Znó Fr
co
by move
About this publication Viswanathan Anand is undoubtedly one of the World's greatest ever chess players. He first shot to fame in his youth, when he enthralled the chess public with his results and his amazing speed of play. play. He became ndia's first ever grandmaster, grandmaster, at the age of eighteen. He has won five World Championships, Championshi ps, and was the undisputed World Champion from 007 to 013. He's been the World number one ranked player and one of the very few to break the 800 rating barrier. His renowned versatility versatility has help him to become successful in all forms of the game: tournament play, match play, knockout and rapidplay. In this book, Grandmaster Zenón Franco examines in detail Anand's chess career to date. He selects and studies his favourite Anand games, and demonstrates clearly how we can all improve our chess by learning from Anand's play. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages encourages the learning and practising practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge. •
Learn from the games of a chess legend
•
mportant ideas absorbed by continued practice
•
Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study
Zenón Franco
is a Grandmaster from Paraguay, Pa raguay, now living in Spain. He represented Paraguay, on top board, in seven Chess Olympiads, and won individual gold medals at Lucerne 198 and Novi Sad 1990. Hes an experienced trainer and has written numerous books on chess.
2
Pubisher lnformation d: v By v by Zenón Franco First published in 2014 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, Northburgh House, Northburgh Street, London EC V OAT. Copyright
© 2014
10
Zenón Franco
Translated by Phil Adams The right of Zenón Franco to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.
B Ly gg--c D A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, Northburgh Street, London EC V OAT email:
[email protected] website: www.everymanchess.com
10
Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House nc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House nc. For Yudania
EVERMAN CHESS SERIES Chief Advisor: Byron Jacobs Commissioning Editor: John Emms Assistant Editor: Richard Palliser
3
Series Foreword The Move by Move format is designed to be interactive, and is based on questions asked by both teachers and students. lt aims - as much as possibe - to repicate chess essons. A the way through, readers wi be chaenged to answer searching questions and to compete exercises, to test their skis in key aspects of the game. lt's our firm beief that practising your skis ike this is an exceent way to study chess. Many thanks go to a those who have been kind enough to offer inspiration, advice and assistance in the creation of Move by Move. We're reay excited by this series and hope that readers wi share our enthusiasm. John Emms, Everyman Chess
4
Aad: Mv By Mv by Zó Frac
Contents 1 ntroduction
7
Viswanathan Anand's Style
Game l. First encounter with Karpov
9
25
Game 2 First great triumh in a histori tournament
30
Game 3 First imortant match
36
......•..................•..
Game 4 The start of the schism
Game 5 Anand's first match for the world title
.............•....................•..
Game 6 Once more battling with Kasarov and Karov Game 7 "An effort of which 1 am very roud"
•....................•..
...............•....................•..
Game 8 Second world title match, in unequal conditions Game 9. World Chamion for the first time Game 10 "The Hammer of Thor"
..................•..
.•.................•....................•..
Game 11 Second triumh in the FIDE World Cu
5
•.........••..................••..
42 47 52 58 62 67 72 76
Game 12. First outright victory in Wijk aan Zee Game 13. World Championship in San Luis
.....................................
81
............................................
86
Game 14. More great preparation on display at Wijk aan Zee Game 15. In the land of the World Champion
........................................
Game 16. The start of the Anand vs. Carlsen rivalry Game 17. World Champion for the second time
Game 21. Triumph in the Bundesliga
..................................
106
Game 23. Lasker's Defence strikes again Game 24. Homework pays off
...................................
126 131
.............................................
141
......................................
...............................................................
Game 27. An encouraging triumph in preparation for the match Game 28. 110ne of those dream Najdorfs11
Game 30. Once again the taste of victory
.........
...........................................
Game 29. Last tournament in preparation for the match
.....................
147 151 155 160 165 171
............................................
178
................................................
184
Game 32. A game where "each move had its point11
6
119
134
.............................................................
Game 31. The most difficult opponent
112
...................................
Game 25. World Champion for the fifth time Game 26. "One for the ages"
....................
...................................................
Game 22. World Champion for the fourth time
95
100
.....................................
Game 20. Thinking again about the title match
91
............................
Game 18. The rival who most influenced Anand's victory Game 19. World Champion for the third time
...............
............................
190
lntroduction lt was with great peasure that 1 took on the task of writing about Viswanathan ('Vishy) Anand, the most successfu Word Chess Champion of this century. Anand is the first and ony word champion who has gained the tite by competing in three different types of competition: the 2000 event used a system of knock-out matches, 2007 was a doube-round a-pay-a, and in 2008, 2010 and 2012 he gained (or retained) the tite by winning a traditiona head-to-head match. Anand was born on the 11th of December 1969 in Chennai, India and earned chess at the age of six. He quicky made a name for himsef, gaining the IM tite in 1984, winning the lndian Championship in Mumbai in 1986, at age 16, and the Word Junior Championship in Baguio City in 1987, becoming lndias first GM the foowing year. In 2000 he was procaimed, for the first time, the outright Word Champion, winning a tournament made up of a series of knock-out matches; in the fina, payed in Tehran, he defeated Aexei Shirov. Anand gained his tite at a time when there were sti two word championship systems running in parae: an unofficia tite hed by Garry Kasparov, and the officia FIDE one, which Anand won. Kasparov retired from serious competition at the end of the 2005 Linares tournament, at which time the unofficia word tite was hed by Vadimir Kramnik, who had defeated Kasparov in 2000. Nevertheess, Kasparov is reputed to have turned to Anand and said something ike: "lm handing the batn over to you now. Anand was unabe to ive up to this on the occasion of his next championship event, in San Luis 2005, which was won by Vesein Topaov. However, 2007 saw Anand make a big step forward and, in the Eo ratings ist pubished on Apri st of that year, Anand occupied the top spot for the first time; he was 38 years od, and had been one of the top three payers in the word for the previous fifteen years. The "batn handed on by Kasparov was finay grasped ater that year, when Anand was procaimed Word Champion for the second time, after winning the a-pay-a tournament in Mexico City, which had been set up to decide the hoder of the now reunified word tite. Anand successfuy defended his tite three times in matches, beating Kramnik in Bonn in 2008, Topaov in Sofia in 2010, and Gefand in Moscow in 2012. At the end of 2013 Anand ost his tite to Magnus Carsen in a match hed in Chennai. However, in November 2014 he wi have the opportunity to become word champion for the sixth time. Anand has quaified as Carsens officia chaenger by convincingy winning the Candidates Tournament hed in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) in March 2014.
7
The structure of this book
This book is a little different from the majority of its predecessors in the Move by Move series. First, we shall make a brief appraisal of Viswanathan Anand's style, followed by a section in which we highlight soe facets of Anand's play, with positions that can be used for training purposes. As 1 mentioned in my previous book for Everyman, it's a proven fact that soe form of active learning is much more effective than merely receiving information passively. The bulk of the book, the most important part, comes next. t contains 32 of Anand's best games, presented in chronological rder, along with reminders of the most important moments in his chess career. The selected games start in 99 and culminate with 204 Candidates Tournament. As usual in the Move by Move series, the games are sprinkled with questions and exercises. Wherever possible 1 have also used Anand's own annotations (and those from other leading masters) since there can be no better guide, but 1 have generally expanded these, since very often what is obvious to a World Champion often requires further clarification to the student. On a final note 1 should like to say that it's been a real pleasure to write a book about one of the best chess players of all time, someone who is furthermore a sociable and intelligent man with a great sense of humour, as can be seen from any of his interviews, and as 1 had the good fortune to be able to appreciate during the many tournaments Anand has contested in Spain. hope this book will help you understand a little better and admire even more the wonderful chess legacy of the five-time World Chess Champion, a legacy which is still incomplete. 1
GM Zenón Franco Ocampos September 204
8
Viswanathan Anand's Style When he achieved the title of World Champion for the second time, in Mexico in 2007, Anand didn't know how best to describe his playing style, although he highlighted the ability to be flexible as one of his strengths; that is, being able to adapt to changing situations. As examples, he cited the way he had played in the tournament: good positional play in his victories over Svidler and Grischuk; a good opening idea in his win against Aronian; and sound defence in an inferior rook ending against Grischuk in the penultimate round, when he was clse to defeat. Lubomir Kavalek believes that Anand is the most versatile world champion ever, which agrees with Anand's own sentiments. In a book of Anand's best games, John Nunn commented that he had always admired Anand's play for its apparently simple logic, which often causes difficulties for even very strong opponents right from the opening. Nunn points out that Anand shuns unnecessary tactical complications on principe, but if he believes it is the right thing to do, he does not avoid them. f Anand's style resembles that of anyone from the past, it undoubtedly reminds us of Fischer, in that he's the complete player, his grasp of tactics is extraordinary, and with brilliant positional play he is at home in any type of position; all this complemented by exquisite endgame technique. In 2006, Anand played in a tournament in Reykjavik, the venue for the legendary encounter in 172 between Fischer and Spassky, which did so much to spread the popularity of chess. Fischer was also living in Reykjavik at that time, since he had been granted celandic citizenship. Anand expressed an interest in visiting Fischer and, after much preparation, the meeting took place. One of the first questions Fischer put to Anand was the startling "Why has someone as intelligent as you devoted himself to chess?, almost as a reproach. Anand was very surprised and confessed later, half jokingly, that he hadn't dared answer with the truth, especially there in celand, in the most appropriate place possible: "Because of you !"
Prizes Anand has received many national and international awards. He has won the Chess Osar on six occasions: 17, 18, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. In 11-2 he received the inaugural Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, ndia's highest sporting honour, and in 18 the Millennium Sportstar Award, from ndia's most important sports magazine, for being the sportsman of the millennium. This last is an achievement of great importance in a country with 1.2 billion inhabitants, where the most popular sports are cricket and hockey.
9
In 2007 he was awarded the second highest civil honour in India, the Padma Vibhushan, becoming the first sportsman to receive this prize in his country's history. In 2011 he received the Global Strategist Award from the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for winning world championships in all formats of chess competition. In 2012 he was named Best ndian Sportsman of the Year, and ndian of the Year.
lntroduction to Anand's games Befre going on to analyse complete games by Anand, as an introduction let's look at soe examples of his skill in specific stages of the chess struggle. You can, if you wish, use them as training, asking yourself what you would play, after reading the first paragraph and covering the text that follows (that is, of course, if you are reading a paper version of this book).
Anand on the Attack The five-time world champion has produced many beautiful and instructive games featuring an attack on the opponent's king. Here are three examples: Anand,V - Ye Jiangchuan [B81] Asian Team Championship, Kuala Lumpur, 1989
W py We're in a typical Sicilian Defence position; the black king must seek refuge on the queenside, since it's not safe in the centre or on the kingside. f White plays a routine move such as 15 Kb, Black won't play 15...Nxh5? because, after 16 Bxh5 Rxh5 17 Bxe7 Nxe7 18 Rxg7, the opening of the game endangers his king. nstead, he would play 15.. . 0-0-0.
I y wy í/ w B p? 15.hG! 10
This is the start of an energetic sequence of moves, after which the black king will be unable to find a safe haven. t's astonishing how quickly the game now sharpens and combinations start to appear, soe typical of the Sicilian and soe not.
15...gxhG [15...g6 is no better: Anand pointed out that, after 16.Qf4 In the event of 16...Nxd4, White can choose between (16...e5, the sacrifice 17.Bxf6! exf4 18.Bxh8 is very strong, and 18...0-0-0 is answered by 19.Bg7}) 17.Bxf6 and the same combination as above: e5 , which looks even stronger 17...Nxe2+ 18.Nxe2.] 16.BxfG! This is the second key move; it's worth noting that one of the ideas behind 15 h6! was to weaken d6. 16...BxfG 17.NfS!! This typical Sicilian sacrifice is the culmination of White's idea. 17...Be7?! [Now 17...exf5 is answered by 18.Nd5 Qd8 and, finally, the artistic blow 19.Qxh6!; nstead, 17...0-0-0 loses material after 18.Nxd6+ Kb8 19.Nxf7 Bxc3 20.bxc3! but not c on account of + and...Qxf7}; or if 17...Be5 then 18.f4 exf5 19.fxe5, followed by 20 Nd5, will be very strong.; The most tenacious defence was 17...Kf8. Then after 18.Nxd6, the position of the black king gives White the advantage, but Black can still fight.] 18.Nxe7 Kxe7 [On 18...Nxe7 Anand said that White would be better, after either the violent 19.Rg7! (preventing Black from castling queenside) or the quiet } 19...Qc5 (hoping to expel the g7-rook with...Qe5) and now there is a beautiful line analysed by Anand: 20.f4 as well as with an edge for White 20...Ng6 21.e5 Kf8 22.Rxg6 fxg6 23.Ne4 Qd5 24.Qe3 Qxa2 25.Rxd6 Qa+ 26.Kd2 Qa5+ 27.c3 Qc7 28.Qd4! Rd8 29.Nc5 Ke7 30.f5!! exf5 31.Rxg6 Be8 32.Re6+ Kf8 33.Rd6!. t's admirable that twenty-five years after this analysis by Anand, today's analysis engines fail to find fault with it.]How can White keep up the pressure? 19.Rg3! Hading for d3 with a clar targt in viw: th d6-pawn. 19... bs 20.Qf4 [Here 20.Rd3 was still effective, but Anand is after more than just the capture of the d6-pawn; he's trying to attack the black king from another direction.] 20...Rad [f now 20...b4, then 21.e5! dxe5 22.Qh4+ Ke8 23.Qf6 ( wins as well 23...Rf8 24.Bh5 (threatening 25 Bxf7+) 24...Bc8 25.Ne4 Nd4 26.Bxf7+! wins (Anand).]
11
21.Qh4+ Ke8 And now? 22.BxbS! Another typical Sicilian attacking idea! There were other effective continuations, but this is the prettiest. 22... NeS The bishop is immune from capture on account of Nxb5 and Nxd6+, but now Black will face the onslaught of all White's forces, without even the consolation of a material advantage. The rest is an execution. 23.Be2 QcS 24.BhS Rf8 25.f4 Nc6 26.eS [26.Nd5 with the same idea (26...exd5 27.Bxf7+! ) was also good.] 26...dS 27.Bxf7+! Rxf7 28.Rg8+ Qf8 [f 28... Rf8 then 29.Qh5+ mates quickly.] 29.Rxf8+ Rxf8 30.QhS+ Ke7 31.Qxh6 1-0 Anand,V - Polgar,J [B06] Monte Cario (rapd), 1996
White to play
Anand decided to comment in depth on this rapidplay game in the book of his best games. After a complicated struggle of attacks and counter-attacks, a critica position as een reace. This is not the moment for passive play; if White retreats with 25 Be2, Black continues with the simple 25...Nd7 and the vital e5-pawn falls. t would also be inaccurate to accept the offered pawn with 25 bxc4 dxc4 26 Bxc4, as after 26...Qd4 27 Bd3 Nd5, Black's pieces become extremely active. Finally, if White simplifies with 25 exf6 Bxf6 26 Rxe7 Bxe7, he is orced to continue 27 Bg5, but then Black seizes the initiative with 27...Bxg5 28 Qxg5 cxd3 29 Nh5 Re2 and the black bishop is ready to take up an active role after ...d5-d4. 12
How should White continue instead? 25.Nf5! A knock-out blow; the capture of the knight, opening the g-file, is forced. 25...gxf5 [f Black tries 25 ...cxd3 instead, then White has 26.Nxg7!.] 26.Bxf5 d4 [The retreat 26...Nd7 is not possible, since after 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Rg, the opening of the g-file proves decisive.] 27.Re2 This rook heads for g2, while the other one guards f3. [Nevertheless, it would also have been very strong to play 27.exf6 Qxf6 (or l, winning a piece) 28.Rxe7 Rxe7 29.Bh7+! Kf8 30.BgS and White wins.] 27...d3 [27...NdS loses once again to 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Rg (or) and if 29...f6 then 30.Bh6.] 28.Rg2 Rxe5 29.Rxg7+! Kf8 [29...Kxg7 loses the queen for insufficient material after 30.Bh6+! Kh8 31.Be3+ Kg8 32.QgS+ Kf8 33.Bxb6.] 30.QhG Re2 How should White continue now? There are several tempting continuations, but the discovered check is obviously the first one to consider. 31.bxc4!! "I am very proud of this move which was the main reason why selected this game," wrote Anand. [How did he come to choose this winning line? Let's hand over to Anand himself: "Basically, quickly rejected 31.Rg6+ followed by 31...Ke7 32.Rxf6 because of 32...Bxf3+. Judit had gone much further in this line, but couldn't be bothered, wanted something cleaner ... noticed Rg2+ followed by Rxe2 and also saw bxc4 in mv 5 rbg bk q Sy 1 rz d3-pawn could not move! Bingo!" (Forced to calculate, he would surely have seen that is stronger; i.e. and mates.)] 31...d2? Now the rook is lost and it's easy for White. [31...Ke7 was more tenacious, but after 32.Bxd3! Rf2, Anand pointed out the winning shot 33.Rxf7+! ( also wins) 33...Kxf7 34.Qg6+ Ke7 (if then S l, followed by mate) 35.Re+! Kd8 36.Rxe8+ Nxe8 37.BgS+ and the black king is
3
defenceless against the attack by three white pieces; e.g. 37... Kc7 38.Qf7+ Kb8 39.Qxe8+ Bc8 40.Bf4+ Kb7 41.Qf7+ Ka6 42.c5+.]
R 1-0 Anand,V - Booan,V [B17] Dortmund, 00
Whit to play This game featured a strong new idea in the opening by Anand. Now the exposed position of Black's king encourages the search for an immediate combinative solution, but there is nothing clear. f White rushes in with 21 Rxe6, Black has 21...Ne5! 22 Nxe5 Bxe6 23 Qf3 Bxe5! 24 Qxa8+ Kg7 25 Qe4 f5 26 Qf3 Kg6, followed by ... Qh7, with good compensation for the pawn, according to Anand. Neither is 21 Be7+ Kg8 22 Re4 effective: even though it threatens 23 Qxg7+! Kxg7 24 Rg4+ Kh6 25 Bg5+ Kg7 26 Bd8+, Black can beat off the attack with 22 ...f5! 23 Qg6 Rh6 24 Qe8+ Nf8 25 Rxd4 Bb7 and the pressure has evaporated. o how shou/d Whit continu?
1Rad!! "This is an especially clear example of the principe of moving all your pieces into attacking positions before cutting loose with sacrifices," explained Anand. 1Bb7 Black wants to counter-attack against the white king, but the weakening of the e6square means that the tactics now work for White. However, at this point Anand thought that Black no longer had a good defence in any case. [For instance, if 21...Nc5 then 22.Bf4 Qd8 (or 22... eS 23.Qxgl+} 23.Qg3 is very strong, with an unstoppable initiative.; Waiting moves such as 21...a6 or 21...a5) also fail to inspire confidence, since White simply has too many pieces in play. Re6! 14
Now White has enough pieces in play to guarantee the success of his attack. The bishop has left c8, so it can't later capture on e6 (as in the note with 21 Rxe6 above). 22...fxe6 [Black has only a single check after 22...Bxf3 23.Qxf3 Qh2+ 24.Kf and Black's position collapses.] 23.Be7+! Kxe7 24.Qxg7+ Kd6 25.Nxd4! White's pieces cooperate beautifully, and the rook on d now comes into its own, as Anand pointed out. 25...QcS 26.BfS This wins; [although there was a quicker finish with 26.NbS+ Kc6 27.Be2! Rad8 28.b4! and Black has to play 28...QxbS, losing easily after 29.BxbS+ KxbS 30.Rxd7.; Even in a winning position one must stay alert. Here 26.BbS?? runs into 26 ...Rh+! (this was the hidden idea behind 25 ... QcS) 27.Kxh QhS+ 28.Kg Qxd+ and Black wins.] 26...QeS 27.Nf3+ QdS 28.Qg3+ Ke7 29.RxdS BxdS Black is now behind on material, with two rooks for a queen and two pawns; in addition his king is exposed, so he is unable to mount any serious resistance. 30.QgS+ Kd6 31.Qf4+ Ke7 32.Be4 RhS 33.Nh4 Rg8 34.Ng6+ Kd8 35.Qf7 Re8 36.Bd3 1-0 36.Bd3 threatened BbS while if 36 ...Bc6 then Anand ives 37.Nf8 Re 38.Nxd7 Re+ 39.Kh2 Bxd7 40.Qf6+ Re7 41.g4 and Black's position is hopeless.]
Anand in the Middlegame Now let's look at Anand's masterly handling of the middlegame, with three examples, all very different, of his skill in attack, defence and counter-attack. peelman,J - Anand,V [E18] Novi ad Olympiad, 1990
Black to play
15
The position isn't looking good for Black: White is a pawn up and has active pieces on the kingside, whereas the queen is the only active black piece at the moment. On the other hand, the knight on c3 is hanging, and capturing it is clearly the first option to be considered. How should Blck continue?
26...Ng4! Black wants to show that, although the white pieces are hovering menacingly around his king, they've also left their own monarch rather short of defenders. [26...Qxc3? was bad, since after 27.Rxf7! Rxf7 (no better is 27...Nhl 28.RxfB+ NxfB 29.aS Qb4 30.QaB, followed by a5-a6 etc) 28.Qxe6, White has three pawns for the piece as well as a strong passed pawn on a4 which will complicate the coordination of Black's defence; e.g. 28...Qd2 29.Qxf7+ Kh8 30.Ne6 Qd7 31.Qxg7+ Qxg7 32.Nxg7 Kxg7 33.aS, when this pawn will tie down the black knight, and White will continue with e2-e4 and f2-f4, soon creating two decisive passed pawns on the kingside with Kf3 and g3-g4.] 27.Qa7 [With the black queen still on d2, 27.Rxf7 Rxf7 28.Qxe6 is no longer advantageous for White, because of 28...Qd7! and Black can resist after 29.Qxf7+ Qxf7 30.Nxf7 Bxc3!.; t would be even worse for White to persist with the idea of Rxf7 by playing 27.Nce4 Qxe2 28.Rxf7?, since after 28...Rxf7 29.Qxe6, Black can turn the tables with the simple 29...NeS! and 29... Ne3+ 30.Kh2 Qxc4 holds as well. 27...Ne3+! 1/2-1/2 The only move to force a draw. [In contrast, 27... Bxc3? loses to 28.Rxf7! Ne3+ 29.Kh3!.; Here a draw was agreed in view of 27...Ne3+ 28.fxe3 Bxc3 29.Rxf7 (not 29.Kf3? Qd and the white king is defenceless) 29...Qxe2+ 30.Kh3 Qg4+ with perpetua check.] Kasimdzhanov,R - Anand,V [C88] German League, 2006
Blck to play
16
At first sight there's not much to choose between the two sides. White's structure is worse, but Black has a badly placed knight. f he could improve the position of his knight, that would change things. How should Blck continue?
17dG! A strange-looking move, taking even the d6-square away from the knight. "Of course not...d6. Black now benefits from the d6-square" was Anand's comment. [f 17...Nb7, White could play 18.a4, threatening 18...-- 19.axb5 axb5 20.Rxa8 and Nxe5, and it wouldn't be easy for Black to coordinate his forces. Whereas now, White has to defend his d5-pawn.] 18c c 19d 7 Perhaps White overlooked this manoeuvre. This was why Black didn't want to play 17...d6; the knight will have a fine post on d6, where its job will be to exert strong pressure on c4. 0dc Such an opportunity to dislodge an enemy piece is not to be missed. 1h g The first step in the regrouping planned when he played 17...Qd6. d Mission accomplished; now the pressure on the weak c4-pawn is very unpleasant for White. 3 ! The e4-pawn, which cuts the white position in two, is of vital importance. [Black shouldn't rush to play 23...Nxc4 in view of 24.Ng3 Nd6 25.Rab! (the threat of Rb6 comes just in time to prevent Black from playing 25 ...f5, consolidating his position with an extra pawn) 25...Rab8 or 25NbS 2Nxe4} 26.Rxb8 Rxb8 27.Nf5! Qxf5 28.Qxd6 and in both cases the position is unclear.] Ra [lf now , Bk n py ... Qf6 (trntivy, 24 sms vn mor precise, when the c4-pawn falls immediately 25.Rab g5 (neutralizing the threat of Rb6 by forcing the white queen away from f4) 26.Qe3 and then 26 ...Qe5!, winning the c4-pawn in favourable conditions.] ...
c g3? [Anand related that his opponent touched this knight, intending to play 25.Ne3?, only to notice that this would allow 25...Nd2, winning the exchange by simultaneously attacking b and threatening a check on f3.; White thus had to move the knight and
17
worsen his position, instead of playing something more active such as 25.Rb7, although Black's position would be preferable in any case.]
25...ReS! The black rook defends the fS-pawn from a wonderful square. This is unusual, and it only works because the knight defending it is itself safe from attack at the moment. [Of course not 25... Nd6??, which loses to 26.Rb6.] 26.Rb7 Qf7 This effectively ends the fight; another pawn falls and White lacks any compensation. 27.h4 QxdS 28.Rebl Rf8! The most practica! move. "The computer wants to start taking pawns, but 1 preferred to be methodical" was Anand's comment here. [The less 'human' move 28 ...Nxa3 is good, too, but would require greater alertness on Black's part.] 29.Rc7 e3! This opens the game to Black's benefit, since his pieces are more active. [Once again 29 ...Nxa3 would be less methodical, albeit still good for Black.] 30.Rbb7 [After 30.fxe3 Nxe3 31.Qf3 Qd4, Black wins easily.] 30...Re7 31.f3 e2 0-1 [White resigned; since if 31...e2 32.Nxe2, then 32...Qd+ 33.Kh2 Qxe2 wins a piece.] Anand,V - vider,P [C89] Word Championship, Mexico City, 2007
White to play White is a pawn up, but it's not clear whether he is better or not, at first glance. The knight looks peculiar on g2 and White's whole army seems a little uncoordinated. In contrast, Black's pieces are active in the centre and on the kingside; furthermore, there is a threat of 32... Ba7, winning the exchange.
8
How hould Whit continu?
32.Bcl! White could have retreated the rook but believes that, rather than exposed, it is in fact well placed on a8. [With the surprising and paradoxical bishop retreat, 32.Bc, White puts pressure on the e4-knight and prevents 32...Ba7? in view of 33.Rxc8!, which would win material. Another benefit is that the e3-square is now available to recycle the knight from g2.] 32...Nf6 This backward step is a minr triumph for White, but Black appears to have nothing better. White can now simplify the position, reducing the pressure on the kingside. 33.Rxe7 Rxe7 34.Qa3! [There were several attractive alternatives, such as 34.h4 ; or even 34.Ne3 ;; but once again White prefers to defend against the threat of...Ba7 with a counter-attack. After 34.Qa3, now 34...Ba7? would be answered by 35.Rxc8+! Qxc8 36.Qxe7.; On the other hand, it would have been imprecise to gain material with 34.Bxc6? Qxc6 35.Rxb8, since after 35...Kg7, Black has dangerous counterplay with the threat of 36 ...Bh3 or even 36...Bb7. Anand thought that White's best option was 36.dS, although after (For example: 36.Be3?! Bh3! and if 37.Ne? then 37...Qc4! threatening mate; or first 37 forcing the rook to a more exposed square) 38.Ng2 Bxg2 39.Kxg2 Rxe3! 40.fxe3 Qe2+, followed by...Ng4, when the white king falls under a mating attack. 36...QxdS 37.BxgS hxgS 38.Rxc8 Ng4, threatening...Re2 or...Qf3, Black gains a menacing initiative.] . . .
34...Rd7 35.RaS This is the most practica option, moving the rook out of danger. [Anand pointed out later that it was even stronger to go on the offensive with 35.h4!, since after 35 ...Ba7 36.Rxc8+ Qxc8 37.hxgS hxgS 38.BxgS Nh7 39.Bh4, the black king is virtually defenceless against the imminent invasion by all White's forces; furthermore, White would already have two pawns for the exchange and an immediate threat of 40 Bg4.] 35...Ba7 36.Ne3 There is no good defence against 37 NfS. 36...Qc7 [36...Re7 allows 37.Bxc6; while if 36 ...Rc7 then invading with 37.Qd6 wins.] 37.NfS es [37...Kh7 loses to 38.Qf8.] 38.Nxh6+ Kh7 39.BxgS -0
19
Anand in the Endgame lf there is anything that amost a the great champions have had in common it is their superb handing of the endgame, and Anand has himsef produced soe great exampes. Let's now see three very different positions.
Anand,V - Dreev,A [C13] Candidates match, Chennai (2), 1991
White to play The position is a strange one; White has a materia advantage, with a passed pawn on a4, but his queen is attacked and if it moves away then the h-pawn fas.
How shou/d White continue? 43.aS! The most practica! option. White has no rea winning chances, so he heads for the draw in the most direct way. [lf White tries to save his queen with 43.Qb+ then 43...Kg7 44.a5 (no better is 44.Qbl+ K6 45.Q4+ Kl 46.5 Rx2+ 47.K R2+ 48.Kf R2, when White must force a draw since 49.6? oses to 49...2 50.Qbl+ K6 51.l Rxl} 44... Rxh2+ 45.Kg Rg2+ 46.Kh (46.Kf? oses to 46...Rb2 and 47...h2) 46... Rh2+ eads to a draw; (whie 46...Rx4 47.6? 2 48.l R+ 49.Qx+ xQ+ 50.Kx B4+ "is one unpeasant variation" according to Anand.) ; The sacrifice 43.Qxg2? just rg, ' m k' : 43 ...xg+ 44.Kxg Kg5 45.h3 Kf4 46.a5 Bb8 47.a6 Ba7 48.Kf Kg3 49.Ke2 Kxh3 50.Kf3 Bb8 preventing Kf4-f5 51.a7 Bxa7 52.Kf4 and now 52... Be3+ is the neatest win.52... Bb6 53.Kf5 (or 53.5 B3+!} 53... Bd8 aso works] 43... Rxgl+ 44.Kxgl Kg7 45.a6 White's idea is to staemate himsef with his king on h and the back bishop on a7, after shedding the g4-pawn. 45...BbS 46.Khl Kg8 47.Kgl 20
[Another route to the draw was 47.gS fS 48.g6 f4 49.g7 f3 50.a7 Bxa7 stalemate.]
47... 47...KfS KfS 48.Khl 48.Khl Ke8 49.g f 50.gG f4 51.g7 Kf7 52.gSQ+ Kxg8 Kxg8 53.a7 Bxa7 1/2-1/2 Anand,V - Vaejo Pons,F Pons,F [A30] Linares, 2005
White to play White's position looks desperate: Black has an extra passed pawn and the bishop is better than the knight.
Is there any satisfacto defence?
49.Nd!? No, there isn't. All White can do is to try to resist and create practica! difficulties. With this knight move White is sacrificing another pawn temporarily, relying on winning the h-pawn to gain counterplay. Black must now decide whether to take the simplest course or to calculate and try for more. 49 ... Bxd Black opts to play safe, which is a correct decision. White can console himself that at least he has got rid of Black's strong bishop. Now his task is to demonstrate the truth of the saying "all rook endings are drawn". 50.exd+ Kxd 51.Rf7 h 52.Rh7 e 53.Rxh Kd4 The two passed pawns and the active king give Black very good winning chances, but White must keep offering resistance. 54.Rh8 White's pawn must be advanced as quickly as possible. 54... 54...Ra2+ Ra2+ 55.Kdl Rh2 56.h b4 57.hG Kd3 58.Kcl!? [This offers greater resistance than hounding Black's king with 58.Rd8+ Kc3 59.Rc8+ Kb2, since the black pawn will reach b2 and the king will soon easily escape from its 21
incarceration; e.g. 60.Rc6 b3 61.Rb6 Ka2 62.Ra6+ Kbl 63.Rb6 b2 64.Re6 (or 64.Ra6 e4} 64... 64 ...Ka2 Ka2 65.Ra6+ Kb3 66.Rb6+ Kc3 67.Rc6+ Kd3 68.Rd6+ Ke3 69.Rb6 Rxh6!, and now if 70.Rxb2, the rooks come off after 70... ...Rhl+ Rhl+ and 71...Rh2+, eaving Back with a winning pawn ending.] 58...Kc3 ...Kc3 59.RcS+ Kb3 60.RhS!? With the text move, Anand guarantees that his pawn wi reach h7, with the idea simpy of offering maximum maximum resistance. [On 60.Rc6, Back can just pay 60... 60...e4, e4, and athough White's rook is more active than on h8, it woud sti be unabe to prevent the advance of Back's pawns, whie White's pawn woud be stuck on h6.] 60...Kc3 ...Kc3 61.RcS+ Kb3 62.RhS e4 63.Kdl Kb2 64.Kel b3 65.h7 [After 65.Rh7 Kc2 66.Rc7+ 66.Rc7+ Kd3 67.h7 b2 68.Rb7, Back is again abe to win with 68... 68...Rxh7! Rxh7! 69.Rxb2 Rhl+ etc.] 65... 65...e3 66.Kdl Back has payed we; in spite of a White's efforts, his position remains ost. Vaejo has ony to take the fina step ... How does Back win now? 66...Kbl?? ...Kbl?? Finay Back errs. Now the saying "a rook endings are drawn" wi come true. [nstead, the winning method was 66... 66 ...Rd2+! Rd2+! 67.Kel Rd7, and the white king is prevented from oinin in the defence aainst the b-awn. Then a ossibe continuation woud be 68.Ke2 Re7 69.Kdl (after 69.Kel e2, White is in zugzwang) 69... 69 ...Rc7, Rc7, preventing a check on c8 so as to be abe to pay ... ...Kc2, Kc2, and there is no defence.] 67.RbS! Rxh7 1/2-1/2 Carsen,M -Anand,V [43) Moreia/Linares, 2008
Bk to py With the white king on h3 the position woud be a draw, but with the king cut off on the back rank it shoud be a win for Back, who can bring his king to e3 aong the dark 22
squares. This evaluation is correct, but it's not enough to win on its own. Even in the endgame, with reduced material, tactics are vitally important. How exactly should Black proceed? proceed? 4... 4...R!!
This is the key move, preventing White from freeing his king by playing 35 gxh4 gxh4 followed by f3-f4 and e4-e5. [For instance, 34... 34 ...Kd6 Kd6 would be premature in view of 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.f4 Rd2 37.Bh3 Kc5 38.e5 Rd4 39.exf6 Rxf4 40.Kg2, "and once the king escapes from the first rank, it's a draw" (Anand); after 40... 40...Rxf6 Rxf6 White plays 41.Bc8 and there's no way to win, as confirmed by the online 'endgame tablebase' at shredderchess.com.] 5.g4 g4 6.
"Now a fortress is no longer possible, so Black wins." (Anand) 6... 6...K6 K6 7.Kf
This is necessary in rder to be able to play f3-f4, but it has the snag that the f-pawn will later fall with check. 7... Rb 8.f4 KS 9.S
This is the only way to allow the white king to break out befre the black monarch reaches e3. By forcing White to play 36 h3, Black has prevented him from using that square for his king, making the win "fairly trivial" in the words (and the hands) of Anand. 9... 9... Rb4 40.f6 Rf4+ 41.K K4 4.f Rf6 4.b7 Rb6
The first step towards winning this position is to push the white king back, to enable Black's monarch to infiltrate. 44.8
This gives up control of e4; [but 44.Bg2 is no better. better. For example, Black can play 44... 44...Rb3, Rb3, cutting off the white king, followed by... by ...Ke5-f4; Ke5-f4; while the engines prefer the line 44... 44... Rb2+ 45.Kfl Rb3 and calculate that it is mate in 32 moves (!). 44... 44...K4 K4 45.g4 Rb+ 46.K K 47.Kf Kf4 48.K Kg 49.Kf Rf+ 50.K f 50.K then 50... 50...Rf7! Rf7! and White is in zuzwan e.. 51.Be6 or similarl 51.Bc Rc}
51...Re7 is decisive.] 50... 50... Rf4
Threatening 51...Rxg4 52 hxg4 h3 etc. 51.8 Rf8 5.g4 Kg
Black controls f prior to checking on the e-file, in rder to force the white king further away from the kingside.
23
3e Re8+ 3 f Now Black needs to force the white king still further away, so that he can then sacrifice the exchange on h3 without allowing White's king to reach f2 or f, which would be a draw. Bf [55.Kd4 would also be met by 55... Re3 (Anand) and the bishop has to move, allowing 56...Kf3; for example, 56.Bc8 Kf3. Then 57.Bg4+ (from whichever square) transposes to the game; while after 57.KdS, with the white king so far away from f2, Black plays 57...Kg and 58... Rxh3, executing his basic winning plan.] Re3+ 6 f3 B+ f With the kings in opposition Black is ready to check on the d-file, which would drive the white king far enough away for Black to carry out his plan. 8 [For instance, after 58.Bc8, Black could play 58... Re8, followed by 59 ... Rd8+, decisively forcing the white king away.] 8 Re+ 9 R 0-1 [Carlsen resigned, since the rook soon reaches the d-file; e.g. 59 ... RgS 60.Be6 Rg6 61.Bc8 Rd6+ 62.KcS Rd2 63.Bg4 Kg3 64.BfS Rh2 65.Kd4 Rxh3 66.Bxh3 Kxh3 67.Ke3 Kg2 and the pawn promotes.]
24
Game One
t ut wt Anand's mother taught him to play chess when he was six years old and he quickly showed a great talent fr the game. From a young age he drew attention fr the speed of his play. After doing well in various national and junior events, his first majr international success was his victory, at the furth attempt, in the 1987 World Junior Championship. Shortly afterwards he gained the Grandmaster title, at which time he was the youngest GM in the world. In 1989 he played in what he described as his first "really big event, at Wijk aan Zee, sharing first place with Predrag Nikolic, Zoltan Ribli and Gyula Sax. He then competed in the Youth vs. Veterans match (Cannes 1989) where he beat two frmer world champions, Mikhail Tal and Boris Spassky. In July 1990 Anand's Elo rating reached 2610, an important milestone at the time, and in the Manila nterzonal later that year he qualified fr the Candidates matches scheduled fr 1991. In the round of 16, Anand was paired with Alexey Dreev, whom he subsequently beat 4-1 with two games to spare. Following the nterzonal, Anand received his first invitation to compete in Linares, the strongest event in the world at that time. In the Candidates quarter-final matches, Anand was drawn against Karpov. His first reaction was to feel unlucky, because Karpov was the strongest of the fur possible opponents (the others were Short, Timman and Yusupov). Then he changed his mind: "I took the view that you couldn't become World Champion by avoiding people; i.e. you have to play against whoever the luck of the draw dictates. Karpov was the clear favourite in this match, but their first encounter, at Linares, provided Anand with soe grounds fr optimism.
Kv, •d,V Eglsh Opig {A35}
to flout this principe and others, such as accepting doubled pawns, or going pawn-hunting with the queen, etc but chess is a complicated game and there are no rules that fit every situation. Anand confessed: I can't really find a general principe that justifies it, but it does seem to work! There will be a further explanation in the next note.
D
1: Linares, 1991
[Zenón Franco] 1.f 2.4 6 . d4 QUESTION: 1 was taught that it was bad to move the same piece twice in the opening, and even worse to do so in rder to exchange it, since this makes you fall behind in development. How come the future world champion does this and gets away with it?
4. xf+ .xf One possible reason why Black's manoeuvre is playable is that, after recapturing on f3 with the queen, White's control of the d4-square is reduced, and a future advance with d2d4 is likely to come under pressure
ANSWER: Usually it is indeed bad 25
10.Qd 00 11.00 Bd7 (preparing...b7b5 12.a4 (necessary to restrain the black b-pawn (the immediate 12.d4?! would justify Black's set-up after 12...cxd4 13.exd4 NfS! 14.dS or 14.d b5!) 14...bS!, when Black's pieces are active and putting pressure on White's position 12...Bc6 13.d4 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Rc8 here 14...cxd4 15.exd4 f5 16.d a6 17.bl! would prevent the...b7-b5 break and leave Black with no obvious counterplay; Anand realized that, after the exchange on d4, once White plays dS then e7 becomes weak) 15.Qd3? maintaining the tension, but this works in Black's favour, since he able to exchange under favourable conditions; as Tal indicated, 15.d! was better, when it would difficult for Black to play ...b7-b5, while ...e7-e6 would weaken his pawn structure) 15...cxd4! (now Black is able to set up his favourable scenario 16.exd4 NfS 17.dS?! Anand suggested 17.d! e6 18.e3, seeking to exchange knights and equalize the game) 17...Qb6 (highlighting one of the snags to 15 Qd3 the b3-pawn is en prise and the threat of...Nd4 hangs over the white position 18.Nd Bxb2 19.Nxb2 eS! (with the idea of...e5-e4e3, and the weaknesses in Black's camp are less important than befre, since Black's forces are much better coordinated than White's 20.dxe6 fxe6 21.Rad Rf6! (preparing to double rooks on the f-file 22.Rd2 eS! (creating n outpost or th knight on n Black won in 37 moves.]
from Black. Therefore Black needs to develop his bishop to g7, and keep in mind the possible manoeuvre ...Nh6-f5. 5 ...gG 6.b3
QUESTION: f White is going to have problems advancing d2-d4 later, why not play it at once? ANSWER: The natural 6.d4 could be answered by 6...Bg7 7.dxcS and now, in typical 'Nimzo-ndian' fashion, 7...Bxc3+!? (not 7...QaS 8.e4! QxcS due to 9.NdS! rather than 9.Bd3, which would allow Black to get back on track with 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 d6 etc)) 8.bxc3 QaS 9.e4 QxcS 10.Bd3 d6, and in his 1998 book Anand judged White to be slightly better. Although it is not usually advisable for Black to exchange his fianchettoed bishop in a King's ndian, the doubled pawns at c3 and c4 make the position more like a Nimzo-ndian than a King's ndian, and the weaknesses created by ...g7-g6 are not at all easy for White to exploit. 6...Bg7 7.Bb dG 8.g3 Rb8 9.Bg NfG!
QUESTION: Didn't you tell me that Black's plan was to play ...Nh6 and ...NfS? ANSWER: t's important not to be too rigid in one's thinking. Black had this option in min ut i thr's better one, you should go for it. The knight stands better on f6 than h6, since on f6 it is closer to the centre and has more scope. [This move is an improvement on the earlier game M.Tal-V.Anand, Cannes 1989, and it's worth examining how this progressed in the early stages. After 9...Nh6?!, White gained a slight advantage with
10.h3
QUESTION: With 9...Nh6 the long diagonal would have remained open, but now can't White exploit the pin with 10 NdS?
2
AWR No. The tactical justification is that if 10.NdS then 10...Bg4! equalizes.
surprised Anand, who was expecting the more natural 14 Nb; whereas on d the knight risks being badly placed, which was a rare event for Karpov in his best years "but it isn't so bad", according to Anand in 'New in Chess' magazine.
10...0-0 Here 10...bS was worth considering. Karpov intended 11.NxbS (White's position is less harmonious after 11.cxbS Bb 1.Qxbl Rxb 13.Bxbl 0-0 14.0-0 5) 11...Bb7 12.Qxb7 Rxb7 13.Bxb7 and considered White's position to be preferable, but the analysis engines, ever materialistic, are not at all convinced by this.
14...a! 15.a4 e 16.e4 o both sides have good squares for their knights on dS and d4, but there are several other factors. I Why did White give up the idea of playing d4?
11.0-0 a6 12.e2 AWR The position of the knight on d made 16.d4 inadvisable, in view of the response 16...e4!. 16...h With two ideas: a timely ...h-h4 and activatin the bisho on h6. 17.h4 e8 With the offer of a draw, rejected by Karpov. The knight is heading for d4, but Anand wasn't happy with his plan, which he described as "careless". [There are soe very reasonable alternatives; for instance, 17...Bh6 18.Ne3 and now a flexible move such as 18... Rb7, to prepare a timely ...f7-f if White doesn't radically alter the position and then redeploy the rook along the second rank.
12...b! f this break is playable, then it's clear that Black has solved his problems. 13.d3 QUEST/ON: pawn?
Why not take the 18.e3 c7 19.Kh2 e6 20.Bh3 Bh6 21.g2!
AWR After 13.cxbS axbS 14.NxbS Ba6 1.a4 Qd7, Black regains the pawn with good play.
I What's this? sn't dS the ideal square for the knight? AWR No, for now the knight goes to g2, where it defends the h4pawn and can't be attacked, and the
13... b4 14.dl
During
the
game
this
retreat 27
break f2-f4 is difficult to prevent. The knight can go to d5 later, or soe other square which is more active than g2.
the queen on d2 allows Black to insert this move first.
6e 1g7 Black intends to answer f2-f4 with...e5xf4 and exchange the bishops, to gain a strong outpost for the knight on d4.
EXERCISE: Explain why the position of the white queen is important in the line 26.fS gxf5 27.exfS f6 28.Ne3. ANSWER: Because Black can then prevent Nd5 with 28... Bh6!.
QUESTION: Why is this preparation needed? Why not leave the bishop on h6 and just play 21...Nd4?
6 7e g 8 e6 A natural move, seeking to double the rooks; [although, as we'll see, it was safer to play 28...Ree8, because the lose rook on e6 is a tactical weakness.
ANSWER: The move...Nd4 is inadvisable as long as White can answer it with Bxd4, eliminating the strong knight and leaving Black with a passive bishop.
EXERCISE (positional, difficult): How can White try to profit from the tension on the e-file?
ae b7 e6 QUEST/ON: Why is it good for White to shed such an important bishop? Won't White's kingside suffer without its main defender?
White attacks c5 to prevent Black from answering f4xe5 with ...d6xe5, but this move loses a large part of his advantage. [Neither was there yet any benefit in removing the central tension with 29.fxeS dxe5 with the idea of 30.Nf4?!, owing to 30...exf4! 31.Rxe6 fxg3+ 32.Kg (the only move) }32.Kxg3?? loses to 32...f4+; while 32.Kg2?? fails to 32...Qxh4 or 32...f4}; 32...Rf7!, threatening 33...f4, and leaving options of ...Qd4+ or 32...Bd4+?! ...Qxh4;rather than Khl and Whie may consolidate.J
ANSWER: In theory, yes; but in reality White's castled position is invulnerable, since the black pieces have no access. This exchange is necessary to be able to play f2-f4. e6 23...fxe6 is preferred by the engines, but Anand dismisses it with he remark ha i "leave Black' bishops without any scope".
ANSWER: In his original annotations (made in 1991) Anand gave 29.d4! e4 not 29... cxd4? 30.Bxd4 and Black's position is full of hles 30.Qe3, planning to regroup with Rf2d2, Qf2, Ne3 and then d4xc5, and considered that Black could do little to
g 5 Another queen move, such as 25.Qc2 or 25 Qf2, would be answered by 2s...ts. 5e7 On the other hand, the position of 28
prevent this. Over two decades later, the engines don't perceive any immediate dangers fr Black, but they want to make moves which are typical fr when they've 'lost the plot', such as ...Qb8-a7, all of which tends to support Anand's original assessment.
nstead of being able to apply unpleasant pressure on Black's centre, White can now only boast a strong knight on d5, but a single well-placed piece isn't enough if, as in this case, almost all your other pieces are worse than the opponent's.
9 0Bl! Very optimistic; White's position isn't so advantageous as to entitle him to ignore his opponent's intentions. [t was better to play 30.fxeS Bxe5 (as previously mentioned, 30...dxeS? allows 31.QxcS and after 31...f4 32.Qc7 or 32.2, Black has no compensation fr the pawn)) 31.BxeS Rxe5 32.RxeS Rxe5, but the white king is slightly weak, which would be more noticeable if the rooks come off, and the b3-pawn also requires care. Nor does Black have to fear 33.Qf4 (Black has good defensive resources after 33.Nf4 Qe8 or even 33...7, intending to answer 34.d4 xd4 35.xd4 with 35...S}) 33...Re2+! better than 33...Kg7 34.Rf2} 34.Rf2 or 34.Kh1 Kg7} 34...Rxf2+ 35.Qxf2 Kf7!, planning ...Qe8 or ...Qh8.]
EXERCISE:
How should White defend now? In serious time pressure Karpov failed to find the best move. Can you do better?
l
EXERCISE:
ANSWER:
How can it be shown that White's last move is inferior?
This is the decisive error; [after 33.Be3, Black would have had no way to strengthen his position. t will be explained further on why the text move is so bad.]
l! Of course not 33 Qe8? because White could then correct his error with 34.Be3. ...
0! position changes
l ! f 35.Ne3, Black can play 35...Qe8 36.Qd2 Bd4, intending ...Qe4. As mentioned earlier, the b3-pawn is the main sufferer from the exchange of rooks.
ANSWER:
The
completely. 29
of the white king, the weakness of b3 is decisive 41.Qxd4 cxd4 42.Nfl Bc2 43.Nd2 Kf7 44.Kg2 Ke7 45.Kf3 Kd7 46.Ke2 Kc6 47.Kf3 Kc (47... dS aso works 48.Ke2 d 49.cxd Kxd 50.Kf3 d3 51.Ke3 Kc with zugzwang; e.g. 52.Nc4 Bxb3 53.Nxa Bd 54.Kxd3 b3 55.Kc3 b2 56.Kxb2 Kb4 and the knight is trapped.
EXERCISE: So, what was wrong with 33 Rel? (Hint: keep asking yoursef which enemy piece(s) you can restrict and/or which of your own pieces you can improve.) ANSWER: 5f With this bishop's entry into pay White's difficuties start to mutipy; he has many weaknesses in need of protection. In contrast, whie the bishop was stuck on the kingside, Back coud threaten very itte.
9Kf Kg b f K6 Kf + K 5K Once again a zugzwang appears.
6
6K b
f 36.Bb2, even better than exchanging on b2 and d woud be 36...Qh8! 37.Bxg7 or 37.Bcl Qe8!) 37...Qxg7, and Back's queen wi inevitabe infitrate.
6 b b b f 9f+ In the event of 39.Qe2 Kg6 40.Qd2, Anand indicates a winning pan based on activating his king and expoiting the weakness of the b3-pawn: 40...Qd4! Houdini finds a quicker tactica method: 40...dS! 41.cxdS Qal 42.Ndl Qd4! and combined with the insecurity
-
The subsequent candidates match with Karpov was hard fought (the resut was 4Y-3Y in Karpov's favour, after he won the fina game); but this match, and the one against Dreev in the first round (which he won 4Y-1Y), were Anand's first experiences of match pay and he considers that, from them, he earned important essons for the many duels that awaited him in the future.
GameTwo
First Grt Triumph in Histori Tournmnt At the end of 1991 Anand achieved his first important triumph when he won the Reggio Emiia tournament ahead of Kasparov and Karpov, among others. 30
This was the first ever Category XVIII strength tournament. Anand remarked that he was the only participant who didn't speak Russian; the other nine were all from the Soviet Union - but after the fifth round, political changes at home meant that they were all from the former Soviet Union.
D Kasparov,G •Anand,V h D/ C07 2: Reggio Emilia, 1991 [Znón Frano]
castling queenside and attacking on the kingside. 7...0-0 8.Qe2 The white position contains "soe venom" according to Anand. The black queen's position might prove uncomfortable, and the destination of White's king remains uncertain.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS UETIO: The French Defence? Anand hardly ever plays this, so why did he employ it here, and against the world champion, of all people?
.Nd2 AWER: Yes, this is one of the rare occasions when Anand laed the French in an important game. The reason is that at Tilburg 1991, Kasparov had played 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3, so the choice of this defence was motivated "partly in the hope that he would repeat this insipid system", according to Anand. With the sense of humour which at that time he kept less under wraps, in 'New in Chess' magazine Anand called this line "hyper aggressive".
EXERCIE: How to continue? t seems obvious that Black needs to develop the b8knight, but where? AWER: 8...Nbd7! [This setup is more accurate than 8...Nc6 9.Ne4 Be7 10.0-0 with advantage to White, whose pieces are me ctieI ctt with the kiht on d7, both the f6knight and the c5 bishop are defended, so that an eventual Nxc5 can be answered by...Nxc5, attacking the strong d3 bishop, a vital component of White's aggressive intentions.]
...cs 4.exdS QxdS 5.dxcS i uie pleasant one: Kasparov ducks a theoretical discussion, something he did very rarely. [5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Nb3 is the main line.] S ... BxcS 6.Ngf Nf6 7.Bd Anand realized here that White's idea is to play a type of position similar to the Rubinstein Variation (3...dxe4),
9.Ne4
31
What now?
play.{Anand also mentions the more unorthodox 15... gxf6, when the active black queen prevents its white counterpart from becoming dangerous and the doubled f-pawns restrict the f3-knight.]
ANW 9b! This is the logical complement to Black's previous move. 0c Qc [Here 10...Nxc5 was also sound and consistent. At the time Anand was concerned about 11.Bc4, given that an exchange of queens would leave Black slightly worse, but in fact Black is fine after 11...Qf5 12.Be3 Bb7, because "all Black's pieces are in play and the advantage of the two bishops is purely academic", as Anand commented ten years later.]
d3 Rd3 [After 15.Qxd3 Qc6, the position would be equal, since neither 16.Ng5 nor 16.Bxf6 gxf6} 16...h6 17.Bxf6 hxg5 18.Bxg5 Qa4! is to be feared.]
White's 15 Rxd3 shows that he still has hopes of an attack: at an opportune moment he would like to actívate the rook along the third rank.
e3 White's idea is Ne5, followed by f2f4, for which he needs his bishop on the long diagonal. Qc7 2d b7 30-0-0
What would have Black played after 13.00? ANW With the white king on the kingside, 13...Nc5 is fully playable; White cannot exploit the weakness of the black kingside after (Not 13...Ng4? 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 {or 14... Kxhl 15.NgS+} 15.Be4.) 14.Bxf6 gxf6, since...Kh8 and... Rg8 gives Black good play.]
How can Black oppose this idea?
ANW Qc! An excellent defensive manoeuvre; by pinning the rook Black hinders its possible transfer to the kingside and neutralizes hite's aggressive intentions.
EXERCISE: hat now? ANW 3c! Same again! The d3-bishop is 'public enemy number one'.
d [Alternatively: 16.Bxf6 would be met by 16...Qf4+, as befre.; After 16.Nd2, Black has 16...Qg4!, and the exchange of queens is satisfactory for Black, while his monarch is safe after (16...Qxa2? gives White an attack which
e [f now 14.Bxf6?!, Black has several satisfactory continuations, the simplest being 14...Qf4+ 15.Kb Qxf6 with good
32
is very dangerous winning, according to the engines after 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Qg4+ Kh8 19.Qh4 Rg8 20.Qxf6+ Rg7 and now there are three very strong possibilities: 21.Rd {dl; and g g d, with the idea of Nb3 and Rd8.}} 17.f3 Qg6, threatening both 18...Ba6 and 18...Rac8 with good play.; 16.Kb can be answered by 16...Be4 17.Re3 Qxe2 18.Rxe2 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Nd5, when Black has the superior structure and a clear advantage.]
centre than on h8, since both his rooks can become active 18...Kh8 19.Nb3! {9h? + 0Kd 5+ and...Qg5 is worse 19...Rg8 20.Qh4 Rg6 21.Rd7, White's position is still very threatening.n 'New in Chess' Anand wrote that one of his reasons for choosing 16...Be4 was to maintain the option of capturing on a2 or, in his own words, "it gave me the opportunity to do this maniaca thing on the next move."]
16 ...Be4! [Anand thought for soe time about the risky 16...Qxa2!? and couldn't see a concrete refutation, but his sense of danger led him to play in a safer manner. This was a good practica decision and objectively the correct one, too, according to today's analysis engines. Then 17.Bxf6 gxf6 is better, although after (17...Qa+ 18.Kd2 Qa5+ is dubious in view of 19.b4 Qxb4+ 20.c3! Qb2+ 21.Nc2 gxf6, when the black king lacks defenders and White has a strong attack after 22.Qg4+ Kh8 23.Qh4 Rg8 24.Qxf6+ Rg7.
17.Re3
EXERCISE (tactical, difficult): What now for Black? ANSWER: 17... Qxa2! Played after a long think, struggling against the impulse to play safe once again by exchanging queens; [on the other hand, Anand felt that he might be a bit worse in the ending after 17...Qxe2?! 18.Rxe2 (of course 18...Bxg2? loses to 19.Rg).Another reason for capturing on a2, sacrificing a piece, is because he saw that he would regain the piece by force.]
EXERCISE (difficult): How can White bring the h-rook into play?
18.Bxf6 [18.Rxe4? loses to 18...Qa+ 19.Kd2 Nxe4+ 20.Qxe4 Qxh and White has no compensation for his large material disadvantage.]
ANSWER: Houdini suggests the surprising 25.Ra!, threatening Rxa7 Anand's instead, 5 was suggestion, but the engines remain unconvinced after 25... 5, plannin ...Bb3 or ...Kg8, and White seems to have no more than a draw when 25...a6? (or 25...a5?) allows 26.Ra4! and wins, since there are too many threats, the main one being Rg3, followed by Ra4g4 or viceversa; i.e. g first. 18.Qg4+ {Nb gives Black time for d 9g+ K and the black king is better in the
18 BgG! Anand felt a lot safer with his bishop on g6 defending the kingside. [t was now too dangerous to play 18...Qa+? 19.Kd2 Qxh 20.Rxe4 gxf6, due to 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Qh4 Qxg2 {g + g g g 5N is decisive 23.Rg4 and Black must give up his queen.] ...
33
ines that one cannot be absoutey certain about them. In this case he was just wrong."]
19.Ra3 QdS 20.h4?! An attacking idea Anand had not considered, and which turned out not to be the best continuation. [lnstead, 20.BeS can be answered by 20 ...f6! !, but this was what White shoud have payed, with the possibe continuation 21.Bg3 Qxd4 22.Qxe6+.; 20.QeS? fais to 20...Qxg2! (20...gxf6 21.QxdS exd5 22.Rel gives White wonderfu compensation) 21.Rd gxf6 22.Qxf6 Rac8 with a big advantage to Back.]
25.Qf3? [Here 25.g3!, indicated by Kasparov after the game, gives White good drawing chances: 25...Rac8 (after 25...es 26.RhB+ Kg7 27.R8h7+ Kf6?! 28.Rdl Qb4 29.Qg4, White has at east a draw; there are other possibiities, but the evauation is much the same) 26.gxf4 and here: Anand aso mentioned 26...RcS Anand intended to pay 26...Qf6, with a draw as the most probabe resut after 27.QeS (on 27.Qe3, the 'fearess' engines suggest 27...RfdB! 28.Qh3 KfB with advantage to Back) 27...QxeS 28.fxeS g5! the ony move 29.RhS and now, among other things, Back can pay 29...f6 30.exf6 Kf7. 27.fS Qf6 28.fxg6 fxg6 29.Rh8+ (in this ine 29.Kbl is more chaenging, with the idea of f2-f4 and perhaps Qh2; then after 29...RfcB?!, the move 30.f4 is unpeasant, when 30...Rxc2? oses to 31.RhB+ Qxh8 32.Qxe6+ Kg7 33.QeS+} 29...Qxh8 30.Qxe6+ Kg7 31.Qd7+ (or 31.Qe+ Rf7} 31...Kg8 with equaity.ln any case the move payed is a mistake, because it gives Back a vita tempo for his counter-attack. Kasparov needed to give up his desire for victory and acquiesce to a draw with one of the above ines, but he faied to perceive the danger and thought he could afford to risk paying for a win for a further move "he decided to 'fish' for a move too ong", as Anand put it.lt is notabe that the course the game now foows was cacuated by Kasparov, but his evauation was incorrect: it favours Back, not White.]
20...gxfG 21.hS Qxd4 [21...Be4 was considered by Anand but, whie he didn't see a cear refutation, he "sensed" that this coudn't be the most accurate move.] 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.Rah3 fS 24.Rh4 f4! Payed amost without thinking. [Kasparov's main idea was directed against 24...Qf6, which Anand didn't even want to cacuate, since 25.Qe3 gives White a strong attack. According to the engines it's not winning, but practica pay is an entirey different matter; White has the initiative and after 25...Rfd8 26.Qh3 Kf8 27.Rh8+ Ke7 28.Qa3+ Kd7 29.Rd+ Kc7 (or 29...Kc6 30.Qa4+ Kc7} 30.Rdxd8 Rxd8 31.Qxa7+ Kc6 32.Rh3 Rd5, he has a dangerous attack for the pawn and can force a draw whenever he wants.Anand wanted to keep his queen in the centre; writing in 'New in Chess' he was more explicit: "without my queen hanging around in the centre", Back woud no onger be abe create counterpay against the white king based, for exampe, on ...Rc8 and ...Rxc2+, foowed by ...Rc8+ and perpetua check.In the book of his best games, Anand offered an interesting insight: "Kasparov is very good at ong forcing ines, but it is the nature of such
25...Rac
34
Recalling the weakness of c2. 29.g3 el+ 30.c2 cd8 31.d4 e 32.h4 c7 33.e3 es As Anand pointed out, this forces the exchange of a pair of rooks without allowing White's remaining rook to come to d4 the extra pawn is already beginning to make itself felt.
2.x4 EXERCISE: Why was 26.Qh3? no improvement? ANSWER: There is no time to continue with the threat of Qh3, owing to 26... Qxf2! 27.Rh8+ Kg7 and the black queen controls the crucial h4-square; Black wins after 28.Qh6+ (or 28.Rhl+ Kf6} 28...Kf6 etc.
34.xd8 xd8 35.e4 d 3.g4?!
2...c 27.c3 g7 28.hh4 [During the game Anand was more afraid of 28.Rfh4!, feeling that the rook ending should probably be drawn after 28...QgS+ 29.Kc2 Qf5+ 30.QxfS gxf5! 30...exfS 3.Rd4 makes it difficult to win;(1. is answered by 1...R f e)) 3.Ra4 Rc7 32.Rha a5 33.b4. Writin ten ears later in 200 he revised his opinion, considering that 33...Rfc8 34.Ra3 Rh8 35.bxaS bxa5 36.RxaS Rh2 would still be good for Black.]
eeking to create threats based on g4-g5 and Qh3. [Both in 99 and 200, Anand indicated that 36.f4! was stronger, exchanging pawns and opening lines against the black monarch. Nevertheless, Black would still be better.]
28...e During the game Anand preferred in general to keep the queens on the board, if possible, rather than play a pure rook ending, so Kasparov's move suited him.
EXERCISE: How can the position be improved now?
black
ANSWER: 3... b! "Quite a nice move. 1 have to make progress on te queenside and expose his king." Anand in 992
QUESTION: Why was Anand so keen to keep te queens on? ANSWER: For two reasons: firstly because White's king is weaker than Black's and the queen is useful for attacking purposes, and secondly because "all rook endings are drawn"; i.e. the technical difficulties in realizing the extra pawn in a rook endgame can be considerable.
37.g d! 38.3 [Here 38.Qh3? fails to 38...Rd2+ and White loses his rook; for example, after 39.Kb Rd+ 40.Ka2 Qd5+ etc.] 38...a! The logical follow-up to 36...bS.
35
39.Qe2 Qe6 40.Qh2 QfS 41.Qg3 Played after a long think; [it isn't possible to include the rook in the attack with 41.Qh6+ Kg8 42.Kb3, intending Rh4, due to 42...Rd2! (the neat 42... Rd4!? also works) 43.Rh4 Qc2+ and mate next move.]
ANSWER: 42...b4! The complete triumph of Black's counter-attack; it's White's king that now finds itself defenceless. 43.cxb4 [43.b3 was the most tenacious continuation, but offered no hope in the long run;; whereas if 43.RxeS, Black wins with 43...Qa4+ 44.Kc bxc3! 45.bxc3 Qf4+ 46.Re3 Rd3.]
41...Qd7 42.Qel
EXERCISE: What is the logical continuation of Black's previous play?
43...Qa4+ 44.b3 [There is no defence; 44.Kc axb4 45.RxeS Rd8 winning for Black.] 44...Qa2+ 45.Kc3 a4 Here Black can choose between several easy ways to win. 46.bxa4 Qa3+ 47.Kc2 Qxa4+ 48.Kc3 Qa3+ 49.Kc2 Rd3 0-1
The rest of the tournament saw a race between Anand, Kasparov and Gelfand won by Anand, who finished half a point ahead. Many years later, he still considered this to be one of the best results of his career.
Game Three st mptt Mth In eptember 1992 Anand played a friendly match in Linares of eight games against Vassily vanchuk. Anand commented that for vanchuk this was a chance to erase the memory of his elimination by Yusupov in the Candidates quarter-finals, while Anand wanted to gain further experience in matchplay in preparation for the world championship cycles to come. D vanchuk,V
•Anand,V
1.e4 es 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.BgS e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 h6 9.Be3 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 bS 11.f3 ChessBase wrote in Anand
Siili Df {866} 3: Linares match 1, 1992
[Zenón Franco] 36
Magazine that he had prepared this variation especially for this match; nevertheless "vanchuk blitzed his next few moves out and in fact the whole game!" [nstead, 11.f4 is the main alternative;; while vanchuk played 11.Kb in the fifth game of the match.
potentially weak king.(.--)) 13...eS note that Black only plays...e6-e5 when the white knight is no longer on c3 and can't easily reach dS 14.Be3 Be6 15.Nc and the lack of white pieces controlling the centre allows 15...dS! with an excellent game this was played in both V.Anand-M.Dlugy, Philadelphia 1986, and Mi.Adams-V.Anand, Paris rapid 1992!; Finally, 12.Qf2 b4 13.Bb6 QgS+ 14.Be3 QaS is, according to Anand, "a popular variation for players who feel like an early dinner!"]
UETION: But doesn't 11 Kb lose the e4-pawn after 11...b4? sn't this centre pawn worth more than the b4pawn that White will gain in exchange? ANWER: Generally speaking a centre pawn is worth more, agreed, but there are other factors to be considered. In this case Black's lagging development, his king still in the centre, and the weakness of his queenside all combine to make the resulting opening of lines unwelcome to Black. After 12.Na4 Nxe4 {... bB allows e!} 13.Qxb4 dS 14.Qe Bd7 15.Nb6 Rb8 16.f3!, there are too many weaknesses in Black's camp: 16...Nf6 {6c? allows 7xd} 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 (or ... xd7 8g} 18.c4 would be unpleasant; Black has problems developing, not forgetting that the a6-pawn is also lose.]
12...es [Ten years later, in a rapidplay in Prague, with reversed colours vanchuk preferred 12...Be7, which Anand described as "an improvement on our game from Linares 1992." Befre playing...e6-e5, Black makes a move that will be 'necessary' in any case, but might yet transpose to the main game. The continuation was 13.Kb e 14.Bf2 would be the {4e e6 transposition) 14...Be6 and here Anand suggested the immediate 15.Bh4 (rather than . ?! c7 6h4 as he played.) However, 15...0-0 is worth considering: }Then 15... Rd8 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.NdS leads to "a comfortable edge without risk", according to Anand.(.--) }Note that the typical icilian idea 15...Nxe4 which would have worked with the delayed Be1h4 is not convincing here: after 16.fxe4 + t lk king is uncomfortable.; t would be better to play 16.NdS and if 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Qxd6?!, Black gains sufficient counterplay with 17... Rfd8 (or ... dB)) 16...Qd8 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Bd3 (but not 8xd6?? which now loses to 8fdB, exploiting White's weak back rank.)
11...QaS 12.a3 [Another way to counter the threat of...b5-b4 and...Qxa2 is 12.Kb, after which 12...b4 / y os it n to give up his bishop? sn't it better just to play 13.Ne2? ANWER: The problem is that 13 Ne2 can be met by 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Ne2 leads to a structure which is typical of the Rauzer Variation: Black has the two bishops to compensate for his damaged pawn formation and 37
16...Bxd5 17.exd5 Rb8 18.h4!? is less clear.; Note that 15...00? would be completely wrong, not only because White can now play 16.h4 under favourable conditions;but also because simply is possible. With the bishop on f2 this would fail to...Rfd8, but here loses to 9 since White has 0c available.
13.Be3
[Here 13.Bf2 is also playable (albeit less usual and no better) with the idea of playing Bh4 as in the previous note.] 13...BeG 14.Kbl Be7 15.g4?! QUESTION: Why mark as dubious
such an aggressive move, which prepares an attack with h2-h4 and g4g5?
16.d xd217.xf6+? ANSWER: The idea is good, but in
this position there will be no attack; [and you'll see that 15 g4 is less accurate than 15.h4, with the possible continuation 15...Rb8 16.Nd5 Qxd2 17.Nxf6+ gxf6 18.Rxd2 f5 19.exf5 Bxf5 20.g4 Be6 21.Be2, ready to answer 21...d5 by 22.f4 with chances for both sides.; t is worth noting that White can play Nd5 in many lines, but "without an knihts White can hardl exect to do anything against Black's slightly weakened queenside, so playing Nd5 is an admission that White can no longer gain the advantage," commented Anand with his usual clarity. For instance, after 15.Nd5 Qxd2 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Rxd2 Ke7, White's advantage is insignificant.]
"In conjunction with 15 g4 this is a terrible move," wrote Anand. [As we'll soon appreciate, it was better to play 17.Rxd2!, when Black can continue with 17...Bxd5 or ) 18.exd5 Bd8, intending...Bb6, with an equal position.]
EXERCISE: What would you play
How should recapture on f6? And why?
now? ANSWER: 15...b Correct lendin more orce to
EXERCISE:
Black
ANSWER: 17 gxf6!! Yes, doubling the pawns and leaving himself with a passive bishop on e7, but correctly assessing that this evaluation will change radically in a few moves. [vanchuk probably expected 17...Bxf6? 18.Rxd2 Ke7 19.h4 with a slight advantage to White.]
a
...
future...b5-b4. [Anand considered the immediate 15...b4!? but 16.Nd5 when 16.Na2 d5 17.axb4 Qc7 gives Black more than enough for the pawn, since he has a good grip on the centre and White's king position has been weakened.} -- ); Nor is there any advantage in 16.axb4 Qxb4 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Qxd2 19.Rxd2 Bd7;
18.xd2
38
the correct one, based on the dynamic factors in the position.
EXERCISE: What now?
18...hS! Black needs to play with a concrete plan; if he continues in routine fashion, White will gain the advantage for example, if he is allowed time to play 19 h3 because Black will have no compensation for his structural weakness.
QUESTION: That's a real surprise;
ANSWER:
Black exchanges his good bishop and leaves himself with the monstrosity on e? What's going on? ANSWER: As we'll see on other
occasions, the concept of 'bad bishop' and 'good bishop' is not something fixed and immutable. Time and again, Anand demonstrates exceptions to this principle.Black's 'bad' bishop is actually needed to support his pawn structure, in particular the pawns at f6 and d6. Of course, he is banking on the 'bad' status of his bishop not lasting for ever, but for now it's a case of "Bad bishops protect good pawns!", as Mihai Suba said.
1.Rgl EXERCISE: How would you answer
19.Be2? ANSWER: The situation would be
similar to the game after 19...hxg4 20.fxg4 Rh3!, preventing White from coordinating his position.]
1...hx4 20.fx4
21.b [After 21.Bxc4 bxc4, the threat of 22...c3 prevents White from playing 22 Rg3 and h2-h3, while if 22.Rd, Anand gave 22...Rb with advantage;(though it seems equally good or even better) to play the obvious , since a e Kd7 5a6 sees Black clearly on top.
EXERCISE: What was the thinking
behind Anand's decision to play 17...gxf6? What at this point would be most in keeping with this move?
21... Bxfl 22.Rxfl Rh What's good about Black's position? He's stuck with his bad isop n is m strutur QUESTION:
Let's hand over to Anand: "[Black's] long-term aim is to exchange his d-pawn for White's e pawn by...d and exchange his f6-pawn for White's g-pawn, either by...f or by forcing White to play g)."Black would then obtain two central connected passed pawns, while the white pawns ANSWER:
20... Bc4!! "Just in time to stop White setting up soe sort of fortress on the kingside by h3 and Rg3," commented Anand. This seems a surprising choice, but it's
ANSWER:
39
at h2 and c2 would be clearly inferior. Nevertheless, Anand emphasized that "he can only put his plan into action because he has the initiative".Black's initiative".Black's last move... move...Rh3 Rh3 is very important, since it attacks the bishop and prevents White from regrouping himself with Rf3 and h2-h3. The h3-rook also artificially isolates the pawns on h2 and g4.
"imple and best" Anand, not deviating from the main objective, which is to play... play...d6-d5. d6-d5. Black overprotects d6 prophylaxis against an eventual Bb4 and Rd and intends to consolidate his centre with.. with...f7-f6. .f7-f6.
2 The bishop goes to g3 to defend the h-pawn and, at the same time, block the g-file.
22 [23.Bg would have been better, but with 23... 23...Kd7 Kd7 24.Rd3 Rh4!, Black could retain the initiative; for example, 25.Rg3 Rg8 26.h3 Rgh8 27.Rff3 and now the elegant 27...fS! ...fS! 28.RxfS (28.exf e4 29.e3 d5 is clearly favourable to Black) 28... 28...Rxh3 Rxh3 29.Rxh3 Rxh3, although 30.Rxf7 {30.Bf2 Ke6 is torture for White owing to the weakness of his pawns at e4 and g4, combined with the activity of the black rook) 30... 30...Rh Rh (instead, simply 30... 30...g3! g3! is strong) 31.Rf BgS given by Anand is not the winning line it appears to be.
2 2fG fG 28 29+ Is this 'mission accomplished? Yes, to soe extent; Black has two connected, passed, centre pawns, but it is still too early to speak of a clear advantage, since the position has opened up and the white pieces are now active and can make it difficult for Black to advance his pawns. EXERCISE: How can White best hinder the advance of the black infantry? ANSWER: f This forces the black forces to lose their coordination for a while.
EXERCISE tactical, difficult: What is White's hidden defence?
G Played reluctantly, because it takes the black king away from its ideal e6square, where it supports.. supports...f6-f5. .f6-f5.
ANSWER: The position can be held with the surprising 32.Ka2! moving to a light square, planning to unpin the bishop with Rb if necessary (instead of Anand's 32.el? Bd2, followed by 33... 33...Be3 Be3 and wins) while after 32... 32 ...Be3, Be3, White has 33.Rel! Bxgl 3.gS Ke7 35.Rf! and Black will have to return the piece in rder to stop the advancing g-pawn.]
QUESTION: o why did Black not continue with his pan and pay 30... 30...Ke6?? Ke6?? ANSWER: t fails to 31.BxeS! Re8 32.Rxf6+!, when White gets two pawns for the exchange and a probable draw.; Defending the bishop in advance with 30... 30...Rh7 Rh7 or 30... 30...Rb7 Rb7 is no better;
2 2 2 6 25fG f6 262 EXERCISE: What now for Black? ANSWER: 26 26
EXERCISE: 31.RfxeS+? on account
40
6R R7
of 31.BxeS! fxe5 32.RfxeS+ Kd6 33.Re6+ Kd7 34.Rxa6.{.--)) 31...fxeS 32.RxeS+, fllowed by Rxe7, again with a bishop and two pawns fr the exchange, would be incorr incorrect ect - why?
QUESTION: 1 don't understand; so
much work to be able to advance with.. with...f6-f5, .f6-f5, and yet he holds back.
ANSWER: Because the activity of
ANSWER: You're right, it was also
the black king would then be decisive: 32... 32 ...Kd4 Kd4 33.Rxe7 Rxe7 34.Bxb8 Kc3, threatening 35... 35...Re+ Re+ or 35... 35 ...Re2.] Re2.]
possible to play 36.. 36 ...fS .fS right away, but it does no harm first to improve the position of the pieces, p ieces, since...f6-f5 can't be prevented anyway. t would also help Black if he could exchange a pair of rooks, as that would more or less eliminate any tactical tricks by White of the type we've seen.]
Rf2? [White neglects the opportunity to drive the black king even further from the centre with 31.Rf3!, threatening 32 Bxe5. Then after 31...Rh7 32.Rc3+ Kb7, Black's task of advancing his centre pawns would be more difficult.(32... difficult.(32 ...Kd7 Kd7 is no better in view of 33.Rd2+! Bd6 {or ... ... KeB .} 34.Rcd3 Rb6 35.Bf2 Rc6 36.BcS]
7 Rg 82 R7 9R R7 Black needs to consolidate befre activating his position; [39 ...Rd? would fail to 40.Bf2 Bxf2 41.Rxc8 Bd4 42.c3 and Black is lucky to have 42... 42...Kd7!, Kd7!, which should draw.]
RG RG Befre re-centralizing his king Black radically prevents any sacrifice on f6.
0 Rl f2 6 2Rg 'm feeling a bit confused here; fr several moves you've kept saying that Black's plan is to advance with.. with...f6-f5, .f6-f5, but we seem to have diverged from that a bit, don't we? QUESTION:
22 7 R2 6 Rf R Black occupies the -file to prevent any possible white activity based on Rc3 and Rc6. [However, it was also possible to play 34... 34 ...Ke6 Ke6 at once. EXERCISE: Why is 35.Rc3 not to be
feared? fea red? ANSWER: On account of the simple
35 ... xa3+! and th bishop is taboo owing to 36... 36 ...b4+; b4+; instead, 36.Ka2 threatens 37 Rc6+, but Black can deal with this neatly by 36... ...Rb6! Rb6! 37.Bf2 Bb4!, keeping the extra pawn.] l G Now it really is "mission accomplished!", as Anand commented.
ANSWER: Well, you're quite right.
All the same, Black can return to the
4
plan of mobilizing his pawns after activating his rook. In reality Black has an extra piece in play, i.e. his king, and this enables him to gain material.
3.Rxe+
[f 43.Rg8 then 43...BeS; ...BeS; while 43.Rg Rxg 44.Bxg fS would bring about the complete triumph of the black infantry.]
...e! ...e!
This wins the exchange and is as strong (or stronger) than the initial plan of advancing the pawns. [Otherwise, 42.. 42...fS .fS was still possible, as after 43.Rg6+ Kf7 44.hS f4, Black would threaten 45.. 45...f3.] .f3.]
3... 3... BeS .RxeS+
Forced; [since 44.c3 bishop to 44...Rd2+.] ...Rd2+.]
loses
the
...fxeS ...fxeS 5.Kb Rd 0-
"This match was an important point in my career as 1 gained a great deal of confidence as a result of beating vanchuk 5-3. He was the first really strong opponent 1 had beaten in a match and 1 took this as a promising sign for the next world championship cycle. In November 1992 Anand played in the Alekhine Memorial in Moscow, once again a Category XVIII tournament; after Reggio Emilia this was the second event of this strength. Anand shared first place with Gelfand. After his very good results of that year Anand's Elo rating reached 2700; he was the eighth player to achieve this level.
Game Four The Start of the Schism
For many years Linares was the most important tournament in the world. Kasparov was partly responsible for the glamour of the event; he declared that it didn't bother him that the "conditions of the tournament failed to match the strength of the entry. Linares was a tournament "for the players, who used to fight harder there than in almost almost every other event, event, basically for the glory and as we know, "glory is priceless. priceless. On the 26th of February 1993, during the Linares tournament, Kasparov and hort announced that they would be contesting their world championship match outside the authority of the world chess federation (FIDE). That decision split the whole structure of the way the World Chess Championship was organized; this was not remedied until 2006, when the title was reunified. The 1993 edition of Linares included the top two players in the Elo list, Kasparov and Karpov, and all the emerging stars: Viswanathan Anand from India, Vassily vanchuk from Ukraine, Boris Gelfand from Belarus, Gata Kamsky from the UA, and two newcomers, Alexei hirov from Latvia and a seventeen-year-old from Russia, Vladimir 42
Kramnik, who had played brilliantly in the 1992 Olympiad in Manila. Kasparov was highly motivated to try to repeat his overwhelming triumph of the previous year, where he had scored 10/13, with the added stimulus of trying to justify at the chessboard his decision to abandon FIDE. Alexander Beliavsky got off to a good start in the event, with victories over vanchuk and Anand, but he was unable to keep up this pace. vanchuk (the winner of Linares in 1989 and 1991 and later in 1995) got off to a bad start and ended on just 50% with 6/13. Anand recovered and after the eighth round was in the lead with 6 points. Kasparov had 5 points and felt very optimistic. He told New in Chess that, befre his game with Anand in the ninth round, he had said to Makarichev and Dvorkovich that the moment had come to repeat his result of the previous year. This was greeted with soe scepticism, because to equal his 1992 score of 'plus seven he would have to score 4/5 against Anand, Karpov, Gelfand, Shirov and Kamsky. Kasparov felt that his 'instinct was with him, not the so-called 'killer instinct, he explained, but his instinct for the struggle. And out of these five games only Shirov managed to salvage a draw, so Kasparov indeed scored 10 points. Despite his losses to Kasparov and Beliavsky, Anand had a good tournament, sharing second place with Karpov on 8 points, followed by Shirov on 8 and Kramnik 7. The game were about to see features a line of the Queens Gambit Accepted that Anand had prepared for his match with vanchuk the previous year. He was unable to use it then, since vanchuk opened exclusively with 1 e4. Anand had played this line against Beliavsky in the second round and met with defeat; after that game, during the evening meal, Anand was suddenly struck by a different idea from everything he had considered previously and, analysing it blindfold, he realized how strong it was. lf,B •,V Qu's Gmbit Aptd D20 4: Linares, 1993 [Zenón Franco]
7...4 8.g 6! 9.f3 QUESTION: Is it not better to rule out...Nb4 completely with 9.a3, given that the knight on a6 doesn't appear well placed?
1.4 .4 x4 3.4 4. f6 .3 6.Bf4 7. There are several other attractive continuations; [7.a4 was played in Beliavsky-Kamsky in round six;; while Shirovs choice against Kramnik in the first round was 7.Bd2, with which he won a very complex game full of "fire on board".]
No, not ANSWER: thats appropriate, since after 9...Bb7 10.f3 Nxc3 11.Nxc3, the knight finds a good spot in any case with 11...Nc7!, which is advantageous for Black because the d5pawn is weak.]
43
EXERCISE (tactical, difficult): How
However, in the longer term Black can play ...Bg7 and ...Nxe5, when the mass of queenside pawns, supported by the bishop on g7, will be extremely dangerous, especially with the white king stranded in the centre.
should Black respond to the attack on the e4-knight? ANSWER: 9...N4!
Against Beliavsky, Anand had continued 9...Nxc3 10.Nxc3 Bf5, but White gained the advantage with 11.g4 Bg6 12.a4! and eventually won. In his preparation Anand had analysed 9...Nb4, but only with the idea of capturing on h; after the game with Beliavsky, Anand re-analysed the knight jump to b4 and discovered the new idea that appears on move 11.
EXERCISE: How does White refute
11...Nf2? ANSWER: Easily; after 12.Qe Nxh
13.g3, the knight on h will be captured and White will gain the advantage. 12.3?! Gelfand thought fr a long time here and seemingly convinced himself that he was lost. Anand thought this was an exaggeration, but that Black does indeed already stand better. According to Anand in his book of best games, with best play we reach ositions where Black has two awns and a dangerous attack fr the piece; he gives several lines, none of which are sufficient fr White to equalize. [One important variation is 12.d6 exd6 13.a4 and here: t is better to play 13...b4! (13...Nxf4? was suggested by Gelfand in the post mortem; the two players analysed it and both considered it to be very strong. Anand published this in nfrmator #57, but there was a flaw in the analysis: 14.Nxf4 Bh6 15.g3 {15Kc2 seems better 15...dxe5?! and here 15... b4!) 16.Kc2! exf4
10.fxe4 Nd3+ 11.Kd2 QUESTION: Okay, what's the new
idea then?
ANSWER: 11...gG! !
This is it, which convinced Anand that the line was playable, and which was ovrlook by lan in his preparation. "Black's bishops and rooks are still undeveloped, but Black's knight is a monster. Why trade this knight fr that rook?" (Anand in New in Chess #3/1993).n the book of his best games Anand went into greater detail, saying that after the text move the immediate compensation is indeed based on the paralysing effect of his knight.
17.Qd6!, preventing castling, is the snag fund later by Anand, with a complex position that favours White, who threatens 18 Qe5+ as well as 18 Nd5.(and now 17.Qd5 0 0! 18.Qxa8 b4 is very good fr Black, as both players agreed. ANSWER:
EXERCISE: How can White improve 44
on 17 Qd5?(8...--)) 14.NdS Bg7 15.Nf6+ (15.exd6 00 "is unclear" according to Anand, although the engines prefer Black's position in this line too) 15...Bxf6 16.exf6 Be6, planning to castle queenside.he engines also like 16... 00 among other things, and see nothing satisfactory for White, whose king is in a bad way.); The computers consider that the most tenacious move is a quiet one not considered by the players: 12.Be3.]
these two ideas to be the strongest in the position, but this is because they consider that Black's advantage is so great that "everything wins" now. They do approve of castling though. 19.Nd3 as Objectively Black is winning, owing to his decisive material advantage, but in practice White can still obtain counterplay with his centre pawns, so Black still needs to display good technique.
12...Bg7! 13.bxc4 Nxf4 14.Nxf4? [Here 14.cxbS Bxe5 15.Qb3 Nxe2 16.Bxe2 0-0 is excellent for Black, but the text move loses more quickly, according to Anand. The engines go further and consider that Black's position is winning after 16 ...0-0 as well. What QUESTION: advantage based on?
is
20.g3 Bg7 Preparing to attack the white pawns. 21.Bg2
Black's
ANSWER: The material is equal but the black bishops, especially the one on e5, are tremendous, a real nightmare for the white monarch.]
14...BxeS 15.Nfe2 b4 16.Qa4+ Forced, since all other lines win easily for Black: [16.NbS a6 16.Na4 Bd7 16.Qb3 bxc3+ 17.Nxc3 Rb or 16.Rc bxc3+ 17.Nxc3 Bf4+ etc.]
21...BaG! t is said that chess has a lot in common with music, but the following moves seem more like boxing. This move resembles a 'right hook'
a47a4 Bal 8c !
considered Anand EXERCISE: 1...fS?! but rejected it why?
22.cS Ra 23.cG Rfd! [23...Rfd threatens 25.Kxd3 Rxc6.]
ANSWER: Owing to 19.Nf4! and the arrival of a knight on e6 would complicate the winning process.This is the human response it is curious that the engines don't consider either of
24.Rcl Bh6+ And now a 'left hook'. 25.Nef4
45
24.--
Bxd3
[lf 25.Ndf4 then 25...eS wins.]
the white rook to bock its own bishop, with the resut that the c6-pawn is no onger protected and so d5-d6 is prevented. [The immediate 31...Bh2 is aso good, but it aows White to proong his resistance with 32.d6.]
25...Bxd3! 2.Kxd3 eS 27.Kc [And if 27.Bh3, the simpe 27...Rc7 is quite sufficient.{...f5 wins according to Anand, but this seems wrong since White can repy 28.e6! Bxc1 29.xd, when 9...xd 30.cl shoud draw.)
32.Re [lf 32.Re2, a possibe continuation is 32...f6 33.exf6 Kf7 and the pawns are no onger dangerous.]
27...exf 28.Rel fxg3 [Despite being a rook up, Back sti needs to pay carefuy. He shoudn't aow White to create three connected and passed centre pawns; thus 28...f6 is ess accurate, according to Anand, on account of 2.Rf ! g5 30.h4.]
32...Bh2 33.Bh3 Rc7 3.Re2 Bg3 35.Re3 Bf! 3.Re gS 37.KcS Re7 38.Kd [On 38.d6, Anand gives as the refutation 38...RxeS+ 3.RxeS Bxe5 and if 40.Bd7!? then 40...hS (the simpe 40...xdl 41.cxdl Bf6, foowed by ...g5g4, aso seems adequate) 41.c7 Rf8 42.KdS (queening eads to a ost ending due to Back's three passed pawns on the kingside; whie if 42.Be, the 42...Bxd6+! counter-bow wins 42...Bxd6! (or 42.../4 43.Be xe, since 44.dl fais to 44... e+! 45.Kd4 e4+ 46.Kxe4 Bxc7} 43.Kxd6 g4 44.Ke7 panning Be8 44...Ra8! and the back pawns can't be stopped.]
29.eS [2.hxg3 eads to the pawns being bockaded on the dark squares after 2...f6!, foowed by ...Bf8-d6.] 29...Bf 30.hxg3 Bxg3 31.Re3
31...Bf! QUESTION: Why does this move merit an excamation mark? Wasn't it better just to pay 31...Bh2? 38... f! 39.d BxeS+ 0.RxeS Rxd+ 0-1
ANSWER: This is a finesse, forcing
46
Gelfand was very sporting, saying that he didn't mind losing such a game, and that Anand had good chances of winning the prizes for best game and best novelty in thenformator, but "in fact 1 won neither! said Anand. After Linares, Anand went on to play in Madrid where he shared first place with Kramnik and Topalov. In July 1993 the FIDE nterzonal took place in Biel. Anand wasn't happy with his play there; nevertheless the tie-break put him in the top ten, which meant that he qualified once again for the Candidates matches. In December 1993 he shared the top spot with Michael Adams in the PCA nterzonal tournament in Groningen.
Game Five Anand's First Match for the World Title
At the start of 1994, Anand played his first round match in the FIDE Candidates against Artur Yusupov, winning 4-2, but went on to lose his quarter-final match, in Sanghi Nagar against Gata Kamsky, in the rapid play-off games. In the PCA cycle Anand was more successful: in 1994 in his first-round match he defeated Oleg Romanishin 5-2 in New York, and went on to beat Michael Adams 51 in the semi-final, held in Linares. In the final, in Las Palmas in 1995, Anand played Gata Kamsky again, and this time won 6-4, thus gaining the right to challenge Garry Kasparov for the 1995 PCA World Chess Championship. The event took place in the World Trade Center in New York, September-October 1995. Anand commented that to reach the final against Kasparov was very exciting, but that he felt rather "exposed, having spent the previous two years contesting the FIDE and PCA qualification cycles and had thus already used up most of his best ideas in the openings. In contrast, Kasparov's task had been much more straightforward. Furthermore, Anand was unable to devote the necessary time to prepare for the match, because he still had to fulfil various commitments that he had taken on befre he knew he would be playing Kasparov. In 1995, he played in tournaments in Monte Caro, Riga and Moscow; thus Anand's preparations really only began in May, for a match due to begin on September 11th. The main task with White was to prepare to face Kasparov's Sicilian Defence. With Black, Anand decided to defend against 1 e4 with 1...e5, which entailed a huge amount of preparatory work, since, as well as the Ruy Lopez, Kasparov played the Evans Gambit and the Scotch, and could also open with 1 d4. 47
Anand was not impressed with the way the event was organized. In the run-up to the match various changes were made (including a reduction in the prize fund) and there were various problems that the organizers failed to slve. Nevertheless, Anand did not attribute his defeat to any of this. The first eight games all ended in draws; this was the first decisive game: Anand had scored several important points. For example, 12...Na5 was played in V.Anand-V.Topalov, Dortmund 1996, and here White innovated with 13.g4! instead of 13.Bg, as Kasparov had played against Topalov a few weeks earlier in Dos Hermanas 13...Nd7 14.Bg2
DAnand,V • Kasparov,G Sicilian Defence [85] 5: PCA World Ch, New York (9), 1995 Zó Fro 1.e4 es 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 Against 1.e4, Kasparov's main defence was the Scheveningen Variation, which he had refined to the maximum in rder to be able to defend against Karpov in their world title battles. This opening had already been debated during the match in all four previous games in which Anand had the white pieces.
QUEST/ON: Why is White postponing such a 'orced' move as g4g5? ANSWER: Anand commented that this was one of his discoveries; if Black retreats his knight to d7 voluntarily, there is no need to play g4-g5 straight away. Admittedly this move must be played sooner or later if White wishes to attack, but it is better to delay it; for example, with the pawn on g5 it is easier for Black to execute the manoeuvre ...g7-g6, followed by ...e6e5, whereas with pawn still on g4, after ...e6-e5 the sacrifice Nf5 comes into consideration, and if ...g6xf5 then g4xf5 with an attack down the g-file.The game continued 14...Bf8 15.Qe b6 16.Rd Bb7 17.Qh4 (with the idea of Rd3-h3 aftr withdrawing th 3bishop, possibly to g; the typical way for Black to defend h7 is to play...g7-g6 followed by...Bg7 and...Nf8, but in that case another of the advantages of having the pawn on g4, rather than g5, is to be able to play f4-f5, answering ...e6xf5 with g4xf5) 17...Nc6 18.Nde2! Nb4 19.Rd2 Qd8 20.g5 f6 21.Nd4! fxg5 or 21... 6 22.gx6! x6 23.x6 x6
7.0-0 Be7 8.a4 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 Qc7 11.Khl Re8 12.Bf3 [In their first matchgame Anand had played 12.Qd2; in his next three white games he tried 12.Bd3, but Kasparov had neutralized the dangers, so Anand had prepared a new line of attack.] 12...Bd7 [Kasparov played 12...Rb8 several tim againt Karpov but had witchd to the text move against Van der Wiel in Amsterdam 1987.; Although Anand lost the match, he commented that his understanding of this type of position had increased as a result of all the work he had put in and, for a while, he was well ahead of all his grandmaster colleagues in that regard. Eventually everyone caught up, but not until
48
2e} 22.fxgS Nc6 23.Rdf2! with strong pressure, which led to a win after 23...Rc8 24.Nce2 NcS 25.Nxc6 Bxc6 26.Nd4 Bd7 27.eS! dxeS 28.Nf3 Bc6 29.NxeS Bxg2+ 30.Rxg2 Rc7 31.Ng4 Kh8 32.Qh3! QdS 33.g6 h6 34.Bxh6! gxh6 35.g7+! Bxg7 36.Nxh6 Qxg2+ 37.Qxg2 Bxh6 38.Qg6 10.t is worthwhile playing through this game in full, since "this was almost a model game, but it is not easy to appreciate unless you are familiar with all the intricacies of the cheveningen", as Anand wrote in the book of his best games.]
ANSWER: t is necessary; inserting 18...axbS? 19.axbS Bd7 allows 20.Na4 with advantage.Anand was surprised to see that Kasparov was playing this new line in a very relaxed fashion; the reason was that in fact it wasn't new - it had been played befre. 19.abl! [19.Ne2 is harmless: after 19...Rc8 20.bxa6 bxa6 21.Qxa6 Ra8 22.Qd3 Rxa4, Black had no problems and the game was soon drawn. Anand said, half in jest, that it was lucky he didn't know about this game or he might have abandoned the whole line.]
13.b3 QUESTION: Why withdraw knight from the centre?
the
19...axb EXERCISE (tactical, difficult): Why does Black exchange on bS? What would happen after the intended move 19...Rc8?
ANSWER: This is the typical response to ...Bd7; it evades the ositional threat of ...Nxd4 followed b ...Bc6, and tries to leave the black pieces awkwardly placed. 13...a 14.xa xa 15.d3 ad8 16.fdl! [Anand had prepared both this move and 16.g4, as in J.Van der Wiel L.Polugaevsky, Haninge 1989.; Another option was 16.Qd2, as in J.Van der Wiel-G.Kasparov, Amsterdam 1988. The decision to play the text move was taken at the board.]
ANSWER: White has the powerful response 20eS ! Let's explore a few lines: 20...dxeS {20? 2e 22 is decisive, because the a6pawn falls 21.fxeS QxeS or 2 22 e 2 2 e 2 2) 22.Bd4 Qc7 23.Bxf6 Bxf6 24.Ne4 with good compensation for the pawn, since Black's queenside is weak and White threatens 25 Nxf6+, weakening the
16 ... Bc6 [f 16...e, then 17.fS.] 17.b4 c718.b5 Bd7 Black is planning to play 19...Rc8. QUESTION: This move leaves the a6-pawn hanging; is it really necessary? sn't it better to take on bS?
49
black king position.
according to Anand. For example: 21...Rc8 (Anand indicates that 21...Nd7 22.Rdb NcS 23.Qc4 is clearly better for White;the engines consider 23.Qc3 to be stronger, since after 23...Ra, White has 24.a5!}) 22.Rdb Qxc2 23.Qxc2 Rxc2 24.Rxb7, followed by a4-a5 or Ra if necessary, and White has the advantage. Then 24...dS? is bad (24...Ra2? loses to 25.e5} on account of 25.eS, followed by Rxe7, exploiting the weakness Black's back rank.]
20.NxbS!
[20.axbS is not as strong now: White has no advantage after 20...Rc8 Nor is there any benefit in playing 21.Na4 (21.eS, since there is no pawn on a6 hanging at the end of the line 21...Qxc3! 22.exf6 Qxd3 23.cxd3 Bxf6 24.Bxb7 Rc3.{24...--)) 21...Qxc2, as after 22.Qxc2 (22.Nb6 leads to a draw, almost by force: 22...Qxd3 23.Rxd3 Rcl 24.e5 dxe5 25.fxe5 Nd5 26.Bxd5 exd5 27.Nxd5! Bf5 28.Nxcl Bxd3 29.Nxe8 Bxb 30.Nd6 Bxd6 31.exd6 /5 etc) 22...Rxc2 23.Nb6, "White's compensation for the pawn is nebulous", according to Anand.]
21... Ra 22.c4 eS 23.Bb6!
Maintaining the tension on e, albeit temporarily, restricts Black's options. 23...Qc
20...BxbS
EXERCISE: Why not the more active 23...Qc6 now?
A surprise for Anand, who was expecting 20...QaS. [t's curious that Houdini 3 considers that the best line for White is the one indicated by Anand: 20...QaS! 21.Nxd6 (almost any other move allows...Bc6 with a good position, according to Anand 21...Bxa4 22.Bb6 Rxd6 23.BxaS! (After 23.Qxd6 Bxd6 24.BxaS Bxf4 not 24...Bxc2? 25.e5 and wins) 25.Rxb7 Bxc2 26.Rd8 Rxd8 27.Bxd8 Bxe4! 28.Rb4 Bxf3 29.Rxf4 BdS 30.Bxf6 gxf6 31.Rxf6, the difference lies in the evaluation; while the engines see an advantage to White in the endgame (0.84, Anand is categorical: "it's a draw". 23...Rxd3 24.cxd3 Bxdl eaves hite with a sight advantage owing to his pair of bishops and Black's weak b-pawn (Anand; the engines assert that the advantage is minimal. This line actually occurred in the game .Vratonjic-D.Antic, Nis 1996, which ended in a draw.]
ANSWER: Then 24.cS! is strong, and none of the possible captures is satisfactory; if 24...exf4? or 24...dxc5? 25.fxe5 and the knight is lost) 25.eS QxbS 26.axbS dxeS 27.Bxb7 with two strong, connected, passed pawns. 24.fxeS dxeS 25.aS Bf8 26.h3 Qe6
EXERCISE (tip: remember Botvinnik and Petrosian: What is White's best move?
21.QxbS
[21.RxbS
is
possibly
better,
50
8G 9 4 0 s [After 30...Be7 31.d6 Bf6 32.d7 Rf8, Black threatens to become active with...Be5, but Anand (and also Houdini, who by now has definitely changed sides!) points out 33.Bc7! and Black is paralysed.]
ANSWER: 7! An exchange sacrifice reminiscent of V.Liublinsky-M.Botvinnik, Moscow 1943, and several of Petrosian's games. 7x?? mistake", inexplicable "An according to Anand. t is noteworthy that even today soe engines approve of it initially. QUEST/ON: Why is it so accept the exchange? There seem to be any immediate What should Black have instead?
17! [Black's counterplay is inadequate after 31...Qg3 32.Qxb7 or indeed 32.d6 g 33.gl) 32...Rg5 33.Rg.] ! [32...Qf5 33.Qxb7 Qxd5 34.c6 Re8 35.Qd7 is equally hopeless.]
bad to doesn't danger. played
G [33.Qxb7 Re8 34.d6 is similar.]
ANSWER: Anand indicated that, after 27... Nxd5, White's position is much better and is easy to play; he just needs to push his pawns. Anand thought that Black should have made a useful move on the kingside, such as 27...h5, and although White would still stand better, the black position would be difficult to breach.
4xb7 G Kh! [Anand's original intention was to play 35.Rf, but then he saw that Kasparov had planned 35...Rb8!, intending 36.Qxb8? (36.c6 is better 36...Rxh3+ 37.Kg Qe5 and the game will surprisingly end in a draw.; Next he saw that 35.Rd! Rb8 36.Qd5 would win;; but 35.Kh2 is even better, as after 35...Qe5 (35...eB can be answered simply by 36.d), White can play 36.Qxa8 and none of the possible discovered checks achieve anything.] 1-0
8x The engines no longer see equality and begin to discern difficulties for Black.
i vitory ovr aparov wa ony nan' on u t firt in t win in Reggio Emilia). After nine games of the match Anand was leading 5-4, but in the final nine games he simply collapsed; Kasparov won four and there were five draws. Anand thinks one of his main problems was that he failed to appreciate the tension involved in playing a match for the World Championship; it's worth recalling that Botvinnik used to say that it took a year off your life. Kasparov's level of play was not high, but he made fewer serious errors and controlled his nerves better, probably due to his greater experience in such matches. Anand believes that, if he had had a second opportunity to play a match against Kasparov, he would have been better prepared all 51
round. Anand's first tournament following the Kasparov match was to play in Wijk aan Zee in 1996. Here's how Anand explained the difference: it "was Heaven compared to the New York match. You could just go to Wijk aan Zee, everybody understands chess and is enthusiastic about chess; you can just play chess and not be distracted by changes of venues and prize-funds and 101 other things. He needed to rediscover his "appetite for chess. In soe games he opened with 1 d4, and in others he played sharp lines to maintain his interest and motivation. Anand was aware of what had happened to Andrei Sokolov and Johann Hjartarson, who, following defeat in matches against Karpov, were never quite the same again. Anand scored 8/13 at Wijk aan Zee and finished in second place behind vanchuk.
Game Six M Blg wh Kv Kv The Las Palmas super-tournament at the end of 1996 was not only very strong, it was also the first time that both Kasparov and Karpov had competed together since Linares 1994, where Karpov, with a rating performance of 3000 Elo, achieved one of the most decisive victories in chess history. Along with Kasparov and Karpov, the tournament included Anand, Kramnik, vanchuk and Topalov in a double-round event that was one of the strongest ever held. slid Caro-Kann. [Anand explained his choice in this way: There was no way 1 could face a boring Caro-Kann and trying to deal with an improvement on move 45 leading to a difficult ending, etc. 1 felt that it would be better to go down in style than to do something like that. Now, how does a move like 1 Nf3 allow me to get interesting positions? Well, to be honest, 1 Nf3 can lead to positions even more boring than after 1.e4 c6, but at least they would be unfamiliar boring positions!]
D Anand,V • Karpov,A
Queen's Gambit Accepted [D21] 6: Las Palmas, 1996
Zó Fro .Nf3
QUESTION: This move does not appear very often in Anand's practice, does it? Is there a special reason for this choice?
ANSWER: Very observant of you. Unlike Kramnik, against whom Anand had lost in the previous round, Anand doesn't play this move very often, but he was in no mood to face Karpov's
...dS .d4 e6 3.c4 dxc4 4.e4 Played immediately, in the above mentioned spirit of avoiding boring positions. [In an earlier round Topalov52
Karpov had followed a more conventional path: 4.e3 a6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Bb3 Nc6 8.Qe2 cxd4 9.Rd d3 10.Rxd3 Qc7 and Black had no problems; the game was drawn in 27 moves.]
Karpov would repeat the most important master game with this line played up till then 7...Nf6 8.bxc4 Nxe4 9.c5 Bxc5 10.BxbS+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ A.YermolinskyV.Kupreichik, Qxd7, verdlovsk 1987 given that his style is almost the opposite of Kupreichik's.]
4...bs Leaving the beaten track. [Karpov didn't want to transpose to the Vienna Variation with 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bg5, which he had played with Black only once, whereas he had had good results against it as White.]
8.bxc4 Bxe4 [8...bxc4 9.Bxc4 Bxe4 10.0-0, followed by Nc3, Ne5, etc, gives White a strong initiative.] 9.cxbS The b5pawn is again a nuisance for Black. [9.Nbd2 was a good alternative.]
.a4 Beginning the typical assault on Black's structure, by which White generally manages to regain the pawn.
9...Nf6 10.Be2 QUESTION: What a passive development; why not 10 Bd3?
...c6 [After 5...Bb7 6.axb5 Bxe4 7.Bxc4 Nf6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.NeS, White reaches a good solated Queen's Pawn position, since he has an advantage in development and the b5pawn is a nuisance to Black.]
ANSWER: Because 10.Bd3 Bb4+! would then be annoying, practically forcing 11.Kf (since 11.Bd2? Bxd2+ 12.xd2 White can't recapture with the knight) 12...Bxf3 13.gxf3 xd4 is clearly good for Black.
6.axbS cxbS 7.b 10...Be7 [Now if 10...Bb4+, White can play 11.Bd2 Bxd2+ 12.Nbxd2, developing smoothly.]
QUESTION: Okay, this regains the pawn alright, but at the cost of allowing a lot of pawns to be exchanged. o where's the entertaining game that White was hoping for? How can this be counted as a success for White?
11.0-0 0-0 12.Nc The knight develops to its most nturl pot, whr it rt o influence over the important d5 square. [nstead, 12.Nbd2 Bb7 13.Nc4 a6 14.b6 Nc6 15.Bd2 Nd5 was played in C.LutzP.chlosser, Berlin 1989, but Anand considered this position to be unclear, because "it isn't clear whether the b6pawn will be weak or strong."]
ANSWER: Patience. The battle has hardly begun. All will be revealed. The success of opening with 1 Nf3 could be measured by the fact that Karpov was on unfamiliar ground and spending a lot of time on his moves.
7...Bb7 [Anand believed it unlikely that
12...Bb7 1.NeS a6 53
Black wants to eliminate the annoying b5-pawn, although it is easier for White to become active on this wing. [nstead: 13...Bb4 14.Bb2 Bxc3 (a Bf3 is good for White; the exchange of the b7-bishop prevents Black from playing ...a6xb5} 15.Bxc3 a6 if Black tries 15...Qd5, White can play 16.Nf3; (but f3 looks even better, keeping the knight on e5}} 16.Bf3 with an edge is another possibility mentioned by Anand; (Ba can be answered by 7Bf3 and Black is okay but B 8 7Bf3 is perhaps even more precise, when Black's development problems allow White to launch a strong offensive; for example, 7 8 threatening to defend the pawn with Bc5) 8 9Bh g 203 f 2g3 with an attack. 13...Nbd7?! allows 14.Nc6 Bxc6 15.bxc6 with a strong passed pawn, and the try 15...Rc8 can be met by 16.cxd7 Rxc3 17.Bd2! (rather than 7a7? c7} and White wins the exchange after 17...Rc6 (or 7c7 8Ba} 18.Ba5 Qxd7 19.Bb5.; Years later, Kasparov pointed out the improvement 13...Qc7! 14.Bf3 Qxc3 15.Bxb7 Qxa 16.Bxa8 Nbd7 with equality.]
Qxd4, when White has soe advantage, although there would be technical problems in realizing it.]
15.xd exd Now both sides have an isolated queen's pawn and the "slight disadvantage" mentioned is the d5pawn, which makes the b7-bishop passive. QUEST/ON: So, wouldn't 15...Bxd5 be better, to play against White's isolated pawn? ANSWER: The trouble is that White's IQP is not a weakness here. Black can't exploit it because his mobility is severely limited: he would still be unable to play ... a6xb5, the knight would have to stay on b8 to defend the a6-pawn, and playing ... a6a5 isn't a solution, because the b5pawn would then be very strong. White could answer 15...Bxd5 with simply 16.Be3 (or Bf} EXERCISE: Let's get back to 15...exd5. What should White do now about the situation on the queenside? ANSWER: 16.bl! White abandons the a-file, where nothing more can be achieved, in rder to become more active. [Anand commented that White would also v n tr 17.Rxa8 Bxa8 18.Qxb, "but facing Karpov's defensive skills, 1 preferred to aim for a large advantage!"]
EXERCISE: Let's return to the game. How would you answer Black's last, 13...a6? ANSWER: .Bf3
After what we've seen, selecting this move is easy, isn't it?
14...d "Typically, Karpov finds the safest solution, leaving him with a slight disadvantage," commented Anand. [Otherwise it was possible to sacrifice the exchange with 14...Bxf3 15.Qxf3
16... b6 QUESTION: The e5-knight is very annoying; why not evict it with 16 ...f6?
54
pawns. [As before, 17...aS would leave White with a very strong pawn on bS.; The tactics don't work for Black if he tries to evict the knight with 17...f6. White then has several promising continuations, including 18.Bd3!, defending the b-rook and threatening both 19 bxa6 and 19 QhS.] 18.xb Qc7 19.Bf4 Bd6 20.Bd3 Ba6
[On 20...Bc6, the rook would just withdraw to b3 with the idea of relocating to the kingside, and White would keep his strong lightsquared bishop.]
ANSWER: Although it would expel
the knight from a strong square, this pawn advance comes at a price: it creates a serious weakness at e6, and in fact weakens the kingside generally as can be seen after, for instance, 17.Nd3 axbS 18.RxbS Bc6 19.Qb3! Ra 20.RxaS QxaS 21.Nf4 (attacking dS and exploiting the weakness on e6) 21...Rd8 22.B4! when 22...Na6?! loses to 23.Be6+ Kf8 or 23... KhB 24.Ng6+!, followed by mate 24.Qh3. EXERCISE (positional): Is it possible
for White increase the pressure? f so, how?
Black is trying to exchange the strong white bishop, but the dSpawn is now en prise. What is White's best continuation? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 17.Be2!!
Anand's explanation was: "I decided that the bishop had nothing more to do on f3 and the best plan was to relocate it to d3."The point is that White can't really increase his pressure on dS so te bisop seeks a square from where its activity will have greater effect. From d3 it will aim at both the queenside and Black's castled position, and the black bishop on b7 will be unable to neutralize it. This last factor needs to be justified tactically.
ANSWER: 21.Bxh7+! UESTION: What's going on? Is this
te best move? lnstead of winnin a healthy extra pawn at no risk, White sacrifices a piece, creating incalculable complications! ANSWER: Okay, not everything is
clear, but let's see what Anand had to say about it: "Here, 1 spent a few seconds looking at 21 RxdS, which leaves White with an extra pawn, but
17...axb
t's advisable to exchange the 55
as 1 mentioned earlier 1 couldn't face a long, technical game."He added that in many lines an exchange on e is possible, which would lead to an ending of fur pawns against three on the kingside with no guarantee of a win; it all depends on what pieces remain on the board, fr instance a rook ending would very probably be drawn."Then 1 saw Bxh7+ and didn't waste any more time on RxdS. (...) 1 didn't see a defence fr Black. By now 1 was too excited to analyse and decided that 1 would simply play it." (Anand). The practica! element is very important in the decision to sacrifice. Karpov didn't have much time left, so it would be very difficult to find the best defence.Anand was aware that it was impossible to calculate everything perfectly, even with the help of a computer. Many years later, it's still not clear whether the sacrifice is objectively the best continuation, but from the competitive point of view there is no doubt that it was the best choice. [The move expected in the press room was 21.RxdS, as implied above.]
ANSWER: 23.Rb3 Of course; the rook is going to the h-file.
There are two main defences to consider: 23...Bc8, which Anand was most afraid of at the board, and 23...f6, which analysis indicates as best. Let's examine the most critica! lines; the position is very complex. [First, let's look at 23...Bc8?. Here Karpov's intuition told him that 24.Rg3 would be decisive, and analysis indicates that this is the case. We should note that 44, to allow the rook to come to h3, fails to 4a!} Anand believed that 24...Qe7 was stronger, when the most accurate line seems to be (Here 24...Ra3 loses to 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 26.Bh6+ Kf6 or 6 /6, mating 27.QgS+ Ke6 28.Re and despite Black being a rook and bishop up, the situation of his king means that he can't avoid material losses; e.g. 28...BxeS 29.RxeS+ Kd7 30.Re7+ Kc6 31.Qc+.) 25.Bh6 BxeS 26.dxeS g6, reaching one of the critica! positions.
EXERCISE (very difficult): What is Black's best defence?
EXERCISE: How to continue the attack?
23... BxeS?
ANSWER: 27.e6 wins: if 27...Qxe6 while 6 is refuted by ! f6 96 Anand} then 28.Bxf8 Kxf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Re3 wins material.; That leaves the most tenacious
21 ... Kxh7 22.QhS+ Kg8
EXERCISE: What now fr White?
ANSWER: "After this error there is no saving Black's position." (Anand)
56
defence: 23...f6! 24.Rh3! fxe5 25.dxe5, and now: lt's much better to counter attack with 25...Qc4!. (White's attack triumphs after 25...Rxf4? 26.e6! Kf8 27.Qh8+ Ke7 28.Qxg7+ Ke8 or 28...Kxe6 29.Rel+! Re4 30.Rh6+) 29.Rh8+ Rf8 30.Rxf8+ Bxf8 31.Qxc7. Nevertheess, White can gain soe advantage with a ine that woud be amost impossibe to cacuate without a computer, especiay over the board: 26.Qh7+! (Anand thought that the strongest move now was 26.Re. However, the surprising 26...Qb4!, found by the computers, casts doubt on this ine. White doesn't seem to have more than a draw; for exampe, (This wins after 26...Qxf4? 27.Qh7+ Kf7 28.exd6 Re8 29.Qh5+ g6 30.Re7+!! Rxe7 "is an {30...Kf6 31.3! unexpected win" Anand) 31.Qh7+ Kf6 or 31...KfB 32.dxe7+ KeB 33.Qxg6+ Kxe7 34.Rh7+} 32.Qxe7+ Kf5 33.Qf8+! Ke5 34.Re3+ and wins (Anand. 27.Bd2 Qxd2 28.Qh7+ Kf7 29.Rf3+ Ke7 30.Qxg7+ Kd8 31.Rxf8+ Bxf8 32.Qxf8+ Kc7 33.Qd6+ or 33.Rbl Qc2} 33...Kc8 34.Qf8+ etc. 26...Kf7 27.e6+ Kf6! {27...Kxe6? 28.Rel+; and 27...KeB 28.Qg6+ Kd8 29.gS+ Kc8 30.Rcl are much worse) 28.Rh6+! gxh6 29.Qxh6+ Kf5 not 29...Ke7? 30.gS+ and mates) 30.g4+ Ke4 31.Re+ Qe2! not 31...Kd3? 32.Qg6+ Kd4 33.xd6 and White is winning, according to the engines) 32.Rxe2+ Bxe2 33.e7! not 33.xd6??
even then his king won't be competey safe. The immediate threat is 35 Qe3 mate.A pausibe ine then is 34...Bxg4! after White 34...d4 35.Qe6+, eventuay picks up the e2-bishop with check, foowed by the other one) 35.Qe3+ Kf5 36.Qxe7 Nc6 37.Qd7+ Ke5 38.Qxc6 Rac8 39.f4+ Ke4 40.Qg6+ Bf5 41.Qg2+ Kd4 42.Qd2+ Kc4 43.Qa2+ Kd4 44.Qa4+ Kc3 45.Qa5+ Kc4 46.Ba3 Rfe8 47.Kf2 with advantage to White, according to the engines.Be that as it may, this summary of such extremey compicated ines, which can surey be improved upn, gives us a cear idea of the amost impossibe defensive task facing Back over the board.] Returning to the position after 23...Bxe5, what is White's best continuation? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 24.Rh3!
[Of course, there's no time to ose; 24.Bxe5? wastes a vita tempo, enabing Back to defend with 24...Qc4 25.Rfb f6 26.Bxb8 Bb5! (threatening 27...Qxb3 27.Rh3 {27.Rc3? Qa2! is worse) 27...Rfxb8 and there is no more than a draw.] 24...fG
Threatened with mate in one, Back opts for the esser evi. [lnstead, 24...f5 weakens the dark squares and aows 25.Bxe5 Qd7 26.Qh7+ Kf7 27.Re or
Ral+ 34.Kg2 Bfl+ 35.Kg3 Rf3+ 36.Kh4 Rh3+ and Back wins Anand) 33...Bxe7 (33...Ral+ now fais to 34.cl xg4 35.Qe3+ Kf5 36.exfBQ+ xfB 37.4+ Ke6 38.Qxg4+ etc) 34.Bc, reaching an amazing position. Back currenty has two rooks and two minr pieces for the queen, but the insecure position of his king means that he wi have to give up two minr pieces to prevent mate, and
27.Bxg7 wit n unstoppbe ttck)] 25.dxeS Qe7
[lf 25...Qc4, White can win either by going straight for the enemy king with 26.Qh7+ or by paying 26.Rel! first, intending 26...Qxf4 27.Qh7+ Kf7 28.e6+ Ke8 29.Qg6+ (Anand, which is easier to cacuate) 26...Kf7 27.e6+.; No better is 25...Qd7 26.Qh7+ Kf7 27.exf6 57
Kxf6 28.Rel Be2 29.Rg3, again with a winning attack.]
exampes of the importance of practica issues during a chess game. Here there are severa strong continuations, but Anand makes sure of avoiding any catastrophes.
26.Qh7+ Kf7 27.Rg3 Ke8 [f 27...Rg8, one way to win is 28.Qg6+ Kf8 29.exf6 and the back king is hepess; note that 29...Qxf6 oses at once to 30.Bd6+.]
31...Bb7 32.Rcl BaG 33.Ral Bb7 34.Rdl BaG 35.Qbl! [Here 35.Bc7+! forces mate in 11 moves according to the engines, which found other forced wins at various points too, but of course the text move is good enough.]
28.Rxg7 "From now on, the game pretty much pays itsef there are severa ways to win on every move!" (Anand) [Here 28.exf6! woud aso have won.]
35...RxfG 36.Bg5 [After 36.BgS, Karpov ost on time whie paying 36... Kc8, which oses immediatey to 37.Qb6 as indicated by Anand, though there are numerous other winning moves;such as 37.Rl; or, surprisingy, 37.Q7.)] 1-0
28...QeG [28...Rf7 oses to 29.exf6] 29.exfG NcG 30.Ral Kd8 31.h4 "To cear the back rank it's aways nice to have time for such detais." (Anand)We've aready seen soe
With this victory Anand moved on to pus 1 for the tournament. He drew his remaining games, which enabed him to caim second pace on his own, behind Kasparov. The year 1997 was a very good one for Anand: he won in Dos Hermanas, beating Kramnik on tie-break, ahead of aov, Karpov, Topaov, etc, and then went on to compete in Bie.
Game Seven "An Efft f Which 1
am
Vy Pud"
Anand has good memories of the tournament in Bie/Bienne: exceent organization, very comfortabe conditions, and peasant waks aong the akeside. This sense of we being was refected in Anand's chess as eary as the very first round, in which he conjured up a spectacuar combination of great beauty, one of which he was very proud, and that produced a miniature. DAnand,V • Lautier,J
1.e4 d5 Anand coudn't reca Lautier having payed the candinavian Defence befre, but assumed that he had made a thorough study of it in the previous few months whie he had
Sv D {801} 7: Bie, 1997
[Zenón Frano] 58
0d7 d7 Be4 Developing the rook along the third rank is quite normal in the lines where White plays g2-g4 and h2-h4. Among its other advantages, the rook defends the possible weak point on c3.
been absent from competition. ed d c a 4d4 c Bc4 QUESTION: Anything to say about this?
B A neat zwischenzug, the idea of French GM Eric Prié, provoking Rg3. [The alternative is to play 12...Bd5 straight away.]
ANSWER: Yes. Anand explained that 6 Ne5 was more popular at that time, but he opted for this move partly for practica! reasons, since it was probable that Lautier was less familiar with it. [6.Ne5 is a main line, but at that time it was less popular. There was also an objective element in Anand's choice: during preparation for his World Championship match with Kasparov (in which Anand had played the Scandinavian himself in one game), he had noticed that that "the lines with 6 Bc4 were very dangerous for Black to navigate."]
e QUESTION: The rook goes to e3? Doesn't this just invite Black to play...Nb6-d5? sn't it better to play the natural 13.Rg3? ANSWER: When Anand opted for 13 Re3, he logically took this knight manoeuvre into account. 13 Re3 is a notable and very deep idea, not preparation but over-the-board inspiration.Nevertheless, it's not clear that it's the best move, for equally deep reasons. In fact 13 Rg3 was Anand's first thought, which he also considered to be slightly better for White, even though an eventual...Bd6 hits the rook.]
B 7e This was chosen for similar reasons. [Although 7.Bd2 offers White a slight edge, Anand remembered that, according to his analysis, 7 Ne5 and 8 g4 set Black more problems.] 7e 84 B 94 d7! [9...Bb4 10.Bd2 Ne4 11.f3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxc3 can be met by 13.h5 even stronger than 13.bl, which gave White soe advantage in D.Campora Cu.Hansen, Palma de Mallorca 1989) though White needs to be careful: for example, 13...Nd7? 14.Nxd7 Kxd7 15.Rb (15.hxg6?? loses to 15...hxg6 16.fl h2} 15...b5 16.Be2 Bxd2+ 17.Qxd2 Qxa2 18.Rc and the g6bishop can finally be taken.n light of this, Black began to use the text move, to exchange the strong knight on e5.]
G! A very natural response, which seems to exploit the position of the rook on e3 by playing... Nd5; but, as Anand will prove brilliantly, it's not the best. [nstead, 13...b5 14.Bd3 b4 15.Ne4 wouldn't be very promising either. Black would soon have to acquiesce to the exchange of his light squared bishop, surrendering the bishop pair and remaining with a somewhat inferior position.
59
QUESTION: Alright then, what's Black's best move here?
EXERCISE: What was Anand's idea in putting his rook on e3?
ANSWER: Patience; all will soon be revealed. (Please skip the next exercise for now.);
d
ANSWER: 5 This calm move is the key to White's idea. "He is willing to jettison a few pawns and/or the exchange in rder to snare the bishop on g2." (Anand)Anand calculated that, although he would have no material advantage following the demise of the g2-bishop since Black gains a rook and two pawns for two minr pieces, the minr pieces will be more active than the black rook, which lacks open files. Coupled with White's lead in development, this will give White the advantage. Yes, all this was calculated and evaluated by Anand when he played 13 Re3. Admirable, don't you think? Going back a little, since neither 13...Nb6 nor 13...b was best let's return to your earlier question. [In contrast, 15.Rg3 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Bd5 17.Bd2 Qa4 gave Black good play in Ch.Bauer-E.Prié, French Champ, Auxerre 1996.]
[In contrast, 14.Bb3 Nd5 is less clear.]
5
EXERCISE: Knowing what we know now, years after this game, what was Black's best 13th move, and does it call the idea 13 Re3 into question? ANSWER: t was much better to play 13... Qc7!, another idea of Eric Prié's, possibly found after his game with Bauer. Prié later got the chance to play 13... Qc7! in T.Moriuchi-E.Prié, San Sebastian 2005. White responded with 14.f4?!, weakening his pawn structure, and after (The point is that 14.f3? now fails to 14... Qh2! and 14 Bel! may be even better.J 14...Nb6 15.Bb3 000 16.Kf2 Bd5 17.Nxd Nxd5 18.Rf3 Nf6 Black soon opened the kingside and gained the advantage, winning in 29 moves.] . . .
[After 15...Nxc3 16.bxc3 Qxc3+ 17.Bd2 Qxd4 18.Kf2 Bxf3 19.Kxf3 000 20.Rb; or 15...Nxe3 16.Bxe3 Qb6 Black might create more confusion with 16 Ba3!?, but the engines still prefer White, albeit not to any great degree) 7.Kf2 h 8.Rb (or 18.K3, we reach the kind of position described by Anand above, and which is good for White.
NdS
. . .
xc
[Now 16...Nxc3 17.bxc3 Bxc3 18.Rb Bxd4 19.Kxg2 Bxe3 20.Bxe3 brings about an even more favourable scenario for White, who threatens to
14...c would be met by 15.f3, when 15...cxd4? fails to 16.Bb+.] 0
capture on b7, while if 20...0-0-0 then 21.Qc, followed by Qb2, is very strong.]
22.Kxg2 Qg3+ 23.Kf, White threatens 24 Re7+ as well as to capture the knight on hS} then either 22.Be4! (Anandor 22.b5!.}; Finally, 19...0-0-0 can be met by the simple 20.Rxf7 Kb8 21.Qg!.
17.bxc3 Qxc318.Rbl Qxd4 [In the event of 18...Bxf3 19.Qxf3 nserting 19...Nxe3 (19...Qxd4 20.Rxb7 0-0, then 21.Qe4 saves the exchange and wins, as indicated by Anand.{.)) 20.Qxe3 allows White to defend the d4 pawn and threaten Rxb7, while if 20...b6 {20...0-0-0 fails to 21.Rxbl!, exploiting the lose black queen) 21.Bd2 Qa3 22.QeS!, White's activity gives him a decisive advantage.; witching the move rder by 18...Nxe3 19.Bxe3 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 allows White to retain his important central pawn. Then after 20...0-0-0, White activates his pieces with surprising speed: 21.Rb3 QaS 22.Be4! and now 22...Qc7 {22...RhfB? loses at once to 23.xc6! bxc6 24.Qxc6+ Qcl 25.Qa6+ Kdl 26.Rbl) 23.Bf4 Qd7 runs into 24.Bxc6! Qxc6 25.Rc3.]
EXERCISE
(difficult: The black king is still in the centre and White's pieces are active. Is it possible to exploit these factors? f so, how?
20.hG!! This is not the first move that springs to mind. In ChessBase Magazine #60, Anand explained his thought process: "Here 1 saw the possibility of Bg6 and then 1 realized that it didn't work because at a certain moment Black would simply play... Kg8. Then 1 saw the possibility of h6, when...Kg8 could be met by Rg7+!. uddenly, all that remained was to check the details." [To clarify, the first line he saw (which didn't work was 20.Bg6?? Qxd1 e6 Kf8 a (or f+ KB) 22...Ne7 23.Bxe7+ Kg8 and Black wins.]
ANSWER:
19.Rxb7 Rd8 EXERCISE:
The other critica line was 19...Bh3. What did Anand have in mind in that case? ANSWER:
White can exploit the lose black queen once again with 20.Rxf7!. Anand commented that he looked no further, but Lautier auate more eepy: S (defending the queen and threatening to take the rook 21.RfS!! and wins; for example, 21...Nxe3 or 21...c4 22.Rf4!!) 22.Bxe3 Qb2 23.Qe2! threatening BbS+; Anand's 23.Rxc5 0-0 24.Kg3! wins as well) 23...exfS 24.BxcS+ and mates.; In the event of 19...Nf4 20.Kg3 Qd6, White has the nice shot 21.Ba3!, and if 21...Qxa3 while after 21...Nxh5+
20...gxhG? "This gave me a chance to have a really beautiful finish. Black could still fight with...Nxe3, but Joel hadn't seen the idea behind h5h6." [In view of the harsh punishment now meted out, 20...Nxe3 was preferable, though 6
White would still be winning after 21.Bxe3 QeS 22.hxg7 Rg8 23.Qc!, covering the e3-bishop so as to enable Kxg2, while also threatening Qa3; (or similarly 23.Qgl!; Note that White should avoid 23.Bh6? Qh2!.)]
give it back) 24... Kxd8 25.Bxe3 Bh3 26.Rxa7 with an easy win.; 21...Nxe3 22.Bxf7+ Kf8 23.Qxd4 Rxd4 24.Bxe3 wins easily too, threatening Bxh6 mate as well as the rook and bishop.]
d4 Rd4 Rd 1G Ne7
[23.Rxe6 Rd7 24.Rxd7 Kxd7 25.Bxf7 would win, but the text move is simpler, eliminating Black's only active piece.]
[Now if 21...Qxd, Black does get mated: 22.Rxe6+ Kf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Bxf7#.; And there are no better defences: 21...Qxe3+ 22.Bxe3 hxg6 (or 22...fxg6) 23.Qd4 wins with multiple threats.; 21...Qf6 22.Bxf7+ Qxf7 23.Rxf7 Nxe3 24.Qxd8+! retreating the queen is good, but the most practica, and indeed strongest, option is simply to
Rd8 4Rd8+ Kd8 5d [After 25.Bd3 Bh 26.Bb2 Re8 27.Bf6, Black is paralysed and will soon lose material.] 1-0
Anand's good form in this event continued: he won a good game against Gelfand, among others, and finished in first place, half a point ahead of Karpov. After Biel, Anand triumphed again in Belgrade, where he tied for first with vanchuk, and was in excellent form to contest the FIDE World Championship qualification event in Groningen at the end of the year, from which he emerged the winner defeating Predrag Nikolic 2-0, Alexander Khalifman 3Y-2Y decided in the tie-breakers), Zoltan Almasi 2-0, Alexei hirov 1Y-Y, Boris Gelfand 1Y-Y, and Michael Adams 5-4 decided in a sudden-death blitz game) and went on to challenge Karpov, the official FIDE World Champion, in Lausanne.
Game Eight Secon Wor Tite Matc, in Unequa Conitions In the 1997/98 cycle, FIDE conceded an excessive "time advantage to the title-holder, Karpov. After contesting an exhausting seven rounds of knock-out matches that made up the Candidates Tournament in Groningen, Holland, finishing on the 30th of December 1997, the victor then had to face a well-rested World Champion a mere three days later in Lausanne, witzerland. Befre the sixth game, the last to be played at the classical time limit, Karpov was leading the match 3-2. How to approach the game? In such cases the usual recommendation by the great champions is to avoid any theoretical battles, maintain the tension and postpone the struggle to the middlegame and endgame. Anand recalled a similar situation in the 1991 Candidates quarter-finals, also against 62
Karpov, where he was trailing 2-1, and by playing "calm chess he gained winning positions in both the fifth and sixth games. t's also worth recalling the 24th game of Kasparov-Karpov match in Seville in 1987, where only a win was of any use to Kasparov: he played a quiet Réti Opening and gained the needed victory after a tense struggle in which the game was clse to equal for much of its course. Qe7 8.000 a6 9.h4 Bg7 10.g3 b 11.Bh3 b4 12.Nd (10 in 79 moves), V.Korchnoi-A.Karpov, Candidates final (19th matchgame), Moscow 1974.]
D,V • Kv, Tmpwsky Opig A}
8: FIDE World Ch, Lausanne (8), 1998 [Znón Frano]
s G 2 7
1.d4 Nf6 2
The Trompowsky! commented Anand, who couldn't bring himself to play a RÉti, as Kasparov had done; but this choice seemed very appropriate, given that at the time the theory largely consisted of games by Hodgson, and there were no long forcing lines that led to a draw.Julian Hodson bean to play the Trompowsky after seeing it in Spanish open tournaments in the 1980s, in which he frequently participated, but he went on to popularize it and give it his personal stamp. [t's notable that in Karpov's heyday, when he lost very infrequently, he suffered three defeats against this type of opening (Trompowsky or Torre Attack). Karpov had a bad result in another important game: after 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg e 4.e3, he made an error known since the Petrosian era by playing
UESTIO: Explain to me what's
happening here. How does White intend to deploy his pieces? ASWER: 7 Bc4 was suggested by
Yusupov, who was one of Anand's seconds. The idea is to castle on the kinside but develo the kniht to e2 instead of f3, where it would be constantly subject to harassment by ...g5-g4; for this White needs to develop the bishop first. From e2 the knight might go to g3 and h later. [7.000 was Hodgson's usual preference.] 7 82 7 9l 7 10.0-0 0-0-0
4 b?!, which i a wak mov on ...
account of 5.d! exd 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Nxd Bb7 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.c3 00 10.Bc4 (10 in 37 moves), A.Yusupov-A.Karpov, Candidates semi-final (4th matchgame), London 1989.] 2e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3
[A second defeat against Korchnoi cae after 5.Nf3 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Qd2
[On 10...00, Anand was intending 63
11.Qe3 with ideas of f2-f4, as well as Ng3-h5.]
EXERCISE: Why not 13 b4 now?
EXERCISE: What plan should White adopt to try to attack the black king?
ANSWER: Black could reply to 13.b4? with 13... 13...QgS QgS and the exchange of queens would leave the white pieces uncoordinated, while retreating to c3 or e doesn't look very attractive.]
ANSWER: 11.b! [Anand didn't consider 11.b4 to be dangerous for Black: after 11...g4 12.bS Na 13.Bd3 hS (or , , the black position is slid, since there is no immediate contact between the pawns 15 years later the engines agree with this evaluation). Therefore White seeks to provoke Black into creating weaknesses, after which b4-b5 will be a pawn break that forces open lines.
13...gxf3 ...gxf3 14.xf3 e7 15.c3 h 16.dfl df8 17.b4 a7 Anand didn't consider this to be a bad move, "but it perhaps shows an over-developed sense of danger." 18.c2 Bh6 19.el Kb8 20.Bd3 Bc6! The two bishops and the half-open g-file give Black counterplay.
11... 11...a6 a6 QUESTION: Anand didn't comment on this move; can you explain to me why Black didn't choose the more slid 11...Kb8?
21.f4 fg8 [f 21...eS, White can simply capture the h-pawn with 22.NxhS, when neither Anand nor the engines see any problems arising from opening the h-file.]
ANSWER: The king move avoids giving White a 'hook', that's true, but White can continue with 12.dS Ne7 13.QaS, forcing 13... 13...BxbS BxbS 14.BxbS, when the black king is short of defenders.
22.d [Now 22.NxhS would be met by 22.. 22... . .J 22...Be8 ...Be8 [22... [22...Bxf4? Bxf4? is weak because of 23.dxc6 {? is good for Black 23... 23...Bxh2+ Bxh2+ { { is no better while after .cxbl, White aompishes his task of weakening the opponent's castled position 24.Kxh2 Nxc6 25.Rh3 NeS 26.Be2 QgS 27.Ne3 h4 (or + + } 28.Qf2 and "White can slowly consolidate." Anand)]
12.a3 Now the plan of c2-c3 and b2-b4 is definitely on White's agenda.
12 g Black shows that he, too, can expand on the kingside; [it is a good practica! decision, although Anand later said that playing for ...f7-f5 ...f7-f5 was better, and specifically that " 12... 12 ...Qg6 Qg6 13.f3 fS appears more effective than the plan Karpov chose."] ...
23.f2 [After 23.NxhS?, Anand also added
13.f4
64
the line 23.. 23...fS .fS (Anand originally suggested 23... 23... QgS, on the basis that Black has an excellent position and very good play on on the g- and h-files h-files.. But as he later noted, 24.Nf4! is better if N3 the h6-bishop JOms the offensive with planning... ... Qh4 Bl planning or... or ...Be5} Be5} when 24... 24 ...eS?! eS?! fails to 25.Rg3 and White relieves the pressure by exchanging rooks.) 24.Nf4 e5 25.Ne6 f4 26.c4 (White is willing to give up the exchange on f3 in return for a strong knight on e6 that will guarantee hi counterplay on the queenside queenside)) 26... Qh7 27.bS "and White's attack develops quite fast", but today's engines play 27... 27 ...BgS BgS 28.h3 Bh4 and 'deand proof'.]
29.Nxg8 Qxd3 30.Nxh6 exd4 31.Nf7 Re8.] In 1998, writing in New in Chess, Anand was enthusiastic about this ove, saying that White has successfully neutralized the two bishops. In the book of his best gaes, written three years later, he is less enthusiastic, and in fact lets the ove pass without coent. EXERCISE:
What's the best way to
defend e6? According to Anand, this is Black's first inaccuracy.
Karpov should not have issed the opportunity to exchange the decentralized a7-kniht with 24... 24...NbS!, NbS!, when 25.dxe6 Nxd4 26.cxd4 fxe6 is satisfactory for Black. ANSWER:
G G There is nothing better. [f 28.Rg3, then 28... ...h4 h4 is awkward.] (tactical, difficult): What is Black's best response? EXERCISE
[After 23... ...h4 h4 24.Nd4 Bxf4 or Bdl 5N5 heading for f6} 25.Rxf4 Nc8 or 5 5 l 3 8 27.Rf2) 6c4 etc, White has soe advantage, according to Anand.; However, the engines dispute one of finding these lines, unclear coplications after 23... 23...h4 h4 24.Nd4 Bd7 25.NhS e5! 26.Rxf7 (N5?! Q5 Nx x 8N x 9x B3 favours Black 26... 26 ... Qe8; for instance, 27.Rxd7 Qxd7 28.Nf6 (8N B5 isn't satisfactory for White 28... 28 ...Qh3
S Anand noted that, iediately ater making this move, Karpov griaced, as if he'd just realized that he'd overlooked soething. t was actually two things: the possibility of 30 Nf7 in the gae continuation, and the defensive resource ...Nc8 ... Nc8 below. The correct continuation for Black was 28... 28 ...Rxg6!. Rxg6!. White would have to liit hiself to 29.Bxg6 (Karpov ANSWER:
65
rejected this because of 29.Rf8+, missing that he could play 29... 29 ...Nc8 Nc8 (in 29... ... RxfB! 30.QxfB+ Nc8 31.xg6 fact 29 QgS! is even more accurate) 30.Bxg6 Rxf8 31.Qxf8 QgS!, winning material. 29... 29 ...Bxf3 Bxf3 30.Qxf3 dxeS 31.dxeS Qxb4 31... ... Nc6?! 32.6 and White has (not 31 an edge) 32.Qf6 with an unclear position.
The white b-pawn is less important than the black h-pawn. With this move White threatens a discovery, but the main point of it is to defend the bishop. [nstead, 33.a3?! would allow 33... 33 ...h4.] h4.] b4 b4 4bl a4 5h G [35 ...Qxa2 ...Qxa2 36.Qe2 ! Qxe2 otherwise White takes on a6 37.Bxe2 is also hopeless.]
h "uddenly 1 was back in the match!!" wrote Anand in New in Chess. Now it was just a matter of technique, though he needed to calm his nerves.
e Ka7 7 b ntending ...Nb4, ...Nb4, with a glimmer of hope. l Now Black must defend the c7square.
7 h4 This is the only move that gives Black any practica chances of saving the game. [30... [30...Bxg2 Bxg2 offers no resistance after 31.Nxd8 Be4+ 32.Qg3 Rxg3+ 33.hxg3 Bxd3 34.Rf8!.]
Kb7 Kb7 h Although there are several winning moves, Anand doesn't neglect the ractica asect; White makes all the necessary prophylactic moves, befre mounting his final offensive.
[Not 31.Qxh4?? Rxg2+ 32.Kh Rf2+ and Black draws.]
d4 d4 Khl d
EXERCISE: Against 39... 39...Nb4, Nb4, it is good enough simply to retreat the bishop, but there is something more forceful what is it? ANSWER: The most convincing answer is 40.Nd6+!, followed by 41 Qf7! and wins, whether or not Black takes the knight. 4G d4 4d ["I saw that 41.Nd6+ won as well ... ... but Karpov has swindled far too many points from me over the years, so 1 looked for something less complicated" was Anand's comment. imilarly, the earlier 39 Nd6+! and 40 Qf7+ was also decisive.]
EXERCISE: There are several pawns en prise which is the most important? What is White's best move? ANSWER: dl 66
[Karpov resigned, since 42.Nxe6 Qa3 43.Rdl aows Back no hope.] 1-0
41... KbS 42.NxeG
Athough Anand admitted that the game was not of the highest quaity, he was proud to have pued through in a desperate, 'must-win situation, thus drawing the main match 3-3 and forcing a rapidpay tie-breaker. Unfortunatey, Anand faied to take his chances in the pay-off and ost both games, which meant that with a fina score of 5-3, Karpov retained his tite. Later that month, January 1998, Anand returned to traditiona tournament pay in Wijk aan Zee, coming joint first with Kramnik. At the same time he tried to withdraw from the Linares event (Category XXI), due to take pace in February, on the grounds that he was too tired. However, the organizer convinced him that this woud have a very negative impact on the tournament, so Anand agreed to pay after a. In the first few rounds in Linares his resuts were better than his pay, but befre the fina three rounds he had two rest days, after which he payed very we and eventuay emerged in first pace, ahead of Shirov, Kasparov and Kramnik.
Game Nine
Wld mpi t ist Tim Fu of renewed optimism, Anand set off to compete in the FIDE Word Championship tournament. The first six rounds took pace in New Dehi from the 27th of November to the 15th of December 2000. Anand started in the second stage and he defeated, in succession, Viktor Boogan, Smbat Lputian and Bartoomeij Macieja, 1Y-Y. In the quarter-finas he overcame Aexander Khaifman 3Y-2Y (in the tie-breakers); then in the semi-finas (over four games) he beat Michae Adams 2Y-1Y. The fina against Aexei Shirov was due to be contested in Tehran over six games, between the 20th and 27th of December. After three games, Anand was eading 2Y-Y and, requiring just one more point for victory, he "decided just to pay normay and forget about the score. On the rest day prior to the fourth game Anand spent soe time checking a Shirovs openings and noted that he had been paying the French Defence quite a ot, incuding severa games against Anand himsef. DAnand,V •hirov,A
1.e4 [Compare 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 Bb4 8.e4 Bxe4 9.fxe4 Nxe4 10.Bd2 Qxd4 11.Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12.Qe2 Bxd2+ 13.Kxd2 with the ine after 19...Qxe2+
h Df {C11 9: FIDE Word Ch, Tehran (4), 2000
[Zenón Franco] 67
etc below. In the position that could have arisen in our game the black pawns would be weaker.]
scope of the hrook. [Shirov had also played the white side of this variation and carried out another typical advance, 10.b4, seeking to stabilize the pawn structure after 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 00, but in fact it isn't so easy to consolidate the position.]
1...eG 2.d d 3.c3 fG .es [In their exhibition game at the Sydney Olympics, Anand had played 4.Bg, but he admitted that he didn't get much out of the opening.]
10...00 11.h3 [Two years later Shirov's line was met by 11.b4, an idea of the Latvian Grandmaster Zigurds Lanka. The game V.Bologan-A.Vaisser, French Team Championship 2002, continued 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 a 13.b. t's best to accept the pawn with 13...Qxb!, and after (On its debut the pawn was declined with 13...Nd8?! 14.Nc3 a4?! (compare this with Shirov-Gurevich above: instead of sacrificing on e, Black has passively retreated his knight) 1.Bd3 f 16.Qc2 h 17.Nxa4 Qa7 18.Nc3 Nb6 19.a4 when White emerged with an extra pawn and a clear advantage.{.-- 14.Nc3 Qb6 1.Rb1 Qd8 16.Bd3, Christian Bauer successfully upheld Black's cause in V.Bologan-Ch.Bauer, Belfort 2002 (01 in 48 moves), befre switching to the white side in Ch.Bauer-E.Bareev, Enghien les Bains 2003, with an eventual draw (Y-Y in 44 moves).]
...fd7 .ce2 Anand and Shirov had twice previously contested this line, in Len (computer-assisted) and Frankfurt (rapid), with Anand winning both times. Anand also won against Bareev in the FIDE World Cup, but without gaining any advantage from the opening, which was why he switched to 4 Bg in Sydney game, played only days later in the same month. But now the players resume their old 'debate'. s...cs 6.f [Anand played 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f6 8.Nf4 against Bareev, but this isn't very dangerous for Black;whereas 84 at this point is risky for White. 6...c6 Played quickly; [6...cxd4 is another option, but Shirov had prepared an improvement over their Frankfurt encounter.] 7.c3 bG .f3 f6 n unimportnt trnpoition; [t Frankfurt game had gne 8...Be7 9.a3 00 10.h4 f6.] 9.a3 Be7 10.h QUESTION: Why this move? ANSWER: t prevents the counter strike...g7-g, while increasing the 68
13.egl EXERCISE: How can Black create counterplay on the queenside?
EXERCISE (difficult, both positional and tactical): Now that Black has moved his queen, how should he continue?
ANSWER: 11...a! [An improvement on 11...NaS?!, which Anand criticized because it releases the pressure on d4. After 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4 Nc4 14.Ng3, as in V.Anand-A.hirov, Frankfurt (rapid) 2000, White can make progress on the kingside, while the strong knight on c4 isn't very important because it can't link up with Black's other forces.After the text move, White is prevented from expanding with b2-b4 and the centre remains in a state of tension, which is in Black's favour.]
13...a4? Not like this. hirov thinks the moment has come to demolish the centre by sacrificing soe material, but this idea will fail. ANSWER: Both Anand in 2001 and the engines in 2013 agree that Black's best course is to play the positional 13...b6, preparing to exchange his 'bad' bishop; when the attacking try 14.Bd3?! fails to (14.Be3 Ba6 15.Bxa6 Rxa6 is about equal... -- 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 (Bh+ Kh + h+ K8 8h loses to 8 9 + 0 B} 15...fxeS 16.fxeS Nxd4! or , utilizing the check on c3 that Anand mentioned. Another idea is 13... Rb8, intending...b7-b5-b4, which is approved by the engines who don't see any dangers for the black king.
12.b3 [12.Ng3 can now be answered by 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 fxe5 14.fxeS after , White's attack can make no progress and the weaknesses in his own camp, including the monarch, give Black the advantage; e.g. B h and the f pawn falls 14... Rxf3! (a typical 'French combination') 15.gxf3 Nxd4 16.f4 Nb3 or B with great compensation.
14.b4 fxe 15.fxe dxe EXERCISE: The black queen has fulfilled her task on b6 and should now retreat, to make way for the d7-knight or else allow the b-pawn to advance. What is the best square for the queen?
QUESTION: Is Black really orced to sacrifice here? ANSWER: Yes. In this position such radical measures are necessary because, as Anand wrote, "if White can consolidate his centre, then his kingside attack will be overwhelming; for example, 15...cxd4 16.cxd4 Ndxe5 17.dxeS Nxe5 18.Bb2 " and White's advantage is clear.
ANSWER: 12... c7! This was hirov's new idea. [12... Qd8 had been played previously, but the queen is better on c7, because "there are possibilities of... Qc3+ in soe lines", according to Anand; i.e. combinations based on capturing on d4 and culminating in... Qc3+.]
16.dxe xe
69
should still count for more after 19.BgS.] What is the response that White has here? EXERCISE:
good
ANSWER: 19.Kdl!
The difference is that the best that Black now has is to exchange queens, when his pawns would be less threatening. [Of course not 19.Rxh4? Qxc3+.] EXERCISE (tactical and positional):
How should defences?
White
reorganize
UESTION: Exchange the queens?
his
Why? 19...QfG?
ANSWER: 17.xe!
In principe, exchanging pieces can ease the defence; in this case it activates the black queen, so it is vital that the tactics work for White. From the ositional of view what we have here is a typical case of a 'superfluous piece'; i.e. when two pieces (two knights in most cases) are treading on each other's toes. Other things being equal it is appropriate to exchange one of them. [nstead, 17.Qe2?! would allow 17... Ng4, planning...e6-e5 and leaving the gknight out of the game.]
ANSWER: Avoiding the exchange
makes White's task easier, as we shall see. t was preferable to play 19...Qxe2+ 20.Bxe2 Bf2 21.Be3 eS 22.Bxf2 Rxf2 23.Rg3, although White would be comfortably better. This reminded Anand of the line in the Slav Defence where Black also gains three pawns for the piece (see d4 above).
17...Qxe+ 18.Qe2 Bxh4+? UESTION: Why award this move
with a question mark when it wins a third pawn for the piece? ANSWER: The extra pawn has little
influence at this stage of the struggle and, after White's good response, Black's attack evaporates. [Anand suggested 18...Qc7!, with the idea of...e6-e5, when the white king would be unable to find safety anywhere, although he thought that the piece
How can it be demonstrated that not exchanging queens was a mistake? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 20.f3!
With 70
this
developing
move,
attacking the bishop but only after calculating correctly that the capture on c3 is not to be feared.
e [f 26...c4, then 27.Bd4 blockades the pawns and White wins easily.]
?! [After the superior 20...g5, White gains the advantage with 21.Nxh4 Qxf+ 22.Qxf Rxf+ 23.Ke2 Rxc 24.Rxc gxh4 25.Rxh4, and although Black has two pawns for the exchange, the white rooks "have all the open files they need !" (Anand)]
N [There are several other ways to win, such as 27.Nxb3 Bg6 28.Be2 Rf2 29.Kd Bc2+ or 29...Rxg2 30.Rg4} 30.Kxc2 Rxe2+ 31.Kb c4 32.Nd4 Rxg2 33.Rh Re8 34.Re, planning Re2, Kc2 etc.; White could even give a piece back with 27.bxc5 exd2+ 28.Kxd2.]
1 Now if Black retreats the bishop, then either Ne5 or Nd2 traps the queen, so White wins a second piece. The game is already decided but, owing to its competitive significance, play continued.
e d This wastes a little time; [28.Be2; or 28.Bb5 was more precise but it isn't really important.]
es [Or if 22...Bf6, then followed by Ne5 or Nd2.]
e e eG 1 G h d d d d [35.Rd was another way, followed by Bxd2, or if 35...e2 then 36.Rxd2 Rxf3 37.Rxe2.]
23.Bxf6,
h The clearest practica option. Anand saw that he could force the exchange of queens and win the ending, so he didn't bother analysing anything else. [After the game he cae to the conclusion that he could have won more quickly with 23.Nd2 Bxh3 24.Nxb3 Rf2 or 24... Bg4 25.Qxg4 Rxfl+ 26.Kc2 axb3+ 27.Kxb3 c4+ 28.Ka2 and Black's pawns begin to fall 25.Qb5 Bg5+ 26.Kbl Bf5+ 2.Bd3 axb3 28.Bxf5 Rxf5 29.bxc5.]
[Nerves prevented Anand from playing 36.Kc2 immediately.] S [f 37...g4, White wins with 38.Nd4 Rf2 39.Rd e2 40.Nxe2 Rxe2 41.Rxd2, among other things.] d eS h 1Nh
EXERCISE: Why not the centralizing 41 Nd4?
S d e Nd As Anand indicated, while it will take soe time to win all of Black's pawns, the evaluation of the position is clear: White should win.
ANSWER: This was the last pitfall. 41.Nd4?? obstructs the bishop on the long diagonal; the continuation would have been 41...dQ+! 42.Rxd Rd2+! and Black is back in the match.After playing 41 Nh4, Anand left the stage; 71
on his return, Shirov resigned and congratulated him on becoming World
Champion... for the first time. 1-0
Winning the FIDE World Championship was the highlight of Anand's chess career so far. t had a great impact, and not just in India, where he received many accolades and chess became even more popular. Anand was the first world champion since 1972 from outside the former Soviet Bloc. He was also the first world champion from Asia, so it was hardly surprising that his win received great publicity in other Asian countries, such as Malaysia. On his return to his base in Madrid, Anand was interviewed by all the most important communication media. In 2001, Anand made his debut as World Champion at Wijk aan Zee.
GameTen Th Hmm Th Raymond Keene's book Leonid Stein: Master of Attack contains a chapter entitled "The Hammer of Thor in which he expresses his surprise and admiration for the large number of miniatures (games of 25 moves or less) won by Stein, including soe against very strong players. In Anand's praxis this type of lightning victory is rather infrequent. He began the 2001 tournament in Wijk aan Zee with a draw and a win, followed by eight more draws, so the prospects of a good final result seemed out of reach - until the eleventh round cae to his aid with, in the spirit of Stein, "The Hammer of Thor. rapidplay game. Mamedyarov subsequently found a more appropriate response in the shape of 14...b6!, opening another front as soon as possible. He gained good play after (In V.AnandS.Mamedyarov, Benidorm (rapid) 2003, Black failed to react in the best way and was overwhelmed after 14...Bxh2+?! 15.Kxh2 Qxh4+ 16.Kg Qd8 (now Black's lack of development gives White enough compensation, and Anand launched his attack with great speed) 17.Qe3 b6 18.Qg3! (threatening to take on h6) 18...Kh8 19.Qh2! Qf8 20.Bf4! (all White's last few moves have come with gain of tempo, and his rook is ready to come into play) 20...Nd7
DAnand,V • Piket,J
Ptff Df C42 10: Wijk aan Zee, 2001
[Zenón Franco] 1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 NfG 3.NxeS dG 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 dS 6.Bd3 BdG 7 .0-0 0-0 8.c4 cG 9.Rel Re8 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4 [We'll come back to 11...Rxe+ 12.Qxe h6 13.c Bc7 later on. (So please skip the following for now.)The position is very similar to the one reached after Black's 14th move in our main game. Anand cae up with 14.Nh4!?, which is not quite as strong here but is equally dangerous in a 2
21.Rel Nf6 22.Bd6! Qg8.
with a doube attack on h7 and b7. This coud even end tragicomicay: if Back tries to defend h7 by 16...h6??, then White has 17.Bh7+ Kh8 18.Nxf7#.]
EXECISE: What now? What did Anand come up with here to increase his initiative? ASWE: There are severa attractive moves, given White's greater freedom of movement. One possibiity is 23.Be7!, making room for the queen to head for d6 or c7.{Another idea is to invade with 23.Rel.; However, Anand didn't deviate from his attacking pan and payed 23./3! to restrict the f6knight and prepare g2-g4-g5.J 15.Nf5 Be6 (maintaining the tension; athough 15...Bx/5 16.Bx/5 bxc5 17.dxc5 Na6 was satisfactory here, foowed by...Qf8, attacking c5} 16.Ba3 Nd7 17.cxb6 axb6 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 20.Kxh2 Qc7+ 21.Kgl Rxa3, when White had sighty more active pieces but a weak structure D.Stewaen-S.Mamedarov Wijk aan Zee 2005 (Y-Y in 39 moves).]
EXECISE difficut): The spirit of 'the Hammer of Thor' heped Anand here, but he aso heped himsef since he had prepared a strong idea. Can you find it? ASWE: h4 [White achieved an advantage in the endgame after 15.Qe3 Qe6 16.h3 Qxe3 17.fxe3 Be6 18.Bf4 Bxf4 19.exf4 b6 20.Rbl! bxc5 21.Ng5! in B.Socko D.ppoito, Word unior Champ, Kozhikode 1998, and he went on to win; this game iustrates the probems created by the deay in deveoping the b8-knight.
g + [13...Qc8 is the aternative, empoyed frequenty by GM Rozentais. QUESO: The queen is more passive there than on d7, so what is the positive side of 13...Qc8? ASWE: After 14.c5 Bf8, the move 15.Ne5 no onger gains a tempo by attacking the back queen; whie 13 so s t sn tt it tks away the natura deveoping square d7) from the b8-knight.]
That continuation QUESTIO: seems quite good, so why is it better to poy t knit on t of t board?
...
ASWE: The text move is an attempt to derive greater benefit in the middegame from the uncomfortabe position of the back pieces. Among other detais that wi become cearer ater, we can note that the queen impedes the deveopment of the b8-
4 EXECISE: Now 14...Bf8 is bad why? ASWE: Because then 15.Ne5 Qc8 16.Qbl! is strong, winning materia 7
knight and now the g4-bishop can no longer go to f5.]
either, as the bishop will then get in the way of Black's other pieces after 17...Bd7 or e etc.
15 ... hG This doesn't provide an escape hole, but at least the pawn is less exposed than on h7. [Anand indicated that "after 15...Na6 16.h3, Black hasn't solved the problem of his knight."]
EXERCISE: In view of all this, what was Black's best defensive idea? ANSWER: Given that developing the knight to d7 proves impossible, it was best to play 16 ...Na6!, because "it's imperative to get the rook out", as Anand said. The idea is to play... Re8 and then recycle the badly placed a6knight via c7 or b8. Admittedly, this plan takes time, but it's a question of priorities; the absence of the queen's rook from the defence will be more serious.]
16.Bd2 d8?
EXERCISE: how Anand's behind the move 15 Nh4.
idea
ANSWER: 17.f4! This was the other idea behind the knight move, in addition to controlling f5. There is now a threat to incarcerate the bishop with 18 f5, followed by h2h3 and g2-g4.
This attacks the h4-knight and it looks as if Black will finally be able to play ...Nd7. The idea isn't bad as we mentioned earlier, a 'knight on the rim' is rarely well placed but it fails for tactical reasons.
17...Bc This retreat is a bad sign, but there was nothing better. [17...Nd7 cuts off the bishop's line of retreat, so 18.h3 Bh5 19.g4 would follow;; on the other hand, 17...Bd7 would leave the b8knight still with no way out.Let's go back and examine te position after 11... Rxe+ (instead of 11...Bg4) 12 Qxe h6 13 c5 Bc7 above.]
EXERCISE: How can it be shown that the knight move was still a good one if Black attacks it another way: with 16...Bd8?
ANSWER: lagging Black's development and the weakness of his back rank allow the nice shot 17.NfS!, heading for d6 while threatening Qe5. After 17...BxfS 18.BxfS Qxf5 (el loses to 9xel xel 0) 19.Qe8+ Kh7 20.Qxd8, White threatens Re with decisive effect; Black's queenside still slumbers and 20...Qd7 21.Qf8 doesn't help.; 16...Qc8 17.h3 is no solution
18.g3 b6 QUESTION: f Black was preparing 18...Nd7, why didn't he play it here? ANSWER: One of the ideas behind 74
18 Qg3, putting pressure on g7, was precisely to impede that move, as well as to prepare to bring the white rook into the heart of the struggle. 18...Nd7 would have been answered by 19.NfS Qf6 20.Re! Nf8 {or K + 21.Re8 and there is no defence against the threat of 22 Ne7+, other than giving up the exchange by 21...BxfS (since ?? runs into 22.Rxa8.
ANSWER: 21.Be3! As is usually the case, the simplest way is the best. The bishop wasn't doing much on d2, so it heads for d4, to increase the pressure on g7. [Alternatively, 21.Ng6!? was tempting, but White's advantage after 21...QxcS+ 22.Kh Bd7 would be less than he achieves with the game continuation.]
21...Na6 [After 21...Nd7 22.Bd4, there is no good defence against 23 Re8.]
EXERCISE: The attempt to expel the white pieces with 18...Qf8 19.Re Bd8 doesn't work either; what is the most convincing reply?
22.Bd4 gS
ANSWER: 20.Ng6! fxg6 21.Qxg6 is decisive. The threat is 22 Re8, and if Black plays 21...Be7, White draws out the king with 22.Qh7+ Kf7 23.Bg6+ Kf6 and now there are several ways to win: 24.g4 mates in eight moves according to the engines;(but "the prettiest line", according to Anand, is h 5 5 h + and mate follows.)
EXERCISE: What is the quickest way to deal with this desperate attempt to prevent 23 Re8? ANSWER: 23.Qf2! Not the only way, but the clearest. [With 23.Qf2 No better is 23...Bxf4, since White can win with either a) White unpins, so as to be able to play 23...-- 24.fxgS hxgS 25.Qf6.; b After 23...gxh4 24.Qxh4 threatening Qf6 or Qg3+ 24...fS, the most direct win is 25.Re8! (Anand's intended 5h is equally decisive) 25...Qxe8 26.Qg3+ Kf7 27.Qg7+ Ke6 28.Qf6+ Kd7 29.BxfS+.; 24.Qc2 threatening Bh7 mate (or h 5 with imminent victory on the g-file.) 1-0
19.Rel bxcS 20.dxcS Qf8 EXERCISE: White has all his pieces in play, but he needs something a bit special to tilt the scales in his favour, befre Black's sleeping queenside awakens. What is the most effective plan?
fter this win cae another in the penultimate round against Jan Timman, and in the final round Anand beat Loek Van Wely. With these three consecutive victories Anand claimed clear second place behind Kasparov. In the rest of 2001 Anand competed in soe rapidplay events and, in May, won a double-round quadrangular in Merida, Mexico, ahead of Alexander Khalifman, Nigel hort and the local representative, Gilberto Hernandez. ubsequently he played in Dortmund, where he had one of his worst ever performances, losing four games and finishing in last place.
75
In Moscow, starting on the 27th of November, Anand defended his world title. He eliminated Olivier Touzane 2-1 (after surprisingly losing the first game), Peter Heine Nielsen 1-, Vladimir Tkachiev 2-1, Alexey Dreev 1-, and Alexei Shirov 1- (in the quarter-final), befre losing 2-1 in the semi-final to vanchuk, who in turn lost the final to Ruslan Ponomariov.
Game Eleven d iumph i h FIDE ld up Anand began 2002 with an insipid result in Linares, scoring 50%, to finish in a tie for third place, behind Kasparov and Ponomariov. In September, Anand defended his title of FIDE World Cup winner, which he had gained in Shenyang 2000, by beating Bareev in the final. The second World Cup, played in Hyderabad, comprised 24 contestants for the second and last time; from 2005 on there were to be 128 contestants. After qualifying from the group stages, Anand overcame Vladimir Malakhov 1- in the quarter-finals and Alexey Dreev 3-2 in the semi-final, befre going on to confront Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the final. Kasimdzhanov was subsequently crowned FIDE World Champion himself in 2004 and, much later, became one of Anand's seconds in his world title matches.
QUESTION: Here Black develops a
DAnand,V • Kasimdzhanov,R
piece with gain of tempo, so isn't 9.Qc2 inferior to 9.Re?
Ptff Df C42 11: FIDE WC Final, Hyderabad (2), 2002
[Zenón Franco]
ANSWER: t's true that 9...Na6 forces White to 'waste' a tempo with a2-a3, but we saw in soe lines of the previous game that the development of the knight to a6 isn't ideal, since it's inactive there. Black will need to redeploy it towards the centre as soon as possible for it to have any influence. On the other hand, a2-a3 isn't completely useless, since it allows a timely expansion with b2-b4-b5.
1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 Nf6 Kasimdzhanov had frequently used the Petroff, including against Ye Jiangchuan in the quarter-finals, so Anand was prepared for it. 3.NxeS d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 dS 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 9.Qc2 After analysing several possibilities Anand decided to follow the same line as Ye Jiangchuan. [We saw 9.Re in the previous game.]
10.a3 Re8 [Nowadays, 10... Bg4; and 10...f5 are the main moves here.]
9...Na6 11.Nc3 BfS 76
repeat the weak 12...Qf6?, as in F.Lornje-V.Meijers, Leningrad 1989, since White wins material with the simple 13.cxd Nxc3 14.Rxe8+ Rxe8 15.Bxf.; He looked at 12...Bg4, played in V.Bologan-M.Konopka, European Cup, Panormo 2001; note that 13.Nxe4 with the possible continuation 13.Ne Bxe5 14.dxe Nac5 15.Nxe4 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Bf5 17.cxd cxd5 18.Nf6+ Qxf6 19.Qxd5;{.-- while the engines suggest 13.cxd as a potential improvement; 13...dxe4 14.Bxe4? (as after 11...Bg4 above) but x is reasonable fails here to 14...Bxf3 15.gxf3 f5, since the bishop is pinned to the rook.
[Both players gained a lot of experience with this line, which was quite fashionable for a while. The usual continuation was 11...Bg4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Bxe4 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Qh4 15.g3 Qxd4 16.Be3 Qf6 17.Be4 and now: Something similar took place in R.Kasimdzhanov-V.Akopian, FIDE Grand Prix (rapid), Moscow 2002: after 17...g6 (V.Anand-J.Piket, Montecarlo (blindfold rapid) 2001, continued 17...h6 18.b4 Nc7 19.Rad, when White's trumps are obvious: two bishops, more active pieces, pressure on the queenside (10 in 51 moves).{.-- 18.b4 Nc7 19.Rad a5 20.b Bxa3 or 0xbS S S b xb with a strong passed pawn and the advantage, T.Nedev S.Safin, World Team Championship, Yerevan 2001} 21.bxc6! bxc6 22.Bd4 Qe6.
QUESTION: What is the advantage
of 12...h6 over these moves? ANSWER: The obvious answer is
EXERCISE: How did White justify his
that it's always useful to create an escape hle for the king, but the real justification is more complex and is based on tactics connected with the capture on e4, when control of g5 is very important, as we'll see.]
pawn sacrifice? ANSWER: 23.Ba! created serious
problems for the black king along the long diagonal and Akopian soon shed material (10 in 61 moves).]
13.cs 12.Rel Putting more pressure on e4. [nstead, 12.Be3 had been played in the above-mentioned Ye Jiangchuan Kasimdzhanov game five days earlier, but this move places fewer demands on Bak Aftr Bg6 B7 4N Nb8! (solving the familiar problem of the inactive knight) 15.Bf4 Nd7 16.Bxc7 Qxc7 17.Nh4 Nef6 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.b4 Re7 20.Qc Rae8, the harmony among the black pieces was evident, and Kasimdzhanov won in 58 moves.]
QUESTION: This move releases the
central tension, so isn't it a slight concession? Why not just carry out the threat and invite Black to prove compensation for the pawn? ANSWER: Well, yes, this move does
release the tension, but it also gains space, and a future advance with b4-b5 will come with greater force. Another reason for clarifying the position in the centre is simply that the alternatives are no better. [The first line to consider is, as you suggested, taking on e4, but 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Bxe4 Qe7 15.Bg
12...hG! [Anand didn't really expect Black to 77
(thanks to 12...h6!, after the flurry of tactics this bishop will be en prise; but 15.Bf4 Bxe416.Bxd6 is worse, since the neat zwischenzug 16...Qe6! wins material) Apart from this simple variation, Anand gave preference to the more spectacular 15...Qxe4! and now 15...Bxe4 16.Bxe7 Bxh2+ 17.Kxh2 Bxc2 is fine for Black.(... --)) 16.Rxe4 Bxe4 17.Qb3 hxg5 18.NxgS Rab8! 19.cS 19.Nxe4 ( Rxe4 20.Rdl "is probably about equal") 19...BdS 20.Qd3 Bf4! 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.h4 (in this line the engines prefer 22.Qh+ Ke 23.Qxg, but after 23...BxgS 24.QxgS+ Kd, they aren't able to demonstrate a convincing way forward; the kingside pawns can't easily advance, while Black is ready to bring the a6-knight back into play) 22...BxgS 23.hxgS g6 with equal chances in a position with an unusual material balance.
with the better game in either case.)) 15...Bxe4 16.Bxe4.
EXERCIE: White has only one pawn for the exchange, but he has the bishop pair and a powerful grip on the light squares, while Black still suffers from a badly placed knight. o why did Anand reject this? ANWER: Because Black can slve his greatest problem with 16 ...Nb8! and White seems unable to exploit the loss of time involved; for example, after Nd7 17.Bd3 18.Bc4 Qf6!, overprotecting h6, the black pieces are harmoniously placed.] 14...BaS?! Black is reluctant to give up his outpost on e4 and thinks that tactics will come to his aid, but it's a mistake. [t was necessary to play 14...Nxd2 15.Rxe8+ (to prevent the black queen from becoming active after 15.Qxd2 6} 15...Qxe8 16.Nxd2 Bxd3 17.Qxd3, when the position is approximately equal, although Anand commented that "White can press on the queenside with b4-b5."]
EXERCIE: Why did Anand reject advancing with 13.b4? ANWER: 14.axb4 Nxb4 Nd6, followed has excellent piece: three position.]
Because of 13...Bxb4! 15.Qb Nxd3 16.Qxd3 by...Nxc4, when Black compensation for the pawns and a good
15.Bf4 The simplest and most practica response, activating the bishop on the diagonal that Black unwisely abandoned. [Anand pointed out that xe lso gve hite sore albeit great advantage, after complications. The main line runs 15...dxe4 16.Bxa6! ( 16.Bxe4 Bxe4 17.Rxe4 Rxe4 18.Qxe4 fails to 18...Bxd2 19.Nxd2 Nxc5!} 16...exf3 17.Rxe8+ Qxe8 18.QxfS Bxd2 19.Bc4! fxg2 20.dS cxd5 21.QxdS!.
13 ...Bc 14.Bd2 Once again it was possible to take on e4, but Anand wasn't convinced by this; inste, he eie to onnet his rooks, finally threatening to win a pawn by taking on e4, which he thought would force Black to exchange his annoying e4-knight. [After 14.Nxe4 dxe4 Another idea for White was to sacrifice the exchange with 15.Rxe4 15.Bxe4, Black can create one awkward pin with 15...Qe7 (or another with15...Rxe416.Rxe4 Qd517.Nd2 Rd8
EXERCIE: The obvious 15.b4 is 78
unpromising why?
After 17...Ne6 18.Be3 f6 19.Nf3, the most accurate move appears to be 19...Bh7!, panning a timey...b7-b6 or...Qa5; (whereas 19...b6 at once can be met by 20.h4 Bh7 21.f3 4g5 22.Bxh+ xh7 23.f with advantage to White.
ANSWER: l'm sure you wi have noticed that our famiiar 15...Bxb4! is even better now. Then 16.Nxe4 is necessary (16.axb4? is bad on account of 16...xb4 17.bl xd2}, but after 16...dxe4 17.Bxa6 exf3 18.Rxe8+ Qxe8 19.Qxf5 Bxd2, there is no advantage fr White, who is just paying the 15 Nxa4 ine without his b-pawn.; After 15.Bf4, on the other hand, since...Nxd2 is impossibe, there is indeed a threat of 15...-- 16.b4, because 16...Bxb4? now fais to 17.axb4 Nxb4 18.Qb! and Back's compensation fr the piece is insufficient.]
1... Ne6 [The bid fr counterpay with 17...b6 can be answered by 18.Ne5!, threatening the c6-pawn and enabing f2-f3. The tension is then in White's favour; fr exampe, if 18 ...Ne6 19.Bh2 Qg5 then 20.h4! Qxh4 21.f3 wins materia and Back's initiative comes to nothing.] 18.Bh2 N6g5?
15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 "White simpy wants to pay Ne5 and f2-f3." Anand) 16... Nc
QUESTION: A question mark? Why is this move so bad? ANSWER: Because it takes the squar away from t otr knit [According to Anand, the correct pan was to regroup with 18...Bh7! Another interesting idea is to insert 19.Rab, and if 19.Ne5 f6 20.Ng4 Nf8!, going on the defensive. Athough White has the more peasant position after 21.f3 (White does have soe other ways of testing Back; fr instance, he coud pay 21.e3 first, intending 21...-- 22f3
EXERCISE: Wat is Wit's st continuation? ANSWER: 1.h3! There's no hurry. This move aows White to maintain the bishop on its most active diagona by retreating to h2; it aso contros the g4-square and supports the manoeuvre Ne5-g4. [The immediate 17.Ne5 is ess effective.
79
Ng5 23.Bxhl+ Ngxhl 24.NfS etc by delaying f2-f3 he hinders Black from defending the d6-square with the manoeuvre...Ng5-f7) 21...NgS 22.Bxh7+ Ngxh7, Black is quite slid and can parry 23.Ne3 (threatening Nf5-d6 with 23...NgS 24.NfS Nf7. 19...b6 then 20.NeS comes with greater force; e.g. 20...bxcS 21.f3 c4 22.Nxc4 dxc4 23.Bxe4.]
doesn't even feature among the top five lines given by the engines.]
[After 21...Bh7 22.h4 Ne6 23.f3 Qxc3, but 24.fxe4 (White can win a piece with 24.Bxe4 Qxc2 25.Bxc2 Nxd4 26.Bxh7+ etc.--)) 24...Qxd4 25.Bd6! may be even better, when the presence of the queens increases White's advantage; e.g. 25...b6 26.cxb6 axb6 or 26...dxe4 27.bl and wins) 27.Rad.]
9 This threatens f2-f3 and there is no satisfactory defence now.
a White now wins material, and the black pieces don't have enough coordination to compensate.
9 [f 19...Bh7, White has several options: Anand gives 20.Rab another idea is the immediate 20.h4, to answer 20...Ne6 with 21.f3 Nf6 22.Bxhl+ Nxhl 23.Nxfl!, exploiting the overload on the black king} intending 20...Re7 21.h4 Ne6 22.f3 Nf6, when the rook on e obstructs the black queen from defending f6, so White can play 23.Ng4! Bxd3 24.Nxf6+ gxf6 25.Qxd3 with a clear advantage.; The retreat 19...Bc8 looks equally depressing; Anand indicated that after 20.h4 Ne6 or 20...Nhl}, White can play 21.f3 Nf6 22.g4 with a big advantage in development and space.]
[nstead: 22...Nf7 fails to save the knight after 23.f3 Neg5 24.h4.; 22...Bxh3 23.f4 wins a piece for two pawns.; 22...fS 'only' loses a pawn, but Black's position is a disaster after 23.f3 Nf6 24.BxfS.] [f Black tried 23...NgS 24.Kh! Nf3, Anand intended simply to return soe of the extra material with 25.Rg! Nxg 26.Rxg and switch over to a decisive attack.]
Qa [In the event of 20...Bxg4 21.hxg4 Nf7, something strange happens. Here yt Houini prrs itr (or 22.c4; despite the fact that White can simply capture a pawn advantageously with 22.Bxe4 dxe4 23.Rxe4} 22...NegS 23.BfS, considering that White has a winning position in both cases. t is true that Black is left paralysed and the difference in activity is enormous, but there can't be many cases where winning a pawn with a clear advantage
As he's done so many times, Anand selects the most practica and effective option orin simpiition tr which White's advantage is easy to realize. Q Q 8 9 [After 29.BfS Bxf5 30.NxfS Ne4 comes 31.Ne7+ and 32 Nxc6 with an easy win.] -
80
At the end Anand wrote: "Coincidentally, Xu Yuhua also won the Women's World Cup, so that we both retained our titles. Once in China and once in India!
Game Twelve First Outright Victory in Wijk n Zee Wijk aan Zee is one of Anand's favourite tournaments; he has won there five times, if we include the shared victories. In 2003, the 65th edition of this event, held between the 11th and 26th of January, saw Anand gain clear first place fr the first time. Until 1999 the tournament was known as Hoogovens, but when the sponsors Koninklijke Hoogovens merged with British Steel to frm the Corus Group, it became known as Corus Wijk aan Zee fr the years 2000-2010. Then in 2011 it changed to Tata Steel, after the ndian company who had bought out Corus in 2007. The only top player missing from the 65th edition was Kasparov. Anand led from the start, although he was run clse by Judit Polgar. The day befre the 10th round game below had been a rest day. At this stage Anand was half a point ahead of the pursing pack.
D Shirov,A
8 ...a6 against Motylev a few months
•Anand,V C K D 812
befre, but on the rest day during the tournament he analysed the more usual capture on e5.; Another continuation, 8 ...h5 9.Nd4 (or 9.Nf4 Bh7) 9...a6 was fund later, which is also good fr Black.]
12: Wijk aan Zee, 2003 [Zenón Franco] 1.e4 c6
Varying from the Petroff Defence, which he had been using previously in the tournament.
9.Nf4 Ne7
So far as in A.Shirov-Z.Gyimesi, FIDE World Championship, Moscow 2001.
2.d4 d 3.es Bf 4.Nc3 e6 .g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c 7 .Be3
Anand commented in the press conference after the round that he had been preparing this variation the previous afternoon. t is a very sharp line, and the theory is progressing fast, he said. [The alternative was 7.h4.]
10.Qe2
Shirov is the first to deviate with this aggressive approach. White is ready to castle, while Black is still not completely developed. In New in Chess #2/2003, Anand related that he noticed this move 15 minutes befre the round and was able to give it a brief examination. Luck? ntuition? Perhaps,
7...Nc6 8.dxc Nxe
[Anand had successfully played 1
but probably also knowledge of his opponent. [10.BbS+ N7c6 11.Qe2 was the course of hirov-Gyimesi.]
this factor prompts hirov to accelerate his attack befre the enemy king leaves the centre.]
10...7c6 ...7c6
1.fxd?!
This move has passed 'the test of time'; [but 10... 10...QaS QaS has proved to be even more effective the queen controls bS and prepares quick queenside castling. For instance: 11.000 000 12.Rd4 {12.Nxe6? fxe6 13.Bf4 Ndl 14.Qxe6 Qxc5 15.Rd2 Re didn't work in E.utovsky-.Erenburg, sraeli Team Championship 2003) 12... 12 ...Nc4 Nc4 13.Rxc4 dxc4 14.Qxc4 Nc6 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Bg2 Qb4 and Black managed to convert his material advantage in F.Amonatov A.Galkin, Russian Cup Qualifier (online blitz 2004.]
In principe, opening the position should be good for White, but general considerations are not sufficient in this situation; sacrificing material and entering tactical complications requires accurate calculation, and this sacrifice is unsound.ndeed, this move surprised Anand, since he had thought that by preparing castling he had removed a large part of the venom, and he had already freseen his 13th move. [Anand suggested a less radical plan: 12.h4 QaS 13.hS Be4 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Kb BxcS 16.BxcS QxcS 17.Bg2, perhaps with a slight advantage to White.]
11.0-0-0 Be7
A novelty by Anand; [deviating from the reviousl known 11...QaS White does better to play 12.Bd4!?; (after which 12.NfxdS can be answered by 12... 12...000! 000! with good play fr Black;rather than the riskier 12 12... ...exd5 13.Rxd5 f6 14.f4 Ndl, when White has good compensation fr the piece.)) instead, 12... ...Nxd4? Nxd4? would be a mistake, because the exchange of this important defender will soon cost Black dearly; fr example, after (when Lukacs gave 12... 12 ...Nd7! Nd7! 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Qxe6+ Be7 15.Bxg7 as unclear; the engines assess this as equal..--)) 13.Rxd4 Nc6.
1... 1...exd exd 13.f4?
A mistake, made after a long think. White is trying to trap the fS-bishop, but there is a tactical flaw. [t was better to play 13.RxdS Qc8 14.h3 f6 15.f4 Nd7 16.Bg2 00, when White has soe compensation; probably this didn't appear enough to hirov, but the move he chose instead meets a clear refutation.] refutation.]
EXERCISE:
Prove this statement true and punish the erroneous exchange on d4 which deprived the black king of protection. ANSWER:
14.Nxe6! highlights Black's delay in bringing his king to safety. After Anand's 11...Be7, on the other hand, Black is ready to castle, and
EXERCISE: 82
Why
was
Anand
surprised by the move 12 Nfxd5? What reply had he foreseen here?
path?
ANSWER: Closing the dfile would be very convenient that's an important guide.
ANSWER: 1...d4! ...d4! This advance is very strong; Anand couldn't see an adequate defence for White.
14... 14...Nd+!
"The right piece to sacrifice." Anand. With the dfile closed, the danger from White's piece activity will be drastically reduced. [To the same end, Anand considered 14... 14 ...Bd3?! 15.cxd3 Nd7, but he didn't like 16.Ne4 17.d4. dxe3 Perhaps White's compensation for the piece is not enough; all the same, "this isn't the way to play," Anand remarked.; Black has less advantage after 14... 14 ...Qa5 Qa5 15.Bxd4 Nd3+ 16.cxd3 Nxd4 17.Qe5 0- 0-0 18.f5, regaining the piece;; while 14... 14...d3?! d3?! 15.cxd3 Nxd3+ 16.Rxd3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Qxd3 18.Bxd3 gives White reasonable compensation for the exchange.]
14.h4
EXERCISE: Refute 14.fxe5. ANSWER: 14... 14...Bg5! Bg5! wins on the spot. EXERCISE: What is the problem with 14.Bxd4? 14 ...Nd3+! Nd3+! ANSWER: The elegant 14... wins.n both cases Black wins a piece.; On 14.Bf2, while Nunn preferred 14... 14...Bxc5 Bxc5 )Anand originally considered that 14... 14...Qa5 Qa5!! was strong and that still stands: 15.Rxd4 evaluation }Black wins easily after 15.Nd5 Bxc5 16.fxe5 d3! 17.cxd3 Bxf2 18.Qxf2 Qxd5; }and 15.Bxd4 is no better due to 15... 15...Nd3+! Nd3+! 16.cxd3 (or 16.xd3 Bxd3 17.xd3 d8 16... 16...Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Qe5 Nc6, when 18.Qxg7? 0-0-0 19.f5 loses the queen to 19... 19...Bg5+ Bg5+ and 20... 20 ...Rhg8; Rhg8; 15... 15...Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 0-0-0! 17.Bxe5 f6 and White doesn't have enough for the exchange.; b) Another option is 14... 14...Nd3+ Nd3+ 15.cxd3 dxc3 16.f5 Qd5 17... d4 17.Rg Qxa2 (Houdini 3 likes 17... even more with advantage to Black; 15.fxe5 0-0 and, with the material now equal, Black is better, in view of his attacking chances against the white monarch.The choice is a matter of taste; all these lines favour Black.]
15.cxd
[f 15.Kb then 15... 15 ... Nxb2!.] 15... 15...hS! hS!
QUESTION: Why is this move so good? Was it not better to play 15... 15 ...h6? h6? ANSWER: In this way the bishop "can't be buried", according to Anand. [15.. [15...f5 .f5 was also attractive so that the ishop an remain ative from f, ut Anand considered it to be less accurate, since after 16.Bd2! dxc3 17.Bxc3 Bf7 (or 17... 17...d d 18.Bg2 xc5 19.d4} 18.g5 (or 18.d4 Bd5} 18... 18...0-0 0-0 19.d4 Bd5 20.Bg2, the white pawns are restricting Black's darksquared bishop.; 15... 15 ...h6?! h6?! is inferior because, after 16.f5 Bh7, as well as continuing as in the game White can play 17.Bxh6!? gxh6 18.Ne4 with
QUESTION: What a complicated position! How did Anand find f ind the best 83
greater compensation for the piece, since the bishop on h7 is out of play.]
game; now he can do nothing; the c6knight will have a beautiful square on b4." (Anand) [This is a typically human solution, whereas Houdini prefers to return the piece (!) with 19... 19 ...QdS! QdS! 20.Bg2 Qxa2 21.Bxc6 bxc6 22.Qxe7, since it calculates that Black has a crushing attack on the dark squares; for example, 22... 22...Rae8 Rae8 23.Qc7 hxg4 24.Rhe or 4 d5 5Kl B5 24... ...BxfS BxfS 25.Kd2 Qa4 26.Rc 6Kl g} 24 Rxe 27.Kxe Re8+ 28.Kf2 Qc4 29.Re Rxe 30.Kxe Qd3 31.Qf4 g3 32.dS g2 etc.]
16.fS
Restricting Black's light-squared bishop. [In contrast, 16.Bd2 dxc3 17.Bxc3 17 .Bxc3 hxg4 leaves the bishop active.] 16... 16...Bh7 17.Bd2 dxc318.Bxc30-0 QUETION: White has two pawns
for the knight, and the bishop on h7 is again out of play. Why does this not compensate for the piece? ANWER: The answer depends on
20.a3
the time factor. f White could manage to consolidate his position, while keeping the black bishop out of the game, the verdict would be a positive one for him. The problem is that the bishop threatens to return quickly to the fra. Anand emhasized that if he had played 15... 15 ...h6? h6? ! instead of 15...hS ... hS!, !, White's compensation might indeed have been adequate.
Controlling b4, for now. [20.Bg2 Re8 21.Be4 Bf6 was no good for White.] 20... 20... ReS 21.c4
[f 21.Qf3 then 21...hxg4! not 1Bh4? Kl g5 h} 22.Qx4 Bf6 intendin... intendin ...QdS or or... ...Qd7 and the extra piece should count; e.g. 23.dS Bxc3 24.dxc6 Qf6 and wins.; EXERCIE:
What would happen
after 21.dS?
19.d4
ANWER: Despite appearances, 20
a3 didn't rule out... out...Nb4 Nb4 altogether, and in fact here 21...Nb4! is very strong; while 22.Qc4 can be met by (for example, 22.axb4 axb4 23.Bxb4 BxcS! 24.QbS Bxb4 25.Qxb4 Ra+ 26.Kc2 Rxd 27.Kxd Qxd5+ and wins{ wins{--JJ --JJ 22... 22 ... bS! 23.Qb3 (if x Na+; or c6 Rc8} 23 23... ...BxcS BxcS 24.axb4 axb4 "and Black wins", according to Anand in the post-game press conference ten years on, the engines completely agree with him.]
EXERCIE: Where and how should
Black seek counterplay? 21... 21...Bxh4
"Now the extra piece begins to make itself felt," said Anand.
ANWER: 19... 19...aS! aS!
"The most important move of the 84
QUESTION: This move also opens the h-file. Doesn't this matter? ANSWER: t matters, but "better a pawn up than a pawn down" as Najdorf's auntie used to say, and control of the gS-square is equally, or more, important. Kl As Anand indicated, the rest is simple, though Black must remain on his guard against a possible Rxh7.
your EXERCISE: Demonstrate winning technique, using an idea mentioned by Anand. What is Black's continuation? ANSWER: f! Bearing in mind the previous note, this move isn't so difficult to find, is it? The bishop returns to the fray and the value of the g3-pawn rises all the time."t was a simle decision to sacrifice the exchange; now it's practically all over," said Anand in the press conference.
Kal a [24...g3? would be somewhat hasty due to 25.dS; for example, 25...g2 26.Qxh4 gxhQ 27.Qxh NeS 28.Rg (Anand), and the engines claim equality despite Black's extra rook.] l [In the event of 25.Bc2, Black has several options, such as 25... Ne7 (25...e3 is the engines' preference whereas 25...g3? would again be too hasty: after 26.d g2 27.xh4 gxh1? 28.xg, White is suddenly on top 26.BxaS or 26.Bb3 d5} and here, as in several similar lines, Black can offer the exchange with 26...BxfS, to relieve the pressure and activate his pieces.]
fl 9 0 Otherwise the bishop on b can't move. l f c c cl f 0-
a
When asked whether this was a victory that tilted the tournament in his favour, Anand replied: I take the tournament round by round. Of course 'm delighted with a victory like this with Black against such a strong player with such an aggressive style. In fact the crucial game was in the twelfth round against Judit Polgar, who launched a dangerous attack against Anand's Caro-Kann. After great complications the game was drawn, and so finally Anand triumphed, with 8Y points from 13 games, comprising our wins and nine draws and a rating performance of 2809 Elo points. This was Anand's third victory in Wijk aan Zee, following his wins in 1989 and 1998, but 85
it was his first time in sole first place and it took his total to 59 games without defeat in Wijk aan Zee tournaments. The last time he had lost was against Judit Polgar herself, five years earlier. Anand subsequently increased this unbeaten run to 70 games befre finally losing to Topalov. In Linares 2003 Anand shared third place with Kasparov, behind Kramnik and Leko. He was also successful in several rapidplay tournaments, winning in Middelfart, Mainz (in a match with Judit Polgar), Cap d'Agde and Corsica. In Dortmund 2003 he played much better than the year befre; this was a six-player double-round event, surprisingly won by Viktor Bologan, who finished a point ahead of Anand and Kramnik.
Game Thirteen Wld m Lu The most important tournament of 2005 was the World Championship in San Luis, Argentina, in September. This was a preparatory step towards the reunification of the world title. The system of knock-out matches was set aside and instead eight players contested a double-round closed event, with the notable absence of Kramnik, who was considered to be the world champion of the classical chess world. The contestants in the 2005 World Championship were Kasimdzhanov (who had won the 2004 FIDE World Championship in Libya), Adams, Anand, Leko, Morozevich, Polgar, Svidler and Topalov. Anand started well with a victory over Judit Polgar, and in the third round he was able to make use of soe old, but spectacular, preparation. Heine Nielsen, one of Anand's seconds, because Adams had never played it befre.However, Anand had faced it in his match against Kamsky in Las Palmas 1995, ten years befre this game.
DAnand,V •Adams,M
Spish Opig {C92} 13: FIDE World Champ, San Luis, 2005
[Zenón Franco] 1.e4 e 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.BbS a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Rel bS 7.Bb3 d6 A surprise fr Anand, because Adams' main weapon at the time was the Marshall.
11.Nbd2 [Black's move rder relies on the fact that White can't actively punish the omission of...h7-h6; fr instance, in the event of 11.Ng Rf8 12.f4, Black gains good play with 12...exf4 13.Bxf4 Na5 14.Bc2 Nd5, as practice has confirmed.]
8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 The Zaitsev Variation, which is designed to prevent the typical manoeuvre Nbd2-f1g3 by applying quick pressure on the e4-pawn. This was a majr surprise according to Peter
11...Bf 12.a4 This is the sharpest line, which became popular fllowing the duels between Karpov and Kasparov. 86
[Subsequently, quieter moves, such as 12.a3; or 12.d, cae to prominence.
EXERCISE: Why no mention of the typical Spanish manoeuvre 12 Nf, followed by Ng3? ANSWER: The idea of Black's defence is that 12.Nf? isn't appropriate here, since after 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Na5, the attack on e4 forces White to make concessions.] hG By means of this manoeuvre Black secures the square b4 for his c6-knight, after which he will attack the centre with ...c7-c5.
ANSWER: Yes, this move appears illogical, but it's based on tactical considerations. In theory it isn't appropriate for White to open lines on his weaker wing; the problem is that if he plays 18.Nd4 immediately, the b5pawn isn't under immediate threat from the knight, so Black can reply 18... Qf6 and, after 19.N2f3, he has ood la with either 19...Nc as in V.Anand-G.Timoscenko, Frunze 1987, (or 19 d 20Bxd b4, as played in the fifth game of the above-mentioned Anand-Kamsky match in 1995.Najdorf used to say: "to gain something, you have to give something, old chap"; and Fischer said something similar: "to get squares you have to give squares". f we substitute "the a-file" for "squares", it's the same principe at work.)
5 6 7 7 This was the start of the theoretical debate. White has his ieces ointed menacingly at Black's kingside; both bishops are ideally placed and the rook on a3 is impatient to reach g3.For his part Black has two main plans: one is to profit from the position of the knight on b4 and follow up with ...c5-c4 and ...Nc5, aiming at d3, a4 and e4; the alternative plan is to try to attack White's central structure with ...f7-f5. 7 [After the alternative 17...f, also employed by Karpov, the main replies r .N2 (n 18.ae3.)]
9 6 The queen must now defend the -pwn so lk's stl position loses a defender. [Alternatively, 19...Rxa3 20.bxa3 Nd3 is playable but, as Nunn indicated, after 21.Bxd3 cxd3 22.Re3 Ne5 (or 22 c 2Bb2} 23.N4f3, White has a slight advantage and can play for a win with no risk.; In the seventh game of the Las Palmas match, Kamsky tried 19...Ne!? and managed to draw, though objectively
QUESTION: Why rush with this exchange? sn't it better to maintain the tension and play 18 Nd4 without opening the a-file?
87
Black doesn't really have enough for the pawn after Anand's response, 20.Rxa8 Qxa8 21.NxbS, as Nunn also makes clear.] 0f e QUESTIO: You talk about White's activity and, admittedly, the fS-knight does look menacing, but how does he deal with the invasion 20...Rxa3 21.bxa3 Nd3 now? ASWER: 3d!! In reality the question was almost a rhetorical one. t is very difficult to take this decision without hours of analysis. The idea was actually discovered during the 1995 match by one of Anand's seconds, Yusupov, who analysed it deeply, together with Ubilava. This was at a time when computers were almost useless.The idea is simple to explain: White attacks Black's castled osition with all his forces, without worrying much about sacrificing material although Black has his chances too, due in part to the open a-file.Objectively, after letting today's chess engines analyse this position for a while, we can say that the move doesn't deserve two exclamation marks and should really be given "!?", but its practica value was devastating. [Previously, only the natural 23.Be3 had been played, but then Black reaches a satisfactory position after 23...Qd8.]
ASWER: White can exploit the fact that the d7-knight is lose with the combination 22.Bxd3 cxd3 23.Nxh6+! gxh6?! 24.Qg4+ etc. 13 6 Forced; [21...Kh7?, to avoid weakening the kingside, is refuted by 22.Nf3 Nbd3 23.Bxd3 Nxd3 24.Be3 QaS 25.Bxh6! (25.Ng5+ also wins) 25...xh6 26.NgS+ Kg6 and now: EXERCISE: What's the clearest way to win? ASWER: The most straightforward and beautiful finish is 27.QhS+!! 10 A.Marcinkiewicz-W.Zundel, corresp 2002; after 27...KxhS 28.Nh7 Qxe+ 29.Kh2 mate is inevitable.] f3 ed3 All this was well-known theory and Adams was moving almost instantly, whereas Anand had spent more than twenty minutes.
EXERCISE (tactical, very difficult: How should Black defend now? (and without any help from the computer
EXERCISE (tactical, very difficult: How can White combine attack and defence?
3Bxd? This was another rhetorical question. Even for a 2700rated player it would be an almost impossible task to defend successfully here without 88
having analysed it extensively at home or with a computer.The text move is an error, and objectively the game is already decided, though it remains very complicated. [nstead: 23...Nxc? fails to the calm 24.Rxc! (24.Nxh6+ Bxh6 25.Qxh6 Ncd3 26.Re3! is also strong) 24...Kh7 25.Qxb4 gxf5 26.Qc3! Qd8 27.Qd4 and the queen moves victoriously to the kingside after e4xf5 or e4-e5, without having to give up any material.; 23...Ra? is refuted by 24.Nxh6+! Bxh6 25.Qxh6 Qxf2+ 26.Kh2 Nxe (or 26...Nxcl 27.eS! Rxbl 28.e6!} 27.Rxg6+! and mate in 14 moves; e.g. 27...fxg6 28.Qxg6+ Kf8 29.Bh6+ Ke7 30.Bg5+! for the attack to succeed White needs to remove the d6-pawn with check 30...Kf8 (or 30...Kd7 31.7+} 31.Qxd6+ Kg8 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.Bh6+ Ke7 34.Qe6+! Kd8 35.Bg5+ Kc7 36.Bf4+ Kd8 37.Qd6+ Kc8 38.Qc7#.;
27...Ne7 28.Bxg6! Nxg6 29.Rxg6+ fxg6 30.Qxg6+ Kf8 31.Bh6+ Ke7 32.e6! Kd8 33.Be3 and Black must give up his queen) 27.Rxg6+ fxg6 28.Qxg6+ Kf8 29.Qf5+ (since 29.Bh6+?! Ke7 30.exdS Bxd5 31.BgS+ Kd7 32.BfS+ Re6! favours Black) 29...Kg7 30.Qg5+ Kf8 with a draw after al.To calculate the greater part of this and more!, accurately, over the board and with limited time, would be an almost impossible task, even for the best players on the planet.]
24.Nxh6+! Bxh6 25.Qxh6 Now the sacrifices on g6 will be deadly. White sacrifices a great deal of material but has just enough left to mount an irresistible attack. 25...Qxf2+ [f 25...Bxe4, Anand in nformator #94 gave 26.Ng5 (26.Be3 also works) 26...Qxf2+ 27.Kh2 Nxe 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Nxe4 Qd4 30.Rxg6! Rxe4 31.Bxe4 Qe5+ 32.Kh Ra (or 32...Nf3 33.Bxf3 etc) 33.Rg8+ Ke7 34.Qh4+ Qf6 35.Qxe and wins;(of course White could also play 35.Re+ etc here.)
23...Nxe! was the only defence, and now: 24.Nxe is the best try, confirmed by analysis; for example, 24.Nxh6+ Bxh6 25.Qxh6 allows 25...Nxf3+ 26.gxf3 and White has no more than a draw; for example, 26...Qd4 (if 26...Re7 27.Bd2; or 26...ReS 27.f4} 27.e5! Qxe5 28.Bxg6 Qxg3+! 29.fxg3 fxg6 30.Qxg6+ Kh8 etc.; 24.N3h4? fails to 24...Nbd3! 25.Nxg6 (25.Nxh6+ Bxh6 26.Qxh6 Qxf2+ 27.Kh2 Ne5! 28.Bd2 Ral 29.Bxel 6! defends the king and once again gains a dcisiv matria advantag) 25g 26.Rxg6+ Kf7 27.Nxh6+ Ke7! 28.Qg5+ Kd7 29.Be3 Qa5 30.Ng4 Kc7 with a winning material advantage for Black.; 24...Nxd5! (or 24...Ral 25.Nxh6+ Bxh6 26.Qxh6 Nxd5!, transposing) 25.Nxh6+ Bxh6 26.Qxh6 Ra! (not 26...Ne7? because of 27.Be3, followed by Bd4 and wins nor 26...Qd4? 27.eS!, which gives White a very strong attack; e.g. ANSWER:
EXERCISE:
ndicate how to win after
25...Nxe. White should continue the assault on Black's castled position. The most convincing way is 26.Nh4!, intending Nxg6 or Nf5.] ANSWER:
26.Kh2 Nxel [26...Nxc fails to 27.exd5! Ncd3 (or 27...Rxel 28.Bxg6!} 28.Re6!.{nstead, Houdini prefers 28.Bxd3 Nxd3 29.Re6!, but it makes little difference and no human player would exchange his bishop here if he doesn't have to.) Anand was finally out of his preparation, People watching this game 89
36.Qe6+ Kc7 37.d6+! Kb7 (or 37...Kb6 38.Be3+) 38.Be4+ Kb6 39.Bxa8 etc.; Trying to deflect soe attackers with 27...Nf3+ 28.Nxf3 Bxe4 29.Bxe4 Rxe4 doesn't work either, because the attack resumes with 30.Ng5 Re 31.Qh7+ Kf8 32.Rf3 and wins.
live on the internet were quoting the evaluation of the strongest engine at the time, Fritz, which said that White has no more than a draw after sacrificing on g6. EXERCISE: Can you overturn this almost 20-year-old assessment?
EXERCISE: How would you deal with the attempt to defend the second rank with 27...Ra7?
ANSWER: Nh4! As we've already seen, in such positions sacrifices on g6 are inevitable and almost always win. Despite his menacing-looking pieces and large material advantage, Black is defenceless.The evaluation of this move is quite curious. Nunn awards it an exclamation mark, Nielsen gives it two; while Anand just says modestly that it's the only move, which is true, but the other two opinions are also valid, don't you think? [The 'old' variation 27.Rxg6+? fxg6 28.Qxg6+ is indeed only enough for a draw.]
ANSWER: Thus White wins with 28.Nf5! Here 28.Nxg6? is refuted by 28...Qxg3+! 29.Kxg3 fxg6, which is good for Black since the a7-rook is a good defender and prevents 30.Qxg6+?? in view of 30...Rg7. But as we've noted befre, the h4-knight can also go to f5. 31.-- {31.--)) 28...Qxg3+ 29.Nxg3! (Stohl's 29.Kxg3 gxf5 30.6 wins as well 29...Bc6 30.Bg5 Re6 31.e5! dxe5 (or 31...Ral 32.Bf6} 32.Nh5!, as indicated by Anand in nformator.]
Nd Other lines are no better. [Anand pointed out that defending g6 with 27...Re6 fails to 28.exd5 Rf6 (or 29.Nxg6! fxg6 28...Re2 29.Bxg6} 30.Rxg6+ Rxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Qxd6+ once again it's important to remove the d6-pawn with check) 32...Kg8 33.Qg6+ Kf8 34.Bh6+ Ke7 35.Bg5+ Kd7
NG Q G QG [Or 30...Kh8 31.Bg5 etc.] QG hG [f 32.Bh6 Ra7, then 33.Qg6+ wins.A game featuring a fascinating novelty and a spectacular finish!]
However, things then started to go wrong for Anand, with a loss to Kasimdzhanov in the fourth round, followed by another to Morozevich in the seventh. Meanwhile Topalov was in impressive form, scoring 6Y out of 7 in the first cycle, two points ahead of Svidler in second place. Anand made a good score 5/7) in the second cycle, but was unable to catch the leader. He finished in a tie for second with Peter Svidler on 8Y/14, well behind Topalov, who scored 10 points.
90
Game Fourteen M Ppi Disply Wijk Z The 2006 Wijk aan Zee event saw a hard struggle for first between Topalov and Anand. The tournament began with a brilliant victory for Anand over Karjakin, in which Anand gave another demonstration of his excellent theoretical preparation in 'his' Najdorf variation. Krjk, •,V iilin Dn [] 14: Wijk aan Zee, 2006 Zó Fo
normal icilian move.
D
AWER: The problem is not the move itself, but the fact that it allows White to exploit the weakness of the light squares arising from the exchange ...BxdS. Byrne continued 15.Bh3! Rc7 16.NaS! (a typical manoeuvre in this structure, aiming at c6, sometimes even involving a pawn sacrifice, and here it comes with a gain of time) 16...Nb8 17.Bg4 Nf4 18.h4 fS 19.gxf6 Bxf6 and now simply 20.Nc6! would have given White an almost decisive advantage; rather than ?! +! }} 15.gxf6 Bxf6 16.NaS then 16...Nf4, followed by...Nb6, with enough activity to compensate for the weakness of c6. Black has the f-file and a good knight on f4, whose exchange would bring the f6-bishop to life.]
1.e4 s 2.Nf3 dG 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 NfG S.Nc3 aG 6.Be3 es 7.Nb3 BeG 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g4 bS 12.gS The so-called 'English Attack' began to come into fashion in the 1980s and largely replaced what had been the main move for decades, 6 BgS, as well as Karpov's favourite 6 Be2. The strongest player to use it befre it rose to popularity was the late American grandmaster Robert Byrne, who played it in the 1970s, as Nunn mentions in the book of Anand's games. 12... b4 [The line chosen by Fischer against Byrne (New York blitz 1971) was 12...NhS, which is still seen, although it isn't the main move. However, after 13.NdS BxdS 14.exdS
13.Ne2 Ne8 UETIO: sn't this a dubious idea for Black? The knight on e8 obstructs his mobility.
UETIO: In that case, what should Black play instead of 14... Rc8?
AWER: That's true; Anand thought along similar lines when he saw Vallejo Pons play this move (with success) in Monte Caro 2004. Anand said to him: "what strange lines you play!" but once the idea had been brought to his attention, he analysed it deeply and decided to play it
can gain AWER: Black counterplay with 14...fS, and if (Fischer played the weak move 14 ... Rc8?! UETIO: How can this be weak? Occupying the -file just looks like a 91
Moscow 2013, and now White sprang the novelty 26.h4?! (it was better to play 26.exdS, keeping the lines open or else 26.2, allowing the bishop to retreat to d2 and maintaining harmony among the white pieces but after 26...d4! 27.Bg, the bishop remained badly placed and Black took over the initiative with 27...Ne6 28.Qe2 NdcS! 29.Qc4 Nf4, culminating in a mating attack.]
himself.Black is relying on being quickly able to slve the current problem of his badly coordinated forces. There is something else too: Black is planning to attack with...a6-a5-a4, and we know that king safety is often the most important factor.
f UETION: Capturing on b4 in exchange for the gS-pawn doesn't look very good, does it?
This threatens both 18 Nc6 and 18 fxe6, ensuring that White will regain the piece.
ANWER: The gS-pawn is important for restricting the mobility of the black pieces; its exchange for the b4-pawn would grant Black the use of the f6-square. More importantly, 14.Qxb4?!, as well as allowing 14...BxgS, (walks into 14...aS! and if 15.Qd2?! then 15...a4 and ...Bxa2, capturing a pawn which is at least as important as the one on g5.} The game that Anand witnessed, P.vidler F.Vallejo Pons, Monte Caro rapid) 2004, continued with the ideas mentioned in the previous note: 14.Kb a 15.Nbc a4 16.f4 exf4 17.Bxf4 NcS 18.Bg2 b3 19.cxb3 axb3 20.a3 dS!? and after a complicated struggle, Black won.]
8K + [Better than 18...bxa2+ 19.Ka, after which the white king would feel more secure, since the black pawn is an effective defensive barrier.] 9 EXERCIE: ince a piece will be lost in any case, what is the best way to relinquish it? ANWER: 9 t's best to give back the piece on this square, so as to create a strong advanced pawn on b3, which will trouble the white king.
f There are now hundreds of games with this line. [Another popular idea is Bb3 cb3 7b ]
0 [h min ltrntiv is n either case Black frees a8 for the queen and seeks to activate his pieces with a timely...d6-d5.]
[Here 16.fxe6 is an important alternative. Let's take a brief look at a recent grandmaster game: 16...axb3 17.cxb3 fxe6 18.Bh3 Rxa2 19.Bxe6+ Kh8 20.Ng3 Nc7 21.Bc4 Qa8 22.Rhf Rxf 23.Rxf Ra+ 24.Kc2 Rxf 25.Bxf dS was played in F.Caruana-B.Gelfand,
A logical move, suggested by Vallejo in a brief note in a previous nformator. The queen attacks the b3pawn and, by putting pressure on the 92
e5-knight, hinders one of the ways for Black to activate his pieces (i.e....d6-d5, as mentioned above, which would revive the e8-knight as well as the e7bishop). However, Anand now brilliantly demonstrates the defects of this move. [nstead, the game P.Leko F.Vallejo Pons, Monte Caro (rapid) 2005, continued 23.Qe2?, allowing 23...d5! at once, and the black pieces became active after 24.Rxd5 Rxd5 25.exd5 Bxa3 26.bxa3 Nd6 with excellent play.; The best line is currently thought to be 23.Qb4 Qa8 24.Bb6 Ra4 25.Qxb3, although this isn't conclusive.]
Played immediately, which shows that it was part of Anand's preparation. [In his nformator notes mentioned above, Vallejo gave just 24 ...Ra4 25.Rd4 "unclear".; After their initial pessimism, the computers like 24... Nf6, attacking e4, in rder to bring the f8-rook quickly into play, while after 25.gxf6 Bxf6, a new piece joins the attack. But Anand's move is better, since it adds an even stronger threat of... Nb5, always assuming of course that Black has an adequate answer to the capture on c7.] 25.Qxc7 [f 25.Bb6 (or 25 Bd2), the arrival of the knight is decisive; i.e. 25...Rxa3 26.bxa3 Nb5 etc.]
23 ...QaS 24.Bg2 [f 24.Rd4, Black can again play 24...d5!, since the queen is no longer putting pressure on the e5-knight;; while 24.Qxb3 allows both 24...Qxe4+ and 24 Ncl, when all the black ieces are ready to attack.J Things don't appear to be going well for Black: his kingside is 'dormant', the b3-pawn is hanging, and in fact the computers award White a clear advantage at first, which then starts to diminish, until... the evaluation changes.
EXERCISE: What did Anand have in store against this obvious capture on c7?
. . .
ASWER: 25... RcS! Offering a second piece to speed up the attack. 26.Qxe7 [26.Qb6 is punished by 26... Nc4! 27.Qxb3 Nxa3+ 28.bxa3 Rxa3 29.Qb2 Rb8 30.Bb6 Ra6 31.e5 Ra+! 32.Qxa Rxb6+ and it's easy to predict that the white king will not survive the attack by Black's majr pieces after 33.Kc2 Qxg2+ 34.Rd2 Rc6+.]
EXERCISE: How? Why?
hat is the third ink in Black's plan? ASWER: 26... Nc4! ust when the white queen is away from the action (albeit at a high price), a new piece arrives to attack a3. EXERCISE: Why doesn't the immediate sacrifice 26...Rxa3 27.bxa3
ASWER: 24... Nc7!! 93
Qxa3 work? Because there is a hidden defence which turns the tables: 28.Qa7! and White wins, proving that one should always ask oneself "what does my opponent want to do?" ANSWER:
7gG An attempt to divert the struggle to the kingside, since there is no adequate defence on the other wing. [27.BcS was analysed by Kasparov at Playchess.com, and it seemed to be the only possibility of resistance. However, today's Houdini 4 engine almost immediately proclaims that it's mate in 18 moves! ts longest line goes 27...Rxa3! 28.bxa3 RxcS (not 28...xa3+? due to 2.Kcl! and White may survive) 29.a4 Na3+ 30.Kb2 Rc2+ 31.Kxa3 Ra2+ {Anand gives the more 'human' move 31...Qb8! in nformator #106 and this also wins easil 32.Kb4 Qxa4+ 33.Kc3 Qc6+ 34.Kd4 QcS+ 35.Kd3 Qc2+ 36.Kd4 Qf2+ and it's now mate in eight moves, which is not difficult to imagine.; Against 27.Bd4, which defends the a-square, the recipe is the same: 27...Rxa3! 28.bxa3 Nxa3+ 29.Kb2 Nc4+ and the white king is forced to 'take a walk' this is what 29 a4 was trying to avoid in the previous line 30.Kc3 (or 30.Kxb3 Qa3+ 31.Kc2 e3+ 32.Kd2 c2+ 33.Kel Qb+ and mates) 30...Qa2! 31.BcS Qc2+ 32.Kd4 Qf2+ (even stronger than 32...dxc+ d e 4d6 dl} 33Kc3 cS and wins.The power of Black's attack, now that the lines have been opened, can't be parried. All his available pieces coordinate to perfection.]
ANSWER: 7hxgG!!
Accurately combining attack and defence. Tactics rule here, and Black needs first of all to create an escape square for his king, to avoid any back rank problems, befre launching the final attack. [Here 27 ...Rxa3?? runs into 28.gxf7+ Kh8 29.f8Q+! deflecting the c8rook 29...Rxf8 30.bxa3 Nxa3+ 31.Kc and White wins while 27... Nxa3+? 28.bxa3 Rxa3 fails to 29.gxf7+ Kh8 30.f8Q+! Rxf8 31.Qxf8+! notice this capture is with check 31...Qxf8 32.Bd4 and Black's attack and advantage both disappear.] 8fxgG Nx+ [28...Rxa3 wins again now, but Anand's move is more convincing.] 9bx Rx 0gxf7+ [30.Qxf7+ Kh8 31.Bd4 is too slow, as Black mates by 31...Ra+ 32.Bxa Qa2#.] 0h7! howing the point of 27...hxg6. 1fN+ An ingenious resource, Black to capture on f8.
EXERCISE: How to continue the
attack?
1 Rxf xf 94
forcing
Now this is without check. [But there was nothing better: 32.Bd4 Ral+ 33.Kb2 Qa2+ 34.Kc3 Qc2+ 35.Kb4 Rb8+ eads to mate;; or if 32.Qxd6 Ra1+ 33.Kb2 then 33... Ra2+ 34.Kbl Rc2!, making way for the queen.]
For instance, after 35.Bd4 (whie Anand shows that the counter-attack 35.B3 Q 36.B+ aso fais, most quicky to
36...K 37.Rc R+ 3.Kb2 Q3+ 39.Kc3 b2+ 35...Qa8, it is mate in five moves according to Houdini.] "Here Anand invested a few minutes to find the mate", according to chessbase.com.
32...Ral+! [More accurate than 32...Qxf8, when 33.Bd4 (or 33.R2 woud proong the game. nstead, Back wins by direct attack.J
34...QaS+ 35.Kd3 [Or 35.Kxb3 Qa4+ 36.Kc3 Rc2+ 37.Kd3 Qc4#.]
33.Kb2 Ra2+ 34.Kc3 [f 34.Kbl then simpy 34...Qxf8, as Back has an unstoppabe attack with the rook aready on the seventh rank.
35...QbS+ 36.Kd4 Ra4+ 37.Kc3 Qc4+ [Mate foows with 37...Qc4+ 38.Kd2 Ra2+ 39.Kel Qe2#.] 0-1
Anand caught up with Topaov in the fina round and they shared first pace on 9/13, 1Y points ahead of Adams and vanchuk. t was the Anand's fifth victory in this traditiona Dutch tournament. Meanwhie Magnus Carsen, aged 15, finished equa first in the second group, quaifying to pay in the top group the foowing year.
Game Fifteen I t Ld of t World mo In May, Anand payed in the Sofia M-Te Masters tournament a doube-round six payer event, attended by the new Word Champion, Vesein Topaov, paying in his home country of Bugaria. In 2005 Anand had finished second with 5Y out of 10. In 2006 he coud not have gotten off to a better start, defeating Bacrot in the first round with Back, and Topaov in the second round, aso with Back. Let's now ook at that game.
D •
Topaov,V Anand,V
1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.BbS a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Rel bS 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3 [This system is primariy aimed at drawing the sting from the Marsha Attack, which arises after 8.c3 d5. The Anti-Marsha with either 8 h3 or 8 a4)
Spanish Opening {C88} 15:Sofia,2006
[Zó Fc] 95
was played in no less than 11 of the 30 games in Sofia.]
The flexible move 10...h6 retains the possibility of ...Bc as well as ...Bf8 whereas after 10...Bf8, in this particular case the pin 11.Bg would be annoying, as Topalov had himself played successfully. ANSWER:
8...Bb7 .d3
t seems that Black has given up his idea of playing the Marshall. So why not play 9 c3? QUESTION:
.Nbd2
In reality Black hasn't yet abandoned the idea of playing the Marshall. (Only 8...d6 would have signalled that that was the case.) After 9.c3, Black can still play 9...d, when accepting the sacrifice with 10.exd Nxd 11.Nxe?! {. is better 11...Nxe 12.Rxe Nf4 would demonstrate that 8 ...Bb7 is much more useful than 8 h3.
[11.a4 would transpose to their game from Monte Caro (blindfold rapid), played a month and a half befre. Anand thought that it was better to postpone any decision about the a-pawn, as in the present game. The earlier game continued 11...Bc 12.Nbd2 Bb6 13.Ba2 and in view of the threat of Qb3 with a double attack, Anand felt obliged (unsighted) to play the rather sad move 13...Rf8. Nevertheless, Black's position remains slid and the game ended in a draw.]
ANSWER:
... Re8
A 'normal' move and a very flexible one; Black retains the ossibilit of ...d7-d, and prepares the typical regrouping ...Bf8, or perhaps ...Bc. [In earlier games, Anand mostly played 9...d6 here while the direct 9...d!? features later in Game 31 (with Anand on the White side).]
...Bf8 2.a3
Aiming to maintain the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal, trying to exploit the fact that its opposite number is on b7 and so cannot immediately oppose on e6. White didn't play a2-a4 because he is planning to set up a different structure with b2-b4.
.c3
White delays a decision about whether or not to play a2-a3 or a2-a4, while giving him the option of playing d3-d4 at soe point. 0
...
2...dG 3.Ba2
h6
QUESTION: 1
know that the move ...h7-h6 is necessary in many similar positions, preventing Ng, but here why not play 10...Bf8 immediately, given that 11.Ng would allow Black to return to the Marshall theme by 11...d 12.exd Na 13.c4 c6 with good compensation? 9
EXECIE (positional): What should Black play now, and with what plan in mind?
maintain his structure in that case? AWE: Black could play 16...a! 17.bxcS a4, followed by 18...dxcS, with a good position.
AWE: 13 ...NbS! while Preparing ...c7-c5, redeploying the knight to a more flexible position: as well as returning to c6, it can go to d7. This is better than moving it to aS; [especially since 13...NaS? can be answered by 14.b4.]
EXECIE: (positional): How should Black continue? AWE: 16...BcS! A typical manoeuvre in the Anti Marshall. The bishop heads for e6, to neutralize the 'panish bishop' on a2. [With 16 Rb White restrained the idea of 16...aS, since 17.bxcS a4 (dx is annoying 18.Nbd2 would now reveal an attack on bS, and after 18...dxcS 19.RxbS Ba6 20.Qxa4!, White would gain two strong pawns for the exchange.]
14.b4 This was Topalov's idea; [but since Black soon stands very well, it's appropriate to recall that that 14.Nh4 was his choice against Adams in Linares 1999, which continued 14...dS 15.Qf3 c6 16.b4 Nbd7 17.Nb3 Rc8 18.NfS Ba8 19.Be3 with advantage to White.; The typical panish move 14.Nf is another reasonable option.]
17.Be3 Be6 Defending the cS-pawn by pinning the b3-knight.
14...cs 15.Nb3 Playing in similar fashion to the game with Adams, where Topalov gained soe advantage; the problem is that White's pieces are starting to lose coordination. [In view of the result of White's manoeuvre, it's easy to deduce that the natural 15.Bb2 was sounder.]
18.Qc2 Rc8 t's very pleasant to be able to deal with a threat by developing a piece. 19.Qb2 Preparing to return the b3-knight to d2.
15...Nc6 Here we see a big difference from the game against Adams: Black can prevent White from playing Na.
UETIO: Why not play 19.Nbd2 immediately? Also interesting is 19...cxb4 AWE: Because 19...Nd4 is annoying: 20.Bxd4 cxd4 21.Bxe6 ( leaves the white pieces tied up on the queenside, so Black could play h, intending ...Nf4, ...Qf6 etc 21...Rxc3 22.Bxf7+ Kxf7 23.Qa2+ Kg6 24.Rb3 ( is worse, on account of xd a} 24...Qc7 and Black controls the open -file.) 20.axb4
16.Rbl Played after a long think; "trying to create soe veiled threats on the b line", as Nielsen commented in New in Chess. UETIO: Why, after such a long think, did Topalov not play 16.Be3, putting pressure on cS? Can Black 97
d5 (threatening ...d5-d4) 21.Qb2 d4 22.Bxe6 not f } 22...Rxe6 or simply 8} 23.cxd4 Nxb4.
and also satisfactory for White 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Bxh6! Nxc3 25.Qxc3 gxh6 26.Qd3, White controls the light squares and has a lot of compensation with ideas of Re4-g4, while the extra pawn is relatively unimportant at the moment.
UESTION: What's wrong with 19.bxcS dxc5 20.NxcS?
x d 3bdl Of course 23.exdS? just gives more freedom to the black pieces after 23...QxdS, followed by ...e5-e4 and ...Ne5, while 24.c4 bxc4 25.Nxc4 fails to 25...Nxb4 or }
ANSWER: This would be met by 20...Bxa2 21.Qxa2 Nb8! 22.d4 ( is even worse 22...BxcS 23.dxcS Nxe4 and Black regains the pawn with the superior structure and soe advantage.
3d cxd exd 5b3?! till playing with ambition. [The simplest way to equalize was 25.Nxd4 Nxd4 26.Nb3; after 26...Nxe4 27.Rxd4 Qf6 28.Qb Nc3 29.Qd3, for example, White's position is healthy.; 25.Bf4 was equally ambitious, but tactically it isn't clear that White benefits from 25...aS 26.bxaS. But Black can improve with 26...b4!, when he stands better. For example, (Admittedly, 26...QxaS?! isn't appropriate, because it allows 27.eS! Nd7 28.e6 fxe6 29.Rxe6 Qxa3 30.QdS! Nb6 31.Qe4 and at the cost of a pawn White achieves the complex play that he was seeking, and the black king is weakened..-- 27.axb4 if instead 7, keeping things closed, then 7 8 7 and Black's position appears preferable 27...Nxb4 28.Qb or 8 29.Qa4 Nd3 with complictions in which White fails to equalize 28 ...Nc2 29.Rf Qxa5 is rather unpleasant for White.]
19c 0dxc EXERCISE: Black take?
Which
pawn
should
ANSWER: 0 Bxc The most practica choice, gaining a good position without any complications. [The computers prefer 20...Nxe4! 21.cxbS axb5, when White has the worse structure and Black's central pawn majority gives him a positional advantage, but it's essential that this works tactically which it does; for example, after 22.Bxh6 ( 7, planning...Nd5, is unpleasant for White 22...Nxc3! 23.Qxc3 gxh6, the bishop pair and centre pawns give Black the advantage.]
2.b2 Bxa2 UESTION: Does capturing the e4pawn after 21...Bd3 not give Black the advantage?
5xe 6Bxd? This move fails tactically. [nstead, 26.Qb2! would minimize White's disadvantage: 26...d3 27.Nbd4 (7 8
ANSWER: No, this time the tactics aren't so favourable to Black. After 22.Rbd Bxe4?! ( g hg is similar,
8
0xe xe 1xe eB is worse for White due to his damaged structure) 27...Nxd4 28.Qxd4 d2! 29.Nxd2 Nc3 30.Qxd8 Rcxd8 31.Ral NdS 32.Nfl.] 6 7 Forced, in rder to prevent ...Nc3. EXECISE: What is the tactica faw in White's idea? ANSWE: 7! impe, but quite pretty. EXECISE: What had Anand seen here?
8 [Of course 28.Rxd8 Nxf3+ 29.gxf3 Rxel+ 30.Kg2 Rxd8 woud be amost osing for White. The two rooks dominate the board, especiay considering the weakness of White's kingside.; Aternativey, after 28.Rxe8 Nxf3+ 29.gxf3 Qxe8, White has no comensation for his weaknesses.
ANSWE: !! [Much better than 30...RxeS 31.f4 Qg6 32.RxeS Rc2+ 33.Qxc2 Qxc2+ 34.Nd2, when White can sti resist.] 31.Nd3 can be unished b 31...Rxel 32.Nxel Rc3! { e+ Kg xel aso wins) 33.Kgl Qe6;; whie the most artistic response to 31.Qe2 is 31...RxeS! 32.QxeS Qxf2+ 33.Khl Rc3! 34.Rh4 Bd6! and White's position coapses.]
QUESTON: White fet obiged to embark on compications, and 1 notice that his queen and knight are both on the queenside at the moment, but is his position reay that bad? ANSWE: Everything depends on tactics. With an eegant sequence of moves, Back demonstrates that the position is indeed bad for White.
EXECISE: Use the ideas that we have seen above to come up with the most accurate finish. ANSWE: ! [Even better than 31...Bd6 32.Nd4 (32.f4 is mt our amiiar 32... Rc3 32...BxeS+ 33.Kg2, when Back just has an extra pawn.]
8h! h [9 d QhS! 32.Kgl Ng6 eaves Back with a heathy extra pawn.] h
6 6 5b [f 35.Ne4, the simpest way is 35...Rg6+ 36.Ng3 Bxg3 37.fxg3 Qd3, winning another pawn.]
99
35 RgG+ 36Kfl Bg3 -
After the first cycle, Anand shared first place with Kamsky on 3/5, but in the second cycle he was on 'minus one, losing to Topalov and drawing the rest. So he ended up with 5 points out of 10, as in 2005, and this time it was only enough for third place. Topalov put on another of his then typical spectacular spurts in the second cycle (scoring 4/5) and won the event with 6 points. After the M-Tel Masters, Anand went straight to the Turin Olympiad where he continued his indifferent form from the second cycle in Sofia, scoring only 4 points out of 9. Rapidplay victories cae in Leon, Mainz (in a match vs. Teimour Radjabov) and Villarrobledo, but his comparative slump at the classical time limit was set to continue for a while. In 2007 Anand was unable to replicate his Wijk aan Zee success; he finished in fifth, one point behind the winners Aronian, Topalov and Radjabov. However, this tournament was notable for something else: the debut of Magnus Carlsen among the elite. Carlsen actually had a bad tournament, scoring only 4/13, and he shared last place with Shirov. Would he be able to recover quickly from that disappointment? The answer cae soon enough.
Game Sixteen
The Start of the Anand vs. Carlsen Rivalry Between 2006 and 2008 the Linares tournament was actually split between two venues; the first half was played in Morelia, Mexico, and the second in its traditional venue, the Spanish town of Linares. The majr surprise of the tournament was the excellent debut, in what was then the most important tournament in the world, of the sixteen-year-old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the youngest player in the tournament by a long chalk, and the only one who didnt have an Elo above 2700. The first leg of this, the 24th Linares/Morelia Tournament, was played from the 17th to the 25th of February 2007 at the Palacio Clavijero in Morelia. Anand cae up against Carlsen in the third round and defeated him; this result was very important for the partial classification. Carlsen managed to take sole lead of the tournament in rounds 5 and 6, but Anand and Carlsen finished the first leg tied in first place, with 4 points out of a possible 7. The second leg of the tournament took place from the 2nd to the 10th of March in its 100
usual venue in Linares, a city in the Andalusian province of Jaen. Among other good things, Jaen is known for its immense olive grves and for being the "World Olive Oil Capital, as the signs proudly, and justifiably, proclaim as you drive into Linares. In the first two rounds of the Linares leg there were no changes, until in Round 10 the two leaders faced each other once more. DAnand,V •Carlsen,M Spish Opig C96 16: Morelia/Linares, 2007 [Zenón Franco]
ANSWER: On the basis of the game R.J.Fischer-P.Keres, Cura�ao Candidates 1962, played in round 21 where curiously Fischer switched from 12 dxc5 (with which he had been successful in round 7) to 12 d5 it was concluded that 13.g4 isn't very effective in this position, because White doesn't have enough pieces on the kingside to support this advance.The fine balance between considering 13 g4 a useful move, restraining the enemy counterplay, and one which weakens the position, tilts towards the second verdict after 13...h!, when in rder to support the g4-pawn White has to allow the activation of the opponent's dark-squared bishop. Fischer-Keres continued 14.Nh2 hxg4 15.hxg4 Bg5! 16.Nd2 g6 (planning to occupy the h file with his rook) 17.Ndf3 Bxc 18.Qxc Kg7 and Black has made progress, exchanging his generally passive e7bishop for the one on , after which the weaknesses created 13 g4 become more noticeable. In the game Black obtained a good position and won after a long struggle.
1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.BbS a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 S.0-0 Be7 6.Re bS 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 NaS 10.Bc2 cS 11.d4 Nd7 This idea of Paul Keres has also been played occasionally by Adams, Mamedyarov, Piket, Ponomariov, Short, and various other strong players. 12.dS White decides to clse the centre. [The main alternatives are the standard 12.Nbd2; and 12.dxc dxc5 13.Nbd2, employed successfully by Fischer against Keres in the seventh round of 1962 the Cura�ao Candidates tournament. With 12.d the central tension is released and the position becomes a closed one, leading to a manoeuvring game. Now it's possible to 'recycle' the a5-knight with 12...Nc4, but Carlsen continues with Keres' original idea.] 12
...
Nb6
Black prepares an eventual ...f7-f5, and at the same time controls a4, to slow down White's thematic a2-a4 break.
13...g6 Black continues to prepare the f5break. [Actually, the immediate 13...f was possible but, in general, exchanging the light-squared bishops and ceding the e4-square to a white knight isn't advisable, even though Black gains the f-file. This was demonstrated by Leko, who gained the
QUESTION: What to do now? Allow ...f7-f5, or restrain it with 13 g4? 13.Nbd2 0
advantage in games against Kramnik and Adams in 2005 with 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Bxf5 Rxf5 16.Ne4. lt might be thought that the white d-pawn is rather weak in this ine, but the back pieces aren't we paced to exert pressure on d5. For exampe, 16...Qd7 17.b3 Qb7 fais to 18.c4, and if 18...bxc4 then 19.Bd2 wins the knight on a5.]
the temptation to pay 17 Bh6, considering that "in fact, the bishop beongs on e3" (Anand), where it wi exert pressure on the queenside.; A 'azy' soution woud be to pay 17.Bh6 and 'think ater'. P.Leko-S.Mamedyarov, Moscow 2006, showed that this doesn't give White anything specia: 17...Re8 18.Bb3 Bd7 (18.../5?! is risky, as after 19.exf gxf5 20.cl, Back can't retreat with 20...b6? because 21.xe! aows the b3-bishop to show its teeth ! 19.Qe2 Nb6 20.Rac Rc8 (now, itte by itte, exchanges take pace) 21.Be3 Rxc 22.Rxc Qb8 23.Nd2 Rc8 24.Rxc8+ Nxc8 25.f4 Qc7 26.Nf3 Qc3 27.Qd2 Qxd2 28.Bxd2 f6 and the game ended in a draw.]
4.b4 A committa decision, but White has a pan in mind and carifies the position, temporariy ceding the c4square to the back knights. [The modest 14.b3, preventing the a5-knight from 'recycing' itsef via c4 and b6, is typica in this type of position; but there is no time for it here because Back woud just pay 14...f5.]
7...NbG The possibiity of White eventuay capturing on c4 makes it advisabe to withdraw the kniht.
4...cxb4 5.cxb4 Nac4 6.Nxc4 Nxc4
QUESTION: The bishop on b3 doesn't seem to be very active, does it? ANSWER: That's true, but we've just seen the infuence that this bishop can exert aong the a2-g8 diagona (cosed at the moment) if Back weakens it by paying...f7-f5. On b3 the bishop has an effective deterrent effect (in fact the atent threat of Nxe5 keeps Back from ever paying...f7-f5) and it's aso usefu that it's no onger on the c fi, s w' s
EXERCISE: (positiona, difficut): How shou Whit poy his pis? ANSWER: 7.Bb3! An extraordinary move or as my transator and friend Phi Adams pointed out, Nimzowitsch woud have perhaps caed it a "mysterious bishop move" ! [White fights against the...f7-f5 break, without resorting to drastic measures, such as 17.g4. He aso resists
8.Be3 Bd7 9.Rcl White is first to occupy the open fie. This contro aso discourages Back from paying...f7-f5, since it's difficut to sustain a strugge on two fronts simutaneousy. 9...RcS 102
Black follows suit, but now his position will suddenly become uncomfortable. [In view of the course of the game, it was preferable to play 19...Qb8!, intending 20...Qb7 and only then...Rac8, as pointed out by Anand. Six years on, the engines agree with him that 19 ...Qb8! was best, which was also confirmed by practice.]
able to profit from the short time required for the knight to return to the fray and for Black to re-establish harmony in his camp.]
20.Rxc8 This creates slight disharmony among the black pieces, which White can exploit to re-establish control of the -file, albeit only temporarily. The e3-bishop shows its usefulness by preventing Black from recapturing with the queen.
AWE: 23.Qd2 An obvious move? t might appear so at first the queen leaves the -file in anticipation of a future ...Rc8 but White's motivation is much deeper than it seems. [Another tempting idea was 23.Ne, with the idea of offering a piece with Nd3-c5, since if Black takes on , the recapture b4xc5 creates a powerful mobile pawn mass. t is true that 23 Ne allows Black to exchange his passive e7-bishop with 23...Bg, which rovides soe relief but Anand considered that 24.Qd2 Bxe3 25.Qxe3 Qb8 while 5f! is unattractive in view of 6f! fe g with a clear advantage to White after either Nxe4 or an eventual Ne6; here again we can see the influence of the bishop on b3 26.f4 would still be slightly better for White.]
EXECIE: (positional, difficult): Black needs two tempi to be able to contest the c-file: ...Qb8 and...Rc8. How can White make use of this time?
20... Bxc8 [20...Nxc8 21.Qc2 Nb6 comes to the same thing.] 21.Qc2 Bd7 22.Rcl The complement of the previous exchange of rooks; this forces the knight to retreat to the uncomfortable square a8. 22...Na8 UETIO: What an ugly move! Why is it necessary?
23...QbS
AWE: Black has to prevent an invasion via c7; [for example, if ? then 4 Rxb8 25.Bxb6 Rxb6 26.Rc7 wins a piece. UETIO: Okay, you've convinced me; but how serious is it to have to put the knight on a8 for a moment? AWE: t isn't serious yet; it's just a temporary disadvantage and if White plays indecisively he won't be 103
EXERCISE: What was the idea behind 23 Qd2?
EXERCISE: 24...f6, declining the exchange of bishops, isn't a solution why not?
ANSWER: BgS ANSWER: Because then White has 25.Nxe5!, winning material, and the 'long shadow' of the b3-bishop appears once again.]
QUESTION: Previously White was concerned about the trade of bishops and yet now he seeks it! What's the explanation?
5xgS ANSWER: t's for tactical reasons; White needs to exchange this bishop to speed up his attack on Black's king, one motive being to introduce the queen into the attack via h6.This trade would rarely be good for White in 'normal' positions, but here it's the best way to open a second front and try to exploit the temporary displacement of Black's queen and knight. The exchange of 'good' or 'bad' pieces needs to be considered in context, rather than as soe absolute truth.
QUESTION: Why not transfer the queen to the kingside with 25.Qxg5? ANSWER: Because of the simple reply 25...f6!, when Black would be able to defend his kingside without allowing any breaks. In contrast, driving the knight away won't be so easy. 5Rc8 Rl QUESTION: What's so good about this move, which abandons the -file?
BxgS? [The best move was 24...Qd8!, including the queen in the defence, although after 25.Qe3 (not 5Bxl?! xl which improves the position of Black's queen and indeed his whole position; for instance, if 3 then ! and Black is defending all the invasion points) 25...Bxg5 26.Nxg5 Qe7 27.f4, White has the initiative.; In the event of 24...Bd8?!, White gains a strong attack with 25.Bxd8 Qxd8 26.h6, which is the main idea of 24 Bg5. Let's see one of the lines given by the winner: 26...f6 (or 7g gl 8 9!} 27.Rc6! Bc8 28.h4! Rf7 29.h5 Rg7 {9g? runs into 30xg! fxg5 31x) 30.hxg6 hxg6 31.Nh4 g5 32.Nf5 Bxf5 33.exf5 "and White's rook can never be dislodged from c6."
ANSWER: Yes, it abandons the open file. The general rule is that pieces must be retained for the attack, but tactics are also important and must back up such decisions. White would have had to calculate quite a lot befre making this logical move, which prepares f2-f4. [The alternative was 26.Rxc8+, followed by f2-f4; or just 26.f4 at once.] 26... h6 27.Ne6! This pretty sacrifice forced, strictly speaking formed part of White's calculations and was the reason why White chose 26 Rf. [nstead, the passive 27.Nf3? would allow Black to slve his problems with 27... Kg7.t is notable that, since move 24, it's only here that Houdini in 2013 finally 'changes sides'. Up to this point the 104
engine considered that Black's position was satisfactory.]
by...d6-d5 or... Nc4 and after 37... Nc4 38.Rd Ne5 39.Rxd4 Nxf7, once again White faces a crucial decision.
27...Kh7 Best. [After 27...fxe6 28.dxe6 Be8, then 29.Qxh6! is very strong. Let's look at another sample line given by the winner: 29... Nb6 30.e7+ Nc4 31.Qf8+ Kh7 32.f4 the computer prefers the 'inhuman' move 32.Bdl!, intending Bg4-e6, or if 32...Bc6 then 33.7+ Kh6 34.f4, which also wins) 32...Qa8 33.Rf3! Qxe4 34.fS gxf5 35.Rg3 and White wins.]
What type of endgame should White head for? EXERCISE:
The correct way is to force a pawn ending with 40.Rf4! it would be a mistake to go straight into a rook ending with 40.Bx7? Rxf7 41.Rxd6, since after 41...R4! 42.a3 a5! 43.bxa5 Ra4, the saying that "all rook endings are drawn" would be valid) 40...Kg7 41.Bxf7 Rxf7 42.Rxf7+ Kxf7 43.Kg3, which is winning because White can create a passed pawn on the kingside, which will deflect the black king and allows White's king to reach the queenside first; for example, 43...Ke6 44.Kf3 Ke5 45.g4 d5 46.h4 d4 47.gS hxg5 48.hxgS Kf5 49.g6 Kxg6 50.Ke4 etc. 37.Be6 Rb8 when 38.Rf3 seems best and if 38...Kf8 then 39.Rg3! Ke7 40.Rg8 Rf8 41.Kg3 but White seems better in any case.] ANSWER:
28.4 a7+ 29.Kh2 B8 [The capture of the knight, however bad it looks, always needs to be considered. Let's see what Anand gave this time: 29...fxe6 30.dxe6 Be8 31.fS gxf5 (31...Qd4? 32.Qxd4 exd4 is worse on account of 33.f6 Nb6 34.f7 Bx/7 35.Rx/7+ and because Black didn't take on f5, he has to move his king to a passive square, 35...Kg, when 36.Rd7 Nc4 37.e7 Re8 38.Rxd6 Rxe7 39.Rxd4 Rc7 40.Rd6! wins) 32.exfS Qd4 and here there are several moves. nstead, he was intending to go straight into an ending with 33.Qxd4 (The engines like 33.Qe, which looks objectively strongest after 33...e4 34.f6 Qe5+ 35.Qg3! Qxg3+ 36.Kxg3, for example, we arrive at a more favourable version for White of the endgame seen below but Anand considered that the full consequences of 33 Qel woud be very difficult to calculate over the board. 36...-- (36...--)) 33...exd4 34.f6 Nb6 35.f7 Bxf7 36.exf7 (36.Rx7+ Kg6 is less conclusive) Of course this isn't everything which could be said. The positions remain complex and Black has other interesting choices for example, 36...Kg7 (36...Rf8 37.Be6! (played befre the bishop can be shut out
30.S gxS 31.xS 6 [nstead, 31...fxe6 32.dxe6 would transpose to 29...fxe6 30 dxe6 Be8 31 f5 gxf5 32 exf5 in the previous note.]
t's obvious that the f rook must join in the attack, but how? EXERCISE:
105
ANSWER: 32.Rel! White plans to attack using the fourth rank and now threatens Re4-h4 or Re4-g4. [Actually, the route 32.Rf3 is also strong. t is true that this can be answered by 32...Bf7 33.Rg3 Rg8, but the exchange of the rooks gives Black no relief, because he has too many weak points where White can penetrate; for example, 34.Rxg8 Bxg8 35.Qc3 Nb6 (or b ) 36.Qc6, winning.] 32...Nc7 [f Black tries 32... Nb6 33.Re4 h5 { is refuted by +, which wins after
K + K + K + + K 9+), then 34.Qe Nc4 35.Bd and there is no defence against Bxh5, followed by Rh4.]
Bxh5 and Rh4) due to 34... Nxe6! 35.dxe6 d5 36.Rh4 (or ) 36...Rc4 and Black defends.]
33... Bd7 34.Rc3 e4 [Taking on e6 with 34... Nxe6 35.dxe6 would give White the winning trump of a protected passed pawn, and 35...Rxc3 (or b ) 36.exd7 is decisive.]
35.Rg3 [ncreasing the pressure on the pinned piece with 35.Qc was another way to win, but ... you can only choose one at a time.]
35...NxeG [Obviously, Black's position is indefensible after 35...Rg8 36.Rxg8 Kxg8 37.Qxh6.]
EXERCISE: Okay, what now?
36.dxe6 Be8 37.e7! ANSWER: 33.Rcl! This pin restricts Black's defences while the rook makes its way across to the g-file. [This is stronger than the direct 33.Re4 because, after 33...h5, White cannot utilize the plan from the previous note with 34.Bd? intending
The fastest way, threatening 38 Bg8+.
37... BhS 38.Qxd6 [All resistance ceases; after 38.Qxd6 Re8 39.Qxf6 Qxe7, White wins with 40.Bg8+ etc.] 1-0
Anand considered this his best game from Linares 2007, which also gave him a point lead over his pursuers; and with that advantage he won the tournament, with a rating performance of 2816. In addition to the €100,000 prize, this majr triumph elevated him to No.1 in the world rankings on the lo list of pril st 27, a success that he achieved for the first time in his career, displacing Veselin Topalov, who had occupied the top spot since Kasparov's retirement.
Game Seventeen
Wor Campion for t on Tim After the disappointment of San Luis 2005 the opportunity arse for Anand to 6
establish himself as World Champion in Mexico City from the 13th to the 29th of September 2007. Taking part were the World Champion Kramnik, Anand, Aronian, Gelfand, Grischuk, Leko, Morozevich and Svidler; the only top players missing from this double-round tournament were Carlsen (knocked out by Aronian in a Candidates match) and Topalov. Anand, who ended with 'plus 4 (4 wins and 10 draws), said, in an interview granted to europe-echecs.com, that he considered that this was one of the best tournaments of his career. After the first cycle he scored 'plus 3 and in the second "only plus 1. Anand explained that leading the tournament, right from the fourth round, allowed him to choose the most suitable rhythm; after the eleventh round he was one and a half points ahead, which made him play more conservatively in the last three rounds. Lets look at one of his wins from the first cycle, against an opponent who has defeated him several times.
DA,L •Ad, Queen's Gambit Declined {043} 17: World Champ, Mexico City, 2007 [Zó Fro]
QUEST/ON: What? Wasnt the idea of 5...h6 to prevent 6.Bh4? After 6...dxc4 7.e4, Black can play 7...g5 befre ...b7-b5, because Nxg5 doesnt work now. So doesnt this just lose a pawn?;
d NfG [In Morelia earlier that year Anand had employed the move rder 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6, to which Aronian replied 4.Qc2 and eventually won. Anand wanted to prevent that line, in rder to be able to reach the position he wanted.]
ANSWER: Yes, this is a pawn sacrifice, and its true that previously 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 was considered to be almost orced, with quieter play in which Whites advantage is minimal. Your bewilderment, or doubts, on seeing this position for the first time, dont surprise me at all. In fact, as a teenager, 1 once saw an old book written by Botvinnik in which 6 Bh4 was suggested (the main line at that time was his own variation with 5...dxc4), to which an irreverent young person had added an annotation in pencil: He is crazy, it just loses a pawn. (To clarify, it wasnt the present author who wrote that.) Black will have an extra pawn; on the other hand he will have to weaken himself by advancing his pawns on both
2 G 3Nf3 dS N3 Anand is aiming for the Moscow Variation. G SgS G [This move, leading to the Moscow, has displaced the Botvinnik Variation 5...dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5, which was the main line until the 1990s.] 07
wings, so that his king will not be able to find safety on either flank.
11b7 1- [Kasparov was successful with 12.f3 Nbd7 13.fxg4 hxg4 14.00 NxeS 15.BxeS Nd7! 16.Bxh8 Qxh4 17.Bxg4 Qxh8 18.eS in the game G.Kasparov A.Dreev, Russian Championship, Moscow 2004; but Dreev himself later showed that Black can reach a good position with 18...000!, E.Bacrot A.Dreev, Poikovsky 2005, when the extra pawn and the weakness of the white centre compensate for the exchange.]
6dxc4 7e4 g 8g b 9e Kasimdzhanov had played this against Anand in Mainz (rapid) a month befre this game and achieved a promising position. White is planning Qf3 and/or g2-h4. [9.Be2 is the main move here, when 9...Bb7 10.h4 g4 11.NeS hS transposes to the game.] 9h [9...Bg7 10.h4 Nfd7 11.hxgS hxgS 12.Rxh8+ Bxh8 13.QhS BxeS 14.BxeS NxeS 15.Qh8+ Kd7 16.QxeS was the continuation of the above-mentioned game; Anand managed to draw but only after experiencing difficulties.; In ao Paolo 2011 against Nakamura, Anand opted for Gelfand's idea of 9...Nbd7!? and reached a good position after 10.Nxc6 Qb6 11.dS Bb7 12.a4 a6 13.Be2 Bxc6 14.dxc6 Qxc6 15.axbS axbS 16.Rxa8+ Qxa8.]
1bd7 1c xe 14xe g7 1adl [The more aggressive 15.Bg3, with the idea of e4-e5 and Ne4, was tried in Grischuk-vidler in round six of the same tournament. After 15...Qxd4 16.Rfd QcS (as vidler played)or ... Qb, the struggle is sharp, but Black seems to stand well.J 1- 16g
1h4 [10.f3 was Carlsen's choice in Morelia/Linares 2008, when 10...h4 11.Bf2 Bb7 12.Be2 Nbd7 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.00 e! 15.a4 a6 led to an objectively equal position; but after 16.dS?! Rh6!, the rook proved to be very well placed on the third rank and Anand managed to win.]
QUESTION: retreat, isn't it?
This
is
a
strange
ANSWER: Yes, at first sight it does look odd, but each move must be viewed in its context. Here White wants to break with f2-f3 and by retreating the bishop first he defends the h4pawn. [The point is that if he plays 16.f3 immediately, Black can reply with 16 Nh7 and th ishop can't thn o to g3 because the d4-pawn falls with check; while after 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.fxg4 Qxh4 19.gxhS NgS, Black has good counterplay. In fact the threatened ...Nh3+ virtually forces a draw, which would be a moral defeat for White; for example, 20.Qd2 or 20.Bf3 f5! with a strong attack 20...Nh3+ 21.gxh3 Qg3+ 22.Kh Qxh3+ etc.
g4 Be2 The game now transposes to lines more often reached by the 9 Be2 move rder above. [Nielsen indicated 11.f3 as the only way to take the game along an independent track, but also that Black seems to stand well after 11...Rg8, an evaluation which is backed up by the engines.]
...
08
resources. Here we see a quality that the computer lacks: at times, elite grandmasters can 'sense' (or perhaps deduce by logical but unconscious thought) that, contrary to all appearances, their evaluation is correct, despite what the computer says. Naturally, after deep analysis the tactical justification was found.
6 ... Nd .f3
.dxcS
The most natural move, made by almost immediately. Aronian [18.NxbS?! gives White no advantage. In fact, after 18...cxd4 19.Nxd4 {19.xc4 c8 is good for Black 19...Qb6 20.Bf2 g3! 21.Be3 Qd8 22.f4 (not 22.BgS? Bxd4+ 23.Rxd4 Qb6 24.Be3 eS! and wins; e.g. 25.Rxd7 or 25.d3 cxd3) 25...Qxe3+ 26.Kh Qf4) 22...Bxd4 23.Rxd4 Qxh4 24.Rfd NeS!, Black has a very strong attack; for example, 25.fxeS?! fS! 26.Bf3 fxe4 threatenin 27...Qh2+, followed by...Rxf3+ or...c4c3 and...Ba6+) 27.Rd2 (to defend the rank) 27...Qh2+ 28.Kf Qh+ 29.Bg c3! (to forestal Qxc4) 30.bxc3 (otherwise ...Ba6+) 30...RfS (threatening 31...exf3, because 32 Qg6+ is not possible anymore) 31.Rd8+ or 31.xe4 xf3+) 31...Rxd8 32.Rxd8+ Kg7 33.Rd7+ Kg6 34.Rd6 BdS 35.Rxe6+ (what else?) 35...Bxe6 36.Qxe4 h4 37.Qc6 Rxf3+ 38.gxf3 Qh3+, followed by 39...QfS and the pawns will win.; Aronian said he had considered 18.dS as well, but rjt it on aount o 18 19.BxeS the line 19.f4 Bd4+ is better for Black: the d4-bishop is very strong, White's bishop on g3 is badly placed and "White can no longer play fxg4", as Nunn indicates 19...NxeS 20.fxg4 not 20.f4? xh4! with a decisive attack 20...Qxh4 21.gxhS b4 22.Na4 Rac8 with a complex position, offering chances for both sides.]
White increases the pressure on the kingside, opening lines.Nielsen gives an interesting account of this game and of Anand's magnificent preparation for this tournament. While spending soe time in Mexico befre the start of the event, Anand 'sensed' that this position hadn't been sufficientl well reared and that a nasty surprise might be waiting for him. ...cs
QUESTION: This looks very risky, doesn't it? t allows the opening of the d-file with X-ray pressure by the d rook against the black queen. Why not play something quieter, such as 17...Qb6? ANSWER: 17...Qb6 was indeed considered best at that time, and is still mploy vn toay ut 17 was Anand's prepared line. You're not alone in regarding it with suspicion; the computer also frowns on it and, at first sight, this attitude appears justified, given that, as you say, it seems to open the position prematurely in White's favour. However, the more Anand and his team analysed the position, the more they cae to believe in Black's 09
18...Qe7: 19.Rd6 can be met calmly by 19...a6 and White doesn't win a piece after 20.c6 Bxc6 21.Rxc6 because of 21...NeS 22.Rb6 Qa7 23.Bf2 g3 24.Be3 Qe7 "and White gets mated", according to Nielsen (in New in Chess #7 /2007) which is something of an exaggeration, but in any event, after 25.f4 Qxh4 26.Rd Bh6, Black's attack is very strong.; 19.fxg4 QxcS+ 20.Bf2 Qc6 21.gxhS NeS "leads to a position that is quite typical for this line; White has an extra pawn, but Black has very harmonious pieces and, in my opinion, excellent compensation" (Nielsen).; 19.Rf2 was highlighted by Nielsen as White's strongest continuation, without going into detail, but it seems that Black is fine; for example, 19...Bc6 20.Bd6 Qxh4 21.g3 QgS and, in this chaotic position, the chances are once again equal.
18...Qe7! The key idea this, as Nunn put it, "at first sight suicida!" move keeps the queen aimed at h4 and closer to the kingside than on b6, with intentions that are both defensive and offensive. 19.Khl?! Played after a long think. Aronian couldn't find a good response to Anand's plan and made a passive move, fleeing the g-a7 diagonal and threatening NxbS, but "a tempo is a tempo". Note that the g3bishop is now tied to the e-h4 diagonal, as otherwise the h4pawn falls with check. UET/O: What about 19.Bd6 then? t's very tempting. Is it a bad move? AWE: No, it isn't bad, but nor does it win material. After 19...Qxh4, the threat of ...g4g3 prevents the capture of the rook.
19...aG 20.a4 Bc6! Black has managed to stabilize the queenside and now threatens ... NxcS.
EXECIE: The attempt to trap the black queen with 20.g3 (Then a possible continuation is 20.fxg4 NeS with equal chances in a complicated position (note that White still can't take the rook); but not xg in view of Rf}} 20...Qh3 21.Rf2 doesn't work either why not?
21.NdS!? Aronian tries to change the unsatisfactory course of the struggle by adding to the chaos. [nstead, 21.fxg4 was considered by Nielsen to be "the best fighting chance", but here 21...NxcS looks good for Black for example, 22.gxhS b4 23.h6 Bxc3 24.bxc3 Bxa4 25.Qd2 Bxd 26.Rxd and Black has a winning position.
ANSWER: Black must quickly counterattack against g3 with 21...NeS and the queen escapes with catastrophic consequences for the white king not the passive , which leaves the black pieces inactive xb would be the answer for instance, 22.NxbS now fails to 22...Qxg3+ 23.Rg2 Nxf3+ 24.Bxf3 Qxf3.; Let's examine soe other replies to
EXECIE: What's the problem with 21.Rd6, threatening the c6bishop, while also planning Rfd? AWE: 21...BeS reveals a negative side to the white king being on h; after 22.Rxd7 Bxd7 23.BxeS Qxh4+ 110
24.Kgl g3, White has to give up his bishop on g3 to prevent immediate mate.]
dxc6 is that White's two minr pieces are now passive, whereas Back's are very active; in particuar, the e4-square is idea for the knight. Back has a definite advantage.
21...exdS 22.exdS
25.RdS? This wi be ceary refuted. [t was better to pay 25.Kh2.] 25... Ne4 26.Bel [t's too ate for 26.Kh2 now, in view of 26...Rfd8 27.Rfdl Rxd 28.Rxd Nxg3 29.Kxg3 Qe3+ and wins.] (difficut): How to respond to White's atera threat to h? EXERCISE:
26... Qe6! "Anand finds the best soution to the attack on the h-pawn, which is again somewhat paradoxica" (Nunn). Back forces White to cature the pawn. [nstead, 26...f 27.Kh2 Qe6? fais to 28.axb.]
(difficut): Seeing as 22...Nxc 23 dxc6 isn't attractive for Back, what shoud he pay instead? EXERCISE:
ANSWER:
22...BeS!! Niesen approves of this move, awarding it one excamation mark. Nunn gives it two and is much more enthusiastic: "A truy briiant move!" is his comment. Back ignores his attacked piece and forces the move f3f4, after which both white bishops wi be 'dead'. Nunn remarks that this move can appear obvious once you've seen it, but "finding such paradoxica soutions at the board is not at a easy."
ANSWER:
27.RxhS [The attempted resource 27.axb Qxd 28.Bxc4 runs into 28...Qd4 29.b6 or 29.bxa6 g3) 29...Nd6, winning.] What response Anand prepared against 27 Rxh? EXERCISE:
had
2.f4 [ o to + Nxe 25.fxg4 (otherwise 25...g3 wins) 25...hxg4 26.Rf4 Qh6 more accurate than 26... } 27.Qe4 Ng6 28.Rxg4 Rae8 29.Qf3 Re3 30.Qf2 Rfe8 31.Bfl Bd7 and the extra piece is decisive.]
27...fS! This was the idea: the rook on h is ut out o t m n k' knit is entrenched on e4. [27...Qg6 28.f Qxh 29.Qxe4 Rfe8 is aso advantageous, but ess concusive than the game continuation; whereas now "it's trivia", according to Niesen.]
2...B7 24.dxc6 NxcS The difference between this position and the one after 22...Nxc 23
28.Kh2 Ras Bringing a fresh piece into pay, rather than rushing to win the
ANSWER:
111
exchange (with ... Qg6) this will happen anyway since the rook isn't going anywhere.
[After 33.hxgS there are several ways to win, the simplest being 33... Rxc6, threatening 34.-- QhS+ 3S.Kg3 Re3+ 36.Kf2 Rce6 and mates.]
29.Bb4 Rfe8 30.axbS axbS 31.Rel Qf7 Now Black wins the exchange without offering any relief to White's position.
33...RxcG 34.Bfl Rxel 3S.Bxel ReG 36.Bc3 Qc7+ 37.g3 Re3 38.Qg2 Bxc3 39.bxc3 f4 40.Qa+ Kg7 41.QaG fxg3+ [42.Kg Qf7.] 0-1
32.RgS NxgS 33.fxgS
Game Eighteen The Rival who most nfluenced Anand's Victory Grischuk had an important role in deciding the destiny of the World Championship. In the fourth round he saved a lost position against Kramnik, who would have been in the lead had he won. Then there cae the game below in round seven, while in the penultimate round he was unable to defeat Anand in a very superior ending. Anand also highlighted the great importance of this draw. Let's look at the game which put Anand on to "plus 3 at the end of the first cycle. DAnand,V • rischuk,A
10...NaS [Other options are 10... Rb8; and 10... Be6 (which Grischuk played against Leko in the eighth round).]
Sp Opg {C88} 18: World Champ, Mexico City, 2007
[Zó F] 1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 NcG 3.BbS aG 4.Ba4 NfG S.0-0 Be7 6.Rel bS 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 [In the fifth round Anand defeated vidler by allowing the Marshall Attack after 8.c3 dS, but here he prefers to avoid a theoretical debate.]
11.Ba2 cS 12.c3 [12.Nc4 is also played here, but after 12...Nc6 and a timely... Be6, Black doesn't have any problems; we'll see an example in the next note. In general there are many transpositions and the same position can be reached by slightly different move orders.]
8...b4 9.d3 dG 10.Nbd2 [In the third (2012) edition of the book of Anand's best games, Nunn notes the possibility of 10.aS, which prevents ...NaS and leaves the b4-pawn with less protection by preventing ...a6aS. The price, of course, is a tempo, and it isn't clear whether it's worth it or not.]
12...NcG [At that time 12... Rb8 was the exclusive choice of Aronian, another big expert on the black side. Leaving the knight on a for the moment allows Black to consider the resource...b4-b3 in soe positions; for example, 112
S.Karjakin-L.Aronian, Wijk aan Zee 2013, continued 13.Nc4 Nc6 14.h3 h6 (14...Be6 is playable too) 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.Bf4 b3 18.Bxb3 Be6 19.Ba2 d3! 20.Qxd3 Nb4 21.Qe2 Nxa2 22.Rxa2 Rc8 23.b3 Nxe4 and White's position is uncomfortable; the game ended in a draw after Aronian let slip a winning advantage.]
are that Anand's new idea isn't really very dangerous, but it proved so in this initial game.] .bxc exd [In nformator #101, Anand suggested 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Bg4, which appears to be somewhat less effective than in Carlsen's line above (i.e. without the prior exchange on c3, because the cbishop can develop more easily here; nevertheless, it seems sufficient for equality.; Alternatively, after 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 exd4 16.Nb3, Black can equalize with the familiar resource 16...d3 and then 17.Qxd3 Ne or 17...b4.}]
.d This natural move was actually a novelty; [instead, 13.Nc4 Rb8 14.h3 transposes to the previous note.] ...bxc QUESTION: 1 don't like this move; why exchange this pawn?
5.cxd Nb.bl
ANSWER: The idea is to gain the b4-square for the c6-knight. But your view coincides with that of Magnus Carlsen, who criticized this exchange in New in Chess #7/2007, since the b4pawn is a nuisance to White; it isn't a clear error though. [13...cxd4 14.cxd4 exd4 (14...Bg4 15.h3 Bh5 16.d as seemed preferable to Carlsen, who considered that Black's activity compensates for the 'bad bishop" on h, which will be pushed back to g6 after a timely g2-g4 by White) 15.Nb3 leaves Black with a weakness on d6, and 15...Bg4 instead, 15...d3! was suggested by Notkin in Chess Today as a way to riv t prssur; for example, 16.xd3 e5 17.e2 Bb7 18.Bbl e8} 16.Nbxd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Bxf3 18.gxf3 is promising for White, whose bishop pair is more important than the weakness of his kingside, according to Carlsen.; 13...Rb8 is Houdini's preference; this was tested subsequently and also appears to be satisfactory for Black.All the indications
QUESTION: The knight on b4 looks very strong does this not guarantee Black an advantage? ANSWER: The b4-knight is indeed well placed and, yes, it does look strong, but it has its downsides too: the knight might later find itself out of play, or it might get in the way of possible counterplay down the b-file. ts influence on b4 in terms of limiting White's mobility isn't very great, since the arook can come into play via a3, while the bbishop is already well placed.
6 Bg4 Anand considered it positionally risky on Black's part to stick the knight on b4 and then develop this bishop to g4, only for it to end up on g6, but he also wrote that actually exploiting this tactically was very difficult. ...
7.h hS 8. 9.d5 The structure of this position is 3
now that of a Modern Benoni, with the difference that the b4-knight, the e7bishop and the g6-bishop are all in unusual and possibly disadvantageous positions.
never comes). 20... b 21.Bf4 QUESTION: The engines quite like Black's position here are they wrong?
EXERCISE: (difficult; concerned with preventing Nc4 tactically): White is planning the typical Benoni manoeuvre Nc4, followed by Bf4. At this critica! moment, how should we play as Black?
ANSWER: As Nunn noted, this is a type of position that deceives the computers. All the analysis engines value the b4-knight very highly, but they don't take into account the inactivity of the g6-bishop, a factor that will become more important after the simplifications that Black needs to boost his mobility.
19 ...d7?
21...bG 22.xbG [A similar position is reached after 22.Nfd2 Bf6 besides which, could just transpose to the game after 6 6) 23.Nxb6 a ! not 23...Rxb6 {al would give White excellent compensation for the exchange, following the capture of the d6-pawn 24.Ra3 and Nc4.]
ANSWER: In nformator #101 Anand suggested 19 ...Rb8; for White, 20.Ra3 appears to be the best response, albeit a complicated one: after which prevents 20.Nc4? owing to 20...NbxdS 21.exdS Bxb with complications favourable to Black; 20.Nh4? is also bad, in view of 20...Bxe4 21.Bxe4 or l} 21...Nxe4; 20...NbxdS 21.exdS Bxb1 22.Nxbl Rxb 23.Rae3, White has compensation, though it isn't clear whether he has any advantage.
22 ... xbG 23.d2 The other knight heads for c4 and this one can't be exchanged. 23...Bg 24.Bxg xg 25.c4 bb8
20.c4 Now White manages to deploy the knight to its ideal square on c4, where it puts pressure on d6 and supports an eventual e4-e5 advance, if and when the moment seems ripe (which actually 114
EXERCISE: (positional): White has
bishop is guaranteed. Among other examples which are quite deceptive (if we only consider the position of the pawns and the colour of the bishop), there is the classic game W.Winter J.R.Capablanca, Hastings 1919.
several possibilities here which is the best one? ANSWER: 26.d2!
After the exchange of queens, White will exert strong pressure. [26.Qc? Qf6 27.Ra3 would be less accurate on account of 27...NxdS! (the text move renders this impossible because, from d2, the queen could just take the knight); while 26.Nxd6?? fails to 26...QeS!, frking knight and rook.] 26...xd2
Position aer 15 f6 And a more recent example, L.Polugaevsky-V.Korchnoi, Candidates semi-final, Evian 1977.
QUESTION: sn't it better to avoid
. . .
the exchange of queens? ANSWER: Keeping the queens on
the board with 26...Qh4 27.Ra3 doesn't seem a good idea fr Black, since he doesn't have the means to challene White's control of the kingside, and the black king will suffer. 27.xd2 6 QUESTION: Based on the pawn
structure, doesn't Black have a good bishop and White a bad one?
Position aer 34 Bd6 Black, with his 'bad' bishop, has a big advantage in both cases; in the first example because the white bishop is incarcerated, and in the second because Black's pawn majority is far suerior to White's and because he controls the open file. (ee the fllowing games.) . . .
There isn't always a single criterion fr resolving such a question. In this case the theoretically "good" black bishop is in reality "bad", becaue he whe paw rucure restricts its activity. The bishop is thus ineffective, either as an attacking or defensive piece. Furthermore, the 'bad bishop' on b is in fact carrying out an function, important defensive restricting the b4-knight and overprotecting the e4-pawn; in addition, since White has an advantage in space, the future mobility of this ANSWER:
28.c4 d8 29.4 B7 30.3
Discussing this position in the post game press conference, Anand said that it was always necessary to pay attention to the tactical details.
EXERCISE: 30.Kh2?! (and equally 30 Kf2?!) was inaccurate why?
EXERCISE: Here 31.fxgS fxgS 32.Rf3 Kg7 33.Ref Bg6 34.Rf6 looks tempting why did Anand reject it?
ANSWER: Owing to 30...Nc6!, heading for d4, and in the event of 31.dxc6 Bxc4 32.c7, Black has the saving move 32...Rb2+.]
Because Black has ANSWER: another tactical resource in the shape of 34...NxdS! 35.Rxg6+ hxg6 36.exdS Rb3, when he stands very well.]
30...gS Black doesn't want to wait for White to advance with h3-h4, so he tries to restrict the mobility of the white pawns, while giving himself a strong square on e.
3...gxf4 [f instead 31...gxh4, White could 32.Rh3 with a big advantage;; while in the event of 31...h6, Nunn commented that White could continue with his strategy of restricting the black bishop by 32.fxgS fxgS 33.hS!, intending to double rooks on the f-file and invade the black camp via f6, with Ne3-f5 as a possibility;this looks better than 33.hxg hxg5 34.f3 Kg7 35.e3 Bg6, when Black can take the knight if it comes to fS.} 32.Rf3 Be8 33.Rxf4 Kg7 [Not 33... Bxa4? 34.Rxf6 and the d6pawn falls.]
QUESTION: This is rather weakening, isn't it? Does it not go against the rule that says "don't advance pawns on your weaker flank"?
EXERCISE: (difficult): Black wants to play 34... Bxa4, followed by... BbS. How should White respond? ANSWER: 34.hS "An impressive move" (Nunn); instead of going after the f6-pawn, Anand wants to attack the king. [The routine 34.Ref would now allow 5 b ! nd t situation changes radically.]
ANSWER: The reply to both questions is "yes". Anand wasn't convinced that this advance was correct, but he also commented that if lck rstricts imsl to witin, Wit can indeed play h3-h4 and, at an appropriate moment, only when he can seize the resulting open g- or h-file, break with g4-g5 or h4-h5. Meanwhile, the weakness of d6 is an important factor, limiting Black's mobility.
34... Bxa4 [In the event of 34...h6, the weakness of g6 and f6 would now justify 35.Ref Bxa4 36.Rxf6 with a decisive attack; for example, 36... BbS 37.Rg6+ Kh8 38.Rxh6+ Kg7 39.Rg6+ Kh8 40.Nxd6! etc.]
3.h4
116
strong for that!"
35G+! x 3xG+ [36...KgS is no better, because of 37.Refl, threatening either to take on d6 or aunch a mating attack with 38 R1f5+, 39 Ne3, etc.]
39 [39...Bxbl 40.Rd7+ Kg8 41.Rxbl eaves Back defenceess against the various threats of Ng4, Rcl or Rc7.]
3S ntending 38 Nxd6 and NfS+. QUEST/ON: immediatey?
Why
not
0G [As Nunn points out, 40.Rd7+ Kg8 41.d6! was more accurate here, (and even better than 41.cl} and if 41...c4 then when 41...Bxbl 42.Rxbl Rxe4 43.Re7 etc transposes to the game {43.-)) 42.Bxc2 Nxc2 43.Rfl! Rxfl+ (or 43...xe4 44.el} 44.Kxfl Nd4 and now the white forces soon deiver mate; e.g. 45.Ng4 c3 46.Nf6+ Kf8 (or 46... KhB 47.xhl#} 47.Nxh7+ Kg8 48.Nf6+ Kf8 49.g6 etc.]
37.Rxd6
ANSWER: Because Back's king woud become active, giving him reasonabe pay after 37...BbS 38.Rxd8 Rxd8 39.Ne3 Kf6.]
3 3xG [38.Rxf8 Rxf8 39.Nxd6 was an interesting aternative; for exampe, 39...BbS 40.Kg2 c4 41.Kg3 Nd3 42.Rdl and White's position is preferabe, but Anand prefers to keep more materia on the board and try to expoit the weakness of the back king.]
0 EXERCISE: t was amost impossibe for Back to find the computer ine 40...NxdS!? in time pressure and Anand admitted, aughing, that he hadn't seen it either. What is the idea after 41.exdS?
32 [Activating the b8-rook was the priority, to which end 38...BbS! was Back's ast chance of creating counterpay; after 39.Ne3 Rbe8! 40.Rdl Kh8 41.NfS Rg8 42.Kf2 RxgS 43.Re6 Kg8 44.Ke3, the two passed pawns and more active pieces, incuding the king, woud give White the advantage, but Black could still fight on. However, Grischuk was now in serious time pressure and having to rush.]
ANSWER: Back has the beautifu resource 41...Re4!!. Even so, after 42.Rxe4 Rxbl+ 43.Kf2 Bxe4 44.d6 which Anand saw straight away, the passed pawn is dangerous and White retains the advantage; for exampe, 44...Rb8 45.d7 Rd8 46.Ke3 BdS 47.Rxa6 Kf8 48.Rd6, although Black has soe drawing chances if he defends very accuratey starting with 48...Bg2!.
39NS! Preventing ...Nd3. The admiration that Carsen fet in 2007 for Anand's pay comes across in this sentence: "Many payers woud ose contro in such positions, but Vishy is just far too
G! xb 2xb x 3+ We mentioned this position befre, in the note on 40 Rd7+ etc. "White has had to give up the e4-pawn and may appear to have ost contro, but his 117
passed pawn, combined with an attack on the black king, guarantees the win", was Carlsen's evaluation.
[45...Rf4 46.d7 RfS fails to 47.g6! {47.Rel; and 47.Rd6 are also good but not 47.Ng4? KfB 48.Rdel Rxd! 49.Rxd Rxg5 etc) 47...hxg6 48.Rd6 RxeS 49.RxeS Kf8 50.RxcS Ke7 51.Rd4 aS 52.ReS+ Kf6 53.RxaS and wins.]
44 ...d 45.dl!
The white forces are more active and better coordinated, the d6-pawn is very strong, and the knight on b4 is just a passive spectator. EXERCISE:
45.d7
would
46.d f4 4.fl ff 4.xf+ Kxf 49.xh c3
[Or 49... Kg8 50.g6!, intending Ng4f6+; e.g. 50...c3 51.Ng4 c2 52.Nf6+ Kf8 53.Rf7#.]
be
premature why? ANSWER: Because of the riposte
50.gG+
45...Rxd7! 46.Rxd7 RxeS, followed by 47...RxgS, and Black is equal.]
[f 50.Ng6+ Kg8 then 51.Rh8+ Kg7 52.Rxd8 c2 53.Rc8 etc."A very nice game, typical of Anand at his best." (Carlsen, in New in Chess] -0
45...c4
Finally, on the 29th of eptember 2007, Viswanathan Anand, 37 years old, achieved the highest title in world chess for the second time. Anand finished undefeated on 9/14, a point ahead of his pursuers, Vladimir Kramnik and Boris Gelfand. The expected happened, the main favourite won, as predicted by Garry Kasparov. In an interview granted to Vijay Kumar, Anand pointed out that this title was different from the previous one in that there was now only one world champion, rather than two, as there were befre. That gave it a different value; although his first world title, in Tehran in 2000, also had a very special flavour, so it was difficult to compare the two successes. The title also had a short shelf-life it needed to be confirmed in 2008, since FIDE granted Kramnik the right, if he didn't win the tournament in Mexico, to challenge the World Champion. 2008 began, as usual, with Wijk aan Zee. Here Anand was in contention for the top spot right until the end, when he had to console himself with sharing third place with ajabov on 7 points, ha a point bhin th winnrs, Aronian an Carsn Morelia/Linares the following month was a success for Anand; he won it with 8Y out of 13, ahead of Carlsen on 8 points. Then suddenly night fell: he played badly in one of his speciality events, the Amber rapidplay/blindfold tournament; and in Bilbao Anand had one of the worst performances of his career, coming last with 4 points out of 10. Naturally, this worried his supporters, because the match for the title was fast approaching ...
118
Game Nineteen
World Champion for the Third Time For this match there was no obvious favourite. Anand was the world champion but had just failed spectacularly in Bilbao. On the other hand, Kramnik had the reputation of being stronger in matches. He had an excellent opening repertoire, very slid with Black and ambitious with White, which had been proving very effective in tournaments. At that time he was reviving the Catalan Opening, with which he had achieved many wins. Kasparov thought that Kramnik was the slight favourite in this match, as he was "more stable". After the Mexico World Championship, Kramnik considered, without false modesty, according to his own words, that he and Anand were the best chess players in the world at that present time, and then made a curious slip of the tngue about the future match: he said he was confident about retaining my title, forgetting that his title currently belonged to Viswanathan Anand. The match took place in the Federal Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn, from the 14th to the 29th of October, with a prize fund of 1.5 million Euros. t was scheduled to be contested over twelve games, which is not many to decide the best player in the world, but in this case, there was an indisputable winner after only eleven games. The failure of both players in their most recent tournaments - Kramnik had finished seventh in Dortmund and fifth in Moscow - was attributed partly to the fact that they had kept back their best opening weapons for this duel. In Anand's case, that was certainly true; with the exception of the tenth game, when the match was already virtually decided, Anand got the better of Kramnik in the openings. He surprised him by playing 1 d4, which he had not often used in the past, and even then mainly in unofficial games; while with the black pieces he successfully revived a line in the Meran Variation. As Anand pointed out, during the past year he had mainly been preparing 1 d4, whereas in tournaments he was playing 1 e4, which went soe way towards explaining any poor performances of his. In addition, Anand was more practica!; in almost every game he had a big time advantage and, unlike his opponent, he made few serious mistakes. The first game developed quietly, Kramnik saved the theoretical duel for later, gained no advantage, and it ended in a draw. In the second game Anand surprised his opponent, and everyone else, by opening with 1 d4 and gained soe advantage, although he was unable to make anything of it. The third game brought the first victory for Anand. In the Meran Variation he revived 119
an old idea of the Argentinean master, Luis Piazzini, from the 1940s. In the furth game Anand again played 1 d4; after soe interesting skirmishing it too ended in a draw. After the next scheduled rest day, which cae after every two games, Anand gained two consecutive wins, giving him an advantage of 4Y to 1Y, and with that the match was virtually decided. In the fifth game, perhaps the most important of the match, Anand repeated the line with which he had won the third game. He varied sooner than expected by Kramnik, who then used up too much time and made a horrible blunder in an equal position.
D Kramnik,V •Anand,V Queen's Gambit Declined {049} 19: World Champ, Bonn (5), 2008 [Zó Fro]
that 12...gxf6 13.Nxd4 Qb6 14.Be3 Bb4+ 15.Kf BcS was fine fr Black, and everyone switched to the game move rder.] 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Qe2 This position hadn't featured befre in Anand's practice; [but curiously Kramnik had reached it as Black: in G.Kamsky-V.Kramnik, Linares 1994, which continued 14.Be4 Bb7 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.Nxd4 Rg8 with equal chances.]
1.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 In the first game Kramnik played the Exchange Variation, without achieving anything tangible. 3...Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 bS We've reached the complicated Meran Variation, which both players use frequently.
14...Bb7! QUESTION: Explain to me why this move deserves an exclamation mark.
8.Bd3 a6 A relative surprise fr this match, although Anand had played it several times befre. [8 ...Bb7 is the main alternative.]
ANSWER: This was a new idea at the time, fund separately by Anand and one of his seconds, Kasimdzhanov, and it proved to be the key to the outom of th math Anand managd to win two games from this position. This sort of score with the black pieces is unprecedented in the history of the world championship. nstead of defending the bS-pawn, or advancing it, Anand decides to sacrifice it in rder to speed up the combined activity of his bishop on the long diagonal and his rook on the g-file.Nielsen, Anand's
9.e4 cS .eS [Here 10.dS is White's other main option, seen with about equal frequency.] 10...cxd4 11.NxbS axbS 12.exf6 gxf6 [From the 1920s, when this variation was first employed, 12... Qb6 used to be considered obligatory; until, in 1993, Alexander Chernin showed
120
second, commented that one of the reasons they decided to repeat the line (after having re-analysed it again deeply, of course) was that Kramnik, after losing the third game, said in the press conference that he didn't believe in the black position.
compensation for the exchange; while if 16.Rd (as in the third game), then 16...RaS 17.Bxd7+ {17.a4? is punished by 17...xb! 18.axb e5 with a strong attack 17...Kxd7 18.Rxd4+ Qxd4 19.Nxd4 Bxg2 and White is forced to acquiesce to perpetua check.]
5.BxbS Rg8 [In one of the very few earlier games that reached this position, V.Trinidad-L.Piazzini, Argentina vs. Uruguay, radio match 1948, Black continued with 15...Rd8 16.a4 Rg8.; Anand himself diverged here from the earlier matchgame, in which he played 15...Bd6 16.Rd Rg8 17.g3 Rg4; interestingly, nformator #79 had suggested 18.Nd2 (threatening Nc4) as being good for White, but here Anand had prepared the defence (and now 18.Bf4 Bxf4 19.Nxd4 hS 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7 Kf8 22.Qd3 Rg7 23.Rxg7 Kxg7 24.gxf4 Rd8 25.Qe2 Kh6! 26.Kf Rg8 27.a4 Bg2+ 28.Ke Bh3! with a dangerous attack, which Kramnik failed to hold off.8...-- 18...Ke7! 19.Bxd7 not 19.xg4?! xb5} 19...Rag8 20.BbS d3! 21.Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22.hxg3 Rxg3+ 23.Kf Rxd3 24.Bxd3 Qd4! 25.Nc4 Bb4 26.a3 Bg2+! 27.Kxg2 Qg4+ with a draw by perpetua check.]
6...Bd67.Bg3 After fifteen minutes' thought, Kramnik retreated his bishop, neutralizing the pressure on the g-file for the time being. Anand continued to play very quickly, an indication that he was still in his preparation. [The alternative was 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Rfd, when 18...eS (suggested by both Fritz and Rybka) unless Black wants to try Houdini's interesting 18...Kf8!?) 19.Rxd4 Qxd4! 20.Nxd4 Bxg2! leads to another draw; e.g. 21.Qd2 Bh3+ 22.Kh Bg2+ etc.] 7...fS QUESTION: This looks very risky, doesn't it? After all, the black king is still in the centre. ANSWER: Yes, it's another 'all or nothing' decision, but it's consistent with the path Anand has chosen. Black must try to open the g-file or create activity on the kingside at almost any price; otherwise White's kingside will remain slid and Black's weaknesses wi ein to te
6.Bf4! Kramnik replied quickly, as if to indicate that Anand's new move didn't take him y surprise The ishop occupies the h2-b8 diagonal (befre Black can seize it with 16...Bd6) and prepares to nullify the pressure down the g-file with Bg3. [This can't be done by 16.g3?! on account of 16...RaS! 17.a4 not 17.xd4? xd4 18.dl xdl+ 19.xdl xb5 with a material advantage 17...RxbS 18.axbS QcS, planning ...QdS, with a lot of
8.Rfcl Kramnik considered that it was important to occupy the -file to restrict the black queen, thus preventing a timely ...QcS-dS, or ...QcS hS (after ...f5-f4 and Bh4).As throughout almost the whole match, Kramnik left himself with less time than 121
Anand to reach the control at move 40; this move alone cost him no less than 40 minutes. [nstead, a logical move such as 18.Rfd?! can be punished by 18...f4 19.Bh4 Ra!, and if 20.a4 then 20...RxbS! 21.axbS NeS is very strong; we can see the great potential for cooperation between the g8-rook and the b7-bishop.; In general, something like 18.a4!? would be better than the rook move, according to Kramnik, but the type of position reached after, for example, 18...f4 19.Bh4 QcS 20.Kh QhS did not appeal to him.; Finally, against 18.NeS, Black has 18...d3! 19.Bxd7+ Ke7 20.Qxd3 (or 20.Qel f4!} 20...BxeS 21.QbS QxbS 22.BxbS f4 23.Bh4+ f6 24.g3 fxg3 25.hxg3 BdS with a slight advantage, according to Anand.]
because 19...RaS 20.a4 RxbS 21.axbS NeS? now loses to 22.NxeS! Rxg2+ 23.Kf Rxh2 24.Ra8+! Bxa8 25.Rc8+ and mates.] 0.a4! Bxh4
[20...Qd6 is Houdini's preference, and it was played in M.Mozharov v.Popov, Moscow 2012, which continued 21.Ra3 In the earlier game M.Kazhgaleyev-Y.Zherebukh, Cappelle la Grande 2010, Black opted for 21...RaS?? instead. EXERCISE:
What strong continuation did White have after 21...RaS? ANSWER:
Kazhgaleyev overlooked the beautiful shot 21...f6 22.aS?! (if 22.Rd3, the best appears to be 22 ... Kf, with a very complicated position 22...Kf8 23.a6 BdS 24.3 fx3 25.fx3 Qf4 and Black won material.) 22.Qe4!! (instead, there followed 22.Rd3? Bxh4 23.Nxh4 Rxb5! 24.axbS Ne5 with compensation 22...Qb8 (22...Bxe4? 23.Rc+ is mate in two while 22... Bxh4 loses to 23.Qxb} 23.Qxh7 with a decisive advantage.]
8...f4 9.Bh4
.xh4 Ke7!
EXERCISE:
positional,
The time left for each player to reach move 40 speaks volumes: Kramnik had just 36 minutes left, compared to an hour and 21 minutes
difficult):
How sould lck continu
or nnd
ANSWER: 9...Be7!
.a3!?
In the press conference after the game, Anand stated that the plan of exchanging the bishops and placing his king on e7 was correct, since the king is relatively well protected by his pawn centre. [Note that Black can't continue in the same way as after 18 Rfd?!,
Kramnik said that he had the feeling that White was better here, but he couldn't find a way to prove this at the board. [One line he looked at was 22.Bxd7!? Kxd7 23.QhS, without seeing anything concrete after 23...Rg7.;
122
Kramnik also commented that 22.b4 didn't work why not?
t fails to 23.Nxg2 Rg8 24.Rf3!, revealing one of the points of 22 Ra3.]
Because of 22...Rxg2+! (Black also had 22...Rg5!?, planning to double rooks) 23.Nxg2 Rg8 24.f3 d3+ 25.Qf2 Bxf3 26.Qxb6 Rxg2+ 27.Kf Nxb6 28.Bxd3 Nd5 with advantage to Black.; In the press conference Kramnik was asked whether he had considered 22.g3, which was suggested by the then Computer World Champion, Rybka. Kramnik looked astonished, and admitted that he hadn't considered it at all. For the computer, such a move, weakening the long diagonal, is not a worry if it fails to find a refutation with its deep powers of calculation; whereas a human player would be very reluctant to play such a move, and often he'd be right.n this case 22...fxg3 23.hxg3 Rg5 is fine for Black althouh it would require great ability to calculate the consequences precisely, according to Nielsen. For example, 24.Bxd7 Rag8! (threatening...d4-d3; instead 24...Kxdl? 25.Nf3 shows exactly what Black must avoid, since White seizes the initiative befre Black can create any threats) 25.a5 Qd6 26.Ra3, and now Houdini shows a way to draw with 26...Rxg3+! keeps the position (26...Kxdl complicated, with chances for both sides) 27.fxg3 Rxg3+ 28.Rxg3 Qxg3+ 29.Ng2 Bxg2 30.Qf2 Qg5!! 31.Rc7 Be4+ h h t]
S [23.Rd was another interesting possibility. Kramnik commented: "with more time this is what 1 would have played."]
aS Anand thought it was appropriate to control the -file; [the alternative was 22...Rg5. Both moves are playable.;
Ambitiously played; the queen goes to the kingside, with the idea of bringing the rook across, if possible, to revive the attack with...Nf6, ...Rg8, etc. [nstead, 25...Qc2 26.Qxf4 d3 27.Nf5+ exf5 28.Re+ Kf8 (but given his advantage on the ock, Anand might
EXERCISE:
ANSWER:
ANSWER:
EXERCISE:
What's
wrong
S a Played very quickly; Kramnik now had only 25 minutes for the remaining 15 moves. The most active response, pressurizing f4 and planning Re. [After 25.Qd2 Qd6 26.Rd (26.Rc ?! Rxc+ 27.Qxc Ne5 is less convincing Black's pieces are more active and his passed pawn is more valuable) 26...Ne5 27.Kf f3 Black retains the initiative according to Anand, even if the engines assess the position as equal.]
with
22...Rxg2+ here?
23
have opted for with continuing complications) 29.Qh6+ Kg8 30.Bxd7 d2 31.QgS+ would be a draw.]
continuation now? ANSWER: 28c3! Kramnik thought that Black was intending to simplify; [and 28...NeS?! 29.NxeS Rxe5 30.RxeS Qxe5 31.Qh4+ Kf8 32.Bf would be favourable to White, whose passed pawns give him the advantage.]
2f3 fG 27el The rook aims towards the black king, but it "is based on a flaw in calculation", according to Kramnik. [White has many options here: 27.Nxd4? loses to 27...Qxd4 (Kramnik, however, didn't see this, and rejected it on account of , which seemed very unclear to him) 28.Rd Nf6! in a similar way to the game, as we'll see later.; etting the passed pawns rolling with 27.aS was another idea mentioned by Kramnik in the press conference;; while Anand commented that White could keep the position balanced with either 27.Rd Ne5 28.NxeS Qxe5; or 27.Bxd7 Kxd7 28.Nxd4 Ke7 29.Rd Rc4, followed by...Rxa4 regaining the pawn.;
29xd4?? Played after only a minute's thought; it seems that Kramnik believed he was better and underestimated Black's chances. Now comes a orced sequence, which will show that Anand calculated more deeply. [nstead: 29.QhS would maintain the tension of the struggle; for example, 29...d3 (or h a a a 5 and it's possible that White's extra piece wouldn't be sufficient to win the game after a a a , followed by ...e6-e5, ...f7-f5, etc, and ...d4-d3 at the right moment) 30.Rd Bxf3 (or with a complex position) 31.Qxf3 Qd4 32.Bxd3 Qxb4 33.Qe2 Nf6 would keep the balance.; 29.Bxd7 Bxf3 ( is good too) 30.gxf3 Kxd7 shouldn't be worse for Black either, according to Anand, especially because ...d4-d3 is coming soon; and even in the worst case scenario Black can put his rook behind one of the pawns and play ...Qg6.; 29.Nd2 is suggested by the computers as another possibility, when the play again becomes very complex.]
UESTION: ince White has two connected passed pawns on the queenside, would it not suit him to exchange queens? ANSWER: Both 27.QgS? Qxg5 28.NxgS Rg8; and 27.Qh4?! Qxh4 28.Nxh4 Ne5 would leave White clearly worse; the knight would be out of play on h4 or g5 and the d4-pawn is dangerous, since it can be supported by the active black pieces.] 27c 28b4 White has failed to spot Black's idea, although 28 b4 is not in itself a bad move; [whereas the apparently useful 'luft' 28.h3?! would have been answered by 28...hS!, followed by...Bxf3.]
29xd4 30dl fG! 31xd4 x4 32d7+ KfG 33xb7 cl+ 34Bfl Played confidently the white pawns look unstoppable.
EXERCISE: What is Black's best
124
ANSWER: 34... e3!! When Anand was about to touch his knight and paused for a second or two to check it, it was obvious in the broadcast, from Kramnik's expression, that it was only then that he became aware of the true situation. Black wins, as the white rook can't get back to defend.
EXERCISE: missed?
What
had
3.fxe3 fxe3 [After 35 ...fxe3 36.Rc7 Rxc7 37.g3 Rc 38.Kg2 Rc2+, Black wins the bishop with 39...e2 or 39...Rf2+.] 0-
Kramnik
f you didn't know which of the two was playing White in the sixth game, most people might have assumed it was Kramnik, rather than Anand, since he defeated his opponent very much in the Russian's own style, increasing the pressure without allowing any counterplay. With this fresh victory, the three point advantage became unassailable. After the excitement of the first six ames the next two were quieter and finished in draws; in the ninth Kramnik finally gained an advantage but was unable press it home and it, too, ended in a draw. What attracted attention was that, being so clse to victory, Anand did not try to "cool things down by aiming for a draw; he played ambitiously, possibly spurred on by his big advantage on the scoreboard. In the tenth game, Kramnik managed to get one of "his positions for the only time in the match; he used a novel idea, achieved a slight advantage, which he increased by precise play, and gained a consolation victory. A draw in the eleventh game, the only time Anand opened with 1 e4, meant that he won the match by 6Y to 4Y. With this brilliant triumph Viswanathan Anand was crowned World Champion for the third time. Each victory was achieved in a different way: his first win was in Tehran in 2000, where a knockout format was used and he defeated Alexei Shirov in the final; his scond triumph was gaind in a roundrobin tournamnt, in Mico ity in 7; and now in 2008, as reigning champion, he had retained his title in a traditional match. At 38 years old Vishy Anand had confirmed his place as one of the greatest chess players in history, dominating almost all varieties of chess. He was World Junior Champion in 1987 and World Rapidplay Champion in 2003. He was the best at the now defunct "Advanced Chess format (in which players were allowed computer assistance), popularized in the Len tournament, as well as gaining the classical chess title, as we have just described. 125
In a talk given in Madrid in 2012, Anand commented on how important it is to know your opponent, what he likes and what he doesn't like. For this match for the World Championship in Bonn, his main objective was to reach complex positions, not because Kramnik was weak in that field, but because he was very strong in clear and simple positions. Anand prepared several complicated lines, over several weeks, while Kramnik had only a few days to come to terms with them. Anand was also fortunate in that Kramnik fell into his prepared lines three times.
Game Twenty hikig gi bt th it Mth In 2009, after Linares in February, where he finished fourth on 7 /14, Anand basically just played rapid tournaments and exhibition games, until the Tal Memorial, in November, which was the strongest tournament of the year. By then his rival and the venue for his defence of the world title were already known: it was to be against Veselin Topalov in Bulgaria, starting in April 2010. Anand began the Tal Memorial very well. He took the lead after beating Svidler and Leko in rounds 3 and 5, sharing first place on 3 points out of 5 with Kramnik, who was in top form. Let's look at Anand's win against the now seven-times Russian Champion. defence and he is one of the greatest specialists on the black side. On this occasion Anand didn't want to play a main line; in New in Chess he wrote that he deliberately went for a variation that "wasn't too topical" at the time.
DAnand,V •Svidler,P
Gufld Df {085} 20: Tal Memorial, Moscow, 2009
[Zenón Franco] .d4 Nf .c4 g 3.Nc3 d 4.cxd Nxd .Bd
s ...Bg7 .e4 Nb
QUESTION: This move is hardly QUEST/ON:
critica!, is it?
Is
6 ... Nxc3
7.Bxc3
inferior?
ANSWER: You're right; 5.e4 is more ANSWER: No, not as far as we
ambitious, but this variation doesn't lack venom either. The idea is naturally to play e2-e4 and recapture with the bishop if Black exchanges on c3.The practica! reason for Anand's choice is that the Grunfeld is Svidler's favourite
know; it's simply a question of taste. ' try to explain it briefly: taking on c3 leads to a different position, where the white centre is strengthened but it's easier for Black to play the typical ... c712
break. After the move in the game, the d2-bishop will soon have to lose a tempo to defend the d4-pawn.]
have reason to view it in a favourable light. For example, Black can consider that the weakness of his castled position is no longer a factor and that his pieces are developing faster; White can argue that he has his king centralized, instead of on g. The main issue is where and when to exchange the queens, choosing the most favourable moment and square, and here tactics enters the equation.
e
7.Be3
This almost rules out ...c7-c5, so Black must seek an alternative way to attack the white centre. 7...0-0 8.h3
What's another lost tempo? QUEST/ON:
this?
Yet 11...e7
ANSWER: Once again it's difficult to
QUESTION: This looks like a clever
know what's best here; the text move radically prevents ...Bg4, at the cost of a tempo, as you say. [Other possibilities are 8.Nf3; 8.BbS (we'll come back to this move which 'loses' another tempo, something you seem to dislike); and 8.Be2.]
move rder. Black prevents QcS, which would be the response to ...Nc6, wouldn't it? ANSWER: Not really; ...Nc6 was
playable, and Anand would probably have replied with 12.Qe3 as in the game.
s ...es
This is the price; Black quickly strikes at the centre. Conversely, White considers that the coming exchanges on d4 are not unfavourable to him.
How, after ...Nc6, would Black have answered 12.QcS then? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: Perhaps 12...Be6 would
be more accurate, and if (One option is the immediate 12...Qe7, but 13.Qxe7 Nxe7 14.NbS is a bit annoying, when Black must either allow the knight to settle temporarily on d6 after 14 ...c6 or else sacrifice a pawn for activity with 14 ... Bdl 15.Nxcl Rac8 16.Nb5 Rc2 73) 0-0-0 then 13...Qe7 14.Qxe7 Nxe7 15.Nd4 not now 15.Nb5?! Bxa2} 15... Rad8, when Black has solved his problems with all his pieces placed harmoniously.
9.f3
[f 9.dS, Black plays 9...c6, when it really would be noticeable that White is somewhat lagging behind in development.] 9...exd410.Bxd4Bxd4
[Other options re 10...Be6; and 10...Qe7.]
0;
11.xd4 QUESTION: Which side is favoured
by the exchange of queens?
12.e3 c6
[In .okolov-E.utovsky, European Team Championship, Gothenburg 2005, Black tried 12...fS, changing the
ANSWER: Neither side is opposed
to the exchange of queens; they each 127
character of the position; after 13.Be2 (dl is a possible improvement, planning to answer 4 with 4d, though this needs practica! confirmation) 13...fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bf5 15.Nc5 Qxe3 16.fxe3 N8d7 17.Nxb7 Rae8 18.0-0 Rxe3, chances were equal, according to Sokolov.]
QUESTION: Why move the rook here, surrendering the open dfile? ANSWER: White doesn't want to allow the exchange of rooks, since he hopes to exploit his kingside (and central pawn majority. t's important to note that, in the immediate future, Black has no way of profiting from his control of the dfile.
3.BbS
QUESTION: You really need to explain this move to me; what's the point of playing Bb5 when it can be hit later by ...c7c6 or ...a7a6?
...Rad9.Bfl
The position doesn't allow either side to initiate any significant activity, so for the time being they both need to make the most useful waiting moves available.
ANSWER: White is actually seeking to provoke one of those moves, judging that it would slightly weaken the black position; for instance, ...a7a6 leaves the Nb6 with less protection, while ...c7c6 (after the Nc6 moves takes that square away from the knight.
9...Bf7
Anand didn't like this move; [but 19 ...Ne5? isn't convincing either. One possibility then is to isolate the e5 pawn with 20.Nxe5, followed by Nb1- d2f3;another is to play 0d4 7 4}; 19 ... Rd7 makes more sense; for instance, 20.e5 f5 (0d leaves the black pieces badly placed after d d 7 4; while if 0d , then g, intending Nge4, is rather annoying) 21.h4 not g 4} 21...Nd5.; On the other hand, 19 ... Rd6, retaining the possibility of...Nd7, has the problem that 20.e5 is now stronger; for example, 20...fxe5 21.xe5 Bf5 22.xc6 xe3 23.xe3 Rxc6 24.g4 Bc8 25.Bg2 leaves White with a slight edge, since his pieces are better placed.]
3... Nb4
This avoids damage to his structure, thanks to the threatened check on c2. [In contrast, attacking the e4pawn with 13...f5 would allow 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.0-0 and it isn't easy for Black to justify the damage to his queenside pawn structure.] 4.Rcl BeG
EXERCISE: What to do about the attack on the a2-pawn? ANSWER: 5.b3! The black pieces are getting in each other's way, so it's better not to exchange pieces; [after 15.a3? Na2 16.Nxa2 Bxa2, Black would have solved his problems.]
EXERCISE: What plan can you suggest to enable White to exploit his abovementioned superiority in the centre and on the kingside?
5...a66.Be NcG 7.0-0 fG.Rfel 128
ANSWER: 22.Qf2! contains more venom, with annoying X-ray pressure from the e-rook on the black queen 22/ B 23 wouldn't be dangerous on account of 23 with a satisfactory defensive position) then after 22...Rfd8 22 fails to 23/ B 2 winning material) 23.fS Bf7 24.Ng4, White achieves a more aggressive set-up, since 24...NeS? loses to 25.fxg6 and Nxf6+. ANSWER: 0.Nh! Let's hand over to Anand: "White needs to play f4, but thanks to the f7bishop, Ng4 is an additional threat now."
EXERCISE: With the aid of everything we now know about the position, can you indicate how White should continue to make progress? ANSWER: .fS "Of course!" you'll say, since we achieve the ideal set-up mentioned above.
0... BeG [The immediate 20...Nd4 allows 21.Ng4 (seeking to exploit the weakness of c7 with 21 would be less effective, in view of 21x 22x x3 23x3 b 2Bxb xb 2xc Bx;}; whereas 20...hS prevents Ng4 but weakens the kingside; then besides 21.f4 as planned, 21h6 is even more attractive, with ideas such as NdS, Re3, e4-e5, etc.)]
EXERCISE: t is essential to keep considering all the tactical possibilities. The black knight on d4 is poorly defended, so why not try to exploit this with 22.NdS, as befre? ANSWER: The problem is that the white f-pawn is now on f4, so that after 22... BxdS 23.exdS (if 23x then 23Bxb3! is good) 23...Qxe3+, White no longer has the move f2xe3, and 24.Rxe3 NxdS is clearly bad for him.
.f4 White has made soe progress since the previous Exercise the pawn breaks e4-e5 and f4-f5 hang over the black position, prepared by Qf2 and Nf3 (or g4, if f4-f5 is played first).
7 3g gx [As with 20... Be6, it was possible to reverse his decision and play 23...Nc6. Then Anand points out that 24.NdS isn't as good as it looks, on account of 24... BxdS 25.exdS Qxe3+ 26.Nxe3 Nb4 27.Rxc7 Rf7 "and Black should be able to hold."
...Nd4 This prevents Nf3, centralizes the knight, and doesn't look at all bad. [Alternatively, 21...Rfe8; and 21... Kg7 were worth considering.
EXERCISE: What would be the best continuation for White after 21...Rd7?
QUESTION: 129
sn't there a more
promising plan after 23 ...Nc6?
30.Rxc7 bS 31.Re7 with an unpleasant initiative; 27.NdS! anyway, and after 27...cxdS 28.exdS NxdS 29.Qxd4, fllowed by Be2-f3 and/or Rcd, fr instance, Black's position lacks a slid fundation.) 26... BxdS! 27.exdS and now the counterblow 27...Qg7 defends, which was the move that vidler overlooked.]
hesitate to be categorical about this, but the idea of 24.Ne2, heading fr f4, certainly deserves attention. After 24...NeS (while 24...Rfe8 25.Nf4 Nd4? now fails to 26.Nd5! Bxd5 27.Qxd4 and if 27...Bx3 then 28.Qx/6 25.Nh6+ Kg7 26.Nxf7 Rxf7 27.Nf4, the knight finds a very pleasant post on e6.] ANSWER:
G How can White exploit the precarious nature of Black's defences?
G K
EXERCISE:
is move White's consistent with his previous play, and it's also a pawn sacrifice. hould Black accept it? EXERCISE:
t will soon be apparent that he shouldn't since Black will be unable to defend his main weakness, f6. The distance of the b6-knight from the action doesn't help; neither does the fact that the proud-looking knight on d4 lacks firm support. White can exploit al this with his greater activity. [t was preferable to clse lines with 25...f4! ANSWER:
Now Black can't defend the d4knight and the f-pawn at the same time. Backtracking, 28 b4! was also effective. This loses, but there was no defence. [29...Rc8 30.bxcS QxcS 31.Rexd4 Qxc3 still loses a piece after 32.Rd8+ Rxd8 33.Rxd8+ Kg7 34.Qxb6; wi S S 1+ leads to mate.]
ANSWER:
vidler actually feared 26.NdS why isn't that as dangerous? EXERCISE:
Because Black could rpy wit n i r i , White's greater activity can be highlighted by playing a) then 26...Nc6! is best, according to Anand, "and after ... Bg6 and ...NeS, Black is still in the game."; 26...QeS doesn't inspire confidence after 27.Qf2, with NdS and Ng4 as threats, while 27... Be6 can be met by 28.NdS! NxdS (b or 28.../5 29.Nxcl fxe4 30.Qh4} 29.exdS QxdS ANSWER:
counter-attack 31...QeS [The 32.cxb6 Nf3+ is equally ineffective: 33.gxf3 Rg8+ 34.Kh and it's all over.] [f 32.Qxf3 QxcS+, then 33.Qf2 130
wins.]
1-0
Kramnik gained the lead in round six and was still in sle first, coming into the last round, with 5Y out of 8, followed by Anand and vanchuk on 5, and Carlsen on 4Y. On the last day, Carlsen defeated Leko, vanchuk posed serious problems for Kramnik but was unable to finish him off, while Anand couldn't explain his defeat by Aronian: "How do you explain a thought process where on move 12 or 13 you can resign? he wondered. He actually resigned after 25 moves. Even leaving aside this disappointing game, Anand wasn't satisfied with his play, although his final result wasn't bad: he gained 1.6 Elo points and shared fourth place with Aronian. In April/May of 2010 a new defence of his title was called for, this time against Veselin Topalov. Anand said that he wasn't hiding anything for the match. Undoubtedly it was starting to occupy more time in his thoughts, but that didn't mean he couldn't play tournaments. Befre the title match, Anand competed in Wijk aan Zee in January. He put on another other indifferent performance, with nine consecutive draws, only picking up towards the end, when he had two important wins which, as Anand himself described it, "served to ruin the tournament for two hopefuls - against Shirov, with fortune on his side, and in a very highquality game against Kramnik. Anand's first win cae as late as the tenth round, and he should really have lost that game. Was this a bad oen for the defence of his title against Topalov? He was in no rush to find out; something similar had happened in Bilbao 2008, befre his match with Kramnik.
Game Twenty-One Triumph in the Bundesliga Anand had never played in team tournaments befre the 2002/03 season, in which he made his debut for Baden Oos (now called OSG BadenBaden) in the German Bundesliga. Anand still plays for this club which, since 2005/06, has won the championship nine seasons running. In his first season Anand scored 6 points out of 7 on top board. In later years, his participation depended on his tournament schedule, first in pursuit of the world title and then in its defence. Let's look at one of his wins from the 2009/10 season, befre his match with Topalov. 3
DAnand,V • Kempinski,R Sian Defence [85} 21: German League, 2010 Zó Fro]
since Black has regrouped with 11...Re8 and 13...Bf8, the queen has surprising possibilities on the f-file, even if the prospects don't appear very promising at the moment. The pawn-breaks e4-e5 and f4-f5 now start to come into consideration.
1.e4 2.Nf3 dG 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 NfG S.Nc3 aG 6.Be2 Anand reverts to this modest move, which was fearsome in the hands of Karpov in his best period. As we saw in Game 5, Anand employed this as a weapon against Kasparov in their 1995 match.
14...Rb lS.Radl Nxd4 16.Bxd4 bG
6...eG 7.0-0 Be7 8.a4 NcG 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 Qc7 11.Khl Re All this is very well known. The main supporter of Black's cause has been Kasparov as we know, this line was his main defence in his matches with Karpov in the 1980s. t is even said that this is what romted Karov to abandon 1 e4.
EXERCISE: Show our master of typical Sicilian themes. ANSWER: 17.e! This break is routine in many lines of the Sicilian and is especially effective here, in view of White's clear superiority on the kingside. f the game remains closed that factor will be relatively unimportant, which is why opening lines is a priority for White, even at the cost of sacrificing material if necessary.
12.Bf3 Nd7 An unusual reply; [12...Bd7 was played in Anand-Kasparov (Game 5); where we also mentioned 12... Na5, the choice of Topalov against Anand in Dortmund 1996.] 13.Qel As usual, the white queen heads for the kingside; the accelerated retreat of the f6-knight discourages the bayonet styl attack with g-g4.
17 dxeS?! [17...Bb7?! isn't satisfactory for Black either, as after 18.exd6 Bxd6 19.Bxb7 Rxb7 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Qd4+ Nf6 22.Qxd6, White had won a pawn in K.Aseev-Y.Dokhoian, rkutsk 1986.; Closing the centre with 17...d5 gives White a free hand on the kingside; for example, he can continue with 18.Bh5 g6 19.f5!. Nevertheless, this appears to ...
13...Bf 14.Qf2 QUESTION: Hmm, Qf2? Doesn't it usually go to g3? ANSWER: Generally, the queen does indeed go to g3, to put pressure on g7 and support e4-e5; but here,
32
be Black's best defence, and then 19...exfS {...gxh5?? 20.fxe6 just wins) 20.NxdS Qc4 21.Bf3 Bb7.]
ANSWER: 1N! White's numerical superiority on the kingside means that the tactics will tend to favour him. The loss of the eS pawn is insignificant when weighed against the possibility of bringing more pieces into the attack.
18 We can see that the course of the game has justified 14 Qf2 the f-file is open, and White's majr pieces are the beneficiaries. t is true that the eS pawn is weak (it's actually en prise, but here we have an example of the eternal struggle between dynamic and static advantages.f Black reaches an ending, the weakness of the isolated pawn will weigh heaviest, but in the middlegame guarantees White it greater manoeuvring capability, which enables him to attack more easily.
1N! [21...Bxd4 was more tenacious, although White completely dominates the play after 22.Rxd4 QxeS (while if 22...NxeS, then 23.NgS h6 24.Rf4! Qe7 not 24...hxgS? 25.Rh4+ and mates) 25.Bg6! is decisive 23.Nd6.] Nc [White had an alternative in 22.BxcS! bxcS 23.Qg3, threatening Nd6 or NgS, and Black is defenceless on account of the pin and the weakness of his kin.
18c [t's not possible to take the eS pawn yet, because of 18...NxeS 19.BhS N6 or ...6? 20.Bxe5} 20.Bx6 hx6 21.BeS! QxeS 22.Qxf7+ Kh7 23.Rd3 and wins.]
bc 3! The point of White's previous move, and the beginning of the end. [The surprising 23.BxcS Rxf7 24.Bd6! was also sufficient, since White gains a decisive material advantage despite currently being a piece down; for example, after 24...Rxf2 25.Bxc7.]
EXERCISE: How to continue the attack now? ANSWER: 19 The weakest point of the castled position (f7 is defenceless. Even though the capture of the f-pawn will leave the bishop pinned (after Black's next move, intuition suggests that "it must to be good", based on White's large dynamic advantage. evertheless, that must be backed up by calculation.
3Q
19 8 7 K8 EXERCISE: The insecurity of the black king is usually decisive in this type of position, but it's essential to keep attacking relentlessly and calculate precisely. How should White continue? 133
EXERCISE: Black needs only a single
EXERCISE:
tempo (such as 24... Bb7) to make his position safe, but "in chess, a tempo is an eternity". Can you show why this is true here? ANSWER:
How to conclude the
attack? ANSWER:
5xh7!
And with this move the defences of the black king are annihilated. White's combination is helped by the fact the rook on b8 is lose and is therefore a potential 'tactical weakness'.
4gG!
This is the key, exploiting the black king's lack of 'luft', and the aforementioned superiority of White's forces manifests itself in an artistic manner.
5Kxh7 6Qh4+ Kg6 7d3! The black monarch is defenceless against the arrival of White's final reserves.
4gS [After 24...Qf6, there is a pretty finish with 25.Qe2! Qe7 26.QhS h6 27.Qh4! Rxf+ 28.Rxf Qd6 or 28... Qxh 29.RfB#) 29.Qg3 eS 30.QxeS! etc.]
7Qh g3+ [Kempinski resigned, in view of 28.Rg3+ Kh6 29.Qf4+! and 30 Qxb8.] -0
Game Twenty-Two Worl Campion or te Fourt Time More than anything what 1 need is to rest, having reached a point where the tension overwhelms you and 1 am anxiously waiting to be able to sleep a lot, declared an exhausted, but satisfied, Viswanathan Anand, after retaining his World Championship title by defeating Veselin Topalov by 6Y points to S. The start of the match was postponed for a few days because of the eruption of the celandic volcano Eyjafjallajkull, the ashes from which brought European air traffic to a standstill. The twelve-game match took place in ofia, Bulgaria, from the 24th of April to the 12th of May 2010. In an earlier interview, Anand had commented: As an opponent, Topalov is very demanding because he has a lot of energy at the board and is capable of getting the most out of a position. He is a tenacious and tireless player ... Topalov, for his part, said of his rival: Anand is one of the greatest talents in the history of chess. He is now forty and for half of his life he has been one of the best chess players in the world. The score between them after 44 previous games at a classical rate of play was a mere plus one in favour of Topalov (11-10, with 23 draws). A clse struggle was therefore 34
expected, as well as a clash of styles. Anand has a more varied game, with a 'universal style, and is very good at everything; whereas Topalov, fond of aggressive play, isnt quite so good at everything, but is extraordinarily strong with the initiative. Anand had more experience of match play, but Topalov is younger by five years, which can have an influence in an intense competition. The opening has been an important factor in Topalovs success; a good computer helps in this regard by carrying out deeper and more precise analysis. Anands team were worried when they discovered that Topalov had acquired (for his exclusive use at that time) the Rybka 4 program, which was not yet on the market, and a supercomputer to run it on. Topalov won the first game with a piece sacrifice and an unstoppable attack; Anand mixed up the rder of the moves from his preparation. "These things can happen, but 1 thought, if it happens, its better for it to be now was Anands reaction, though it was obviously the worst possible way to start the match. Later, they learned that the piece sacrifice that Topalov made so quickly had already been analysed by his state-of-the-art IT team. But opening preparation is not everything. Anand hit back in the second game; he played the Catalan Opening and successfully steered the game into a manoeuvring struggle where he was better able to cope. After a draw in the third, another Catalan in the fourth enabled the champion to win "a nice game. t was a beautiful game. With lovely tactical blows, as Anand described it, which put him ahead by 2Y to 1Y. Three draws followed until Topalov won the eighth game, leaving the score at 4-4. Another draw followed in the ninth game. In another interview with the newspaper The Hindu, he commented that the phase of the match from games 70 was complicated for him. Topalov took the initiative and, in the tenth, gained a winning advantage. Anand was annoyed with himself; while he was trying to defend he thought to himself that, after the way the last four games had gne, his survival prospects were almost nil. But he managed to save that critica! tenth game. The penultimate game also ended in a draw, and in the twelfth and final game Topalov risked more than was advisable. Topalov later explained that he played very aggressively and riskily because, if it was a draw, Anand was the big favourite to win the tie-breakers, played at a faster time limit. Anand admitted to having been surprised by Topalovs general strategy. He was expecting that the challenger would change openings during the match, as had been his custom previously, but this was not the case. Topalov continued fighting with the same weapons. Anand added that he had soe problems in the second half of the match, because the games were fought on the terrain where Topalov had focused his preparation; this
35
meant that it was Anand who was forced to change his openings. Let's now see the decisive game of the match. D Topalov,V •Anand,V Qu1s Gmbit Dlid {056] 22: World Champ, Sofia (12), 2010 [Zenón Franco
10...Nxc3 11.Rxc3 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd7 13.0-0 b6
Anand and his seconds believed that the Lasker Defence might have been considered by Topalov and his team, but not this particular line, which appears to aspire to nothing more than the worse side of a draw. [13...e was Anand's choice against Grischuk at the World Blitz Championship in Moscow 2009, and after 14.Bb3, he chose 14...Re8 in Sofia 2009 against Carlsen, Topalov had faced 14 RdB; this game ended in a draw after 45 moves 15.Re e4 16.Nd2 Nf6 17.Rc Be6 18.Re Bxb3 19.Qxb3 Qc7 etc.]
1.d4 dS 2.c4 e6
nstead of the Grunfeld or Slav, which Anand had played up to that point in the match, for this decisive game Anand preferred the Queen's Gambit Declined, where theoretical preparation would be less important.
. . .
3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.BgS h6 6.Bh4 0- 0 7.e3 Ne4
The Lasker Defence is a very slid line and was one of the surprises that Anand had prepared, initially just with the logical idea of equalizing the struggle.
14.Bd3 cS 15.Be4 Rb8 16.Qc2
[16.Qa4 is the main alternative, as employed by Anand himself against Kramnik in two uneventful short draws the first for German television in 1996, the second in the Monte Caro (blindfold rapid) 2001.]
8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Rc c6 10.Be2
QUESTION: Why develop the bishop to e2, rather than to the more active square on d3?
16...Nf6
Nielsen commented that they were hoping this idea of the Polish GM Miroslaw Grabarczyk would be a surprise for Topalov; this was one of their main reasons for choosing the Lasker Defence. [Up until then, 16...a; ... b7 an ... a were more usual here.]
ANSWER: Nielsen commented, in New in Chess #4/2010, that this was "an important finesse". t's essential not only to think about one's own evelopment but also to consier the threats and/or ideas of the opponent, which Mark Dvoretsky describes as "prophylactic thinking" in his books. [The natural move is indeed 10.Bd3, but this allows 10...Nxc3 11.Rxc3 Nd7, intending to answer 12.0-0 with 12...e!, threatening 13...e4, and equalizing the game.]
17.dxcS Nxe4 18.Qxe4 bxcS
QUESTION: After the exchanges, Black has been left with a weak isolated pawn on c5 is that acceptable? ANSWER: This is the fundamental
36
position of this line. t is true that Black has a weakness on es, but he also has a half-open b-file and a minr piece which might prove stronger than the opponent's. To try to prove an advantage White needs to apply maximum pressure on es and, at the same time, try to restrain Black's activity. This seemed impossible to Anand and his team, which led them to assess Black's chances as reasonable.
The bishop is not achieving much on the long diagonal and so seeks pastures new. .Rf Trying to maintain the tension, but the white pieces are beginning to lose harmony. [After the more natural continuation, 22.Rc, Black could play 22...Qd7 23.Nb3 Bd3 (23 c4 is also sufficient) 24.NxcS Bxc2 2S.Nxd7 Rxb2 and the play levels out.] . . .
19.Qc [19.b3 was played against the inventor of this line, but Topalov prefers activate his pieces more quickly, since after 19... Bb7 20.Qf4 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Rfd8, as in K.Kulaots M.Grabarczyk, Borup 2008, the position is equal.]
EXERCISE: What has changed now is the placement of the pieces. How should Black continue? ANSWER: ...Rd7 Black doubles rooks on the central file, which is a logical plan, with extra venom in this position owing to the slight weakness of White's back rank and the lack of coordination among his pieces.
19... Bb7 0.Nd EXERCISE: 20.RxcS?
What's
wrong
with
.g Another escape hole for the king will be necessary sooner or later, but this move also creates a weakness.
ANSWER: The problem is 20... Bxf3 21.gxf3 Rxb2!, an idea which can crop up in several other variations.; f instead 20.e4, trying to neutralize the bishop, Black can play the sharp 20.. .fS, in rder to re-open the diagonal; for example, 21.Nd2 Rfd8 22.exfS Bxg2! 23.Kxg2 QgS+ 24.Rg3 Qxd2 2S.QxcS exfS and Black is okay.
...RbdS 4.Kg White has managed to neutralize the activity of Black's bishop, at the cost of ceding the central open file to Black, which still compensates for the vulnerability of his c-pawn.
20... fd 2.f The bishop must be restricted. [Of course not 21.RxcS?? because of 21...Rxd2!.]
4...Bd ince a draw with Black isn't a bad result, and with Topalov playing in an ambitious yet risky manner, Anand decides to repeat moves and decide later whether to continue playing or not. [Otherwise 24...hS was a sharp alternative.]
The structure has EXERCISE: changed. How should Black adapt to this? ANSWER: 1... BaG 137
25.cl
[Moving the queen away with 25.Qa4 wasn't advisable. At first the engines like the following line for White: 25...QgS 26.e4 Qe3 27.QaS, but soon Houdini, Fritz, and Co. "change their minds" and start to prefer the black position after, for example, 27...Qe 28.QxcS (not 2.Rx5 2 29.Nb R2! 0.Nx2 Rx2 with the decisive threat of...Bf+ etc) 28...Be2! 29.Nb3 Rd 30.Kh3 R8d3.]
27.b3
ince the bishop is active on b7, why not 'kill two birds with one stone' with 27 e4, closing the long diagonal and threatening Rxa7 at the same time? QUESTION:
ANSWER: After 27.e4, Black can
strike at the centre again with 27 ...fS!, following up with...g7-g5-g4 if White defends passively; or should he play 28.Rxa7 then 28...fxe4 29.Nxe4 Bxe4 30.Rxd7 Bxf3+ leads to a balanced position. Of course 27.Rxa7? fails to 27...Bxf3+.
25... BaG 26.a3
[Topalov didn't consider repeating with 26.Qc2. nstead, he continues to play ambitiously; but we should note that the white pieces are gradually distancing themselves from the kingside.]
27...c7 28.a5 Ba8
Now the advance ...g7-g5-g4 is threatened, softening up the long diagonal. 29.c4 EXERCISE: White seems to have
managed to deprive Black's pieces of their coordination; at least he no longer dominates the d-file. Try to demonstrate that this doesn't matter very much. ANSWER: 29...e5! EXERCISE: The pawn structure and
Anand made this move almost without thinking; Black threatens 30...e4, conquering the d3-square. [The alternative was to continue with the belligerent 29...gS; and even 29...fS was interesting.]
piece placement has changed from the diagram after White's 21st move. How should Black play now? ANSWER: 26... Bb7!
[t was possible to continue a waiting policy with 26...Bd3, but Anand considered this to be the right moment for the bishop to return to the long diagonal, where the prospects have improved thanks to the weakening of White's kingside.]
30.e4
Anand expected this. What did you intend to reply? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 30...f5!
138
Once again this blow; the bishop plays the leading role in this position.
EXERCISE: What is the tactical refutation of White's play?
31.exf? The tenant of the a8-square will have been delighted to see this move. [t was necessary to play more modestly with 31.Nd2. Anand considered that the capture on fS was a risky gamble if all goes well, White remains with a material advantage, but... things go badly.]
ANSWER: 33... d4! This is the move that more or less decides the whole struggle. Nielsen points out a curious fact; if this rook were on e8 or c8, there would be no refutation of (in his words) Topalov's "obviously bad" decision. In that case the engines would approve of White's idea. Once again we see that tactics rule, trumping all other factors.
31...e4! 32.fxe4? 34.e3 QUESTION: sn't this decision by Topalov obviously a bad one?
EXERCISE: How to continue the attack? (Hint: the only pieces that can't retreat are the pawns, aren't they?)
ANSWER: Objectively yes, but let's not forget the practica! side. Topalov played this quickly, and it's consistent with his previous move. White is still bankin on his risk amble comin off but there is a fatal tactical flaw, and he will be punished for his opening of the long diagonal. [t was essential to keep the diagonal closed with 32.Kg; or 32.Re3, even if Black would have the advantage after 32...exf3+ 33.Kg QgS etc.]
ANSWER: 34...e! A decisive blow. Anand commented that this move erhas escaed Topalov's attention. The threat is mate on hS, so the white king will have to weaken his position even more. 35.g4 h! t's now clear who's in charge. 36.Kh4!? [36.gS Qe4 leads to mate.]
32...xe4+ 33.Kh3
36...g+ There were other good options here. The move chosen by Anand is just one of the paths that lead to victory. [36... Qd8+ was also decisive; after 37.f6 hxg4 38.Nxg4 gxf6, the c7-rook joins the attack and decides the struggle.; But not the seemingly logical 36...hxg4?, opening lines, as White is surprisingly okay after 37.Nxg4; for example, 37...gS+ 38.fxg6 Qxg6 39.Rf4.] 37.fxg6 xg6 38.fl
139
The only practica! according to Nielsen.
chance,
shows that Black can surprisingly still draw due to the weakness of the white king: 43...Kd6 44.Qf8+ KeS 45.QxcS+ BdS 46.Re7+ Qe6 47.Rxe6+ Kxe6 now threatening ... Bg2 mate) 48.Qf2 Ke7, followed by ... Be6 and draws.]
38...Rxg4+ 39.Kh3 Re7!
EXERCISE: "Once again Anand plays the prettiest solution" was Giri's comment at chessbase.com. What is the concrete threat?
42.Rg3
Countering the threat of 42 ...Rh4+ and mates.
ANSWER: The threat after 39...Re7 is 40.-- Rxe3+ 41.Rxe3 Rh4+ 42.Kxh4 Qg4#.; Another way was 39...QgS 40.Rf8+ Kg7 41.Qf2 Re4, leading to a winning rook endgame after 42.Rxa8 Rxe3+ 43.Qg3 Qxg3+ 44.hxg3 Rxa3 45.bxa3 c4 46.Rb8 c3 47.Rb c2 48.Rc Kf6 and the rest is easy, as the black king marches straight across to b2.
42...Rxg3+ 43.hxg3 Qg4+ 44.Kh2 Re2+ 45.Kgl Rg2+ 46.Qxg2 Bxg2 47.Kxg2
[After 47.Rf7+ Kg6 48.Rg7+ KxfS 49.Rxg4 hxg4 50.Kxg2 Ke4 51.Kf2 Kd3, Black wins easily in the king and pawn endgame.] 47...Qe2+ 48.Kh3 c4!
[E ven more accurate than 48...Qxb2 49.Kh4. t suits Black to keep the white king as a tactical liability on h3 then the b2-awn will fall under more favourable circumstances.]
40.RfS+ Kg7!
"The human move, creating confusion on the Net" commented Nielsen, referring to the fact that the engines were now evaluating the position as 0.00. That was back in 2010; by 2013 the engines were more accurate. [The 'inhuman' line was 40...Kh7 41.Rh8+ Kxh8 42.Qf8+ Qg8 43.Qxe7 and now 43...Qc8 wins. (Curiously, 3... g2+ .xg2 QcB! does the trick as well.
49.a4 as 50.RfG
41.Nf+
[f 41.Rxa8, the pretty mate indicated by many viewers on ICC is the one we've already seen e 42.Rxe3 Rh4+ 43.Kxh4 Qg4# etc.] EXERCISE: How should respond to the knight check?
Black
O...Kg8!
Zugzwang Black keeps the b2pawn on ice, rather than allowing Rh6+ and RxhS. White is now forced to worsen the position of his pieces and the b2-pawn will eventually be captured 'for free'.
ANSWER: 41...Kh7! Kxe7 42.Nxe7+ [41...Kxf8?? 43.Rxa7+ would have changed the result, albeit not to a loss. Houdini 140
51.NhG+ Kg7 52.RbG Qe4 53.Kh2 Kh7! Zugzwang again !
54...Qe5 55.Nf7 [f the rook goes back with 55.Rb6, Black has several ways to win, such as 55...h4 (or 55 Qd4 and the b2-pawn again falls with check.
54.RdG [White can't play 54.Nf7, since this loses to 54... Qe2+, followed by a forking check on f or e3; and he can't move his king, because then he either loses his rook at once or gets mated.]
. . .
55...Qxb2+ 56.Kh3 Qg7! [f 56... Qg7 57.Rd7 then 57... Qg4+ picks up the rook.] 0-1
In Game 19 we quoted from the talk Anand gave in Madrid. Among other things highlighted was the importance of knowing the opponent. For the 2008 match against Kramnik, the main objective was to reach complex positions; whereas against Topalov, in 2010, Anand had to change the focus radically, since Topalov was at home in dynamic play but disliked simplified positions.
Game Twenty-Three Lk f Sk Ag Following the successful defence of his title, Anand remained active in what remained of 2010. In October he played in the final of the Grand Slam in Bilbao, a quadrangular double-round event in which he finished second, half a point behind Kramnik, and ahead of Carlsen and Shirov. Shortly after Bilbao, Anand played in Nanjing, where he again finished second, this time a point behind Carlsen, with 6 points out of 10. The following game cae in round three. Olympiad against Nakamura), where he played 9.Rc.]
DTopalov,V •Anand,V
Qu1s Gmbit Dlid {057} 23: Nanjing, 2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.e3 Ne4 "Continuing from the 12th game in Sofia," wrote Anand.
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 exd5 11.Qb3 Rd8 12.c4 This line was popular back in the late 1930s to early 's but had become topical again, only four days befre, when vanchuk had used it to beat Jakovenko.
8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.cxd5 [Topalov diverges from his earlier games in Sofia against Carlsen and Anand) and at the Khanty-Mansiysk
12...BeG [At the time 12...dxc4 13.Bxc4 Nc6 was the main line. nstead, V.vanchuk D.Jakovenko, European Cup, Plovdiv
[Zenón Franco]
11
2010, had continued 14.Be2 (In A.Karpov-A.Yusupov, Candidates semi final (6th matchgame), London 1989, Black defended successfully after 14.Qc3 Bg4 15.00 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Qf6 and should later have won.... -- 14...Rd6 15.00 Be6 16.Qb2 BdS 17.Rfc Re8 18.Ne, when Black achieved a good position with the combination 18...Nxd4! 19.Qxd4 Bxg2. At this point vanchuk gave up his queen with 20.Qxd6 Qxd6 21.Nxg2 and ended up winning, though Black is certainly not worse after, for instance, 21...cS or 2; while Jakovenko opted to handle his pawns more conservatively and played 2d8, which isn't bad either.
equal 16.Rc Qa3 17.Qxc7 and here the spectacular 17...Nc6!! should force a draw; i.e. 18.Rxc6 but White wanted more and ended up with less after 8d? 8 . 2, eventually losing to a mating attack 18...Rac8 19.QeS Rxc6 20.dxc6 Qc+ etc.
13...bG 14.Rcl [Opening the a-file with 14.cxb6?! axb6 isn't advisable, and after 15.NeS?! Qa3 16.Qc2 c5! 17.Be2 Rc8, White lost in A.Girish-Z.Javakhadze, quickly Balaguer 2009.] 14...bxcS 15.Qa3 understand that UET/ON: White wants to take with a piece on c5, and this pin helps, but isn't it simpler just to play 15.RxcS?
13.cs UETION: There is a pawn hanging on b7 why not capture it with 13.Qxb7?
ANWE: This would indeed be the case if White weren't so far behind in development, but here Black gains sufficient counterplay with 15...Nd7! by occupying the open lines; for example, 16.Rxc7 Rab8 or d8) 17.Qc2 Qa3 18.Bd3 Rb2 19.Qc3 Qxc3+ 20.Rxc3 Rxa2 21.00 Rb8, as in Pr.Nikolic-D.Jojua, European Championship, Plovdiv 2008.
ANWE: The capture of the pawn doesn't come without cost: the queen strays from the defence of soe vital squares and, thanks to White's lack of development, Black can counter-attack on the queenside. The modern treatment, which appears to be better, is 13...Qa3!, threatening...Qc3+. Then B.Jobava-D.hengelia, European Ch, Batumi 2002, continued (In Argentina in the 1940s they used to play 13...dxc4 for empe R.Letelier Martner-E.Reinhardt, Mar del Plata 1946, continued 16.Rxb8 however, White's play was later improved by d d 78+ Kh 8, when Black's game is more difficult 16...Bxa8 17.Rxd8+ Kh7 18.Be2 Qc+ 19.Bd Bxf3 20.gxf3 Qc3+ 21.Kf Qd3+ with a draw by perpetua check.) 14.Rb Qxa2 15.cxdS BfS!? d is
15... Nd7 16.BbS EXECIE: White is about to fulfil his plan of recapturing on with a piee n evin k wit backward pawn on the -file. Is it still possible to oppose this idea? ANWE: 16...Bg4! improvement, "Anand's threatening to shatter White's kingside. t had to be well calculated, because the black pieces could be hanging in many variations," commented Kavalek 142
in 'The Huffington Post'.From this comment we can conclude that it's not enough to have an idea that looks correct, you also have to check that it works tactically. [Alternatively, Black could prevent White from carrying out his plan in ideal fashion with the previously known line 16...Rab8 17.Bxd7 Bxd7 18.0-0 Bb5 19.Rfe Bc4, which is sufficient to equalize but Anand's novelty is more ambitious, and it's now White who has think about equalizing.]
[The alternative was 18.RxcS, when 18...Qe4! is most incisive (otherwise 18...Bx/3 19.gx/3 Rb8 is a simple equalizer); fr example, 19.Ke2 Rd6 (threatening...Rf6, and even stronger than 19...Re 20.Rhc Rd6 21.h3 Bxf3+ 22.gx/3 Qxd4} 20.h3 Bc8 as Anand remarked, this is "harder to find, but either way Black is better" 21.Rhc Ba6+ 22.Kd Qg6. EXECIE: 17...Bxf3 was the "safe
option", because it rules out any possibility of 18.NeS why was Anand unafraid of this double attack?
17.Bxd7
This is the first variation to consider, 1 can see that, but since Black will obtain good play, would it not be better to play 17 Nd2, postponing the captures on d7 and c5? From d2 the knight defends against the annoin incursions of a black rook on b1.
Because "the tactics work" after 18...cxd4! 19.Qxe7 Rxe7, since if 20.Nxg4 (and as Anand pointed out, 20.Nc6 is no better, as after 20...Re6 21.h3 Bh5 22.Nxd4 Ra6 23.Rxcl Rxa2 24.0-0 a5, the passed a awn ives Black the advantae then 20...hS regains the piece, leaving Black a pawn up.]
UETION:
ANWE:
ANWE: Don't forget that 17.Nd2
isn't in fact a developing move and Black could slide out of the pin with 17...QgS!, creating Xray pressure on g2.{t would also be possible to exploit the position of the white king by opening lines and further activating the black pieces with 17...c6!; fr example, 18.Bxc6 Rac8! 19.Bxdl cxd4 20.Rxc Rxc8 21.Bxc Qxa3 22.Bxg4 dxe3, and despite White's slight material advantage, the pressure on his king gives Black the initiative and the advantage.)
18...Qe4 19.Rgl
17...Rxd7
This move surprised Anand. t's notable that 19 Rg1 is the top preference of the analysis engines, demonstrating that computers 'think' differently from soe humans, although both agree that it fails to
[17...Bxf3 is interesting as well, and this would be the safe option if Anand's move proved unsound.] 18.QxcS
43
salve White's problems. On the positive side it defends g2, enbling White to ply Ne5; on the other hnd, it gives up the possibility of cstling, which mens tht the king will be stuck in the centre.
the queenside.]
20.Qb [f 20.Ke2, defending f3, the blck rook cn switch to the b-file with 20...Rb8 but , followed by...f5f4, is even stronger. The decision to scrifice the exchnge turns out to be justified tcticlly. After 20.Ne5 Rxe5 21.dxe5 d4, 22.h3 Annd pointed out the pretty line 4 5 h es 4c 5h4 nd wins 22...dxe3!, the position of the white king is gin cuse for concern: 23.fxe3 nd now: 23.hxg4 exf2+ 24.Kxf2 Qf4+ 25.Ke Rd4! nd White will soon be forced to give up his queen, remining t mteril dvntge nd with his rooks uncoordinted; e.g. 26.Qc3 Re4+ 27.Kd Qf2 28.Re Rd4+.; 23.Qxe3 Qb4+ 24.Kf Qb5+ 25.Ke Rd3 lso forces White to give up his queen, since 26.Qe4? loses to 26...Qb2.}6-- the preliminry 23...Rd5! is stronger, nd then (fter 23...Rd3 24.Kf2 Bxh3! (Annd), 25.e6! (5h? loses to 25...Bxe6 5+ 6K h5 26.Rgd would llow White to put up more resistnce.) 24.Qx7 Rd3! 25.Kf2 Rd2+ 26.Kg3 Bc8!, intending 27.Kh2 while 76 doesn't help this time in view of 76 8Kh h# 27...Bb7 nd wins.]
How re going to respond to the thret of 20 Ne5 now? EXERCISE:
19 ... ReS! Bringing the only inctive piece into ply, which is generlly good thing, but we mustn't forget tht it needs to work tcticlly, since it involves the scrifice of n exchnge. [There ws more thn one ttrctive continution here. The most immedite ws 19...Bxf3 20.gxf3 Qxf3 21.Qc6, when the best defence to the triple ttck (on 8, d7 nd h6) is the counterblow 21...Rb8!, nd 22.Qxh6 (preventing 22.Qxd7? on ccount of 22...Rb2 nd mtes; (-- 22...g6 23.Rg3? Annd ws unsure bout 4, which is the best defence; the ending fter 4 44 looks good for Blck t quick glnce, but here we hve nother difference of opinion: "The computer relly likes Blck's position, but 1 m not sure his edge is so gret" ws Annd's comment 23...Qh+ 24.Kd2 Rb2+ 25.Rc2 Rxc2+ 26.Kxc2 doesn't work either, becuse Blck's ttck triumphs fter 26...Rd6!.; The third possibility ws simply to prevent Ne5 with 19 ...f6, but fter 20.Qc2 (N? fils to 20 3) Bxf gxf xf g Qe4 Blck could be two pwns up fter hl+ K h 4, but even then he isn't ctully better, since his position is now pssive, his queen is out of ply nd he hs severl wek pwns himself 23.Qxe4 dxe4 24.Rg4 Re8 25.Rf4, Annd thought tht the extr pwn would be insignificnt, since the white rook will find ctivity on
ANSWER:
20... RddS 21.Qe2
...
How cn Blck penetrte White's defences? EXERCISE:
21... RbS! Objectively the strongest move, occupying the b-file. [Annd wrote tht, immeditely on plying this move, he sw the ide of 21...c5, which he believed ws stronger, becuse it
ANSWER:
44
smashes open the white king's defences. As usual, this needs to be supported by tactics, and in the calm of the post-mortem analysis, after 22.h3 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Black can prevent this defence by playing 23...Qh4, since (Anand found that 23...QfS 24.dxcS! not c? in view of the devastating switch ! c ec8! and Black is attacking with an extra rook) 24...d4 25.Rg3, "it seems that White is holding"; e.g. 25...d3 26.Qd2 Re5 27.e4. 24.dxcS but in this line c is more tenacious, when Black misses the influence of his queen on the queenside) 24...d4 25.Rg3 loses to 25...dxe3.]
with decisive effect.)) 25...Qxb+ 26.Qd Qxa2 27.Kf, White manages to safeguard his king, but he is now a pawn down with his rook out of play. Meanwhile Black activates his pieces in the now familiar manner: 27...Rb8 28.Kg2 Rb2 2.Qf Qc4!, followed by...a7-a5, and if White exchanges queens he loses, because he can't stop the queenside pawns.
QUESTION: Does 2...Qc4 really deserve an exclamation mark? Why not immediately 9 a? Because ANSWER: soe 'prophylactic thinking' is very useful. White would play 0a6!, threatening perpetua check with Qc8+ and Qf5+ etc; and astonishingly, he is able to save the game, with the two white pieces combining to salvage a draw after 0+ 1K 6 6+!)
22.h3 Bxf3 23.gxf3 [White can't take with the queen in view of 23.Qxf3? Qxd4 or d)] 23...f "The problem for White is that his king still can't get to safety." (Anand
24...bl 25.xbl [After 25.Qd, Black achieves his now familiar numerical superiority on the queenside with 25...Reb8! 26.Kd2 R8b2+ 27.Kc3 Rxc+ 28.Qxc
24.f4 EXERCISE: With 24.Rg3 White could prepare Kf1g2 to evacuate his king from the centre. How would you continue in that case?
EXERCISE: In this line 28...Rb6 is most in accord with the ideas we've already seen, but we should always stay alert for alternative ways which might be stronger, or at least simpler. how that 28...Rxf2 isn't one of them.
ANSWER: By executing the idea of 21...Rb8! and invading with 24...Rb. t is no better to take the rook. After (t's ovious tt vin t king in the middle with 25.Kd shouldn't work. Black has two strong continuations in 25...cS and e; while Anand pointed out a third with c+ 6Kc 8 7c e6, which he regarded as winning. f we pursue this a little further, we see that 8Kd fails to 8c! 9dc 6 and the two black majr pieces cooperate
the has White ANSWER: counterblow (28...Rb6! 2.Kd2 Qxh3 and "Black can slowly advance his h pawn whilst harassing White's king", as Anand pointed out.9...--)) 2.Rxg7+! Kxg7 30.Qg+, followed by 31 Qxf2, and Black would have to negotiate a more difficult queen endgame.]
145
2 xbl 2dl Rb8 272
coordination of the white king's defences. "The key move, now it's over." (Anand) 0a [f 30.Rh2, defending f2, then among other things Black has 30...Qe4+ 31.Kg3 Rb 32.Qf3 h4+ 33.Kg2 Rg+ and wins.] 0 1
EXERCISE: We've reached another typically 'dangerous' position, in the sense that Black is presented with several attractive options, What's the best move here? ANSWER: 27S! The most accurate "not allowin White's king to get to safety." (Anand) [Black would also be better with an extra pawn after 27...Rb2+ 28.Kf3 Qxa2 (or vice versa), but then White's king would be far less vulnerable than in the game.]
EXERCISE: Now a simple Question: How to continue the attack? ANSWER: 1h! The sequel to 29 ...hS ! the white king will become even more vulnerable.
28Rhl Rb2 29 2xh Rx2 [The attempt to counter-attack with 33.Rg comes to nought. Black might simply play 33...g6 but there is also 33... Qxe3, since 3.xgl+ Kxgl 35.Qg4+ KfB 36.QcB+ fais to 36...QeB and there is no perpetual.J
EXERCISE: Black has his pieces ideally placed, but if he is to avoid a long and arduous technical win, he needs something to help him exploit th odd position of th whit kin an you find that 'something'? ANSWER: 29hS! This pawn will help to break the
R2 0-1
The final tournament of the year was the London Chess Classic, in December, where Anand scored 4 points out of 7. This would have given him a share of first prize under normal rules, except that a football-style scoring system (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw) was used in this event, which meant that he cae joint second behind Carlsen, 146
whose four wins and one draw (with two losses) counted for more than Anand's two wins and five draws.
Game Twenty-Four Homework Pays Off Anand started the year 2011 on a good note, scoring 8Y out of 13 in Wijk aan Zee, which would generally have been enough for first prize, but this year Nakamura, in fantastic form, made 9 points. As we've already mentioned, Anand believes that home preparation always comes in useful, sooner or later. He has proved this on many occasions, as we saw in the ntroduction. Let's recall a few of the most important occasions: In one tournament, following a defeat he was able to think up a significant improvement and use it to beat Gelfand in a later round (Game 4). •
His detailed work on Kasparov's favourite line in the Scheveningen gave him a big analytical lead over his rivals for a considerable period of time (Game 5). •
His work prior to his match against Kamsky cae to fruition a full ten years later in San Luis 2005 against Adams (Game 13). •
The brilliant cascade of sacrifices which led to a winning attack against Karjakin was based on home preparation (Game 14). •
The following game is yet another example; it was the fruit of Anand's preparation against Kramnik in 2008. DAnand,V •Wang Hao
9...Ne7 10.Be3 0-0 11.Qb3 Qc7 12.BbS Nec6 13.Ne2 Nas [The immediate 13...e, restricting White's knight and leaving Black's knight on c6, was suggested by Anand as more accurate. After 14.0-0 Be6 15.Qa4 a6 {15...NaS was met by 16.Nd4! exd4 17.cxd4 Bd7 18.dS a6 19.Bxdl Nxd7 20.Rac Rac8 21.Bd2 with advantage to White in L.León VarelaP.Santana Montero, Telde 2009} 16.Bc4 Bxc4 17.Qxc4 Na 18.Qa4 {18.Qb4!? was interesting, similar to Anand's play in the main game 18... Nd7 19.Rfd Nxc 20.Qb4, as in
Niz-lndin Dnc [E25] 24: Wijk aan Zee, 2011 [Zenón Franco] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 dS S.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 cS 7.cxdS NxdS 8.dxcS QaS 9.e4 Anand repeats the moves of Wang Hao's game against Kramnik in the previous round, because " ... 1 had in mind a trap and was curious to see if 1 could get it in." 47
H.Hernández Carmenates-L.Guliev, Santa Cruz de la Palma 2007, Black should play 20...b6 with a reasonable game.]
account of Rd8+). Another possibility is 15...a6!? (suggested by Krasenkow) 16.Bd3 here a c would oblige White to take on c6, as otherwise he loses control of c4} 16...Nbc6, when after 17.Qb6 (72) 17...Qxb6 18.cxb6 Be6, Black has compensation for the pawn in the form of a blockade and good control of the queenside.]
14.Qb4 [Kramnik had preferred 14.Qa4 the day before, when 14...a6 15.Bd3 Nd7 16.Bc2 Nxc5 17.Qb4 Nd7 18.00 Nc6 led to equal chances. Anand commented that both moves have basically the same idea: to hold on to the c5-pawn for as long as possible and to control c4. Anand's move allows ...Na6, but as he said, "it's a question of what you want to allow."]
EXERCSE: Why did Anand say that he got lucky? ANSWER: 16.Nd4! The key move; this sacrifice was part of Anand's preparation for the match against Kramnik in 2008. He added that they didn't actually spend very long on it at the time, because there were other lines with bigger problems to solve.We saw this sacrifice in León Varela-Santana Montero, uoted in the note to Black's 13th move above. t's an idea known from similar positions and is in fact the top suggestion of the engines. f Black takes on d4, White gains two pawns for the piece and a massive central pawn presence that greatly restricts the opponent, especially the a5-knight, which remains exposed. At the same time the two bishops provide security. This all amounts to good compensation for the piece; and Houdini even goes further, awarding White the advantage. [nstead, 16.Rfd Bb3 17.Rd6 Nbc6 .Bxc6 bxc6 9.c ab gave hite nothing in M.Cebalo-S.Marinkovic, European Championship, Budva 2009.]
14...es [With the queen on b4 (rather than a4), 14...a6 could now be met by 15.Ba4.] 15.0-0 BeG?
[Anand: "I get lucky 15...Na6 has also been played here. For example, 16.Bxa6 bxa6 17.Rfd or 7c 8Racl Ra8 9a Rf8 and the game is equal, B.Gelfand-D.Jakovenko, Russian Team Championship 2011 17...Be6 18.c6 Nc4 19.Bc Rfc8 20.Qb7, V.Moskalenko-A.Delchev, Benidorm (rapid) 2007, and now 20...g6 and...Kg7 is fine for Black, who then threatens to play...Qxc6 (which isn't possible yet on
16...exd4 [f Black declines the piece with 16...Bc8, Houdini discerns a clear advantage for White. Anand gives 17.Nf Nbc6 18.Qa4 Bxf5 19.exf Ne7 and now: 20.Rad (20.f6 Nd5 (2gf
148
2a, threatens 22 Qg4+ and Rd7; or if 2B 22g+ g then 2h etc) 21.fxg7 Rfc8 22.Bf2 Nxc3 23.Qb4 NxbS 24.QxbS, when Black has still not completely solved his problems, according to Anand. After putting a rook on b and bringing the queen to e4 or g4, "either the black king captures at soe moment on g7 and remains vulnerable, or he must live with a pawn placed there; it's quite obvious that White is clearly better." 20...Rfd8 21.Qe4 and "the structure is very pleasant for White, with his two bishops, and Black has problems on the light squares." This can be seen in the line 21...Nac6 22.Bc4, putting pressure on f7. Anand also mentioned the plan of exchanging a pair of rooks, when the extra pawn (albeit doubled is supported by the bishop pair, which gives White the advantage.]
24.Bd2! Rxe2 25.BxaS NxcS, White can play 26.Rfc! "with a big advantage in the ending", according to Anand and the engines concur; for example, 26...Nb7 {or 2 2 2) 27.Bb4 aS 28.Be Nd6 29.Bg3 NfS 30.Bf4!, when 30...Nh4?! is met by 31.Kf! and the weakness of bS and the strength of the d6-pawn give White a decisive advantage, since if 31...Rxg2? then 32.d6 wins quickly. 20.dS BxdS 21.exdS; EXERCISE: What happens if Black tries 21...Qe7? ANSWER: This is even worse. White responds with (and after 21...QeS 22.QxeS RxeS 23.dxc6 Nxc6 24.Kf2 Rae8 25.Bxa6 bxa6 26.Rfe, once again the extra pawn is significant. {2--)) 22.Bd2! Nd4 or 222 2 2 5 25B+ 2a! and wins) 23.Qxd4 Nb3 24.Qc3 Qxe2 25.Rad Nxd2 26.Rxd2 Qe3+ or 2 2) 27.Qxe3 Rxe3 28.Rb and this time the extra pawn will be decisive.]
17.cxd4 Nbc6 [17...a6 18.Be2 Re8, restraining the d4-d5 advance on account of...BxdS, is the line suggested initially by Houdini and Rybka. ince it will probably be forced sooner or later, it's best to retreat the queen straight away with 19.Qc3!. (In the event of 19.Bf2 (planning Bg3 and Bd6 19...Nbc6 20.Qc3, Black has 20...Qf4!, suggested by Rybka, and explained thus by Anand: "t's not easy to understand at first sight, but the queen is well placed on
18.Qc3 Ne7 19.Rfdl
f6"; for instance, after the further moves 21.Rab Qf6, White's advantage is insignificant. t's if the queen on f6 drains the energy from the white pawns, immobilizing them; there's even the possibility of increasing the pressure with...Nb3.{ 2...--JJ f Black opts for 19...Nbc6 instead, White just plays (Then after 19...Nd7 20.Rab bS 21.dS BxdS 22.exdS QeS 23.QxeS RxeS
EXERCISE: (difficult: t's time for Black to centralize one of his rooks; which one should he move to d8? 149
22.Qxa5 Nxa5 23.Bd6, having the rook on f8 is clearly a serious problem for Black.; Krasenkow suggested 20...f5, with the idea of 21.Bg3 (but in this case White can simply regain the piece with 21.dS, when the weakness created by...f7-f5 will make itself felt 21...f4.
9? Another example of 'the wrong rook'.
NSWER: For tactical reasons, as is often the case, it was better to play 19...Rfd8, although White remains better after 20.Bf2 Nac6, as we can see: 21.Rab appears to be the best move; for example, )21.d5 Nxd5 22.exd5 Rxd5 23.Rxd5 Bxd5 24.Rd Be6 is advantageous for White with the two bishops, but Black is very slid, according to Anand.; )21.Bg3 Qa5 22.Qxa5 Nxa5 23.Bc7 (stronger than 23.Rabl a2 23... Nb3 24.Bxd8 Rxd8 25.Rab Nxd4 26.Kf2 is slightly better for White.; 21...Qf4 (if 21...Rd then 22.h4! is awkward 22.d5 {22.g3 6 23.d6 is ineffective since, without a rook on f8, Black can defend with 23...NcB) 22... Nxd5 23.exd5 Rxd5 24.Rxd5 Bxd5 25.Bf and the two bishops, plus the weakness of b7, give White the edge.
EXERCISE: How should White play now? NSWER: Of course, why not? We've already encountered this idea the bishop is heading for d6. Q f [Or 22... Nac6 23.Bd6, followed by d4-d5.] x x 5Qx x As Anand said, "the rest isn't difficult." The weak black pawns on the queenside will soon fall, after which White will have two passed pawns. Black's extra rook is irrelevant, since the white bishops dominate the centre and the queenside, without allowing any counterplay.
0f
EXERCISE: In the previous note Black played 20... Nac6 here. How can it be shown that Black moved the wrong rook to d8? NSWER:
After
21.Bg3
7Q f 8x Q7 9 Qf7 0exf Qxf Qx 8 Q f8 -0
Qa5
"A nice win befre the rest day - on +2, 1 was feeling confident at this stage! commented Anand. Two more wins against Smeets and Shirov saw him finish the tournament on plus 4, but it wasn't sufficient to overtake Nakamura's plus 5.
During the remainder of 2011, Anand competed in rapidplay events, such as the final Amber tournament and the Botvinnik Memorial which he won by 1Y points. In September-October he played in the Grand Slam Final, half of which was played in Sao Paulo Brazil and half in Bilbao Spain. Anand scored only 50%, and this was the start of a run of indifferent results. In November he scored 4Y/9 at the Tal Memorial in 50
Moscow (won by Carlsen and Aronian), and then ended the year with yet another 50% in the London Chess Classic (which was won by Kramnik, followed by Carlsen and Nakamura). In 2012 Anand gave Wijk aan Zee a miss, in rder to concentrate on the preparations for his world title match against Gelfand in May.
Game Twenty-Five W Chmp f th fth Tm "t was a hard fight and 'm too tense to feel anything other than a sensation of relief, said Viswanathan Anand after beating off the challenger, Boris Gelfand in the tie breaker, and thus retaining his title of World Champion. The match took place between the 11th and the 30th of May 2012 in the Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow. The size of the audience following the games online smashed all previous records. After twelve games at the classical rate of play, the score was six all, but Anand won the tie-breaker by 2Y-1. The first six games all ended in draws; Anand only gained an appreciable advantage in one game, the third but this was drawn after a tense struggle, based on detailed preparation with the help of computer programs, whose playing strength was already by then at a very high level. In the seventh game Gelfand managed to beat Anand, after clearly outplaying him from the opening, and the score became 4-3. Gelfand sensed that his opponent was weakening (and he was right after it was all over, Anand said that he had been unable to sleep after his defeat in the seventh game, thinking that he had just thrown away the match) and in the eighth game he tried to create tension from very early on, in an attempt to go for the kill. Let's now see that crucial game. Quite a rare continuation; the Cuban GM Walter Arencibia has played it a few times with success. In the event of 7...e6 and a quick ...e6xd5, the knight on b can quickly come to c4. [The usual move is 7.Nbc3.]
DAnand,V •Gelfand,B
Kig's ldi D/ E60 25: World Champ, Moscow (8), 2012
[Zenón Franco] .d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 cS [In the third game Gelfand played in the spirit of the Grunfeld with 3 ...d5 but ran into soe problems, so this time he went for a Benoni structure.]
7...NhS Played after a long think. With this provocative move Black wants to complicate the game, seeking a second win, which would have decided the [In M.Sadler-V.Tkachiev, match.
4.dS d6 .e4 Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 7 .Nec3 151
Enghien les Bains 1999, Black played 7...e6 8.Be3 Na6 9.Be2 Nc7 10.a4 Nfe8 11.Qd2 fS 12.0-0 Nf6 and here, instead of 13.eS (it was better to continue developing with . maintaining the central tension with soe advantage) 13...dxeS 14.BxcS Rf7, which didn't lead to anything fr White.]
I What about 10 g4 now? Is it good or not? AWR oe commentators, such as hipov, were in favour of 10.g4, 10...Nf4 when 10...Ng7? 11.Qe2 f5 12.gxfS gxf5 13.Rg! is very good fr White.(.)) 11.Qd2 gS 12.h4 was considered advantageous as well, but the World Champion delved further and couldn't see a good continuation after 12...Nd7. For instance, 13.hxgS fxgS 14.Qh2 h5 15.gxhS Ne5, fllowed by... Qf6, "appears horrible fr White". Anand spent a lot of time thinking about 10 g4, and was surprised to learn later that people thought it was better than 10 Qd2.]
8.Bg I Why not 8.g4? Is it a bad move? AWR t is difficult to be sure. There's nothing obviously wrong with it, but the position looks very complicated; fr instance, 8...Nf6 9.Be3 Na6 10.Nd2 Nd7 11.Be2 Bd4!? was played in soe games between computers. Whatever its merits, 8 g4 didn't seem clear enouh to Anand. Thinking that this was what Gelfand had prepared, Anand decided to try something with which he would be less familiar.
10...f 11.exf! Bxf 11...Qh4+ 12.Kd I 12...Ng3?
What's wrong with
AWR White plays 12...BxfS 13.g4 transposes to the next note (. )) 13.Qf2 Nxf5 14.Qxh4 Nxh4 15.NbS! and wins.
8...BfG A surprise fr Anand, but not an unpleasant one in general the exchange isn't of darksquared bishops unfavourable to White.
12.g4 e8+? !
9.BxfG exfG QUEST/ON: What's this? Now this really is unusual, isn't it? AWR This was another surprise, although the idea is not unknown. omething similar is seen in lines of the Accelerated Dragn; the idea is to play a quick ...f6f5. 10.d2
"As often happens, a small error is 152
followed by a bigger one," said Anand, who considered that Black's best continuation was 12...Bxb, which is also what the engines prefer. Even so, after 13.Rxb Ng7 (13...6 14.h4 is pleasant for White, who can attack once he has improved the position of his king, deploying it on either c2 or f2, according to Anand) 14.h4 h5 15.Kd Nd7 16.Kc2 Ne5 17.Be2 etc, White has definite attacking chances.; Another line suggested on the internet was 12...Qh4+ 13.Kd Bxb (13...g3 loses a piece after 14.el Bxg4 15.d2!) 14.Rxb Ng7, intending ...f7-f5, when the rook is useful on f8. Shipov then suggested offering the exchange of queens with 15.Qe, assessing that White is somewhat better in the ending.
EXERCISE: (difficult: Is it necessary to retreat the knight, or is there soe other way to exploit the odd position of White's king?
4...fG??
ANSWER: No, there isn't anything else. Gelfand's combination is based on a serious error in calculation. Leko and Nepomniachtchi made the same error in the official live commentary, but obviously they were less focused than the players. ["I could hardly believe this when 1 saw it on the monitor," said Anand. He considered 14...Nf6 to be "the least of the evils", though after 15.h4 the inclusion of 12...Re8+ and 13 Kd (on the 12...Bxb line favours White.; Both 14...Nf6 and 14...Ng7 "were unpleasant for Black", according to Gelfand, but there would at least still be a fight.]
.Kdl! QUEST/ON: Why such enthusiasm? Is it good to give up castling rights? ANSWER: This was one of the main reasons behind 10 Qd2. Anand considered that his king would be safe on c2 and the position would then be in his favour. The game was later decided "in one move" (White's 17th; Anand couldn't recall whether he saw this when he opted for 10 Qd2, but he saw it at this point. [Not 13.Kf2? because of 13...Nd7! and the white king will come uner a vioent attack; Te ony alternative was 13.Be2 Qh4+ and White has to play 14.Kd in any case; then Gelfand had analysed 14...Bxb 15.Rxb Nf6 16.Nb5 Na6 17.Nxd6 Re7 18.a3 Rd8 19.Nb5 h5 and if 20.g5 then 20...Ne4! 21.fxe4 Qxe4, attacking both rooks.]
EXERCISE: What's the refutation of the Black's idea? ANSWER: .gxhS! [Both Leko and Nepomniachtchi, as well as Gelfand himself, were under the impression that 15.Kc2 Nf4 16.Ne4 was critica, when Black can try 16...Rxe4!? 17.fxe4 Nd7 with compensation.Anand
... Bxbl 4.Rxbl 53
said he didn't consider that for "more than a second", as he considered that the exchange sacrifice would give Black good play, and he had already foreseen his 17th move in the game.]
ANSWER:
17 .Qf2 !
This was what Gelfand had missed. [White now threatens Bh3 or Bd3, while after 17.Qf2 Nc6 (the only way to save the queen) 18.dxc6 Qxc6 19.Bg2, followed by Nd5, Black has no hope. For soe strange reason Gelfand (and Anand at first) thought that White's 'only' move here was 17.Qf4.] 1-0
15 ...Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxhl
Can you find the move which forced the challenger to resign? EXERCISE:
With this win the match score was equalized, and with it the confidence of the champion was restored. In the ninth game Gelfand gained the advantage again, but was unable to exploit it. In the tenth game the challenger showed his excellent preparation and equalized easily. In the eleventh it was Anand who demonstrated good preparation, equalizing through precise play. In the final game Anand sacrificed a pawn in the opening, Gelfand replied with the sacrifice of two pawns and gained compensation. Anand offered a draw, which was criticized by Kramnik as a bad practica! decision, as while the game would probably have been drawn anyway, Anand could have played on without any risk. On the other hand, Anand's decision could be regarded as a good one, since he felt in worse shape physically and was by now very tired. From the lottery of the rapidplay tie-breaker, Anand emerged victorious, though the result could easily have gne the other way, as he admitted himself. The deciding factor was perhaps Gelfand's poor time management. He had handled his ock badly in the classical games too, but he'd gotten away with it then. Be that as it may, in this, the most closely fought of all his matches, Anand was again the winner and thus retained his title for the third time. For the rest of 2012 his results weren't very good: next to bottom in the Sao Paolo/Bilbao Grand Slam (won by Carlsen) in September; while at the London Chess Classic (also won by Carlsen) in December, Anand again finished fifth on 50%. The bad results persuaded Anand to revise his schedule in 2013 in an attempt to raise his level of play. He decided to compete in several tournaments and then, from June onwards, focus on preparing for the defence of his title, which was due to take place in November 2013 against an as yet unknown opponent. This would be the winner of the Candidates Tournament, scheduled for March, and where Carlsen would be the favourite. Wijk aan Zee was the first of the six tournaments that Anand would play in 2013 befre the match for the world title. 154
Game Twenty-Six 11
One for the Ages
11
Magnus Carlsen achieved a majr victory in the 75th edition of the Wijk aan Zee tournament, which took place on the 12th to 27th of January 2013. He scored 10 points out of 13, equalling Kasparov's record score in 1999. Behind cae Aronian with 8 points, followed by Anand and Karjakin (8), Leko (7), etc. Anand's good performance was a welcome surprise, since his recent efforts had been disappointing. There was a bonus, too, in his fourth round defeat of Aronian, where Anand played what he described as one of the best games of his career. t was all the more significant because he managed to beat a player against whom he has a poor personal score - Aronian is Anand's bte nire. The score between them at a classical rate of play was 138 in Aronian's favour, and he hadn't lost any of their previous 17 games. As Anand related: "This was in the fourth round. 1 had just beaten Fabiano Caruana the previous day, which made a perfect start for the New Year. Once again it was partly the fruit of home preparation, in this case for the match against Gelfand in 2012. In the press conference that day, Carlsen commented that Anand's game was "one for the ages. Let's look at it now. DAronian,L •Anand,V
Slightly unusual; [8...a6 (as in Game 19); and 8...Bb7 are the main moves here. However, Anand had played 8...Bd6 befre, and used it again now in the hope of being able to use the idea that appears later in the game (see the next note).]
Qu' Gmbi Dlid {046} 26: Wijk aan Zee, 2013
[Zó Fac] 1.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 The Slav and SemiSlav Defences are frequent guests in the duels between these two players, who are happy to take either side.
9.0-0 0-0 10.Qc2 Bb7 11.a3 Rc8 This idea of Alexander Shabalov belies its modest appearance; in fact Anand called it an amazing move. [nstead, 11...a6 is played most often, defending the bpawn with the obvious idea of preparing...c6c5. Another option is 12.b4, aiming to prevent...c6c5, when Black generally targets the b4pawn after (Then one possibility for White is 12.Ng.
3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 [Up to move 11 it's all wellknown theory, albeit by a less common move rder; 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b 10.Bd3 etc is the traditional route to the position.] 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 bS 8.Bd3 Bd6 55
But doesn't this just lose a pawn after 12...Bxh2+ 13.Kxh2 Ng4+ etc? Does White have enough compensation?
Okay, but seeing that Black wants to play...c6-c5 at soe point, why not stop it with 12 b4 again?
QUESTION:
QUESTION:
Because this time 12.b4 fails to achieve that objective, since Black can nevertheless play 12...c! ! and the position evens out "is drawn" according to Anand after 13.bxc Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nxc5 15.dxc Rxc5 16.f4 (or Bb B+ K R+ 8K R+ with a draw by perpetua check, V.Malakhatko-D.Khismatullin, St. Petersburg 2012) 16...Nd 17.Bb2 Nxc3 18.Bxc3 Qc7 19.Rfc Rc8, as in V.Topalov-R.Kasimdzhanov, FIDE Grand Prix London 2012.] ANSWER:
Yes indeed, this is a pawn sacrifice. After 14.Kg Qxg5 15.f3 Ngf6 16.e4, which was actually played in V.Anand-L.Aronian, Linares 2009, the two bishops and the weak dark squares in Black's camp provide good compensation. Anand lost that game, but only after blundering in a winning position."So the obvious question is why not 12 Ng5 also after 11...Rc8," as Anand commented in the press conference after the game.(.--)) 12...a 13.Rb axb4 14.axb4 Qe7 15.e4 e5. Then B.Gelfand-V.Anand, Nice blindfold rapid 2008, continued 16.dxe (attention subsequently switched to ? Bb4 with comensation for the awnJ 16...Nxe 17.Nxe Bxe5 18.Ne2 Qe6 19.f4 Ra2 20.Qd and here Anand unleashed the surprising novelty 20...Ba! 21.e? c5! 22.exf6 Bd4+ with a decisive advantage already.] ANSWER:
difficult: What was the idea behind 11...Rc8? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 2... cs !
Naturall this sacrifice reuired deep calculation to back it up. "Of course this is our preparation for Boris" [i.e. the match for the World Championship in Moscow 2012.] "To be honest 1 couldn't remember all the details but of course it helps to know it", said Anand, referring to the evaluation and the ideas in the position. [A previous game saw 12...Bxh2+ 13.Kxh2 Ng4+ 14.Kg Qxg5 15.f3 Ngf6 16.b4 with good compensation in R.Wojtaszek-P.Negi, German League 2012; compared with te equivalent line after a here the rook on c8 is less useful for Black than the pawn on a6.]
2.NgS
3.Nxh7 [13.Bxh7+ is also possible, "but we found compensation for Black in all the lines," said Anand. In ChessBase Magazine he gave this sample line: 13...Kh8 14.Be4 Nxe4 15.Ngxe4 Bb8,
"This is the typical reaction and a very logical move", according to Anand.
56
"and in fact...Qh4 is coming and the Rc8 and the black bishops are perfectly placed."]
How does he decide on his move? ANSWER: There is no universal method. Anand commented that he couldn't remember exactly what he had prepared which was a problem, given that the position requires concrete measures, based on slid tactical grounds, rather than simple moves based just on common sense. There were several possibilities to consider. This was his thinking process:"I was considering moves like 15...e5, 15...Nde5, 15...Qh4, etc. But none of them made a lot of sense. And then got the key." This seems to contradict what he said previously, but then the explanation falls into place: "Though couldn't remember the variations, remembered that in soe lines my knight gets to d3. So mainly remembered the position where my knight gets to d3 and from this managed to reconstruct and find this move...Bc5."This is a rather unusual way of finding the slid tactical justification we were talking about, but in this case... it worked! [For White, the engines initially prefer 15.Nxf8, but if we go deeper, the black position is very promsg; for example, 15...Bxf8 16.exd4 or 16.h3 dxc3 17.hxg4 f6} 16...Ndf6 17.h3 Qxd4+ 18.Kh Nh5! a line which Anand did remember.]
EXERCISE (difficult): Try to discover how to follow up Black's idea. ANSWER: 3 ... Ng4! Anand said that this is the first key move instead of taking the knight on h7, Black continues with his own plan, offering an exchange.
4.f4 [In ChessBase Magazine, Anand said that Aronian was already out of his own preparation, and 14.h3 "was slightly safer", when "I think it's important to play 14...Bh2+! 15.Kh Qh4 and this seems good for Black." In 'CBM' he added that "this line is selfevident and in fact if you analyse with the computer a little bit, it will show all the direct lines." For example, 16.Be4 if 16.d then 16... fdB gives Black good compensation 16...Bxe4 17.Qxe4 f5 18.Qxe6+ Kxh7 19.Qxd7 cxd4 20.exd4 Bb8 21.Kg Bh2+ 22.Kh Bb8 with a draw by repetition, which is theoretically satisfactory for Black.] 4...cxd4 Played after half an hour's thought. In the press conference, Anand explained that: "To be honest, was trying to remember the details, which is why 1 spnt hal an hour hr, whih is strange if you consider that this is preparation, but of course, soe time had passed."
...BcS! 6.Be?! Anan onsir this a mistak [nstead, after 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Nxf8 (it was also possible to play 17.Qe2. Aronian said that, in view of what happened in the game, he should have tried this; but after 17...Qd4+ 18.Kh Nxd3 19.Qxg4 Kxh7 20.Qg3 Rfd8 or just 20...a6, Black has an excellent positionJ 17...Nxd3, Anand commented that Black is "very
.exd4 QUESTION: How does a world champion operate in this complicated position? What does he think about?
57
comfortable with the knight on d3, but it might not be enough"; i.e. to win the game.]
7.Bxg4 [17.fxe? runs into the familiar mate 17... Qxd4+ 18.Kh Qg+! 19.Rxg Nf2#.] 7...Bxd4+ .Kl Nxg4 QUESTIO: read recently that soe of the World's best players believe that it isn't necessary to know the historical games, the classical models; and there are several who admit that they've hardly looked at any games of the great players of the past. Is such knowledge redundant these days?
EXERCISE (difficult): There are a lot of pieces hanging and it's difficult to navigate with precision. What should Black play now?
ASWER: "'m glad you asked me that question." t was here that Anand was reminded of the game RotlewiRubinstein, Lodz 1907. "For me, it's just a classic. imaine for Gelfand also. He would have remembered it effortlessly; first of all he knows his classics and secondly it's Rubinstein. he is one of his big heroes." The main difference, as Anand pointed out, is that in the Rubinstein game Black invaded the white camp with both rooks, but otherwise the games are remarkably similar.
ASWER: Once again it took a while for Anand to make his move though not a lot this time, since the main idea was already clear to him, so he was able to 'find' ...
6 ...NdeS!! Anand was asked if this beautiful move was still part of his preparation, and he replied: "Not that can recall exactly; knew that the position was good for Black. was just playing with that confidence." Later, in ChessBase Magazine, he wrote: "This is simply a brilliant move. So if there is a single mov o which 1 am ray prou in this game, it's move 16." [On the other hand, Anand said that 16 Be2 surprised him, as after 16...Bxd4+ 17.Kh Nf2+ (17...Nxh2? doesn't work in view of 18.Ng5!; while 17...Nde5? allows simply 18.fxe5, among other things 18.Rxf2 Bxf2 19.Nxf8 Nxf8, "Black also stands very well, because he will play... Qh4, and...Bg3 or something like that."]
9.Nxf
58
ANSWER:
[lf 19.NgS then 19...fs 20.h3 Rf6 21.Nf3 Rh6 win.] EXERCISE
(difficut): continue the attack?
How
21...Nxh2! i now deciive; wherea the obviou 21...Qh4?; and 21...Qh6? both fai to 22.Nf3, a after 22... Bxf3 23.gxf3, the white queen defend h2.}
to
ANSWER:
9S! ! "Thi i a move of which l'm proud, To find it over the board i of coure very peaant."Anand wrote that it didn't take him very ong to find thi move, becaue the idea were quite obviou. The bai of Back' trategy i that the queen wi go to h4 or f6, capture the knight, and eave White defencee. "o thi wa ao very eay," he aid. [But we houd point out that Anand had to foreee thi befre paying hi 16th move, ince the tempting 19...Qh4? fai to 20.Qh7+!.]
Anand emphaized that, athough Back' attack with ...Qf6, ...Qxg6, ...QhS, etc i very ow, White i defencee becaue of the trength of Back' bihop and knight on g4. e S ! [23.Rf3 doen't hod either. "I didn't ee a defence; the bet he can do i reach a wore ending"; i.e. after 23...Nf2+ 24.Kh2 not 24.Rxf2? Qxh3+ 25.Kgl Qxg2#) 24...Bxf3 25.Qxf3 Qxf3 26.gxf3 Bxc3 or 26...Nd3) 27.bxc3 Rxc3 but without any rea hope of aving the game, one can add.]
0 Preventing ...Qh4 for now.
EXERCISE:
intead?
There are now evera way to win. Which i the mot eegant?
ANSWER:
ANSWER:
EXERCISE:
What doe Back pay
0 ower, but ti deady, threatening 21...Qxg6 and then ...QhS or ...Qh6. There i no good defence.
e! Thi interfere with the white queen' defence aong the third rank and threaten 24...Qxh3 mate.Anand again referred to the imiaritie with Rotewi-Rubintein: "lt wa the ame idea: bihop on b6, bihop on b7, knight on g4, queen on h4, and away omething on g3, h3, ...Rxc3-h3 it' very
EXERCISE:
How woud you refute
21.NeS?
similar" 0-
In the mini-interview after the game Aronian aid: I think 1 fe into a theoretica trap. 1 didn't ee 15...BcS, which i very trong ... 1 houd tudy the opening better, he aid, with hi ene of humour which never eem to deert him. o, one of the bet game of my ife obviouy! Epeciay againt a giant ike Levn. 1 wa very happy, it wa a ret day, very nice... wa Anand' fina comment in CheBae Magazine.
59
Let's remind ourselves of the finish to "Rubinstein's mmortal: G.Rotlewi-A.Rubinstein, Lodz 1907
Black to play ... R3!! 3. gh4 Rd!! 4. Qd 4 . Qg Rh3! 0-
Game Twenty-Seven Eu Tum P M After Wijk aan Zee, Anand's next commitment was the GRENKE Chess Classic in Baden Baden, a Category XIX event played between the 7th and 17th of February. This was a double-round tournament of six players, comprising the three best in Germany, Arkadij Naiditsch, Daniel Fridman and Georg Meier, and three elite players, Fabiano Caruana, Michael Adams and Anand himself. Anand took first place with 6Y points out of 10, ahead of Caruana on 6. t was his first tournament win since Linares/Morelia 2008, but he was highly motivated for the defence of the title at the end of the year. Anand commented that his last reasonably good performance was in Wijk aan Zee 2011, where he finished second: "after that 1 was practically on a precipice and the next five tournaments were horrible. He added that "after Bilbao 2011 my greatest problem was to reach interesting positions, with chances. This year the new problem is exploiting those chances, and he quoted games where he had let the full point escape him However, he said that it was better to have the second problem rather than the first, and he remarked: "I need to improve my technique. Let's now see an example of that improved technique of the World Champion. D Ndsh,A
•Ad,V Siii Df {852
With two rounds to go, Anand had been lying second, a point behind the leader Caruana, but after his win against Fridman and Caruana's defeat
27: Baden-Baden,2013
[Zenón Franco]
by Adams, the World Champion found himself, in his own words, "unexpectedly" sharing first place with Caruana going into the final round.
analysing precisely this position (among many others, naturally) and noticed that it was possible to delay castling with this queen move, which attacks the pawns on e4 and c4.ne of the important games to feature this line was G.KasparovRest of the World, online game 1999. Anand hadn't actually analysed this in any depth because, after the semiforced line that follows, Black gains two pawns for the exchange without running any great risks, which seemed sufficient compensation.
1.e4 es 2.Nf3 dG 3.BbS+ Anand hadn't been having good results against this check; on the other hand, or precisely because of this, he had been analysing several critica! positions that can arise from it. 3...Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 NfG [Anand had previously employed the move rder 5...Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 g6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Nde2 Nf6 10.f3 0-0 11.0-0 a6 12.a4 e6 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 Rfd8 15.Rb Qc7 16.Kh Rd7 17.Rc Re8 18.Nd5 exd5? 19.cxd5 Qb6 20.Bf2 Qxb2 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.Rxc6 with advantage to White in F.Caruana V.Anand, Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012 (though Y-Y in 70 moves).]
11.NdS Almost forced. [After .Qb3 0-0 12.Nf4 Qc8 13.Nfd5, Black achieves a good position with either 13...Nxd5 or h l , B.Damljanovic.Stohl, European Team Championship, Batumi 1999} 14.Nxd5 e6 15.Ne3 Ne5 16.Bd2 Qc6 17.f3 f5, P.VelickaV.Dydyshko, Czech League 2000.]
6.Nc3 gG 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bg7 9.0-0 [Diverging from 9.f3 Qc7 10.b3 Qa5 .Bb2 Nc6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Nce2 Rfd8 14.Bc3 Qb6 15.Kh d5 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Qe, which ended in victory for White in M.CarlsenV.Anand, from the same tournament, Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012.]
11...Qxe4 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.Nxa8 Qxc4 14.Nc3 [Kasparov chose 14.Nb6+ axb6, doubling Black's pawns. Anand said that doubled pawns are a weakness in theory, but this case isn't so clear, and White's position doesn't appear to be anything to boast about.]
9...NcG 10.Nde2
EXERCISE: Why not continue with 10 f3, a aruana did in th gam quoted above?
14... Rxa 15.BgS A logical dvloping mov which has been played several times; [as has 15.Re.Anand gives a very instructive description here: "There's no need to study all the games. f you look at the position and put a white pawn on f4 instead of on f2, for example, this resembles a position from the Austrian Attack. There White has a pawn on c2 and even so Black has good
NSWER: t is necessary to retreat the knight first, since 10.f3? fails to 10...Nxe4. 10... QeG Anand commented that, just befre the tournament, he'd been
6
compensation. The position looks so good that 1 couldn't take it seriously."]
18...xd 19.Radl h6 20.Bcl d4
The black pawns, although doubled, restrict the mobility of the white rooks.
15...6 16.Rl EXECISE:
(difficult, What to play now?
positional): 21.Rd3 Res 22.Rb3 b6 23.Kfl 24.Ra3 a
ANSWE:
Anand related the process by which he chose his next move. He said that, after 16.Re, Black has several moves that hold the position, such as 16...h6, followed by bringing the king to f8, relying on his two pawns for the exchange.On the other hand, the presence of the queens means that tactics will be ever-present, which will be more likely to affect the black king while it remains in the centre; for example, if 16... RdB, White could play 17.Q3. With the queens on the board it also would be difficult for Black to exloit his extra awns because advancing them would open lines, so the following move soon began to look more attractive.
Anand criticized his choice here, attributing it to optimism. [He thought that the quieter move 24...Rc7 was preferable, with the following sample line: 25.h3 gS 26.f4 gxf4 27.Bxf4 Ke6 and even though the computer considers the position to be balanced, once the black king reaches dS, the eS knight will become mobile and Black will be able to play ...Be, after first defending the h-pawn.]
16...d
Anand commented that "of course it's depressing to change these two pawns into doubled d-pawns", but he thought that it was worth the trouble and that, without the queens, Black could force White to give ground.
Anand's move?
17.xd Qxd 18.Qxd
ANSWE: 25.b4!
EXECISE: What's the drawback to
This changes the character of the position. In the line in the previous note, White was passive and forced to wait for Black to make progress. White needs to try to avoid this scenario by complicating the struggle, and 24 ...aS has helped him in that respect, since he is now able to come to grips with the enemy.
UEST/ON:
But what if White doesn't exchange on dS? Anand doesn't even mention avoiding the exchange and the engines aren't impressed either. After 18.Qg4, for example, Black can play 18...QfS 19.Qg3 Rc8 20.Rad dS with a good position. ANSWE:
62
25...2 [At first 25...axb4 26.Ra7+ Kc6 27.f4 Nd3 28.Rdl Nc5 29.Rxf7 Bh8 30.Bd2 b3 31.axb3 Nxb3 32.Rh7 h5 33.Rh6 Rg8 seemed to Anand to be good for Back, but then he coudn't see any cear way to expoit his scattered passed pawns.]
EXERCISE: How can Back retain soe practica chances? ANSWER: ... The ony hope of victory; capturing the a-pawn woud be pointess.
2.x x Threatening ... Nc4, or ese ... Nd3 if the a3-rook eaves the third rank. t appears that White is effectivey forced to sound the retreat once more.
2.x7 x2 EXERCISE: How defend the f-pawn?
shoud
White
.K? A subte move, but in fact a serious error. As Anand said, it seems appropriate to reject 33 Ke2 in rder to avoid a future...d4-d3+, apparenty winning a tempo. Unfortunatey, 33 Kel is bad for another reason.
EXERCISE: What move changes the picture competey? ANSWER: 27.x! Payed immediatey. This surprising defensive resource was overooked by Anand when he payed...Rc2, though he saw it immediatey afterwards. White seeks savation in a rook ending. [Both 27.Rdl Nc4 28.Rf3 Ke6; and 27.Bf4 Nc4 28.Rb3 Rxa2 (or first 28...g, are ceary inferior, because White woud be very passive.)
ANSWER: 33.Ke2! was in fact the right move; for exampe, after 33...Rxh2 {33...d3+ 34.Kxd3 xf2 35.xg6 xh2 36.a4 draws easiy) 34.Rxg6 h5 35.Rh6 h4, White has two defences: 36.Kd3 36.a4 h3 37.aS Rhl 38.a6 h2 this is virtuay the same position as after 39 a6 in the game, but with White to move 39.Rh7! draws; for exampe, 39...KdS 40.a7 Ral 41.Rxh2 Rxa7 42.Kd2 Kc4 43.Rh6 Ra2+ 44.Kel! Kd3 45.f4! etc.(.--)) 36...h3 (or 36...Kc 37.a4 hl 38.a h3 39.a6 al 40.Kd2 with simiar pay to 36 a4 above) 37.Kxd4, capturing the doubed pawn, draws as well, since after 37...Rhl 38.Ke3, the white king reaches safety in time and the h-pawn is kept under contro athough it is worth noting that, if the back pawn were aready on h2, Back woud win with 38...Rel+.
27... 28.7+ KG 29.x7 x 0.Kx x+ QUESTION: Why exchange pieces? sn't it better for Back to retain his bishop, in rder to support the passed d4-pawn?
ANSWER: That would generally be the case, but as usua every decision needs to work tacticay. Originay Anand had panned to pay 30...BeS, but then he saw that White has 31.Bxh6 d3 32.Rf3!, when he defends without any probems; for exampe, 32...Re2+ 33.Kdl Rxa2 34.Bf4.
...x2 4.xG .K2 163
QUESTION: We aready know that if White pays f2-f4 then ...Ral wins, but why is White ost here? ANSWER: Because White wi be forced to worsen his position. He coud draw if he coud "pass", but by means of zugzwang Back wi be abe first to capture the a-pawn then advance his king to support the d-pawns. 39.aG Kc7
QUESTION: What is the snag with 33 Kel?
[39...Kb6 40.Rxd6+ Ka7 41.Rh6 d3 wins as we but it compicates matters; there is no need for Back to sacrifice the rear d-pawn and have to cacuate it a accuratey.]
ANSWER: 3...Rhl+! This is the punishment. Rather than gaining a tempo by avoiding ...d4-d3+, White oses one to this rook check, so Back wins by a singe move, as we' see. [Back coud deay the check and ay 34...hS first but Anand had it a worked out and payed the rest of the game extremey quicky.]
0.Rh7+ Kb8 .Ke2 d3+
Necessary to prevent White from shuffing with his king between e2 and d2. 2.Kd2
Now the white king is immobiized.; [but the pawn obviousy can't be taken due to 42.Kxd3 Rdl+.]
35.Kd2
[35.Ke2 is no better here.]
EXERCISE: How can Back make progress?
35...hS 3.Rh
[36.Kd3 h4 37.Kxd4 h3 is now too sow, since the white king remains vunerabe to rook checks after 38...h2; whereas in the note to move 33, the back rook was sti on h2, giving the white king an extra tempo to reach safety.]
ANSWER: 2...Ka! By means of zugzwang. Back has two waiting moves, ...d6-d5 and ...d5d4, whereas White, who can't move his king, has ony one, the avance a-a7.
3...h 37.a
3.RhS
[Pushing the f-pawn with 37.f4 aows Back an easy win by...h4-h3-h2 and...Ral; for exampe, 37...h3 38.fS h2 39.Rh7 (or 396 Kdl} 39...Ral 40.Rxh2 Rxa2+, skewering the white rook.]
The first achievement; the back king wi now be abe to join in the strugge. [43.a7 d5 woud ony have postponed matters for a move, as the rook woud now have to aow the back monarch through.]
37...h3 38.aS h2 164
check, foowed by promoting the pawn. Meanwhie White's rook has to keep attacking the h-pawn, in rder to prevent the back rook from simpy moving out of the way, aowing the pawn to promote. This means that the f-pawn can't be saved, and once the f pawn drops, the second rank wi be open and the famiiar winning resource ...Ral wi be possibe.[For exampe, 49...Ke4 50.Rh3 Kf4 51.Rh8 Kf3 52.Rf8+ Kg2 (threatening to move the rook and promote the pawn) 53.Rg8+ Kxf2 54.Rh8 Kf3 55.Rf8+ Ke4 56.Rh8 and now 56...Ral 57.Rxh2 Ra2+ etc.] 0-
43 ... Ka7 44.hG d
As befre, there's no need to sacrifice the pawn. 4.h8 Kxa 4.hG+ Kb 47.h8 Kc4
[47...Kc4 threatens to win with 48. - Ral 49.Rxh2 Ra2+ 50.Kdl Kc3 and mates, since there is no check on c8.] 48.c8+ Kd4 49.h8 Ke4 EERCSE:
Why did White resign
here? His king can't move at a, because any move woud aow a rook ANSWER:
So Anand did what he had to. Caruana ooked as if he was going to win as we, but he missed soe chances and after 86 moves he had to be content with a draw, which eft Anand as se winner of the tournament. Anand's intense tournament activity very soon continued with the Zürich Chess Chaenge, a category XXI event, hed between the 23rd of February and the lst of March. This was quadranguar doube-round event, in which Fabiano Caruana achieved a notabe triumph with 4 points out of 6, foowed by Anand on 3, with Kramnik and Gefand tied on 2Y. From the 15th of March to the lst of Apri, an event of soe importance to Anand took pace in London. This was the Candidates Tournament, from which emerged his next chaenger for tite of Word Champion. t was to be Magnus Carsen this time, who won after a tight and dramatic finish, ahead of Kramnik on tie-break. Subsequenty, from the 21st of Apri to the lst of May, Anand payed in the Aekhine Memoria in Paris/St Petersburg, finishing third with 5 points, behind Aronian and Gefand on 5Y.
Game Twenty-Eight "O of os Dr Njdorfs" The marathon continued with the strongest tournament ever payed in Norway, a Category XXI event staged between the 7th and 18th of May at severa different venues in the Stavanger region, with the participation of six of the top ten payers in the Eo ist. Karjakin won with 6 points out of 9, foowed by Carsen and Nakamura with 5Y, then Svider, Aronian and Anand on 5. 165
Anand was in the hunt for first place right up to the last round, in which all six of the elite participants had a chance to win the event, Karjakin was the leader with 5/8, followed by Carlsen and Anand on 5, and then Svidler, Nakamura and Aronian on 4. in the end Wang Hao defeated Anand, and Carlsen drew with Aronian, which meant that Karjakin's draw (with Topalov) was enough for him to win the tournament outright. Here is one of Anand's three wins in Norway. He enjoys playing the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian with both colours, and he was very pleased with his victory against Topalov in the third round. 14.The text move is less common but is also becoming popular. Anand was actually one of the first to play it, against Morozevich in 2006. Leaving the g-pawn on g4 for the moment has the virtue that it controls the f5-square, which can be useful in the event that White plays Nd5 and Black responds with...Nxd5. However, this doesn't mean that g4-g5 isn't a move to consider in the near future; and as we'll see further on, the rook being on g opens up new possibilities.
DAnand,V •Topalov,V Sician Defence {890 28: Stavanger, 2013 [Zó Fro] 1.e4 es 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 S.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 eS 7.Nb3 t is worth noting that one can find numerous games featuring this position by both players, with both Black and White. In contrast, the person who has done most to revitalize the Najdorf Variation in modern times, Garry Kasparov, has a much higher percentage of games with the black pieces. In several lines, contemporary theory reaches almost to move 30.
12...Nb6 [Another option is 12...b4, but then Black must give up his bishop; i.e. 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5, and after 14...a5 15.g5 Nh5 16.Kb (clearing the ideal defensive square on for the knight) 16...a4 or if 16...RbB, as in V.Anand A.Morozevich, Monte Caro blindfold rapid 2006, then 17.Rg4} 17.Nc Qa5 18.Nd3 Rfb8 19.Rg4, White was a bit better in L.Dominguez Perez-L.Van Wly, Foro 2007. Hr w can on of the justifications of 12 Rg the rook can come quickly to the queenside via g4.]
7...Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g4 bS 12.Rg QUESTION: 1 know that we're on well-known ground here, and so far the moves of both sides have looked logical to m, but thi on i a bit trang, in't it? Aren't we in a typical attacking race with the kings castled on opposite sides? Why is this move better than with g4-g5? What continuing advantages does it have?
13.NaS This prevents ...Nc4, eyes c6, and prepares a typical pawn sacrifice in this line with Nd5.
ANSWE: The main line is 12.g5, played in thousands of games, and which we've already seen in Game
66
3 ... RcS [Let's look at another example featuring Anand with White: 13...Qc7 14.gS Nfd7 15.NdS BxdS 16.exdS NxdS 17.QxdS QxaS 18.Bd3 Qc7? 19.g6! (again the usefulness of Rg is evident) 19...Nf6? 20.gxf7+ Kh8
.Karjakin, Nice (rapid) 2009, continued 16.NdS NxdS 17.exdS BxdS 18.QxdS QxaS 19.c4!
EXERCISE: Can you work out how
ANSWER: Yes, and most of the
QUESTION: Hang on isn't there a
rule that says you shouldn't touch the pawns on your weaker wing?
Anand finished this game off?
time this is valid, because the opponent often has the advantage there; but in this case Black can't exploit the opening of the enemy king's defences and in fact his bSpawn is weak. White dominates the light squares and has greater mobility, thanks to his two bishops and the ability of his g-rook to come into play via g4. The Xray between the two queens also works in White's favour here.After 19...Rb8 20.Rg4 Ng7 21.h4 (defending the g pawn, with the option of a later h4h5 if the knight moves away) 21...NfS 22.Bf2 Bd8 23.cxbS axbS 24.Bd3 b4?! 25.Qb3! Bb6 26.Rxb4 Qxb4 {26...Ba7 27.Bel is annoying, and if 27...Qc7 then 28.BxfS gxf5 29.Qd3, so Karjakin decides to sacrifice the queen 27.Qxb4 Bxf2, White had the advantage but the technical difficulties are very complex and Karjakin eventually managed to draw.) 16...Qc7 and then 17.NdS NxdS 18.exdS BxdS 19.QxdS QxaS 20.Bd3 Rfd8 21.Rg4 Rb8.
ANSWER: 21.Rxg7! Kxg7 obviously
21...NxdS is impossible on account of 22.Rg+ Kh8 23.Bh6 22.Rxh7#} (threatening Bg7, an unusual mate) 23...Ng4 if 23...NhS then 24.Bxf Rxf8 25.Rg+) 24.Rxg4 Rxf7 25.Qxa8+ 1-0 V.AnandL.Van Wely, Monte Caro (blindfold rapid) 2007.
4.g Nh 5.Kbl Nf4 Topalov adds another piece to the control of dS and now threatens ... b5 b4. QUESTION:
Why
not
15...b4
immediately? ANSWER: Because White's main
idea here is then very strong: 16.NdS! NxdS 17.exdS QxaS neither 17...BfS 18.Nc6; nor 17...Bd7 18.Qxb4 is much better 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.Bh3! and the e6pawn falls, leaving White in control of the light squares.
Find a way to justify Wite's pawn sariie EXERCISE:
EXECIE: eute 19 ANSWER: The quickest is 20.g6+!
ANSWER: This can be done with
hxg6 21.Qg2 with a mating attack yet another positive side of including the move Rg!.; nstead of Topalov's 15...Nf4, it was also possible to play 15...g6. Let's examine another instructive example, in which White played 16.a3!? (Then V.Anand
the slow but deadly move 22.Rh4! (once again showing the usefulness of Rg!) with the threat of RxhS followed by Qe4, against which there is no good defence. For example, .Ter ahakyan Wei i, World Junior Championships, Athens 2012, saw White carry out his
67
threat after 22...Qc7 (if l then l Kl l + K l+ Kl + K l and White's attack strikes first) 23.RxhS! gxhS 24.Qe4 fS 2S.QxfS Bf8 26.g6 with a decisive attack.]
Anand played against Leko is less effective here, on account of 22.Rxf4 Bf8 23.Re4.] 21QxdS QxS [Not 21...Qxc2+? 22.Ka and Black has nothing.]
163 g6 [The immediate 16...Qc7 was an alternative. After 17.Bxf4 exf4, White can offer the same pawn sacrifice with 18.NdS. More recently, Anand declined the pawn with 18...BxdS Then L.Dominguez Perez-L.Van Wely, Wijk aan Zee 2010, continued 18...NxdS 19.exdS BxdS 20.QxdS QxaS 21.Bd3 g6 22.h4 R 23.Qe4 Re 24.Qxf4 Rb8 2S.c3 Qb6 26.Bc2 a 27.Bb3 and White had soe initiative. This line has soe similarity to our main game.(.--)) 19.exdS QcS 20.Rg4 Rfe8 21.h4 Bf8 22.Rxf4 NxdS! 23.Nb3 and a draw was areed in P.Leko-V.Anand Wik aan Zee 2013; (on , the continuation would have been + K }
After all the examples that we've seen, it shouldn't be difficult for ou to find White's best move here! EXERCISE:
22Rg4! The rook becomes active, regaining the pawn; and thanks to his superior bishop and the possibility of breaking with h4-hS, White's position is preferable.
ANSWER:
17h4 The gS-pawn requires protection. 17Q7 [After 17...dS, one possibility is 18.Bxf4 exf4 19.NxdS NxdS 20.exdS BxdS 21.QxdS QxaS 22.Bd3, when the duel between the bishops again favours White, whose light-squared bishop is more active.]
22RS 23Qb3 dS [23...RfS is pointless in view of 24.Bd3. With 23...dS Black activates his bishop, at the cost of weakening his d pawn.] 24Rxf4 Q7 25Rfd4 Qh2 By putting pressure on the h4pawn with this infiltration, Topalov is trying to complicate the struggle, because if the game continues on a quiet course, it won't be in his favour. [For instance, after 2S...Rd8, White can play 26.f4, planning Bg2, or first f4-fS to weaken Black's castled position
18Bxf4 xf4 19NdS! BxdS 20xdS With the disappearance of Black's light-squared bishop, the threat of Nc6 becomes stronger. 20NxdS [Black is almost obliged to take the pawn, since 20...QcS 21.Rg4 Rfe8 as 168
especially if taking on dS would drop the f4-pawn in any case.]
with the black bishop already active.(. The key is that Black must capture on h4 when White takes on dS, whereas after 28...Qxg2 29.Bxg2 Rc4 30.f4 Rxd4 { B c 5 ?! .} 3.Rxd4 B 32.RxdS RxdS 33.BxdS Bf2 34.b4, White would attain a favourable endgame, despite the opposite-coloured bishops. That's his general aim, the creation of passed pawns, on the queenside.)]
EXERCISE (positional): White has the advantage; his pieces are more active and there is a weakness on dS, but Black's position is not going to collapse on its own. How can White make progress?
. . .
ANSWER: 26.c3! White eliminates the pressure on c2, though that isn't the only idea behind this move.
28...BdG?! [The critica! move is 28...Qxh4. Probably Anand would have ended up playing 29.Bg2, with ideas similar to those we'll see in the game.(Anand was thinking about answering this with 29.Qg2, intending Be2 and Rh, but he couldn't find any path to an advantage after 29...Re8 ("a remarkable move" Anand) the engines prefer the reverse rder of moves, first 29... Bd6, already pressing against f4, and if 30.Be2 then ... Re)
26...d EXERCISE: What is the complement to White's previous move? ANSWER: 27.Qc2! White invites an exchange of queens, which is in his favour, since he can then put pressure on, and eventually capture, the dS-pawn in advantageous circumstances. Otherwise, White can transfer his queen to a more active position.
UESTION: nstead of 30 Be2, can't White win with 30.BxbS, followed by Rh?
27...Qg3 [Exchanging queens on c2 isn't beneficia! for Black, who has a permanent weakness on dS. After 27 ...Qxc2+? 28.Kxc2, as well as 29 f4 followed by Bg2, it's also possible to play 29 b4 because the c-pawn is fn]
ANSWER: Anand saw that line too, but he didn't think it was adequate. White does indeed win the queen, but the technical difficulties after (30.Be2, since 30...Bd6 3.Rh? can now be answered by 3...Rxe2.{... --)) 30...RxbS 3.Rh Qxh+ 32.Qxh Bxa3 b4 as ar almot inolubl]
28.f4 Anand was a1mg for a position with his bishop on dS, when White would be better thanks to the strong pawn on gS. [He would have liked to play 28.Qg2. However, Black has a stronger move in 28...Bd6, when the exchange of queens is less convincing
29.Bg2 [Here 29.Qg2 would simply be answered by 29...Bxf4.] 29...Bxf4 30.Bxd Now White has achieved the sort of ideal position Anand was aiming for. The bishop is very strong on dS, and its 169
pressure on f7 is important."I felt that tactically with so many majr pieces the opposite-coloured bishops don't really come into play" (Anand); i.e. as a possible drawing factor.
ANSWER: You're right;, the World Champion didn't play the most accurate move, which was 33.Qf! as planned. f then 33...BeS 34.R4d3! Qf4, White wins with 35.Rf3!.
30...Kg7
33...e?! This is not the most tenacious defence, since it allows the white queen to return to the f-file, winning material. 33...Qf2 would have created more difficulties.
EXERCISE: How can White make progress? ANSWER: 31.e4! Centralization! This protects the bishop and threatens Rf. The difference in dynamism between the two sides is remarkable.
EXERCISE: Why isn't 34.Rf3 as strong as it looks? ANSWER: Black has the resource 34...Qxd4! not because of 5x} 35.cxd4 Rc+ and he survives after 36.Qxc Bxc 37.Bc6 Rc7.
31...e3 "Of course the move that worried me." {Anand) [nstead, 31...BeS? loses to 32.Rf! Bxd4 33.Qxd4+ and mates; while 31...Qxh4 fails to 32.Bxf7 or even the simle b) 32...BxS 33.Qb7!.]
EXERCISE: sn't 34 Bf3 stronger here?
EXERCISE: The structure has changed. What should White play now?
to ANSWER: fails x+ 5x x and White's advantage has vanished.J
ANSWER: 32.hl! In view of all the open lines, the power of the dS-bishop, and the weakness of f7, exchanging queens is naturally out of the question. [The alternative was 32.Qg2, with the same idea of increasing the pressure on f7 by Qf. Anand didn't know which square was better, but he finally decided on h because in sore lines it might be important to have the back rank defended.
34.f3! Reaching the ideal position for White. 34... Bh2
32...d7 33.ld3?! QUESTION: 1 don't understand; wasn't 33 Qf the idea? What's wrong with it?
70
EXERCISE: What is the best way for
35...Qxe6!? 36.Rxd7 Rf5 would have created more problems, although after 37.Qh, followed by R7d5, White's material advantage should count in the long run.After the move played, White's task is simpler.
White to crystallize his advantage?
ANSWER: 35.BeG! A beautiful move which wins material. [Anand wasn't certain that this was the best choice technically (we'll expand on this in the next note). He hesitated between this spectacular move and the simple 35.Bb3!; for example, 35...Re7? runs into 36.Re3!, while against other defensive tries he can just play 36 Ka2 and there "must be a mate" after Re4 or Rd8.]
36.Re4 RxeG [f 36...Qc7, White mates with 37.Qf6+ Kg8 38.Bxf7+ Rxf7 39.Re8+ etc.] 37.RxeS RcxeS 38.Rd8 Threatening 39 Qa8.
35...Re7
38...Re4 39.Ka2 Bf4 40.Rd7 "There is no defence against Ra7 and Rxa6." (Anand)
QUESTION: You'll have to explain to me why Anand hesitated over playing 35 Be6.
40...Kg 41.Ra7 "This is one of the dream Najdorfs that 1 get and obviously 1 was very pleased." 1-0
ANSWER: Topalov's reply cae as good news to Anand, who thought that
Game Twenty-Nine Lt umt Pt f t Mt Gelfand gained, in his own words, his most outstanding success for years in winning the 8th Tal Memorial, a Category XXII event, held on 12th-24th June in Moscow. He scored 6 points out of 9, ahead of Carlsen in second on 5, followed by Caruana, Mamedyarov and Andreikin on 5. This was the last of the six tournaments that Anand played as part of his preparations for the title match against Carlsen. He didn't play well, scoring just 3 points. On the other hand, it was his only really bad performance in the run-up to the match, and it wasn't necessarily a bad sign if we remember that, befre successfully defending his title against Kramnik in 2008, he had played badly in Bilbao; as he had in 2010 as well befre the match against Topalov. Let's look at Anand's only, hard-fought, victory in this tournament. Anand,V • Morozevich,A
D
1.e4 eS 2.Nf3 NcG 3.BbS aG 4.Ba4 NfG 5.0-0 Be7 6.Rel bS 7 .Bb3 dG 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.d4 Bb7 The Zaitsev Variation, which
Spish Opig {C93} 29: Tal Memorial, Moscow, 2013
[Zenón Franco] 7
opened new paths for Black by showing that he can dispense with ...h7-h6.
by the b8-knight, but other defences of f7 have their drawbacks too. [14... Qe7 was mentioned by GM Pavlovic. Then after 15.a4, if Black resorts to the artificial 15...Bc6 the typical defence 15...c6? isn't possible owing to 16.dxeS dxe5 17.NxeS!}, Pavlovic suggests 16.dS Bd7 17.c4 with a slight advantage to White.; 14... Re7 can be met by 15.Nh4, intending either Nf5 or Ng6, to capture the f8-bishop (as in R.Van Kampen B.Arvola, London 2012).Alternatively, 15.dxeS dxe5 16.c4 is interesting, when 16...c6? again fails to 17.cxbS cxb5 18.NxeS! (Pavlovic).J
2
[The key is that Black needn't fear 11.NgS Rf8 12.f4, as we mentioned in the notes to Game 13.] Bf 2a3
With this move White retains the option of keeping his bishop active on the a2-g8 diagonal. t also lends support to a possible b2-b4 advance. [Until relatively recently, 12.a4 was the most common move here, as Anand played against Adams in Game 13.]
Q2
f the black queen now retreats to d8, to clear the way for the knight, White will have gained Qc2, overprotecting the e4-pawn, 'for free', so Black tries something else.
2 h 3Ba2
Consistent with his previous move; [although there have been many games with 13.Bc2 as well, preparing Nf. In that case the move a2-a3 comes in useful, since White can play Nf without worrying about ...e5xd4 and ...Nb4, attacking both the e4-pawn and the 'panish' bishop (as occurs in the 12 a4 main line).]
s
EXERCIE: continue?
How
should
Black
ANER: This move highlights the fact that by playing c2-c3 and a2-a3 White has actually weakened his structure. [In answer to other moves, such as 16... Qc7, making way for the b8-knight, White would play 17.c4.]
3
Another standard manoeuvre, putting pressure on e4 and planning to recycle the knight to a more flexible square on d7, followed by a later ...c7c5. Q3
l White plays 4dS, Black can attack the centre immediately with 14...c6. Then after 15.dxc6 Bxc6, one of the typical ideas is to play 16.Nh2, planning Ng4 and/or Qf3.]
.b3 This is necessary to activate White's pieces; the price is a backward pawn on the -file.
Q
3 B3 Q 9a R 20
After this reply we can be sure that White can't be worse, since the black queen is occupying the square needed
A logical move, in Anand's opinion; [in the light of a previous game, G.Kamsky-D.akovenko, Moscow 2007, 172
which went 20...Nbd7 21.Ba3 QaS (intending...b5-b4 and...NcS), when "Kamsky played in an interesting way": 22.Nf bxc4 White discourages 22... b4 in view of 23.Qd2} 23.Bxc4 Nb6 24.N1d2 Qxa4 25.Qxa4 Nxa4 26.Reb Rc7 27.Bxd6 Bxd6 28.Rxa4 with a slight advantage.]
recycled via c8 to d7 at an opportune moment. In this manner the other black pieces gain mobility. Bc Bc8!
[Anand also looked at 23...NcS 24.Nb3 Ncxe4 25.Bxe4 Qxc4 26.Nfd2 QbS 27.Bd3 QxdS 28.Bf and White is better. "t's good not to allow mate, but also threaten Nc4-b6."] 4a4
"Now have to attach myself to this pawn." (Anand) EXERCISE: How can Black improve
the coordination of his pieces? ANSWER: 4Be7
[Black can't play 24...NcS yet, owing to 25.Rxb4, when he can't capture on a with his queen because the b8-rook is hanin nor can he exchange rooks on b4 first because Qxb4 defends the aS-pawn. Black therefore finds a way to improve the position of his inactive bishop, which is heading for the g1a7 diagonal.]
EXERCISE: What should White play
now? ANSWER: 1a!
There is no alternative; it's essential to prevent...a6-a5, which would defend the pawn and secure the cS-square for the knight without granting White any positional compensation; whereas now the b4pawn remains isolated and White will manoeuvre to attack it.
5e
sn't there anything more useful than this? Can you explain this move? UESTION:
1 b7 bl cb8 ANSWER: Yes, this is partly a waiting move, although it also prepares
1 understand that a
rook must go a b8 to defend the b4pawn, but wasn't it better to play 22...Rab8, so that the a8-rook is not left inactive?
Ned3, increasing the pressure on b4. [As Anand explained in the press conference after the game, the situation on the queenside is a sort of reciproca! zugzwang: White can't play 25.Nb3 on account of 25...Qxc4;; nor 25.Bd3 as this allows 25...NcS; conversely, Black can't play...NcS because Rxb4 wins a pawn, as we saw
t's true, the rook remains inactive for a time on a8, but this way Black hopes to solve the problem of the b7-bishop, which can be ANSWER:
73
in the previous note.]
31...xc 25...Bd! [After 25...Bd8, Black is now ready to play 26.-- Nc5, because if 27.Rxb4 Rxb4 28.Qxb4, then 28...QxaS is possible since the bishop on d8 is defending the queen.]
QUESTION: And is White better after this exchange? ANSWER: Let's allow the World Champion to speak for himself: "To be honest White is not better in any way."
26.xb4 xa 27.Ba3 c7 32.d3 White dreams of breaking with c4c5, at soe point when it works tactically, destroying Black's structure and creating a passed pawn on d5.
QUESTION: Black has obtained the ideal square for his knight on c5, so where is White's advantage? ANSWER: You're right, White actually has no real advantage here. He has more space but nothing tangible, so the chances are equal, and the struggle will be decided in favour of the side that plays more strongly.
32...a EXERCISE: Black has an obvious plan to play ... Nd7 and then stick his bishop on b6, gaining mastery of the dark squares. What can White do to prevent this?
28.xb xb8 29.b3 a8 Optimistic and looking for a fight. [impler was 29 ...Rxb3 30.Qxb3 Nc5 3.Qe3 Nfd7 with balanced play, but Black wants more.]
ANSWER: 33.cl Planning Ra3 and Ba4-c6, activating his passive bishop. [Another possibility was 33.Rb4 with the same idea, while maintaining an iron grip on the b-file; if 33...Nd7 34.Ba4 Nc5 then 35.Nb3! Nxb3 36.Qxb3 and White has improved his position.]
EXERCISE: Find a manoeuvre here that White can employ to improve the position of his pieces. ANSWER: 30.el Heading for d3, to contest the c5square.
33...d7 34.a3 c7 35.Ba4 Bg The bishop didn't manage to reach the ga7 diagonal but has found
30... NcS 3.BxcS
another
one
on
whih
to
beome
active.
QUESTION: Hmm, g1v1ng up this bishop is not something 'd like to do. Can you explain White's decision?
36.BcG b8 EXERCISE: Where should White move his queen in rder to escape from the pin?
ANSWER: t's very simple: there is nothing else. f White retreats his rook with 3.Rb2, Black could play 3...Nfd7, bolstering his control of c5.]
37.c2?! 174
Who's right?
ANSWER: lt was better to pay 37.Qe!, overprotecting e4 and thus defusing 37...Nf6 (note that B?! + K achieves nothing for Back, who must once again take c4-c5 into account} since White coud respond with 38.Nf3 and be coser to achieving the c4-c5 break.
ANSWER: Over the board and with imited time avaiabe, human payers even the strongest, as is the case in our game can't anayse every possibiity in the same way as a computer. Moreover, it can be the case that, objectivey though not aways in practice, there are severa strong moves. [39...Qe7 is an interesting option, based party on the idea that "the threat is stronger than the execution" or, expressed in a more 'reaist' manner, the moves...Qe7 and...e5-e4 are both 'forced', so the important thing is to find out which move rder is best; in this case it might we be that there is no difference.; 39...Qa7 is another move it woud be difficut to consider straight after sacrificing a pawn "with the intention of paying...e4". lf White pays quiety to consoidate with 40.Kg2, Back can aunch a sacrificia attack: In ater anaysis it's possibe to see that the queen's pressure aong the g1a7 diagona prepares...e5-e4, foowed by...e4-e3, and discourages 40.cS in view of 40...e4, foowed by 41...Bxd2 and...QxcS.(...--)) 40...hS! 41.Nf3 {?! aows the back pieces to 'expand' with } 41...hxg4! 42.NxgS gxh3+ 43.Nxh3 BxfS with good compensation for the piece, since Back is very active, dominates th b-i, and pans d with thrats against the white king. lf White tries to simpify with 44.Rb3, then after 44...Bxh3+ 45.Kxh3 Rxb3 46.Qxb3 e4 47.Nf4 Qxf2, a draw becomes the most ikey outcome.]
37...f This risky pawn sacrifice surprised Anand. [The natura 37...Nf6! was more than promising for Back; for exampe, after 38.Nf3 (or if c B the position has opened up in favour of Back's dark squared bishop) 38...Nxe4 39.NdxeS BfS! 40.NxgS hxgS 41.Nf3 Ng3 42.Qd2 Rb+ 43.Ne Ne4, Back is more active.] 38.exf f6 39.g4 Anand is reying on the current passivity of the opposing pieces, which wi make it difficut for Back to expoit this weakening of White's casted position. lt's aso worth recaing the famous saying of Najdorf's wise auntie: "better a pawn up than a pawn down". [lnstead, 39.Ne Bxd2 40.Qxd2 Qb6 woud give Back good compensation, as it's difficut to hang on to the extra pawn without aowing counterchances; for exampe, 41.g4 hS 42.gxhS Ne4 43.Qe2 Qb with good pay] 39...e4 QUESTION: 1 appreciate that this is the most 'human' move, consistent with the pawn sacrifice and with...Nf6. The anaysis engines approve of Back's position but prefer severa other moves here, such as 39...Qa7 or 39...Qe7.
40.el e7 41.g2 e An attractive centraization, preparing...Rb2. [lt woud have been 75
ANSWE: Let's hand over to Anand: "His problem is that after 42...Rb2 43.Qc3, he's not in time to break through here. Of course my bishop is not a good bishop, but the point is it's dominating his bishop as well." After 43...Qxc3 44.Rxc3 h5 45.Nge3 hxg4 46.hxg4 Bh4 47.Ng3, Black's initiative is extinguished. f 42...g6? instead, with his knight now safely on f controlling e3, White can play 43.Rb3 Rxb3 44.Qxb3, when 44...gxf5 45.Qb8 is quickly decisive, which is why Anand suggested playing 41...g6 first. However, 42...h5! looks better since, after 43.Rb3 Rxb3 44.Qxb3 Black can also play the preliminary 44...Kh7, when 44...hxg4, invading with the white queen would leave the white king vulnerable. For instance, 45.h4 Bh6 46.Qb8 Kh7 47.Qxc8 g3! 48.fxg3 (or 8xg } 48...Qd4+ 49.Kh Qd 50.Kg Qd4+ draws.) 45.Qb8 hxg4 46.h4 g3 47.hxg5 gxf2+ 48.Kxf2 Ng4+ 49.Kg Qd4+ is another draw.]
difficult for Black to bring himself to play 41...Bxd2, giving up the strong bishop, although it's appropriate here to recall Tarrasch's rule, which states that "it's not what leaves the board but what is left on the board that matters". After 42.Qxd2 Rb+ 43.Kh2 (after l h5! g5 h7 5h Bxf5, followed by...Nf8-g6, Black is fine, since 6xa6? ! is strong and 7fx? loses quickly to 7xg5!} 43...Qe5+ 44.Qf4 Qb2 45.Re3 Qa (or 5cl, Black's attack against the vulnerable white king compensates for the sacrificed material.In fact 41...Bxd2 appears to be Black's best option.J; Based on the course of the game, 41...g6 was suggested by Anand in the press conference, but then 42.fxg6 Qe5 43.Nf holds White's position or if 41...h5?! then 42.f4!.]
4f UESTION: Since White has a material advantage, isn't it appropriate to simplify by playing 42 Rb3 and rule out any infiltration with...Rb2?
43ge3 [Anand said that he was thinking a lot about 43.Nfxe3 Rb2 44.Qc (not c? bl+ 5fl 2; nor 5l 2) 44...Ne4 45.f4 Bxf4 46.Nxf4 Nd2 "and this is getting messy", since Black has threats of 47...Rb, 47...Qxf4 and 47... Nf3+. "I have this move 47.Neg2 Rb 48.Qxb Nxbl 49.Re3 Qd4 50.Kh2 a n d wi win the bishop with Re8+ Both Larsen and Anand were right to mistrust long variations. nstead of 50...Bxf5?), it would be better to play 50...Nd2! but he has 50...Bxf5 51.gxf5 and my structure is damaged." Anand added that this line allowed the black king to go to f6 eventually. "Besides 1 remembered the words of Bent Larsen
ANSWE: After 42.Rb3?! Rxb3 43.Nxb3, Tarrasch's rule is once again applicable. The black pieces are optimally placed to attack with 43...h5!(there are even soe other attractive moves such as "and Black can even be better." Anand)J 4e3?! UESTION: 1 can appreciate that this sacrifice of a second pawn gains the e4-square for the knight, but Black seems to be 'burning his bridges' with this move. Why not play 42...Rb2, as planned?
76
here. He said 'all long variations are wrong'."(.--)) 51.Re8+ Kh7, when 52.Ng6 (while 52.RxcB? actually loses to 52... 2! with a mating attack) 52...Nf+ 53.Kh Ng3+ is a draw.
correctly, that Black should have played 46...h5!, when the position would still be unclear. Finally, there is 47.Qe3 example, after 47.f3?! }For neutralizing one bishop but giving new life to the other one; meanwhile White's extra piece is out of play on c6 47...hxg4 48.hxg4 Nxg4! 49.fxg4 Qxg4+ 50.Kh2 Bxf5, the two bishops are menacing the white king with the threat of 51.-- Qe2+ 52.Kg Bd3 53.Nfe3 54.Kg2 Qe+ Be4+, mating.(... --) White can win a piece with 47.Qb8, but after 47...hxg4 48.Qxc8+ Kh7 49.Be8 gxh3 50.Bg6+ Kh6, Black's king is safe and his initiative is strong enough for at least a draw.; 47...Qxc4 48.Qe7 (not 48.g5?! Ne4 49.Nd2 Nxd2 50.QeB+ Kh7 "and 1 didn't see the mate," said Anand) 48...hxg4 49.Nfe3 Qb4 50.hxg4 50.Qd8+ Kh7 51.Qxc8? now loses to 51...Qe+ 52.K2? xh3+ 53.Kh2 or 53.Kxh3 Qhl#} 53...Bxf2 etc. 50...Kh7! and White's extra pawn is irrelevant; for example, 51.Be8 (or 51.QdB Qel+
43... Bh4 [43...Rb2 44.Qc3 Qxc3 45.Rxc3 Ne4 46.Rc2 is good for White.] 44.Rb3?! Another 'human' move, but Anand's suggestion for Black at move 46 renders it dubious. [t was difficult to decide upn 44.f3!?, but Black doesn't seem to be able to exploit the weakening of the second rank: after 44...Rb2 (while 44...h5 could be answered by 45.Rb3 in better circumstances than in the game) 45.Qc3 Qxc3 46.Rxc3, White keeps his advantage.] 44...Rxb3 45.Qxb3 Qf4 46.Ndl
White threatens 47 Qb8. Can Black still create counterplay? EXERCISE:
52.Kg2 xf2! 53.Nxf2 Qxe3 54.QxcB Ne4 55.Nxe4 Qxe4+ 56.Kg3 Qe3+ with a draw while 51.Qc? loses to 51...Nxg4!} 51...Bb7 52.Bg6+ Kh6 and
46...Ne4? This puts pressure on f2, but White has a good reply available.
Black is okay. 47.Qe3 "Now White only has to be a little bit accurate." Anand g 8g 9 50.Nc3 "Now he's basically just lost." 50...Nf7 [50...Nxh3 fails to 51.Qxh3 Qxd2 52.Qxh4 Qxc3 53.Qd8+ etc.] 51.QeS+ Kh7 52.Nf3 [Safer than 52.Nce4, which should
Anand said he was "very surprised" by this move and stated, ANSWER:
77
also win.] 54.NgG Qf3+ 55.Kgl Bxf5 56.gxf5 Qxf5 57.Nxe5 dxe5 58.QeG Qbl+ 59.Kh2 Qc2 60.Qf7 1-0
52...Ne5 53.Nxh4 Qxc3 [f 53...Nd3 then 54.Ng6 wins.] Losing the word tite
The 2013 duel for the World Chess Championship took place in Chennai, India, between the 9th and the 22nd of November. t was scheduled for twelve games, but ten games were enough for Carlsen to emerge victorious by 6Y to 3Y. The first four games were all drawn. However, Anand later said it was clear that Carlsen had dominated the match, and he (Anand) had known that his chances would depend on his ability to play long games without making many errors, as he had been managing to accomplish earlier in the year. But this time he was unsuccessful; Anand lost the fifth game, which he considered to be almost decisive for the final outcome of the match, in precisely the way he'd feared, and then everything went wrong for him: "when it rains, it pours. Anand ascribed no importance to his missed opportunity in the second game. He thought everything hinged on the fact that, having saved the fourth game, he completely messed up in the fifth. He congratulated Carlsen, saying that his (Anand's) mistakes were not down to him alone, but were due to the pressure created by his opponent, who deserved full credit. Carlsen said that the fourth game (in which he had an advantage) gave him a good feeling that things were beginning to go right for him, and he realized that Anand was as vulnerable and nervous as he was. The third and fourth games in the match were important to Carlsen; after these games his nerves left him and he began to play his normal chess and apply pressure. "People crack under pressure, even world champions, and that was the case this time. The match was followed by about two hundred million viewers per day on the television, about half of these in ndian and Norway. The coverage by the official match website
was excellent.
Game Thirty Once again the laste of Victory Anand was not certain if he was going to take part in the Candidates tournament which was due to be held in March 2014. After putting off his decision for as long as possible, finally he decided that he would and, from January, Anand began to prepare himself to have another try at fighting for the title. 178
His only competition prior to the Candidates was the Zürich Chess Challenge, which comprised five rounds at a classical rate of play, and then two more stages at rapidplay and blitz. Anand scored 2/5, 1/5, and 2/5 respectively. Following his victory against Morozevich (which we have just seen), Anand went seven months without a win at a classical rate of play. At last, after 19 games (the last six at the Tal Memorial, ten from the title match, and the first three in Zürich), Anand won a game again. Let's see it. D Gd,B •d,V Slav Defence {011] 30: Zurich, 2014 [Zó Fro
8...Bb4 QUESTION: sn't it better to develop the b8-knight first, since it obviously has only one good square to go to (d7), and decide later where to put the bishop?
.d4 d 2.4 6 3.3 6 4.3 Bg4 5.3 6 6.h3 Bh
ANSWER: Yes, it's generally best to operate on that principe, but in this case both players consider that the best square for the bishop is b4, contesting the control of the centre (the e4-square, for example) and giving Black more space. [t's no surprise therefore that Gelfand had himself played 8... Bb4 as Black in this position; while in a previous game with the white pieces, he'd replied to 8...Nbd7 with 9.a3, preventing... Bb4.]
QUESTION: 6... Bxf3 is the usual move here. What's the point of retreating the bishop instead? ANSWER: Black's bishop is probably going to be exchanged in any case, but the difference is that if White wants to capture it now, he'll have to play g2-g4. t's hard to say who benefits more from this advance; the most we can say is that it leads to a different type of pawn structure.Once White's kingside pawns have been advanced, kingside castling is more or less ruled out for him, On the other hand, if Black now castles kingside, White's attack will have gotten off to a flying start.
9.b3 7 [Anand varies from M.Rodshtein B.Gelfand, Netanya (rapid) 2009, in which Black defended the bishop with 9...c5, a move which shows little respect for the bishop pair. After 0x x 2, te piece wic benefits most from the tension in the centre is White's light-squared bishop.]
.g4 Bg6 .Nh4 [The alternative is 8.Ne5, but then 8...Nbd7 forces White to decide straight away whether to take the bishop or not (9.h4 is met by 9 ...dxc4 and White has nothing better than 10.Nxg6). With the knight on h4, the capture on g6 can be postponed to a perhaps more appropriate moment.]
.Bd2 s .xg6 hxg6 2.xd xd 3.3 With the black pawn still on c6, the fbishop's immediate prospects would be poor on g2, so White prepares to break in the centre with e3-e4 at an
179
opportune moment, and meanwhile just controls the e4-square.
to answer 19...gxhS?! with 20.gS and if 20... Nh7 then 21.g6!.{.-- 20.h6 g6, the h6-pawn acts as a shield for the black king. f White continues in violent fashion with 21.e4, we see that it's not all one-way traffic due to Black's reply 21...cS!, when the -file shows its importance.]
13...a414.c2 a3 QUESTION: With this move Black ensures that he will be able either to open the queenside (where White's king would otherwise be fairly safe) or else establish a strong pawn-wedge at a3. This is looking good for him, isn't it?
19...h QUESTION: Why not to d7? t's common knowledge that a 'knight on the rim' is badly placed in most cases. Does that not apply here?
ANSWER: Yes, but it's not all good news. Once White has played b2-b3, it will no longer be easy for Black to open lines and his attack will be prevented. Meanwhile, White has a somewhat freer hand on the kingside and in the centre, where his pawns are mobile. 15.b3 bd7 16.0-0-0 0-0 QUESTION: This looks risk doesn't it? In an attacking race, White's offensive looks to be the faster. sn't it better to castle on the queenside? ANSWER: Yes, the black king appears to be in greater danger on the kingside than it would be on the queenside. Objectively, castling queenside might be better, but this could only be confirmed by analysis later; at the board it's never so easy. Kingside castling for Black is riskier here and at the same time more ambitious. Bk is reyin on is eensive resources and on exploiting his a3pawn. One immediate plan is to open the -file with ...c6-c5.
ANSWER: Generally, yes, a knight is inferior "on the rim" than in the centre, but let's not forget that we should always consider all the elements that make up the position, not just one. Here it's much more important to prevent White from opening the h-file wit [n te event o 19 ?, there are several options for White. The basic idea is to play h4-h5, but tactics will determine how and when White should achieve this. 20.Bd3! seems to be the strongest move, preparing h4-h5. Let's look at a few possible continuations: 20.Bh3 was considered by Anand, followed by 20...cS 21.hS cxd4 22.exd4 and "I
17.Kbl fc818.h4 bG19.g [Another attractive option was 19.hS, nstead, Black would have responded with 19...gS, trying to keep the lines closed, while after (planning 80
wasn't sure what was going on here." Black seems to be in danger after 22...Bxc3 23.Bxc3 Qe3 24.Rd3 Qxg5 25.f4, preparing to occupy h-file with the majr pieces.; }20.h5 at once is another possibility, as after 20...gxhS 21.RxhS g6 22.Rh6 {b)or , followed by e3-e4 or Bd3 and Rdh, Black's position is not very pleasant. b} x5 is less clear.) 20...Nf8 (20...c 21.hS gxh5 22.RxhS (intending Rdh and if 22...g6 then 23.Bxg6! fxg6 24.Qxg6+ Qg7 25.Qe6+ Kf8 or 5 6+ 26.g6 Qf6 27.Rh8+ Kg7 28.Rh7+ Kxg6 29.Rh6+ Kxh6 30.e4+ Kh7 31.Rh+ Kg7 32.Rg+ leads to mate. 21.hS gxh5 22.RxhS g6 23.Rh3 Qxg5 24.Rdh and White's attack is decisive; for example, 24...Bd6 or 6 5! x 6x x 7 25.Rh8+ Kg7 26.Ne2! preparing e3-e4; and better than the immediate 6, which allows 6f 26...Nfd7 27.R8h7+ Kg8 28.e4, followed by 29 e5 and wins.]
but here somehow it started to feel a bit unpleasant." 22...QdG 23.Ne2 UETIO: This doesn't seem consistent with the narrative of the game so far. sn't it more logical to play 23 e4? AWE: 1 don't know whether 23.e4 is either better or more logical, but it's certainly a critica move, one that should be considered first of all. After 23...dxe4 24.Nxe4 Qf8 not x? 5, the position offers chances to both sides. White has more space, but let's not forget that the d5square is now available to Black's knight.Over the board, calculating at move 22, it wasn't easy to figure out what was happening after 25.BxhS gxh5 26.Nf6+? gxf6 27.gxf6, and "to be honest here just stopped" 1 (Anand.The position certainly looks dangerous for the black king, with White's heavy pieces ready to occupy the open g-file and his queen heading for f5. But Black has soe good defensive resources, which Anand would surely have found.
20.Bh3 Re8 21.Rhel eeing as opening lines on the kingside isn't possible, White returns to the idea initiated by 13 f3. 21...RadS 22.Bg4
EXECIE: how the most effective way for Black to defend this position.
UETIO: How should we assess this position? Black seems to be okay, since White's e3-e4 break doesn't look dangerous. Or am missing something?
Nevertheless, it's AWE: perhaps more 'human' to defend by centralizing the knight right away with 27...NdS!. Then }There are several ways to lose; for instance, there's no time for 27...Bxd2? because after 28.Rg+ Kh8 29.Rg7 Qxg7 (forced 30.fxg7+ and 31 Qxd2, White gains a decisive material advantage..--) nor 27...Rxe 28.Rxe Bxd2?.; }27... Kh8 (a typical 'computer move',
AWE: t's not easy to give an accurate response and, for a player at the board, it wouldn't be very useful anyway. The important thing is that it's a fighting position, and you just have to play it.For instance, Anand said after the game that "I was a bit worried here. nitially 1 thought 1 am completely fine 8
evacuating the g-file) appears to be one good defence, since none of the captures help White get at the enemy king, while Black can handle 28.Rg with 28...NdS! (the only move, but sufficient) and the computer sees no danger for the black king; if now 29.Rg7 then 29...Nxf6 defends.; 28.Bxb4 (l+ Kh transposes to the previous line while after , Black has time for , since l+ Kh h+ fails to h) 28...Nxb4 29.QfS is not dangerous, in view of 29...Qh6! and the black king is safe.
rook from the e-file can be penalized by 29.hxg6+ Qxg6 ( K? would be even worse, due to +! K 1c+ K l, threatening Rg4+J 30.Qb4 and Black has problems.) 29.BxfS Rxe 30.Rxe Re8 31.Rxe8 Kxe8, and the black king appears no more inconvenienced by all the line opening than the white monarch.
27...xfG 28.e xg4 29.fxg4 xe QUESTION: In the diagram above, White had four isolated pawns. Why did Black improve White's structure by exchanging pieces?
23... Bxd2 24.xd2 d7 25.f4 ANSWER: Here Tarrasch's rule from Game 29 is again valid: the one stating that it's not what leaves the board which matters, but what is left on the board. Although White's structure has been optically improved, Black estimates that the white pawns have advanced too far and are still quite weak.
QUESTION: Deliberately allowing doubled pawns is a bit strange, isn't it? ANSWER: You're right. Anand was surprised by this move. [He'd expected 25.BxhS gxhS 26.Nf4 and now he was planning the manoeuvre 26...Nf8 rather than simply ) 27.e4 (h? fails to +) 27...dxe4 28.fxe4 Ne6, casting doubt on the security of White's centre and kingside pawns. Black's a3-pawn can be very dangerous if the position opens up.]
30.fxe [The alternative was 30.dxeS, which allows Black's queenside pawns more freedom, but offers White opportunities to cause problems on the kingside; for example, with h4-h5 and if...g6xh5 then f4-f5. After the game Gelfand wasn't very optimistic about White's chances in that case, but it osn't sm soba]
25...xf4 26.exf4 f 27.gxf6 QUESTION: Opening lines when you have a bishop seems essential, osn't it r was tr so point in playing 27 Bh3 instead?
30...e7 ANSWER: Yes, 27.Bh3 makes sense, because the plan then would be to play h4-h5, bringing the bishop back to life. Anand analysed 27... Kf7 28.hS and now: However, Black appears to be okay if he opts instead for 28...gxhS (28...Rh8?!, when the removal of the
QUESTION: Black's position is better; the white pawns at h4 and g4 are weak, and Black's a3-pawn is more important than befre, because of the possibility of his queen infiltrating White's camp. Yet is White's situation 182
really grave enough fr him to lose in just another six moves? 32...Qf7!
No. Admittedly, it's psychologically unpleasant to have to switch from pursuing the initiative to having to defend, but objectively the white position is defensible. As Anand said later: "I didn't expect it to collapse so quickly."
The black queen becomes more threatening now, and if White exchanges on g6, he loses the g4-pawn.
ANSWER:
33.h6 Qf3!
After this queen invasion, White's position can no longer be held. There are too many points that need defending.
31.Rhl Rf8 32.h5?
"This might be a mistake," said Anand, which seems like an understatement. Advancing the h-pawn now just makes things worse fr White; it was essential to wait.
34.Rel gxh6 35.e6
[35.Qxh6? loses 36.Kc Rf2 and mates.]
to
35...Qd3+
35...ReS 36.g5?!
[but Another pawn drops; 36.Qxh6? was no use either, owing to 36...Qd3+ 37.Kc Qc3+ 38.Kd Qxd4+ and...Qxg4; (while 38 Qal+! is even better since if White moves the kin Black gets the a2- and b3-pawns with check as well.) 36.e7 Kg7 was equally hopeless.] . . .
36...Qf5+ 0-1
Tite contender once more!
Viswanathan Anand proved all the predictions wrong and won the Candidates Tournament that took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from the 13th to the 30th of March, thus becoming the challenger to the World Champion, Magnus Carlsen. The competition was a Category XXI event average Elo 2770, with eight participants playing each other twice. The other contenders were Dmitry Andreikin, Levn Aronian, Sergey Karjakin, Vladimir Kramnik, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Peter Svidler and Veselin Topalov. Anand's rating performance was 2845, with a gain of 15 Elo points a great feat, reminiscent of his triumph in the 2007 World Championship in Mexico City. In the April 2014 Elo rating list Anand was restored to a high ranking among the world elite: third in the world, after Carlsen and Aronian. 1
The pre-tournament favourites were Aronian and, to a lesser extent, Kramnik. Nobody gave Anand even the slightest hope. Whenever his name cae up, it was merely to dismiss his chances. Anand left it quite late to confirm his participation. He said that what swung his decision in the end was that, during the London tournament in December 2013, Kramnik had encouraged him to take part. Kramnik confirmed this, saying that he and Vishy are of the same generation, though he does not regard him as a rival. He believed that Anand could not only win the Candidates Tournament but could go on to beat Carlsen. He said that Anand's game had undergone a period of crisis, which was something that had happened to him as well, and that Anand would come out of it. This proved to be a good prophesy.
Game Thirty-One Mt Dffult t In the first round Anand gained a surprising win over the favourite Aronian, surprising in that, although he had beaten Aronian in Wijk aan Zee (as we saw in Game 26), this was Anand's first victory with White, at a classical rate of play, over an opponent who had always been a difficult one for him. Anand's win was the only decisive result of the day, making him the leader. At this stage no-one would have put money on Anand holding on to the lead right to the end of the tournament. Let's now see this game. theoretical lines of the Marshall Attack, which occur after 8.c3 dS not because the Marshall is particularly to be feared, but because at the time of the game there were no new ideas which might promise White an advantage against it. Of course 8 h3 doesn't guarantee any advantage either, but there are more unexplored possibilities and scope for invention.
DAnand,V •Aronian,L
Spish Opig {C88} 31: Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates, 2014
[Zenón Franco] e eS 2Nf3 Nc6 3BbS a6 Ba Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6Rel bS 7Bb3 0-0 h3
QUESTION: Is there a reason for varying the move rder and playing 8 h3 instead of the usual 8 c3?
Bb7
[After 8...d6, White would probably have replied with the consistent 9.c3, heading back to the main lines of the Closed Ruy Lopez, having circumvented
ANSWER: As 1 mentioned at the beginning of Game 15, this move rder is chosen usually to avoid the heavily 84
the Marshall.]
worrying about his e-pawn. [t was also possible fr him to 'get cold feet' and defend it with 11...f6;; while a third idea was to rely on his piece activity by playing 11...Nf4, which defends the pawn indirectly by exerting X-ray pressure on g2. Aronian had played this way against Adams in 2008.
9.d3 d QUESTION: What's this? Didn't you
tell me that the point of 8 h3 was to avoid the Marshall? Here it is, just the same! ANSWER: Well, it's not actually the
12.xe xe 13.xe
same; besides, if someone wants to sacrifice a pawn there's no way to prevent it. Furthermore, White's intention was to avoid the main lines of the Marshall. What we see here is something different; it's similar to Frank Marshall's idea, but in fact there have been relatively few games with this exact position. [From the other side, Anand has so far stuck to 9 ...Re8 (as in Game 15); and 9 ...d6 here.]
Finally... "One got one of these typical Marshall positions" was Anand's comment. 13...fG QUESTION: Is it really necessary to
shift the knight again? Wouldn't it be better to find something more useful? ANSWER: t's not actually very easy
to find the sort of useful move you'd like to make. The move in the game prepares... Bd6, which is impossible at the moment because White could just take the knight. [Naturally, with the other bishop on b7, it wouldn't be a good idea to play 13 ...c6, blocking the long diagonal; while after a 'flexible' move such as 13 ...Rae8, the annoying 14.Qf3 ! forces Black to play 14...c6.; Finally, in the event of 13 ... Bf6?! to drive the rook away, 14.Re leaves the bishop badly placed on f6, and subject to harassment by Ne4.]
10.exd xd 11.bd2 QUESTION: Declining the offered
pawn? Don't they say that the best way to refute a gambit is to accept it? Is that not true? ANSWER: That's a rule of thumb,
valid much of the time, but not an immutable law. Of course 11.NxeS is playable, and indeed has been played several times. Black can respond with 11...NxeS another, more popular, line begins with Nd, when Black gains th typica Marsha compnsation fr the pawn in the form of greater piece activity, while White's queenside remains undeveloped 12.RxeS Qd6, followed by...Rae8, ...c7-c5, etc.; The typical panish thrust 11.a4 is another option.
4.Rel Why does White retreat the rook befre it's attacked? QUESTION:
ANSWER: The principe involved
here is one well worth keeping in mind. White makes a move that he knows he'll have to make sooner or later in any case, and postpones any decision
11...d7
Black carries on developing without
185
regarding his other pieces. Sometimes, as in this case, the rder of moves doesn't matter a that much, but in other positions there can be important differences. [lt's worth noting that the natura 14.Nf3 coud be answered by 14...Bd6, immediatey pushing back the rook, even if it might amount to no more than a transposition of moves when the a8-rook arrives on e8.]
doube.' 7.d4 Rfe.c3 h? QUESTION: A bad move? Reay?
What's wrong with it? appreciate that making 'uft' ike this is hardy very aggressive, but it doesn't ook as if Back had any very active options avaiabe, and a his pieces are aready in good positions.
4... RaeS As predicted in the ast note. [lf instead 14...Bd6, we might have seen one of the virtues of White's 14th move, in that he coud respond with 15.Ne4.] 5.Nf3 Bd.Be3 QUESTION: White is a pawn up, so
simpifying shoud be in his favour, shoudn't it? Wh not a 16.Rxe8 Rxe8 first, removing a pair of rooks? ANSWER: Remember that in chess,
as we as pursuing your own pans, it is equay important to prevent or neutraize any of the opponent's that might prove annoying. Naturay, this first requires you to notice which of the opponent's possibe pans might be annoying. [Aronian said he was "far too casua" in the opening and that was the cause of his oss. Back had two stronger continuations.One was to activate his queen with 18... Qf, which usions t impt o t gm continuation, since the queen woud be much better paced, as you' soon be abe to compare and verify.; The other option was 18...Nd, which after 19.Bd2 Rxe+ 20.Nxe woud ead to a scenario simiar to that in the note to 16 Be3; i.e. with a pair of rooks removed and the two remaining standing on a and e8.]
ANSWER: This is payabe, but it
woud eave a back rook in contro of the e-fie, whie its white counterpart woud sti be out of the game on a. Admittedy, 16 Be3 doesn't sve the probem of the inactive rook on a; the argument is that, for the moment, Back's rook on f8 is equay out of the game.] ... Re7 "I mor r lss xpt tis move," said Anand. QUESTION:
Why
was
Anand
expecting it? ANSWER: He expained it in this
way: "Because it's a very typica motif. Back basicay says 'We you didn't take your chance to swap rooks so ' 186
evaluate this ending correctly, White has to reckon on the possibility that Black might not be entirely cooperative. Black has a good reply in 22...NcS, and if 23.Bc2, he can eliminate the bishop pair with 23...Be4.
EXERCISE:
What's the move, or plan, which was underestimated by Black? ANSWER: 19.e!
'Transformation of the advantage', in the style of Capablanca. White returns the pawn to neutralize Black's activity, while remaining with the bishop pair in an open position.Unlike Black's earlier offer with 9 ...dS, here the pawn must be captured; otherwise White will have appreciably improved his position.
22...fG
[Now after 22...NcS, Black would have to consider 23.BxcS RxcS 24.Rd7.] EXERCISE: How can White try to
benefit from his bishop pair? ANSWER: 23.c4!
This is the way, further opening up the game, to increase the scope of the bishops. Anand had planned this advance, but nevertheless he was "actually quite surprised by how strong it was."
19...Bxe 20.dxe xe QUESTION: Heading straight for an
ending? sn't it better to keep the queens on with 20 ...Qc6 and capture on e later?
23...cG ANSWER: This isn't entirely clear.
Played after a long think. Aronian would prefer to keep the position closed. [f 23...b4, White achieves his objective with 24.a3, when 24...cS is met strongly by 25.axb4 cxb4 26.Rd6 and in spite of Black's efforts, the white pieces become active, while the b4pawn is now in danger.]
After 20...Qc6 21.f3 RxeS 22.Qd2, followed by Bd4, "White keeps the two bishops with a slight edge but this might have been better than the game", according to Anand. eemingly, White's bishop pair is enhanced by the presence of the queens, in that White's queen can help the bishops exert pressure on f7, f6 or g7; there's also the possibility of eventually penetrating to Black's back rank. Meanwhile, Black's battery of queen and bishop has been
24.acl 5e7 25.a4!
White increases the tension, threatening to saddle Black with a weak pawn on bS after taking twice.
neutralized.
25 ... bxc4 21.xd7 xd7 22.edl
No matter whether Black takes on a4 or c4, he will be left with two isolated pawns. This way he at least gains an outpost on dS for his knight.
QUESTION:
Wasn't it worth considering exchanging rooks with 22.Bd2, heading straight for an ending with the bishop pair?
26.Bxc4 d 27.Bc e4 28.f3 4e5 29.Kf2 Bc8
ANSWER: As well as having to
[The bishop wasn't just inactive on 187
b7, it was also a 'tactical weakness' (an expression coined by Emanuel Lasker); for example, Black couldn't play 29 ...Ne3? in view of 30.Bxf7+! Kxf7 31.Rd7+, winning a pawn.]
time he needs to prevent the black rooks from invading his position; hence it's important to keep the e2- and d2squares covered.The two bishops are given the task of guarding the black rooks' possible entry squares, thus neutralizing Black's control of the central files. At the same time the white bishops will remain active.
White made considerable progress since 23 c4!, but Black's position isn't going to collapse on its own. White needs to make further progress, combining attack and defence. How should he proceed? EXERCISE:
... 4.B2 f6 5.Ba Re 6.Rb6 The culmination of the plan initiated with 30 Bf.
ANSWER: 0.Bfl!
This apparently modest move fulfils both objectives mentioned above. White's defences are strengthened, in that the bishop guards the e2-square better from f than c4, as we'll see. This retreat (praised by Carlsen) also contains an element of aggression, since it enables White to improve the position of another of his pieces, as well as exerting X-ray pressure on c6.
6...Re 7.Bc .Bxe?! "A really careless move," said Anand. QUESTION: Really? White seems to
win easily after this. ANSWER: Objectively, it's a good
move and should be winning. Anand is talking about the practicalities. Although 38 Bxe5 should still win, it requires precise calculation, which you can't guarantee when you're tired after four hours hard struggle. [In contrast, 38.Rxc6! would have won a pawn without any complications.]
0...R5e6 [Now 30...Ne3? obviously fails to 31.Bxe3 Rxe3 32.Rxc6, illustrating the effectiveness of the X-ray pressure down the -file.] .R This move, improving the scope of the rook, was the idea behind 30 Bf!. With the bishop on c4 it wouldn't have worked because of ...Re2+, but now the rook's prospts rightn up, sin it can switch to the b-file.
... xb6 .B4 xa4!? The knight will be in grave danger, stranded 'on the rim' of the board; [but this offered more practica chances thn 39 NdS , whn k must resign himself to playing on a pawn down.]
... f4 2.Rb R .Be! There were several attractive options here. In rder not to become confused, or end up dithering like Buridan's ass, it's important to be guided by ideas. The priority for White is to activate his pieces, but at the same
40.Rxc6 R White's position is indeed winning, precisely because of the bad position of the black knight on a4. However, exploiting this requires EXERCISE:
188
accurate calculation. White play now?
What
should
[44...a fails to 45.Bb6 and White remains a piece up.] EXERCISE: How can White capture
the knight? ANSWER: 5K3!
Yes, that's the right way; [but not 45.Ke2?, since Black escape with 45...Nc4! and once again White's advantage is reduced to almost nothing. The best he can achieve is a rook ending with an extra pawn that looks drawish; e.g. 46.BcS Re8+ 47.Kf2 Ne5 48.RxbS Nd3+ 49.Kg3 Nxc5 50.RxcS Rb8.]
ANSWER: Rc!
The correct way. [Anand said that his original idea was to play the tempting 41.b3, until he saw 41...Bb7! (rather than 4 ...Be6 42.Bxgl and wins) when 42.Rc4 is met by 42...Nb2! 43.Rb4 a5 and White's advantage is drasticall reduced.t's imortant to take into account this tactical resource ...Nb2 to prevent the knight from escaping from its prison.]
5R+ Kd Rd 7Kc3 [Not 47.Kc2?, because of 47...Nc4 again;; whereas now, after 47.Kc3 Nd + 48.Kc2, the knight finally perishes. QUESTION: What did ou think of
this game? What stood out? Let's hand over to Magnus Carlsen: "Of course his win against Aronian was very good." Carlsen highlighted that "he won almost only by technique, which is really rare against Aronian", especially since Aronian didn't resign himself to defeat and fught desperately to gain counterplay.Carlsen was impressed with the way Anand handled the bishop pair: "Very nice manoeuvres with the ishop from to , f rin space fr the rooks, t was very very beautiful to watch."] -0 ANSWER:
d7 b3 There now fllows a sequence of frced moves, leading to the capture of Black's knight. bS 3Rb Nb The knight succeeds in evading capture fr the moment, but it is a long way from safety. White is able to cut off its sp n ptur it with precise play. bS abS
In the second round Anand drew with Topalov. In the next, his opponent was Mamedyarov.
189
Game Thirty-Two A
wh "h h P"
The third round brought Anand his second win, playing in a clear, concrete style that once again drew praise from Carlsen. Anand conducted the opening and middlegame so accurately that there was no need to play an endgame.
Mamedyarov,S •Anand,V us Git pt [D] D
.Qxc4 Bg4
32: Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates, 2014 [Zenón Franco]
[Previously Anand had always played 5...Bf here, which is by far the most popular move.]
1.d4 d 2.c4 c6
6.Nbd2
[Theory actually regards the game variation as a Queen's Gambit Accepted 2...dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qa4+ c6 5.Qxc4 though nowadays it almost always arises via the Slav.]
White defends f3, so as to be able to play 7 g3. [The immediate 6.g3 would be met by 6...Bxf3 7.exf3, isolating the white d-pawn.
UETIO: You just showed me 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 dxc4
that, after 4...Bg4, the move 5 Ne is awkward fr Black. So, why isn't 6.Ne strong now?
Black opts fr the original idea of the Slav Defence, which is to develop the queen's bishop outside the pawn chain befre playing ...e7-e6. [Of course there's nothing wrong with changing your mind and playing 4...e6 (Semi-Slav); or transposing to a kind of Grunfeld with 4...g6.
WER:
Naturally, 6 Ne is playable, gaining a tempo by attacking the g4-bishop, and has been played many times. But the situation differs from what we looked at earlier because, rather than retreat the bishop to h, Black has 6...Be6, hitting the white queen, fllowed by 7...Nbd7, challenging the white knight. Play usually continues 7.Qd3 Nbd7 8.Nxd7 after 8.Nf3 Bg4, both sides have wasted two tempi, but...Nbd7 is clearly more useful than Qd3J 8...Qxd7 Black can also consider 8...Bxd7, planning to answer 9.e4 by 9...eS! 10.dxeS QaS+ 11.Nc3 QxeS with chances fr both sides and if 9.e4 then 9... Rd8 10.Be3 Ng4! picks up the bishop pair.; White's main alternative is 6.Nc3, intending e2e4. After 6...Nbd7 7.e4 Bxf3 8.gxf3 e, as in S.Mamedyarov-E.narkiev, Europ
UETIO: Obviously Black can't play 4...Bf but, in the spirit of the Slav that you mentioned, why not play 4...Bg4?
WER: Perhaps it's not actually bad, but Black would need to fllow it up very carefully, as with the diagonal a2-g8 possibly opening up, the absence of Black's bishop from the queenside might be felt; fr instance, after 5.Ne Bh 6.cxd cxd 7.Nc3 e6?! 8.e4! (threatening Bb+) 8...a6 9.Qa4+ Nbd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 not 10... Qxdl?? 11.BbS) 11.exd, White wins a pawn.] 190
Cup, Rogaska Slatina 2011,reach a critica! position with equal chances. In exchange for the weaknesses in his structure, White dominates the centre and has more space, while Black can develop without difficulty.]
Black has less space can you think of a move that would gain him soe squares for his pieces? EXERCISE:
ANSWER: 2as !
[9.0-0 0-0 10.Ne Bh (not 0... NxeS?? .dxeS and Black loses a piece) 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 is another way to reach the game position.]
On b3 the knight 'is asking for' Black to expand like this. The threat is... a5a4 and perhaps...a4a3 when appropriate, and the a8rook becomes active, so White prefers to halt the advance of the pawn at the cost of conceding the b4square.
Bh 7 7
3a4 Bb4 44
6b7 7g3 6 8Bg2 B7
Development is generally very important in open positions, or positions that can be opened. What we have here is a closed osition where it's more important to consider plans, both in the medium and long term.As we'll see, there is a clear point behind taking on d7 with the knight, which is to play ...e6e5 at an appropriate moment. This move also vacates the f6 square so that, if it becomes necessary or useful, Black can play ...f7f6 and ...Bf7.
A new move at the time. Black sees no reason to postpone one of the ideas behind 10...Nxd7 and postpones a decision about where to deploy his other pieces. [Previously 14...Qe7 had been played here; it's hard to say whether this is good or bad, but the subsequent manoeuvres were less clear than events in the resent ame. V.vanchukF.Vallejo Pons, stanbul Olympiad 2012, continued 15.Be3 Rfd8 16.f4 Kh8 17.Rf2 f6 18.Bd2 e 19.Bxb4 axb4 20.fxe fxe 21.d Rac8 22.Rc with a slight edge to White. t then took only one weak move for Black's position to collapse: 22...Nb6? 23.Qc Qxc 24.Nxc cxd 25.Bh3 Ra8 26.a Nc4 27.Nxb7 and White won quickly.]
- - 2b3
5B3 4 6B4
Why with the knight? Why not with the queen, speeding up development? QUESTION:
ANSWER:
191
EXECIE: How should Black deploy his pieces? Can you think of a useful move?
seems better here, in the same spirit as the game) 19.fxeS QgS.]
8.f4 AWE: 6 ... KhS! "What 1 liked is that 'm getting this move very fast," said Anand in the press conference after the game; Black is aiming for ...f7-f6 and ...Bf7.
EXECIE: What now? AWE: 8...fG! Of course, once White has committed himself with f2-f4, Black is better placed to exploit the squares weakened by White's advances though, as we know, the tactics need to work.
7.e?! QUETIO: How can this move be dubious? f Black now plays 17...f6, as well as taking on f6, the advance 18 e6 comes into consideration.
.exfG [Mamedyarov was intending to play 19.e6, but now sees that it's not possible. White's problem is that after 19...Nb6 The counter-attack with 20.Qc2 20.Bxb6 Qxb6+ while if 21.Kh then 21.Rf2, Black can play 21...Bg4 (or 21...RadB 22.fS dl!}} 21...Qe3! is very strong."I missed this" Mamedyarov "o we see this typical idea that the bishop on b4 controls this square on e. White is always missing this square; on top of that the bishop on hS is controlling d. o White's rooks have no squares to come to." AnandThe black bishops are indeed very strong. The importance of Black's control of d can be seen after 22.Nd4 Rad8, when Rad is impossible. The control of e is important too, since it prevents White from defending the e6-pawn with Re. Meanwhile Black threatens, after the knigt movs, bot to captur on and play 22...Be2. 20...Rxe6 21.Be4 doesn't work either. Black best response is to regroup with 21...Bf7! 22.Bf2 (22.xh? loses a piece after 22...Rd6 23.2 Nc8} 22...Qe8! 23.Bf3 and now 23...Re3! is the most elegant riposte.]
AWE: Of course, ideas can be both ambitious and good, but then they have to work tactically. Although every pawn advance gains space, with each step it takes the pawn also becomes more exposed. t's not so much that the pawn will necessarily be lost, as that defending it can entail having to make concessions. That's the case here, as we'll see.Anand's comment was: "An attempt to punish Black but 1 think it doesn't work tactically". [Mamedyarov said that this was a normal position where he could have played 17.f4; or 17.Qc2, opting instead for "a very risky and very interesting move", but overlooked an important tactical detail.]
EXECIE: How respond to 17 e?
sould
lack
AWE: 7... ReS! This is the clearest. [The immediate 17...f6 could, as you say, have been met by 18.e6, when the wedge is annoying and the position is difficult to evaluate. Mamedyarov also considered 17...f6 18.f4 fxeS (although 18...ReB!
... NxfG 0.Bf3 92
respond with 6, but his advantage would be quite small in that case) and even threatening 23.Bxf6 Qxd3 24.Bxg7+.]
Preventing the threat of...Be2, and eliminating one of Black's annoying bishops. 20 ...Bxf3 21.Rxf3 "f White plays well there's a very good chance to draw," said Mamedyarov. With the exchange of bishops White removed soe of the pressure, but his king is still weak - the main reason being that his f-pawn is on f4 instead of f2. EXERCISE:
22...Rxe3 23.Bxe3 Qe8 Completing the idea behind 21... Re4 the queen goes to e8 with tempo, preparing a new piece regrouping. 24.BbG [On 24.Bf2, Black has several attractive options, such as 24... Rd8 (and Ng;}; while in the event of 24.BcS, again 24... Rd8! is stronger, as pointed out by Mamedyarov, planning to invade White's position (rather than c+ 5c 6 and White can resist) for instance, after 25.Bxb4?! axb4, Black would be threatening 26...Qe3+ and 27... Rd3.]
How can Black try to
make progress? 21...Re4! Anand was happy with this move, because he wanted to play ...Qe8 and then put the other rook on d8. [Black has alternative plans here: such as 21...Qd6, planning to follow up with... Re4 and... Rd8 without rulin out... Rae8;; while the computer likes 21...cS, restricting the knight on b3 after, for instance, 22.Bc3 Bxc3 23.bxc3 (although White might play c, so as not to damage the pawn structure) 23...b6.t's possible that the computer's suggestion is a good one, but we can see that a human player of World Championship standard prefers something more concrete and direct, bringing more pieces into play.]
ANSWER:
22.Re3 [ d d wouldn't help White at all. Black threatens to invade the seventh rank, his queenside pawn majority is ready to roll forward with ...b7-b5, and the bishop is much stronger than the knight, especially now that White has played f2-f4.; nstead, 22.Qd3! was more tenacious, including the queen in the defence 22...-- (Black might
How should Black ontinu? Wat was t rroupin planned by Anand? EXERCISE:
24... QhS! "Now my queen performs the role of the bishop and takes away the square for the rook, d. 1 was also surprised how unpleasant it became so quickly." AnandThe queen also makes room on e8 for the rook and threatens
ANSWER:
93
...Ng4.
28.NxcS [White can't allow 28.Bc3 Ne3.]
25.Bd4 Re8 White's kingside is wide open and all the black pieces can attack it. In contrast, White's rook and knight are both out of play. "Already 1 didn't see a defence really." (Anand)
EXECIE: ndicate the move that justifies 27...cS!. AWE: 28...Rc8 The pin is the (simple) tactical motif which decides the game. [Black could also play 28...BxcS 29.BxcS Rc8 30.Re { transposes to the game 30...RxcS, as Anand pointed out afterwards.]
26.Rfl Rather late in the day, the rook goes to the aid of the defence. [The engines prefer 26.Qd3; The immediate 26...QdS, threatening 27...cS, is very strong too; for example, (but Black's position continues to be dominating after 26...Ng4! 27.h4 QdS 28.Rd Rd8.{-- 27.Rc not ? , when revea s the point 27...Ng4, threatening...Re3, and if 28.Qc2 then 28...Nxh2!.; f White tries 26.BeS, Black has 26...Nd7 rather than }, when 27.Bd4 (otherwise White loses a pawn) 27...Re2 28.Bf2 Nf6 sees his pieces return to the attack.]
29.Rdl BxcS The simplest and most direct way. [29...b6 was winning as well, since after 30.Bxg7+ Kxg7, the white queen is unable to join in the attack; for example, 31.Rd7+ or + } 31...Kh8 32.Ne6 and now 32...Bf8! is the prettiest win.] 30.BxcS hG The king needed an escape square, and now Black threatens to take on es with check.
26...Ng4! [26...Re2 would be inaccurate due to 27.h3!.]
31.Khl [With 31.Kh White escapes the check, but Mamedyarov resigned without waiting for 31...Nf2+ (among other things) since Anand really wasn't going to fall for ?? +
27.Qc2 [f 27.h4, Black wins with 27...Ne3 28.Bxe3 Rxe3, when the g3-pawn can't be defended, since 29.Kh2 Qg4 30.Rg fails to 30...Be and mates.]
UETIO: How would you sum up thi gam? Or ar you going to dirct me once again to what Carlsen had to say about it?
EXECIE: How does Black make progress here?
AWE: Let's do just that. Here's the opinion of the World Champion: "Anand played very powerfully, each move, not waiting moves, each move had its point and he covered all the key squares very quickly." 0-1
AWE: 27... s! Decisive the bishop is deflected from the control of e3, although once again the pawn sacrifice needs to be justified tactically.
94
After this win, with 2/3 Anand had already put himself into the position of being a serious challenger for the top place. In the remaining eleven rounds Anand played in an excellent manner to retain the lead, taking risks only when necessary and rationing his energy, in similar fashion to his campaign in Mexico 2007. There followed draws with Kramnik, Andreikin and Karjakin, more or less without any problems. In his drawn seventh-round game, the last in the first cycle, he cae clse to beating Svidler. At this point Anand was joint leader with Aronian, who had caught up with victories over Mamedyarov, Svidler and Karjakin. Curiously, at the same point in the 2013 Candidates Tournament in London, Aronian had also been in joint first place with the eventual winner, Carlsen. In the eighth round Anand drew with Aronian, who played something strange as early as move three as White; Anand responded very well, sacrificing a pawn for which he gained compensation, but no more than that, in his opinion. The game ended in a draw by repetition after 19 moves. Against Topalov in the ninth round, Anand gained another classic victory, in the style of his best period. On the same day his main rivals Aronian and Kramnik both lost, so Anand's win doubled in importance. In the tenth round Anand drew with Mamedyarov and retained his one-point lead, which in reality was worth 1 points, since if it cae down to a tie with Aronian at the end, the tie-break would favour Anand. Then cae another draw with Kramnik, in which Anand equalized easily against his opponent's much-feared Catalan. In the twelfth round he outplayed Andreikin but agreed a draw in a position that turned out to be a very complicated win (something that could only be asserted with the aid of a computer). Showing visible signs of tiredness, Anand, with little time left, couldn't see the complex lines clearly to the end and opted for the most practica! decision: a draw, which brought him a little closer to his desired goal. Aronian also drew. Carlsen commented on the progress of the tournament on his YouTube channel. In his second broadcast, one of the things he said was that in this tournament it was essential to find a balance in one's play; while the only thing that really mattered was finishing in first place, that didn't justify playing in desperate manner; and that the only player who had found the right balance was Anand. Because of this, he thought that Anand was going to win.
195
The course of the penultimate round of the tournament was reminiscent of Mexico 2007. That time Anand's ultimate victory was in grave jeopardy, since he had to defend an inferior ending against Grischuk; here, against Karjakin, he managed to draw after moves and thus retain his "plus 3" score, clinching victory with a round to spare. Anand ended the event with a draw against Svidler. With this triumph Anand qualified to challenge for his sixth world title in November 204, and, counting only those held since the reunification of the title, to contest his fifth match for the World Chess Championship. In one of his press conferences in Khanty-Mansiysk Anand was asked whether he wasn't tired of playing matches for the world title. He responded with a single word: "No. Let's finish the book with that anecdote and now look forward to an exciting return match between Carlsen and Anand.
196
