Karjakin,S (2767)
-Carlsen,M (2868) Stavanger 2013. Svidler also mentioned that he lost a
similar position to his opponent before and was aware how strong Karjakin is
in these type of positions.}) 18. bxc5 {The only move to play for the
advantage. Both} (18. dxc5 dxc5 19. Bxb5 cxb4) ({And} 18. Bxb5 cxb4 {promise
White no advantage at all.} (18... cxd4)) 18... exd4 19. c6 $5 {[%csl Gc6]
[%cal Gc5c6] Diagram [#] A surprise for Svidler, who criticized himself for
the following play.} ({The main line which he analyzed was} 19. Nxd4 {when
Black should continue} b4 {and then} 20. c6 {is best and might have transposed
to the game. Instead, the obvious} (20. cxb4 $6 dxc5 21. bxc5 $2 {loses to}
Bxc5 {and White cannot escape with the d4 knight due to the discovered check
on f2.})) 19... dxc3 {Black believed this should lead to a forced draw.
Otherwise he would have gone back into the main line of his analyzes with} (
19... Bxc6 20. Nxd4 b4 {Let's go a bit further here} 21. Ba6 (21. cxb4 {is
immediately equal after} Bxe4 22. Qb3 Bxd3 23. Rxe8 Nxe8 24. Qxd3 Qb6 $11) {
Now I suspect that the main line was this-} 21... bxc3 ({Although Black may go
as well for} 21... Rc7 22. cxb4 Bxe4 (22... Bb5 $5) 23. Qd1 {The computer
claims slight advantage for White but since ,amy pawns were already traded and
the queen's flank pawns have almost disappeared completely, Black should hold.
And Black had definitely analyzed this further.}) 22. Bxc8 cxd2 23. Bxd2 Bxe4
24. Bxd7 Bxc2 25. Bxe8 Nxe8 {Diagram [#]}) 20. cxb7 ({Not} 20. cxd7 cxd2 21.
Qxd2 Nxd7 {where White has to hold.}) 20... cxd2 21. Qxd2 $1 {Diagram [#]
Clearly better than} (21. bxc8=Q dxe1=Q+ 22. Nxe1 Qxc8 23. Bxb5 Qxc2 24. Nxc2
Rxe4 {when everything disappears and the game peters out to a draw.}) 21... Rb8
22. Bxb5 Qb6 {From far away Svidler was planning} (22... Rxb7 23. Bc6 Rb6 24.
Nd4 ({But here he saw the unpleasant resource} 24. Ra8 $1 {Diagram [#] and
dismissed the line. Actually, after} Qc7 25. Rxe8 Nxe8 26. Ba4 Nef6 {the
position will be very similar to the one in the game.}) 24... Qc7 $11) 23. Rb1
Qxb7 24. Bd3 Qa8 25. Rxb8 Rxb8 26. Bb2 {Plenty of things have been traded but
Black is not yet quite there. Karjakin owes the bishop pair and the pawn on d6
might be a target, thus Svidler has to play energetically.} Qa2 $1 {[%cal
Ga2b2] Diagram [#]} 27. Re2 $1 {[%csl Gb2,Gd2,Gd3,Ge2] The best move to keep
as many pieces on the board as he can.} (27. Bd4 Qxd2 28. Nxd2 g6 {should be a
draw.}) 27... h6 {Svidler wanted to trade off everything after} (27... d5 {but
was not sure about the line} 28. e5 (28. Bxf6 Qxd2 29. Rxd2 Nxf6 30. exd5 $14 {
was fine with Black, he knew he can hold this.}) 28... Ne4 {It seems as Black
is fine indeed-} 29. Qc2 Ndc5 30. Bd4 Qxc2 31. Bxc2 Ne6 $11) 28. Qc1 {[%csl
Ya2][%cal Rb2f6] Diagram [#] Karjakin regroups and creates a simple threat in
the process Bb2xf6} Qb3 29. Bc4 Qb7 30. Qd1 {A tough position for both the
players. White has a slight edge but no real way to increase it. Black on his
turn has no safe path to the draw. On the top of that Svidler was getting low
on time.} ({Nothing gives} 30. Qf4 Qc6 {when the bishop has no good squares-}
31. Ba2 Qa6 $1 {(Svidler) Although this is a draw after} 32. Qe3 Qxa2 33. Bxf6
$11) ({An important resource for him is} 30. Bxf6 Nxf6 31. e5 Qb1 $1 $11 {
(Svidler)}) (30. e5 dxe5 31. Nxe5 Nxe5 32. Bxe5 Qb1 $11) 30... Re8 {The
pressure on the e4 pawn forces White to trade pieces.} 31. Bxf6 Nxf6 32. e5
dxe5 33. Nxe5 Re7 34. Qd4 ({Karjakin suggested the semi-waiting move} 34. g3 {
in the post-mortem, but also showed what he did not like} Nd7 35. Bd5 Qb5 36.
Bc6 Qxe5 (36... Qc5 $11 {is easier}) 37. Rxe5 Nxe5 {with a fortress.}) ({Low
on time and close to his aim Svidler saw ghosts in the lines after} 34. Qd8 Qb4
{is a third way to defend.} (34... Qc7 35. Nxf7 $1 {Diagram [#] he thought
this is winning for White but Black has the cold-blooded} Qxc4 36. Rxe7 Qc1+
37. Kh2 Qf4+ {with perpetual.}) ({And in the beautiful line that he had
calculated} 34... Qb1+ 35. Kh2 Qf5 36. Ng6 $1 {White indeed wins after the
obvious} Rxe2 ({But} 36... Re8 $1 {Diagram [#] which Svidler also saw (but was
not sure about) was a forced draw} 37. Rxe8 Nxe8 38. Qxe8 Qxg6 $11) 37. Qxf8+
Kh7 38. Bxf7 $18 {as Black has only one check (Svidler).})) 34... Nd7 35. Nxf7
{Which is OK. A more interesting attempt was} (35. Rb2 $5 {when Black has to
avoid} Qxb2 $2 ({And has to defend with} 35... Qc7 {White can still try
various things, say} 36. Bxf7+ Rxf7 37. Nxf7 Kxf7 38. Qd5+ Kg6 39. Qe4+ Kf7 40.
Rb7 Qd6 41. Qf5+ Ke8 {but Black should hold.}) 36. Bxf7+ $1 {Diagram [#]
(Svidler)}) 35... Rxf7 36. Rb2 Qc6 {The critical position of the game and
maybe the match. The game was heading towards the draw which meant that
Karjakin will have only one white color till the end to try and level the
score. He tried} 37. Rb5 $4 {[%csl Yb5][%cal Rc4f7,Rc4b5] Diagram [#] A
tragical mistake!} ({It was time to force a draw with} 37. Qd5 Qxd5 38. Bxd5 g5
39. Rb7 Ne5 $11) 37... Kh8 $1 {All of a sudden, Black wins a piece. With two
minutes on the clock Svidler almost went for the prepared drawish line after} (
37... Nf6 $11) 38. Rd5 {Makes things easier, but Black was already winning
anyway after} (38. Bxf7 Qxb5) 38... Nb6 {Diagram [#] It is over, Black wins a
whole rook.} 0-1

Report.

"Retired Old Man"

"The Battle of the Legends" took part in St. Louis at the end of April. Garry Kaparov and Nigel Short met again 22 years after their WWC match. The match consisted of ten games- two rapid and eight blitz. The first day was good for Kasparov who proved that he is still capable of producing great games. He won 3.5-1.5 that day but was not satisfied with the result as he missed a clear win in the first rapid game and lost on time in one of the blitz games. It seems as he wanted to prove who is the boss in the second day and it started with the following encounter:

[Event "Battle of the Legends: Kasparov vs. Sho"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.04.26"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Short, Nigel D"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2678"]
[BlackElo "2812"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:18"]
[BlackClock "0:00:20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The Najdorf served Garry
Kimovich well all those glory years!} 6. g3 {Diagram [#] Short on his turn
opts for a quiet, maneuvering game.} e5 7. Nb3 Nbd7 8. a4 b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. O-O
Be7 11. Re1 {Overprotects the e4 square and prepares the maneuver of the
knight from b3 to...d5. This knight is often the main problem for White in the
positional set-ups and if it was closer to the d5 square the the Najdorf would
not be an appealing opening at all. But while it moves around Black now can
finish the development and create threats of his own.} ({White can start with
the trademark knight maneuver at once} 11. Nd2 Nc5 12. b4 Ne6 13. Nd5 Rc8 14.
c4 O-O 15. a5 b5 16. cxb5 axb5 $14 {Popov,I (2582)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2718)
Puerto Madryn 2009}) 11... Rc8 12. Nd2 h5 $146 {Diagram [#] Kasparov would not
be himself if he is not thoroughly prepared. Even for a friendly blitz match!
Here comes an important novelty which will be definitely explored in the next
tournaments to come.} ({Most of the predecessors saw the regroupment} 12... Rc5
13. Nf1 Qa8 {which is aimed against the natural Nf1-e3-d5 maneuver. White can
nevertheless go for it} 14. Ne3 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. f3 (16. Bxe4 {deserves
attention as well} Qxe4 17. b3 {with the idea Bc1-a3}) 16... Bg6 17. b4 Rc8 18.
c4 {with compensation for a pawn, Sedlak,N (2576)-Brkic,A (2560) Zadar 2009}) (
12... O-O) 13. Nf1 {Short reacts in a cool way and pretends as if nothing had
happened.} h4 14. Ne3 g6 {Kasparov developed his troops perfectly and is now
waiting for his opponent's move.} ({The typical exchange sacrifice is already
in the air} 14... Rxc3 15. bxc3 Nxe4 {but it is hardly good at the moment due
to} 16. Nd5 $1 ({Better than} 16. Nf5 {which allows the crazy complications
after} Nxf2 $5 17. Kxf2 hxg3+ 18. hxg3 Bxg2 {with the idea} 19. Kxg2 $2 Qa8+
20. Qf3 Rh2+ {and wins.})) 15. Re2 {[%cal Ye2c2,Gc3d5] Diagram [#] White
defends the pawn on c2 and is ready to jump finally at d5 with his knight.} ({
The immediate} 15. Ned5 {is possible though as long as White is willing to
part with a pawn after} Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 $5 ({The pawn capture on
d5 is excellent for the second player. The hole on d5 disappears and the black
kingside pawns become mobile} 17. exd5 hxg3 18. hxg3 f5 {and this is at least
more pleasant for Black.}) 17... Rxc2 18. b4 {with compensation for the pawn
thanks to the light-square domination.}) ({Maybe White's best choice is the
semi-waiting} 15. Qe2 $5 {regrouping afterwards with Re1-d1 and Ne(c)3-d5. The
Black can use the situation of the queen with} Nc5 $5 {followed by Nc5-e6-d4
with a tempo with complexed game.} (15... Rc5 $5) (15... Kf8 $5)) 15... hxg3
16. hxg3 {Kasparov sank in some thought here although I had no doubts what is
he going to play next.} Rxc3 $1 {Diagram [#] This is the case in which Black
used his hand rather than brain when performing the sac. Kasparov has done it
so many times in the past, and he even have accused once Movsesian of "lack of
chess culture" for allowing the sacrifice. True, the situation there was
different as White had castled long.} 17. bxc3 Nxe4 {For the exchange Black
has a pawn and strong center, but his next moves are not optimal.} 18. Bb2 Ndf6
(18... f5 $1 {to get firm grip in the center was preferrable.}) 19. c4 Qc8 {
Also not optimal. Both} (19... Qa8) (19... Kf8 {are more reasonable.}) 20. Nd5
$1 Nxd5 21. cxd5 {Now Short got rid of one of the strong knights, undoubled
his pawns and strengthened his center. He can breeth freelier and his position
is easier to play. Although it still remains very tense.} Ng5 {Kasparov wants
to keep his attacking knight.} (21... Nc3 {instead is leading to slight
advantage for White without counterplay for his opponent after} 22. Bxc3 Qxc3
23. Rb1) 22. c4 {A solid move. Other options were} (22. Ra3 $5) (22. Qd3 $5) ({
But not the overaggressive} 22. f4 $2 Qc5+ 23. Kf1 Nh3 24. Bxh3 Rxh3 25. Kg2
Rh5 {and Black wins.}) 22... a5 {As always Kasparov pays attention at the
whole board. He rules out the a4-a5 possibility and improves his bishop.} 23.
Rc1 (23. Qb3 Ba6 24. Rc1 {would transpose to the game.}) 23... Ba6 24. Qb3 Qg4
25. Rcc2 {Diagram [#] Somewhere around here the players went under the five
minute mark and started the blitz. This naturally affected their play.} (25.
Re3 $5 {might be more precise to defend the third rank.}) 25... Bc8 26. f4 $1 {
Short shows teeth as well!} Nh3+ $6 {A natural check which puts the knight on
the rim and Kasparov on the verge of defeat.} ({It would be very difficlut to
choose the piece sacrifice even with hours on the clock} 26... Bf5 $1 27. fxg5
Bxc2 28. Qxc2 ({Or} 28. Rxc2 Qd1+ 29. Kf2 Bxg5 {with possible perpetual check
somewhere along the lines.}) 28... Qxg3 29. Qc3 Qh2+ 30. Kf1 Bxg5 {Black has
three pawns for the piece and the position is anything but clear.}) 27. Kf1 f6
28. Qf3 Qf5 ({The endgame with a knight on h3 is not Black's dream} 28... g5
29. fxe5 fxe5 30. Qxg4 Bxg4 31. Red2) ({Or} 28... Qxf3+ 29. Bxf3 {with clear
advantage for White in both cases.}) 29. Re4 {Solid move in time trouble.} ({
However, if Short had found} 29. Ba3 $1 {things might have not ended that well
for Kasparov. The threat Rc2-b2 is hard to parry and as the bishop on e7 needs
to protect d6 as well Black would be in trouble.}) 29... Kf7 (29... g5 $5) 30.
Rce2 Qg4 31. fxe5 (31. Ba3 $1 {was still strong.}) 31... Qxf3+ 32. Bxf3 dxe5 {
[%csl Yh3] Diagram [#] Short had reached the endgame that he was hoping for
but his next move spoiled all his previous efforts.} (32... fxe5 33. Bg4 {is
better for White.}) 33. Rh4 $2 {Allows the knight to escape and ruins the pawn
structure. Such moves are made by top players only under tremendous
time-pressure.} (33. Rh2 {instead was much better for White.}) 33... Rxh4 34.
gxh4 Nf4 {Now Black is clearly better thanks to his better pawn structure and
above all the lack of open files for the white rook. His position is easier to
play too, which means a lot in blitz.} 35. Rd2 Bc5 36. d6 {Loses but one can
hardly criticize White for this move.} (36. Rh2 Bh3+ 37. Ke1 Bb4+ 38. Kf2 $17)
36... Bh3+ 37. Ke1 Bb4 38. Kd1 {[%csl Ya4,Rd2] Diagram [#] And instead of
taking the rook Kasparov did} Bd7 $1 {without any hesitation.} ({He understood
that there might be technical issues after} 38... Bxd2 39. Kxd2 Bd7 40. Bd1 Ng2
41. Ba3 Nxh4 42. c5) 39. Rh2 Bxa4+ 40. Kc1 Bxd6 {Black is winning.} 41. Kb1 f5
42. Bc1 e4 $2 {A click that could have costed Kasparov the ful point. Now
Short gets his last chance to survive.} ({Both} 42... Nd3) ({and} 42... Bb3 {
would have won instead.}) 43. Bh1 $2 ({The chance was} 43. Bxe4 $1 {Diagram [#]
} fxe4 44. Bxf4 Bxf4 45. Rf2 Ke6 46. Rxf4 Ke5 47. Rg4 Be8 48. Kc2 {with a draw.
}) 43... Nd3 {Now it is all over.} 44. Re2 Bd1 45. Rd2 Bb3 46. Rxd3 exd3 47.
Bd5+ Kf6 48. Kb2 a4 49. Kc3 b5 50. Kxd3 Bxc4+ 51. Bxc4 bxc4+ 52. Kxc4 f4 53.
Kd4 {Diagram [#] After this game enthusiastic Kasparov won all the reaming
four blitz games to win the match with the incredible 8.5-1.5 result. Not too
bad for a retired chessplayer...} 0-1

Short complained after the event of the jet lag. Report.

Carlsen Retains the Title!

In what appeared to be a decisive game Magnus Carlsen of Norway defeated Viswanathan Anand of India to keep the crown of a World Champion.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 {Anand deviates first today. In the previous games of
the match he played} (9... Ke8) 10. Nc3 h6 11. b3 (11. Bf4 {is another way of
developing the B, when} b6 (11... Kc8 {is more common}) 12. a4 a5 13. Rad1 Kc8
14. b3 Bb4 15. Ne4 Be6 {was equal in Shirov,A-Almasi,Z/Polanica Zdroj 2000/CBM
79 (40)}) 11... Kc8 {This is Kramnik's choice, he used this development in the
match against Kasparov.} 12. Bb2 {Diagram [#]} c5 {[%csl Yd5] And this is
quite fresh. In most of the case Black does not like to allow the white N on
d5 that early.} (12... b6 {remains the main plan and this is definitely
influenced by the match Kasparov- Kramnik. One of the firts games in this line
was played in this direction. A more recent example saw} 13. Rad1 Ne7 {[%cal
Gc6c5,Ge7g6,Ge7c6]} (13... Be6 14. g4 Ne7 15. Nd4)) (12... Ne7 13. Nd4 (13.
Rad1 c5 14. Ne2 Ng6 {[%csl Rd4,Re5,Rf4]}) 13... c5 14. Nde2 Bf5 $1 {[%csl Rc2]
which forces the white R to defend the pawn passively as in Shirov,A (2745)
-Volokitin,A (2671) Dagomys 2009}) 13. Rad1 b6 14. Rfe1 {The knight could go
to d5 at once.} (14. Nd5 Bc6 15. c4 Kb7 16. g4 Ne7 17. Nh4 Bxd5 18. cxd5 Rd8
19. d6 cxd6 20. Rxd6 Nc6 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. f4 $16 {Mista,A (2467)-Deszczynski,
A (2341) Wysowa 2003}) (14. Nd5 a5 15. Nd2 Ne7 16. Ne3 Nf5 17. Nd5 Ne7 18. Ne3
Nf5 {1/2 (18) Kokarev,D (2621)-Leko,P (2730) Loo 2014}) 14... Be6 15. Nd5 g5
16. c4 $146 ({The logical novelty. Carlsen overprotects the knight in the
center. In the only predecessor White could not equalize after} 16. Nh2 Kb7 17.
f4 $2 Nd4 (17... c4 $1) 18. Bxd4 cxd4 19. Nf6 gxf4 $17 {Zhidkov,P (2278)
-Vitoshinskiy,Y Dubna 2001}) 16... Kb7 17. Kh2 a5 {[%cal Ga5a4] The threat is
to open up the a file for the rook. This should be prevented.} 18. a4 Ne7 $11 {
[%csl Ya4,Yb3,Yc4][%cal Ge6f5,Gf5c2,Yc2b3] But now the pawns on the queenside
are somewhat vulnerable. Black can attack them in the future with Be6-f5-c2.}
19. g4 Ng6 20. Kg3 Be7 (20... Bg7 {at once is less precise as White can go for}
21. h4 {However, Black has an interesting counter-blow} h5 $5 {with a possible
line} 22. Nxg5 hxg4 23. Rh1 Rh6 24. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Nf6 Rah8 26. h5 Nxe5 27. Bxe5
Bxf6 28. Rde1 $14 {and White retains pressure.}) 21. Nd2 {The opposite colored
bishop endgames favors Black.} (21. Nxe7 Nxe7 22. Nd2 Ng6 {as the white bishop
is blocked and if its counterpart comes out any time all the queenside pawns
will be in danger.}) 21... Rhd8 22. Ne4 Bf8 $1 {Now with h3-h4 out of the
question the bishop can return to the long diagonal.} 23. Nef6 {Both the white
knights occupied some nice squares, but what is coming next? It is hard to
say for White, but Vishy has a very nice blow in his disposal.} b5 $1 {[%csl
Ya4,Yb3,Yc4] Typical, but nice! The queenside is discovered.} 24. Bc3 $1 {The
correct decision that keeps control of the situation. The alternatives are
clearly inferior for Magnus:} (24. cxb5 $2 c6 25. bxc6+ Kxc6 26. Ne3 Bxb3 $17 {
sees the white pawns diasappear.}) ({While} 24. axb5 $6 {is also good for
Black only} a4 25. bxa4 Rxa4 26. Rc1 Nf4 27. Rc2 Bxd5 28. Nxd5 $15 (28. cxd5
Be7 29. Bc1 Nd3 30. Re3 Rd4 31. Bb2 Nxb2 32. Rxb2 Bxf6 33. exf6 Rd6 $15)) 24...
bxa4 25. bxa4 Kc6 {[%cal Gb8b1] Now Anand gets counterplay on the open b file
and his position seems preferrable.} 26. Kf3 Rdb8 {The first critical moment
of the game. This move is logical but two other moves deserved serious
attention.} (26... Bg7 {was suggested by Anand himself and he assesed it as
equal.}) (26... Be7 $5 {On the other hand might be already bettter for Black!
For example} 27. Ke4 (27. Nxe7+ $2 {is once again just bad} Nxe7 28. Rxd8 Rxd8
$17) 27... Bxf6 $1 {Once that the knights disappear the knight versus bishop
in a blocked position will be definitely favorable for the Indian GM!} 28. exf6
Bxd5+ 29. cxd5+ Kd6 $15) 27. Ke4 {Diagram [#] The second critical moment of
the game and the match. Anand went all in with his next move} Rb4 {I do not
know how to comment it and what marks to put here. Let me quote Vishy then-
"It was a bad bluff and I got punished"- Anand.} ({A good alternative would
have been} 27... Rb3 28. Rb1 Rab8 29. Rxb3 Rxb3 {when the game should most
likely end in a draw after something like} 30. Ra1 (30. Bxa5 {is worse as} Ra3
(30... Rxh3) 31. Bxc7 Rxa4 32. Rc1 Bg7 33. Bd6 Bxf6 34. Nxf6 Nf4 $15 {leaves
White's position rather lose.} (34... Bxc4 $15 {is also good.})) 30... Bg7 {
Now a forced line goes} 31. Bxa5 Rxh3 32. f3 Rh2 33. Bc3 (33. Bxc7 $4 {loses a
piece due to} Bxf6) 33... Re2+ 34. Kd3 Rh2 35. a5 (35. Ke4 $11) 35... Bxf6 36.
exf6 Bxd5 37. cxd5+ Kxd5 38. Bd2 (38. a6 $4 Nf4+ 39. Ke3 Re2#) 38... Ne5+ 39.
Kc3 Rh3 40. a6 Rxf3+ 41. Kc2 Nd7 42. a7 Nb6 43. a8=Q+ Nxa8 44. Rxa8 Rxf6 $11)
28. Bxb4 cxb4 29. Nh5 {Now Magnus converters the advantage with an iron grip!
The idea is to open up the game after f2-f4.} Kb7 {Or else the king might be
under a pin here} (29... Rb8 30. f4 gxf4 31. Ndxf4 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 b3 (32... Bxc4
$2 33. Rc1 {[%csl Rc4,Rc6][%cal Rc1c6]}) 33. Nxe6 fxe6 34. Rb1 Rb4 35. Kd3 $16)
30. f4 $1 {[%cal Rf1f8,Rd1d8] Diagram [#]} gxf4 31. Nhxf4 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 Bxc4
33. Rd7 Ra6 (33... Kc6 34. Rd2 Kb7 35. Rc1 Bb3 36. Rd7 $18) 34. Nd5 Rc6 35.
Rxf7 Bc5 {Diagram [#]} 36. Rxc7+ $1 {The most exact follow up- all the pieces
disappear.} Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Kc6 (37... Kxc7 38. Rc1 Bb3 39. Rxc5+ Kb6 40. Rb5+
Ka6 41. Kd4 Bxa4 42. Rb8 $18) 38. Nb5 Bxb5 39. axb5+ Kxb5 40. e6 b3 41. Kd3 Be7
42. h4 a4 43. g5 hxg5 44. hxg5 a3 (44... Bxg5 45. Re5+) 45. Kc3 {Diagram [#]
And this is where Vishy shook Magnus's hand resigning the match!
Congratulations to the new-old champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and his
worthy opponent Vishy Anand of India! Many thanks to both the players for the
unforgettable match!} 1-0

Intense Fight

Round ten saw Magnus Carlsen returning to the Gruenfeld where he produced a novelty on move fourteen. It seems as Viswanathan Anand did not react at the most dangerous way and the Norwegian held the game to a draw rather convincingly.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.21"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2863"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {Carlsen switches to the Gruenfeld. It should
have been difficult for Anand to prepare for each game. The thing is that
Carlsen does not choose the same opening despite its positive outcome. The QGD
served him well in the last game, while the Gruenfeld was not that good in
game one, but nevertheless he switches back to it. Thus Anand has to work
more, in different directions and to spend more energy in the pre-game
preparation.} 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 {The Russian system was chosen by Anand. This
is not only respect to the orginers of the match but his main weapon against
the Gruenfeld.} dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Na6 {Curiously, Magnus had only two
games in this line, back in 2003 and 2005. In the latter he chose the same
move.} ({Also possible is} 7... a6 {which was played against Anand by a former
second of Carlsen} 8. Be2 b5 9. Qb3 Nc6 10. e5 Be6 11. Qd1 Nd5 {with solid
position for Black in Anand,V (2811)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2730) Moscow 2011}) 8.
Be2 {The main move.} ({The only previous game of Magnus in the line saw the
offbeat} 8. Bg5 c5 9. d5 e6 10. O-O-O Qa5 11. Qb5 Qxb5 12. Bxb5 Nc7 13. Be2
exd5 14. exd5 Rd8 15. d6 Nce8 16. Bb5 $13 {Azmaiparashvili,Z (2658)-Carlsen,M
(2570) Khanty-Mansiysk 2005}) 8... c5 9. d5 ({White is not ready for the open
game} 9. dxc5 {yields him nothing after} Be6 10. Qb5 Rc8 $36) 9... e6 10. O-O
exd5 11. exd5 Re8 {The second most common but quite natural move. Vishy had
faced the main move twice against Garry-Almighty} (11... Bf5 12. Rd1 Qb6 13.
Qh4 (13. d6 Rad8 14. Na4 Qc6 $5 {Anand,V (2781)-Kasparov,G (2812) Frankfurt
1999}) 13... Bc2 14. Rd2 Bf5 15. Rd1 Bc2 16. Rd2 {1/2 (16) Anand,V (2781)
-Kasparov,G (2812) Frankfurt 1999}) 12. Bg5 {It is useful to provoke a
weakness on the kingside.} h6 13. Be3 Bf5 14. Rad1 {All of this have already
been seen. Here Magnus came up with a logical novelty} Ne4 $146 {[%cal Rf5b1,
Rg7b2] Diagram [#] Which however is not surprisng at all for any Gruenfeld/KID
player. The road for thh two black bishops is opened and they can start
exerting pressure on the queenside.} ({Previously only} 14... Qb6 {was checked
and here beside the move} 15. b3 {White has plenty of interesting options to
work in his laboratory} (15. Nh4 $5) (15. Qb5 $5) (15. Rd2 $5) 15... Rad8 16.
Rd2 Ng4 17. Bf4 Qa5 18. Rc1 {All of this was played by one of Anand's seconds}
g5 ({Black missed a good shot} 18... b5 $1 19. Qxb5 (19. Nxb5 $2 Re4) 19...
Bxc3 20. Qxa5 Bxa5 21. Bxa6 Bxd2 $17) 19. Bg3 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Qxc3 21. Rxc3 {
with doubled-edged endgame in Wojtaszek,R (2713)-Ponomariov,R (2729) Poikovsky
2012 Obviously the Polish GM provided Anand with some additional know-how.})
15. Nxe4 {The first moment where the challenger could have gone for the sharp}
(15. d6 $5 Nxc3 (15... Bxc3 $6 {looks too risky} 16. bxc3 Nxd6 $2 17. Qf4 $18 {
White has grand attack on the dark squares.}) 16. bxc3 Qb6 {Only the further
analyzes will prove if the d6 pawn is a weakness or an asset to the first
player.}) 15... Bxe4 ({Worse is} 15... Rxe4 {as the rook is vulnerable there}
16. Qc1 Kh7 17. Bd3 $16) 16. Qc1 {The second moment of the game where Vishy
could have played sharper. Why endgame?!} ({I strongly believe that the right
treatment of the position was to keep the queens on the board. A central
passer is good in the middlegame and not in the endgame. It separates the
flanks into two independent parts and can help the kingside attack. In the
endgame the cetral pawn is easily attacked by the king and is in most cases a
weakness.} 16. d6 $5 {with the obvious idea} Bxb2 $2 (16... Bc6 {should be
better although White has a lot to play for, for example} 17. Qc1 $5 {The
knight on a6 is misplaced and the kingside is under pressure.} Re6 18. Bxa6
bxa6 19. Qxc5 Bxf3 20. gxf3 {and White is better as} Bxb2 {fails to} 21. d7 {
Notice how difficult it is not for Black to block the pawn!}) 17. Bxh6) 16...
Qf6 17. Bxh6 Qxb2 {[%csl Yb2,Yc1] Diagram [#] "I was a little overoptimistic.
I thought that without the queens on the board I am immediately fine." Carlsen.
He indeed hs to solve some problems but as he demonstrated in the later, the
endgame is much easier to hold than the middlegame.} (17... Bxd5 {is also
possible although White is little better after} 18. Rxd5 Rxe2 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20.
Rd7 Re7 21. Rxe7 Qxe7 22. Re1 Qf6 23. Re4 $14 {thanks to the misplaced Na6.})
18. Qxb2 ({Or} 18. Bxg7 Qxc1 19. Rxc1 Kxg7 20. Bxa6 bxa6 21. Rxc5 Red8 22. Rd1
Rab8 $11 {as Magnus intended to play.}) 18... Bxb2 19. Ng5 {"I underestimated
this move," Carlsen. And I suspect that this is the position that tempted
Anand to swap off the queeens. Now he wins the bishop pair.} (19. d6 {is also
interesting.}) ({However} 19. Bxa6 $2 {is simply wrong as the c pawn supported
by the bishop pair will be good only for Black} bxa6 20. d6 c4 $17) ({another
tempting continuation is suggested by Anand} 19. Bb5 {although this should not
be much after} Red8) 19... Bd4 $1 {[%csl Gd4,Yd5] Diagram [#] "This was very
precise"- Anand. The pawn on d6 had been excluded from the main forces and is
now doomed. Vishy tries everything he can to generate threats with his
bishops.} ({Black has no time to save the bishop} 19... Bf5 20. Bb5 Red8 21. d6
Bd4 22. Bc4 Rxd6 23. Nxf7 Rd7 24. Nd6+ Kh7 25. Nxf5 gxf5 26. Bf4 $16) ({Neither
} 19... Bc2 $2 {is good due to} 20. Rd2 Nb4 21. d6 $16) 20. Nxe4 Rxe4 21. Bf3
Re7 22. d6 ({While watching the game I anticipated the line} 22. Bf4 Rd7 23. d6
Nb4 24. Rd2 {which basically transposes into the game. Then after} Re8 {[%csl
Yd6][%cal Ge8e6,Gb4c6,Gd4e5,Ge5d6] Black intends to surround the pawn with
Re8-e6, Nb4-c6 and Bd4-e5. Somethimes the kingside pawns also help. Examplary
line goes like this} 25. Rc1 Nc6 (25... Re6 {also makes sense}) 26. Bxc6 bxc6
27. Kf1 f6 (27... Re6 28. Re2 Rxe2 29. Kxe2 f6) 28. h4 (28. Re2 Rxe2 29. Kxe2
g5 30. Bg3 f5 $11) 28... Kf7 29. g3 Rg8 30. Re2 g5 31. hxg5 fxg5 {and the d6
pawn will disappear.}) 22... Rd7 23. Bf4 Nb4 {Finally the knight enters the
game.} 24. Rd2 {The last critical moment of the game.} ({Anand mentioned at
the press conference the move} 24. Rfe1 $5 {[%csl Yb7,Rd6,Ge7][%cal Ge1e7,
Rf3b7] Diagram [#] although he did not provide any further lines. This is a
pawn sacrifice and very risky decision but looks tempting! After} Nxa2 25. Re7
$1 Rxe7 (25... Rad8 26. Bd5 $1 Nc3 27. Bxf7+ Kg7 28. Rde1 Bf6 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30.
Be6 $16) 26. dxe7 Re8 27. Re1 Nb4 {The knights hold both teh critical c6 and
d5 square and seems fine after f7-f6 and Kg8-f7 finally neutralizing the pawn.
} 28. Bxb7 f6) 24... Re8 25. Rc1 Re6 {Getting into the d6 pawn busyness.} 26.
h4 Be5 27. Bxe5 Rxe5 28. Bxb7 {Diagram [#] Forces the draw. Obviously Anand
could not do anything more} (28. Bg4 {is met with} f5 29. Be2 Kf8 30. g3 b6 31.
Bf3 Re6 32. a3 Na6 33. Be2 Nb8 34. Rcd1 a6 {[%cal Gb6b5,Gc5c4] intending both
b6-b5 and c5-c4 as well as Nb8-c6-d4} (34... Nc6 $2 35. Bb5) 35. a4 Nc6 36.
Bxa6 Nd4 $11 37. Rxd4 (37. Bc8 Nf3+ 38. Kg2 Nxd2 39. Bxd7 Rxd6) 37... cxd4 38.
Bc8 Rexd6 39. Bxd7 Rxd7 $11) 28... Rxb7 29. d7 Nc6 30. d8=Q+ Nxd8 31. Rxd8+ Kg7
32. Rd2 {The resources are exausted, the peace treaty signed. Carlsen leads 5.
5-4.5 and need one more point to defend the title.} 1/2-1/2

Uneventful Draw

Game nine of the match ended peacefully quite quickly. Anand's super preparation allowed him a chance to equalize rather easily. Carlsen decided not to risk and forced a draw by perpetual.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The Berlin rules.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6.
Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11. Ne2 {Carlsen
decided to check what has Anand prepared here.} b6 12. Rd1 Ba6 13. Nf4 {[%cal
Ge5e6] Diagram [#]} Bb7 $146 {A novelty. Vishy came very well prepared for the
match. The bishop belongs to the long diagonal.} ({Previously only} 13... Rd8 {
had been seen} 14. Bd2 Nd4 15. Nxd4 Rxd4 16. a4 $1 {and Whitye proved that the
rook is needed on a8.} Bc8 17. a5 a6 18. Be3 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 b5 20. Nd3 $16 {
[%csl Gc5] Diagram [#] Dominguez Perez,L (2726)-Ponomariov,R (2741) Leon 2012})
14. e6 {The key theme in the Berlin and the most straightforward continuation.}
({Probably White could try} 14. c4 {with the idea to meet} c5 {with} ({However
here Black can play} 14... Rd8 {and in comparison to the game
Dominguez-Ponomariov he will enjoy some additional ideas} 15. Bd2 c5 {now d5
is under control} 16. Bc3 Bxf3 17. Rxd8+ Kxd8 18. gxf3 {and if anyone is
better here it is not White.}) 15. Nd5 {[%csl Rd5]}) 14... Bd6 $1 {Blocks the
d file, defends the c7 pawn, attacks the f4 knight and developes a piece. How
multifunctional a move could be?} 15. exf7+ Kxf7 16. Ng5+ Kf6 17. Ne4+ {
Diagram [#] Magnus has no advantage at all and decides to call it a day.} Kf7
18. Ng5+ Kf6 19. Ne4+ Kf7 20. Ng5+ {Melik was right so far. Yesterday at the
TV show he predicted two draws, while I expected big fight today. I wonder if
this short game is due to fatigue in Carlsen or due to the super-prep by Anand.
Whichever the case, Magnus is one game closer to defending the title and Vishy
gets an extra white color to spoil his plans.} 1/2-1/2

Vishy Levels the Score!

Yesterday was a great day for chess! Former World Champion Vishy Anand showed what he is capable of and defeated the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen to level the score in the match.
Contrary to the expectations and fears of many of the chess fans all over the world this match looks nothing but one-sided!
Since I was travelling to India for a FIDE trainer's seminar, I had no physical ability to annotate the game.
I will use Erwin L'Ami's notes for chess.com instead:

[Event "Wch Sochi"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.11.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Vishy"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[Annotator "EA"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]

{[Annotations by GM Erwin l'Ami]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 {Just as in Chennai,
Magnus does not stick to one opening but rather jumps from one to the other.
That means no Grunfeld today but a 'solid' Queen's Gambit.} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3
Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 {Diagram [#]} ({A small surprise as at the
top level this move is completely overtaken by} 7... Nh5 {taking the bishop on
f4. Having said that, Carlsen has used the text move in previous games and it
is of course a perfectly respectable line as well.}) 8. Bd3 ({[The game should
be compared with} 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6
Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Nd2 Ndf6 18. f3 Ra5 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20.
fxe4 Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. O-O Rc8 26.
Rc6 (26. Qa6 Rb5 27. Rb1 Rb2 {Gyimesi,Z (2616)-Vaganian,R (2587) Germany 2006})
26... h6 27. Rfc1 Kh7 28. Qa6 Rf5 29. Bd6 Bh4 30. Qxa3 Bf2+ 31. Kh1 Rd5 32. Bf4
f5 33. Qc3 Bh4 34. Rb6 Bg5 35. Be5 Bd8 36. Rb8 {1-0 Tomashevsky,E (2646)
-Riazantsev,A (2656) Moscow 2008 - PD]}) 8... b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 {[%csl
Ya6,Yd3] One of the points behind Black's previous two moves, Magnus' bad
bishop can now be exchanged on a6.} 11. Bxa6 ({When this was played by Vishy
without a glitch I knew we would be in for an exciting day! Instead} 11. O-O
Qc8 {leads to much quieter play.}) 11... Rxa6 12. b5 {The only serious
follow-up, if Black gets to play Qa8 his position will be ultra-solid. The
game continuation tries to make use of the fact that after the exchange on a6
Black's forces have been slightly discoordinated.} cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 {
[%csl Ya5,Yb5,Yb6,Rc7] Diagram [#] So far for the 'solid' Queen's Gambit!
Black has an extra pawn but in return Vishy has created a monster on c7,
paralysing Black's position. One can find about a dozen games featuring this
position and no doubt both players have spent there time on this position.
However, given how the game develops I expect Anand has spent considerably
more time on it then his opponent.} b4 ({I am no expert on this line, but I
feel} 14... Bxa3 $5 15. Nxb5 Bb4+ {deserves attention. After} 16. Ke2 {I want
to play} Nc5 $5 {the idea being} 17. dxc5 bxc5 {when the knight on b5 has lost
stability and with it White's entire position.}) ({Perhaps (} 14... Bxa3 {)}
15. O-O Bb2 16. Nxb5 {is the right idea, going all in with the pawn on c7.
Food for thought!}) 15. Nb5 a4 {Logical, Magnus is preparing to expel the
mighty knight with Ra5.} 16. Rc1 Ne4 ({White's previous move prevented} 16...
Ra5 {because of} 17. Bd6 {when} Rxb5 18. Bxe7 b3 19. Bxf8 Nxf8 20. O-O {
doesn't give Black enough compensation for the exchange.}) 17. Ng5 Ndf6 {It
was rather mystifying for me to see that Magnus took 32 minutes to play this
move. Although we are already on move 17, playing this sharp line with Black
means you have to know it much, much deeper than that.} 18. Nxe4 {Diagram [#]}
Nxe4 $2 ({The players were still following a game Aronian-Adams, Bilbao 2013
but Anand shows a strong improvement over that game. I am not sure what Vishy
had in mind after} 18... dxe4 {because} 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 b3 21. Bxf8 Kxf8
{gives excellent compensation for the Exchange. At any rate Magnus had to go
for this because the game continuation lands him in serious trouble.}) 19. f3
Ra5 ({Magnus had two interesting alternatives though they both feel a bit
fishy. One is} 19... Nc5 20. dxc5 bxc5 21. axb4 cxb4) ({and the other is} 19...
Qd7 20. fxe4 Rc8 {after which White probably does best to return the piece with
} 21. exd5 exd5 22. O-O (22. Qd3 Ra5 $1) 22... Qxb5 23. Qg4 $1 Qe8 24. Rc6 $1 {
when there is serious pressure on Black.}) 20. fxe4 ({And that's it! This
simple capture - the first move of every engine - is a huge improvement over}
20. Qe2 Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 $1 {which was fine for Black in Aronian-Adams, Bilbao
2013. At the risk of repeating myself, it really makes me wonder where Magnus'
preparation ended.}) 20... Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 ({There is no time
to include} 22... dxe4 {because} 23. a4 $1 {followed by castle leaves Black
more or less paralysed.}) 23. exd5 {[%csl Ya3,Yb6,Gc7,Gd5] Diagram [#] "The
difference of pawns is what I'm playing for," said Anand, refering to a3 and
c7.} Rxd5 (23... exd5 $5 {was mentioned by match commentator Peter Svidler as
a possible improvement. The idea is to keep the a-file in Black's position. In
any case also here it is obvious that only one side is playing.}) 24. Qxb6 {
"Probably [this] was in my prep but maybe it goes further." (Anand)} Qd7 25.
O-O ({A small inaccuracy. It is curious to note that even this position
occured in practice, though with the white pawn standing on h3 instead of h2!
Surprisingly that makes a huge difference in the following line:} 25. Qa6 $1 {
(Anand did consider this as he said at the press conference)} Rc8 26. Rb1 $1
Rxc7 27. Rb8+ Bd8 28. Bxc7 Qxc7 29. Rc8 {and White wins. Now imagine White's
pawn being on h3 and suddenly 29...Qg3+! wins... for Black! Could it be that
Vishy mixed up the games and therefore didn't choose 25.Qa6?}) ({(} 25. Qa6 {
) Black's best is probably to retreat with} Qc8 {but after} 26. Qa4 {it just
looks awful, to put it mildly.}) 25... Rc8 26. Rc6 {Amongst other things
preventing Black from swapping bishops on d6.} g5 $5 ({An exclamation mark for
finding this and the following move. Insisting on trading the bishops with}
26... Bf6 27. Qa6 e5 28. dxe5 Bxe5 29. Bxe5 Rxe5 {is very strong were it not
for the tactical solution of} 30. Rfc1 Rd5 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Ra8h8] Diagram [#]}
31. Qxc8+ $3 (31. Qxa3 $2 Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Kf2 Qd2+ 34. Kg3 Qe1+ 35. Kh3
g5 $1 {allows Black to escape.}) 31... Qxc8 32. Rb6 {and the weakness of the
back rank combined with the strength of the c7-pawn make matters hopeless for
Black.}) 27. Bg3 $6 (27. Be5 {was definitely worth considering, if only
because the game continuation} Bb4 {is now refuted by} 28. Qxb4 Qxc6 29. Qe7 $1
{with a huge attack.}) 27... Bb4 $1 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Rb4d2,Rb4a5] Diagram [#]
Extremely resourceful! Now both Bd2 and Ba5 are in the air. Vishy's response
is cool and collected. [Anand hadn't seen this - PD.]} 28. Ra1 $1 {During the
press conference Anand mentioned he was pleased with this move and rightly so!}
Ba5 $2 ({Having been under pressure for the entire game and running out of
time fast can be straining, even for the very best. In game 2 something very
similar happened to Vishy. Having been under huge pressure the whole game he
erred with 34...h5??. Blunders don't appear just like that! For completeness
sake I should mention that} 28... h5 {would have remained the status quo:
White is clearly better but by no means winning yet.}) 29. Qa6 Bxc7 30. Qc4 {
Pinning and winning! The remainder of the game is of little interest. Black is
simply losing heavy material.} e5 31. Bxe5 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Qe7 33. e6 Kf8 34. Rc1
{I believe it's fair to say the match is now wide open!} 1-0

It's a brad new match now!

A Different Look at the Match Battle

I never knew that it was that difficult to win a match for the World Championship. Watch the exciting battle of Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short revealed.
At least, according to BBC ;)

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