The Best Chess Game Ever Played

What is the best chess game ever played? What criteria determines this choice? Do we favor players whom we like?

At Inland Chess Academy's Spring Break Camp today, I am presenting a class called the "best chess game ever played." But, I do not have an answer to my questions.

My students will receive a list with ten candidates. The list is incomplete. It has no games by the best player who ever lived, Magnus Carlsen. The class lasts fifty minutes. If we go through two of these games, we will need to rush through them. Every game on this list deserves several hours of study. Over the next few weeks, I plan to annotate these ten games and post them on Chess Skills.

Black to move

Vishy Anand lost this game and annotated it for Chess Informant. It received more first place votes than just about any other game published. However, the game that won two Informant Reader's Contests received more. It, too, is on this list.

The Greatest Chess Game Ever Played
My Candidates in Chronological Order (links are to my annotations)

(1) Bogoljubow,Efim -- Alekhine,Alexander [A90]
Hastings Six Masters Hastings, 1922

1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bxd2+ 6.Nxd2 Nc6 7.Ngf3 0–0 8.0–0 d6 9.Qb3 Kh8 10.Qc3 e5 11.e3 a5 12.b3 Qe8 13.a3 Qh5 14.h4 Ng4 15.Ng5 Bd7 16.f3 Nf6 17.f4 e4 18.Rfd1 h6 19.Nh3 d5 20.Nf1 Ne7 21.a4 Nc6 22.Rd2 Nb4 23.Bh1 Qe8 24.Rg2 dxc4 25.bxc4 Bxa4 26.Nf2 Bd7 27.Nd2 b5 28.Nd1 Nd3 29.Rxa5 b4 30.Rxa8 bxc3 31.Rxe8 c2 32.Rxf8+ Kh7 33.Nf2 c1Q+ 34.Nf1 Ne1 35.Rh2 Qxc4 36.Rb8 Bb5 37.Rxb5 Qxb5 38.g4 Nf3+ 39.Bxf3 exf3 40.gxf5 Qe2 41.d5 Kg8 42.h5 Kh7 43.e4 Nxe4 44.Nxe4 Qxe4 45.d6 cxd6 46.f6 gxf6 47.Rd2 Qe2 48.Rxe2 fxe2 49.Kf2 exf1Q+ 50.Kxf1 Kg7 51.Kf2 Kf7 52.Ke3 Ke6 53.Ke4 d5+ 0–1


(2) Botvinnik,Mikhail -- Capablanca,Jose Raul [E49]
AVRO Holland (11), 22.11.1938

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 0–0 9.Ne2 b6 10.0–0 Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Bb2 Qd7 13.a4 Rfe8 14.Qd3 c4 15.Qc2 Nb8 16.Rae1 Nc6 17.Ng3 Na5 18.f3 Nb3 19.e4 Qxa4 20.e5 Nd7 21.Qf2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6 Nxf6 24.f5 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Re8 26.Re6 Rxe6 27.fxe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe8 29.Qe5 Qe7 30.Ba3 Qxa3 31.Nh5+ gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+ 35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+ 37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+ 40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5 1–0

(3) Byrne,Donald -- Fischer,Robert James [D97]
New York Rosenwald New York, 1956

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 0–0 5.Bf4 d5 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5 Na4 12.Qa3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1 Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 Nxd1 26.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2# 0–1

(4) Polugaevsky,Lev -- Nezhmetdinov,Rashid [A53]
Sochi, 1958

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e4 exd4 5.Qxd4 Nc6 6.Qd2 g6 7.b3 Bg7 8.Bb2 0–0 9.Bd3 Ng4 10.Nge2 Qh4 11.Ng3 Nge5 12.0–0 f5 13.f3 Bh6 14.Qd1 f4 15.Nge2 g5 16.Nd5 g4 17.g3 fxg3 18.hxg3 Qh3 19.f4 Be6 20.Bc2 Rf7 21.Kf2 Qh2+ 22.Ke3 Bxd5 23.cxd5 Nb4 24.Rh1 Rxf4 25.Rxh2 Rf3+ 26.Kd4 Bg7 27.a4 c5+ 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Bd3 Nexd3+ 30.Kc4 d5+ 31.exd5 cxd5+ 32.Kb5 Rb8+ 33.Ka5 Nc6+ 0–1

(5) Fischer,Robert James -- Stein,Leonid [C92]
Sousse (izt) 4/336, 1967

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Na5 11.Bc2 Nc4 12.b3 Nb6 13.Nbd2 Nbd7 14.b4 exd4 15.cxd4 a5 16.bxa5 c5 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nd5 19.Ne4 Nb4 20.Bb1 Rxa5 21.Qe2 Nb6 22.Nfg5 Bxe4 23.Qxe4 g6 24.Qh4 h5 25.Qg3 Nc4 26.Nf3 Kg7 27.Qf4 Rh8 28.e6 f5 29.Bxf5 Qf8 30.Be4 Qxf4 31.Bxf4 Re8 32.Rad1 Ra6 33.Rd7 Rxe6 34.Ng5 Rf6 35.Bf3 Rxf4 36.Ne6+ Kf6 37.Nxf4 Ne5 38.Rb7 Bd6 39.Kf1 Nc2 40.Re4 Nd4 41.Rb6 Rd8 42.Nd5+ Kf5 43.Ne3+ Ke6 44.Be2 Kd7 45.Bxb5+ Nxb5 46.Rxb5 Kc6 47.a4 Bc7 48.Ke2 g5 49.g3 Ra8 50.Rb2 Rf8 51.f4 gxf4 52.gxf4 Nf7 53.Re6+ Nd6 54.f5 Ra8 55.Rd2 Rxa4 56.f6 1–0

(6) Fischer,Robert James -- Spassky,Boris V [D59]
Reykjavik (m/6) 14/547, 1972

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 0–0 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 b6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Rc1 Be6 12.Qa4 c5 13.Qa3 Rc8 14.Bb5 a6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.0–0 Ra7 17.Be2 Nd7 18.Nd4 Qf8 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.e4 d4 21.f4 Qe7 22.e5 Rb8 23.Bc4 Kh8 24.Qh3 Nf8 25.b3 a5 26.f5 exf5 27.Rxf5 Nh7 28.Rcf1 Qd8 29.Qg3 Re7 30.h4 Rbb7 31.e6 Rbc7 32.Qe5 Qe8 33.a4 Qd8 34.R1f2 Qe8 35.R2f3 Qd8 36.Bd3 Qe8 37.Qe4 Nf6 38.Rxf6 gxf6 39.Rxf6 Kg8 40.Bc4 Kh8 41.Qf4 1–0

(7) Karpov,Anatoly -- Kasparov,Garry [B44]
Moscow (m/16) 40/202, 1985

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Be2 Bc5 12.0–0 0–0 13.Bf3 Bf5 14.Bg5 Re8 15.Qd2 b5 16.Rad1 Nd3 17.Nab1 h6 18.Bh4 b4 19.Na4 Bd6 20.Bg3 Rc8 21.b3 g5 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.g3 Nd7 24.Bg2 Qf6 25.a3 a5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qa2 Bg6 28.d6 g4 29.Qd2 Kg7 30.f3 Qxd6 31.fxg4 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Nf6 33.Rf4 Ne4 34.Qxd3 Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Bxd3 36.Rfd2 Qe3 37.Rxd3 Rc1 38.Nb2 Qf2 39.Nd2 Rxd1+ 40.Nxd1 Re1+ 0–1

(8) Ivanchuk,Vassily (2735) -- Jussupow,Artur (2625) [E67]
Brussels (m/9) 52/592, 1991

1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d4 Nd7 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Nf3 Ngf6 7.0–0 0–0 8.Qc2 Re8 9.Rd1 c6 10.b3 Qe7 11.Ba3 e4 12.Ng5 e3 13.f4 Nf8 14.b4 Bf5 15.Qb3 h6 16.Nf3 Ng4 17.b5 g5 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.Ne5 gxf4 20.Nxc6 Qg5 21.Bxd6 Ng6 22.Nd5 Qh5 23.h4 Nxh4 24.gxh4 Qxh4 25.Nde7+ Kh8 26.Nxf5 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Re6 28.Qb7 Rg6 29.Qxa8+ Kh7 30.Qg8+ Kxg8 31.Nce7+ Kh7 32.Nxg6 fxg6 33.Nxg7 Nf2 34.Bxf4 Qxf4 35.Ne6 Qh2 36.Rdb1 Nh3 37.Rb7+ Kg8 38.Rb8+ Qxb8 39.Bxh3 Qg3 0–1

(9) Kasparov,Garry (2812) -- Topalov,Veselin (2700) [B07]
Wijk aan Zee 74/110, 1999

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f3 b5 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 Bb7 10.a3 e5 11.0–0–0 Qe7 12.Kb1 a6 13.Nc1 0–0–0 14.Nb3 exd4 15.Rxd4 c5 16.Rd1 Nb6 17.g3 Kb8 18.Na5 Ba8 19.Bh3 d5 20.Qf4+ Ka7 21.Rhe1 d4 22.Nd5 Nbxd5 23.exd5 Qd6 24.Rxd4 cxd4 25.Re7+ Kb6 26.Qxd4+ Kxa5 27.b4+ Ka4 28.Qc3 Qxd5 29.Ra7 Bb7 30.Rxb7 Qc4 31.Qxf6 Kxa3 32.Qxa6+ Kxb4 33.c3+ Kxc3 34.Qa1+ Kd2 35.Qb2+ Kd1 36.Bf1 Rd2 37.Rd7 Rxd7 38.Bxc4 bxc4 39.Qxh8 Rd3 40.Qa8 c3 41.Qa4+ Ke1 42.f4 f5 43.Kc1 Rd2 44.Qa7 1–0

(10) Topalov,Veselin (2778) -- Anand,Viswanathan (2785) [E15]
Sofia 93/439, 2005

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Nc3 c6 8.e4 d5 9.Qc2 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Bb7 11.Neg5 c5 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 h6 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.0–0–0 Bd6 16.Nh4 Bc8 17.Re1 Na6 18.Re6 Nb4 19.Bxb4 cxb4 20.Bc4 b5 21.Bxb5 Be7 22.Ng6 Nxd5 23.Rxe7+ Nxe7 24.Bc4+ Kf6 25.Nxh8 Qd4 26.Rd1 Qa1+ 27.Kd2 Qd4+ 28.Ke1 Qe5+ 29.Qe2 Qxe2+ 30.Kxe2 Nf5 31.Nf7 a5 32.g4 Nh4 33.h3 Ra7 34.Rd6+ Ke7 35.Rb6 Rc7 36.Ne5 Ng2 37.Ng6+ Kd8 38.Kf1 Bb7 39.Rxb7 Rxb7 40.Kxg2 Rd7 41.Nf8 Rd2 42.Ne6+ Ke7 43.Nxg7 Rxa2 44.Nf5+ Kf6 45.Nxh6 Rc2 46.Bf7 Rc3 47.f4 a4 48.bxa4 b3 49.g5+ Kg7 50.f5 b2 51.f6+ Kh7 52.Nf5 1–0

I expect to show the students games four and ten from the list after describing each of the ten briefly, but the students might want to see one of the others. I will be flexible.

Karjakin -- Carlsen 2016: Critical Positions

The World Chess Championship is tied 5-5 after ten games. Today is a rest day. Before the match, many were predicting a victory for the reigning champion, Magnus Carlsen. Some even thought that Carlsen would retain his title in fewer than twelve games, regarding Sergey Karjakin as clearly the inferior player. Karjakin had not been a favorite to win the Candidates tournament either. Nonetheless, Karjakin defended well in difficult positions early in the match. Perhaps Carlsen had a stronger move in a few cases. Karjakin also missed a few better moves. Some of those positions are presented below.

The first game was not particularly eventful. Although Carlsen managed to create weaknesses in Karjakin's pawn structure, the challenger managed to hold the position without too much pain. Looking at the final moves from my position as a class player, however, I did not know at a glance whether swapping the last pair of minor pieces could give either player an advantage in the pawn ending.

Black to move

After 40.Nd4+

The game concluded 40...Kd6 41.Nb5+ Kd7 42.Nd4 Kd6 and a draw was agreed due to repetition assured.

Had Karjakin played 40...Bxd4, would the game be drawn as well? Grandmasters probably understand the resulting pawn position at a glance, but many other chess players could do well to play it out against a friend or computer.

Carlsen's play with Black in game two deprived Karjakin of any real chance for an advantage.

Ruslan Ponomariov, who wrote the annotations to the first two games for ChessBase, thought that Carlsen could have presented Karjakin with a tactical problem to solve with a different move 26, but Karjakin probably would have seen the trick clearly.

Black to move

After 26.b4

Carlsen played 26...Re6 and the game was drawn on move 33. Ponomariov thought that 26...c5 27.Nxb5 cxb4 28.Nd6 Re6 29.Nxc8 Rxa6 might lead to complexities.

In the third game, Carlsen secured an advantage and then pressed hard for a win. The ending generated a lot of interest around the world. Yasser Seirawan was at a dinner in Saint Louis, where he joined Viswanathan Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Veselin Topalov, and Fabiano Caruana following the game on Caruana's smartphone. Seirawan's annotations for ChessBase presented a drawing opportunity missed by Karjakin from this position.

Black to move

After 70.Nc6

The game was drawn after 70...Kxf5 71.Na5 Rh1 72.Rb7? (72.Rf7+ seems to be winning) 72...Ra1! 73.Rb5+ Kf4! 74.Rxb4+ Kg3 75.Rg4+ Kf2 76.Nc4 h3 77.Rh4 Kg3 78.Rg4+ Kf2.

Seirawan's analysis, presenting the ideas of four other Grandmasters who "out-rated" him, after 70...Rc3!! is worth checking out at the link. Credit Anand for convincing the others that Karjakin could hold.

Chess fans following the game with the aid of engine analysis quickly spotted Carlsen's decisive error as he was pressing for a win in game four. However, Carlsen thought the line he played was winning. It took many more moves before Carlsen's winning ideas had been proven illusions.

Black to move

After 45.Nd1

How many humans could have found 45...Be6 and then had the ability to convert against Karjakin's defensive efforts? Carlsen played 45...f4, gaining a secure passed pawn on the kingside that left him plenty of time to penetrate with his king on the queenside. Many times during the next fifty moves, Karjakin had only one piece that could move without his position collapsing. Sometimes his king had to move. Other times his knight could move, and often only the bishop could. He was very close to zugzwang, but not quite.

Karjakin was slightly better in game five and spent a lot of time in this position, which my advanced students were watching on the demo board at chess club while it was taking place.

Black to move

After 42.hxg4

Karjakin's pawn sacrifice, 42...d4!, brought pressure against the White king. Carlsen returned the sacrifice two moves later and managed a draw.

Gmae six was the least interesting game, except to those who seek to understand the Marshall Gambit and its variants when Black needs a draw against the Spanish. In the annotations for ChessBase, Tiger Hillarp Persson points out Karjakin's method and the computer's method of securing a clear draw from this position as White.

White to move

After 20...Rfe8

For game seven, Karjakin switched to 1.d4 but made no progress. Already at move 15, he needed to secure equality.

White to move

After 15...O-O

16.Ba3 forces material off the board. Karjakin ended up with an ending in which he was a pawn up, but had no chance to fight for a win.

After failing to get an advantage in the two shortest games of the match, and his two consecutive Whites, Karjakin explained, "it is better to play well than to play with White." In game eight, he broke the historic run of draws (the longest in a world championship match sine 1995), winning with the Black pieces.

Both players made errors in the time scramble just before move 40. Carlsen made a bad move in a bad position and then Karjakin missed the strongest continuation. Play went on into another hour.

White to move

After 48.Nd3

It is easy for a computer, and for a human looking at computer evaluations, to understand where White needs to place his queen in such a position. Perhaps the queen is where she belongs and something else should move. For human players, however, it is very difficult to find the right move. World Champion Magnus Carlsen played 49.Qa5? and Karjakin found a way to bring home the full point.

In the ninth game, Sergey Karjakin might have had a chance to put Carlsen away and gain the upper hand in the match.

White to move

After 38...Ne7

Karjakin thought for a long time, finally choosing 39.Bxf7+. Commentators favor 39.Qb3. Neither move has consequences that are clear to human players.

In the tenth game, Karjakin missed a forced draw early in the game and then suffered a long time.

Black to move

After 20.Nd2

How many players can find a draw here without engine assistance?

Karjakin finally cracked after defending a difficult endgame for many hours, allowing Carlsen to even the score.

Useful Knowledge

How do chess players develop their skill?

There is no doubt that strengthening tactics--pattern recognition and calculation--is essential. Learning openings and endgames helps also.

Studying classic games is both enjoyable and productive. Paul Morphy's games help teach the fundamental principles of development in the opening--mobilization of forces, time, vulnerability, coordination of forces. His games also offer an abundance of tactical positions where pattern recognition and calculation skills can be honed through proper training.

Reading Bobby Fischer, My 60 Memorable Games may drill into the reader's memory his famous line, "tactics flow from a positionally superior game," and also may set into the memory the knight sacrifice on h7 to rip open the pawn shield in front of Black's king that was the context of that remark. Another sacrificial attack that should be familiar to most chess players was played in Rotlewi -- Rubinstein 1907. It appears in many books on tactics. I have seen the critical position during tactics training both on Chess Tempo and while using Chess.com's Tactics Trainer. The patterns in this game inspired Vishy Anand in his brilliant miniature against Levon Aronian at the 2013 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

As a devotee of the French Defense, I have spent many hours looking for ways to secure an advantage, or at least a playable game with imbalances, against the Exchange variation. Years ago on this blog, I declared my contempt for the Exchange variation, calling it "cowardly" (see "French Perfume"). Even so, I have lost a handful of games over-the-board against the Exchange French and have lost far more than a few in online play. Still, I have found some success in online play, especially blitz, drawing inspiration from Victor Korchnoi's fine miniature against Stefano Tatai.

Tatai,Stefano (2455) -- Kortschnoj,Viktor (2665) [C01]
Beersheba (6), 1978

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 c5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 0–0 9.0–0 Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6

White to move

12.Nbd2 Qg3 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0–1

Whan I have the Black side of the Exchange French, having my queen and two minor pieces arranged on c5, c6, and d6 as in the diagram above fills me with confidence, especially when White voluntarily weakens the g3 square with h2-h3 (see "Find the Blow").

Last night in the first round of the Turkey Quads at the Spokane Chess Club, this game was brought back into my memory.

There was a bit of irony.

I had White and played the Exchange variation via an anti-French line with 2.c4. Careful analysis of the game after it concluded, revealed that my attention to tactical opportunities for my opponent wavered. Indeed, as one might expect from the French Exchange, White was worse until a tactical error by Black. At this point, the lessons from Tatai -- Korchnoi served me well.

Stripes,James (1750) -- Griffin,David (1606) [C01]
Turkey Quads Spokane (1), 03.11.2016

1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 c6

4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7, or 5...Bb4 is the usual manner of meeting this line with equality for Black.

5.Nf3

5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nf3 is a more accurate move order, in my opinion.

5...Nf6 6.Be2

6.Nc3 is more flexible, as the bishop might go to d3 or even c4 in one move.

a) 6...Be7 7.Bd3 0–0 8.h3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nbd7 10.0–0
b) 6...Bd6 7.Bd3 0–0 8.0–0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5

6...Be7

6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3 0–0 10.0–0 Be6 and White won in 40 moves, Vegh,E (2302)--Gonda,L (2524), Zalakaros 2013.

7.Nc3 0–0 8.0–0 dxc4

Black seizes the opportunity to give White an isolated queen pawn.

9.Bxc4 Bg4 10.Qd3?!

Black to move 

10.Re1 is better, as it protects against Bxf3 and Qxd4 because Black must first protect e7.

With the move that I played, the queen can become vulnerable on this square.

Even so, I enjoyed the irony of the resemblance of my central pieces and d-pawn to Black's in Tatai -- Korchnoi 1978, but there are several aspects of the position that differ. This move was made after four minutes thought and was the first time that I moved in more than half a minute.

10...Bxf3 11.gxf3N

Here I thought for five minutes. Facing a choice between ruined pawns or being a pawn down, I opted for ruined pawns in hopes that I could find use for the g-file.

The alternative appears in a game between two players just over 2000 Elo: 11.Qxf3 Qxd4 12.Qe2 Re8 13.Bg5 Qg4 14.Qxg4 Nxg4 15.Rfe1 Kf8 and drawn after 54 moves Janiszyn,E (2007)--Chmielinska,A (2065), Zakopane 2001.

11...Nbd7 12.Kh1?

I am thinking about my long-term tactical hopes, but have not considered the tactical resources offered to my opponent.

12.a3 was something that I judged too slow because I was oblivious to Black's tactical opportunity. However, it removes Black's tactical opportunity.

Black to move

12...Re8

12...b5! alerts White to the errors of his plan, although neither player seems aware 13.Bb3 Nc5 14.Qd1 Nxb3 15.axb3 and White's pawns can hardly be worse.

12...Nb6 was a move that I thought I was prepared to meet 13.Bb3 Nfd5 14.Rg1 Re8 15.Bh6 Bf8.

13.Be3

I played a waiting move. I wanted to play Rg1, but thought that it might matter whether Black plays Bf8 or Nf8

13...Nf8

13...b5 remains possible 14.Bb3 Nc5 15.Qf5 Nxb3 16.axb3 and Black has good prospects to win.

14.Rad1

I was pleased with myself with this move because it prepares d4-d5, something that I wanted Black to think about.

14...Qc7 15.Rg1= Ng6?

15...b5 16.Bb3

15...Rad8 would seem to be the point of Qc7, but it permits a forcing line that might give White a slight edge. 16.Bh6 Ng6 17.Rxg6 hxg6 18.Qxg6 Bf8 19.Bxg7 Bxg7 20.Rg1 Nh5 21.Qxh5 Qf4.

White to move

16.Rxg6!

I had been hoping for this opportunity when I played 10.Qd3 and 11gxf3.

Now that it was here, I tried to see to the end before playing this move, spending twelve minutes analyzing. The remaining annotations and all the moves of the game follow my calculations during those twelve minutes, except where noted.

I considered 16.Bh6 gxh6 17.Rxg6+ hxg6 18.Qxg6+ Kh8 19.Qxh6+ and I have had similar positions with colors reversed and found little success.

16...hxg6 17.Qxg6 Bf8

17...Rf8 18.Bh6 Ne8 and things were blurry in my imagination, but it felt comfortable. 18...Nh5 19.Rg1 was my plan ( I did not foresee 19.Bxg7! Nxg7 20.Rg1+-).

17...Bd6 18.Rg1.

18.Rg1 Rxe3

I expected 18...Nd5 19.Nxd5 cxd5 20.Bxd5 and I thought White's game was comfortable as Black's problems remain.

19.fxe3 Rd8?

A bad move in a difficult position.

a) 19...Nd5 seemed necessary to me, when 20.Nxd5 seems to offer a clear advantage (I did not consider 20.Qh5), and then 20...cxd5 (20...fxg6 21.Nxc7+ is clearly better for White) 21.Bxd5 when I still have threats and have recovered the sacrificed material with interest. In addition, my sorry pawns are substantially improved.

b) 19...Ne8 was also possible when I planned 20.Ne4 with the idea Ng5 and Qh7#.

c) 19...b5 20.Bb3 Qe7 (20...Nd5 is similar to lines above 21.Nxd5 Qd6 22.Nf6+ Qxf6 23.Qxf6 b4 24.Bxf7+ Kh8 25.Qh4#).

20.Qxf6 1–0

David resigned. He is the tournament director of this event, which includes sixteen players in four quads. We are in Quad B.

Carlsen -- Anand, Game 11

Magnus Carlsen is on the cusp of successfully defending his World Champion title. The former champion and challenger, Viswanathan Anand, was able to reach a promising position against Carlsen's Grunfeld Defense in game 10, but released the pressure and the game fizzled out as a draw.

Carlsen leads 5.5 - 4.5. Draws in the final two games will secure match victory for the champion. Will Anand play aggressively with Black today in order to try to level the match score?

I predict a Sicilian Defense if Carlsen persists with 1.e4.

Anand Playing the Sicilian, Game 4

Carlsen,Magnus (2863) - Anand,Viswanathan (2792) [B27]
WCC Sochi (11), 23.11.2014

1.e4 e5

1...c5 had been my prediction 2.Nf3.

2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Bd7

Carlsen played this move in last year's World Championship match. In today's game, it signals that Anand seeks a double-edged game. I was incorrect in my prediction that he would play the Sicilian, but his manner of playing the Berlin today reflects a fighting spirit.

10.Nc3

10.Rd1 is the most popular choice, and was Anand's in Chennai.

10...h6 11.b3 Kc8 12.Bb2 c5

12...b6
12...Ne7

After Anand's 12...c5

Anand seems to be playing a slightly unusual move order.

13.Rad1 b6

Carlsen is thinking.

14.Rfe1

Anand is thinking.

14...Be6 15.Nd5 g5

After Anand's 15...g5

16.c4

Carlsen has used 32 minutes so far. My database was showing one reference game before Carlsen's move 16, but this game was not between grandmasters.

Others are calling Anand's 14...Be6 the game's novelty.

I am not able to access ChessBase Online this morning, so am relying upon the slightly less comprehensive database on my computer (5.5 million games).

16...Kb7

The Grandmaster commentators, Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi, are finding much to say while the players think. I have less to say, lacking deep insights into this position.

Classic notions of development and common sense indicate that Black still needs to deploy his dark-squared bishop and determine the best files for his rooks.

17.Kh2

What is Carlsen's plan? Is he freeing the g1 square for redeployment of the knight on f3? Is an f-pawn thrust part of his plan?

17...a5 18.a4 Ne7 19.g4

These last two moves came quickly.

19...Ng6 20.Kg3

It appears that Carlsen intends to play h4, exchange pawns on g5, and either play f2-f4 or penetrate with his rooks on the opened h-file.

20...Be7

After Anand's 20...Be7

Black's rooks are connected. Seigbert Tarrasch might say that he is close to completing his development.

21.Nd2 Rhd8 22.Ne4 Bf8

Anand has an hour for the next eighteen moves. Carlsen is thinking, and has about 51 minutes remaining. 23.Nef6 seems like an obvious candidate.

23.Nef6

I predicted a move!

Carlsen has 47 minutes left.

23...b5!?

After Anand's 23...b5!?

Svidler and Nepomniachtchi had been discussing this move, but not in this precise position. In their analysis, c7-c6 had been played first.

"White's task is more difficult than Black's."
Ian Nepomniachtchi

24.Bc3

Anand has 49 minutes and his clock is running. Carlsen has 38 minutes. Carlsen's last move defers opening any files on the queenside, where Anand is prepared to give lessons on the vulnerability of his king, who "can take care of himself" (Steinitz).

"A very curious position."
 Peter Svidler

24...bxa4 25.bxa4 Kc6

Anand should not be underestimated.

26.Kf3

The king is a fighting piece.

Anand has been thinking more than fifteen minutes and now has the same time remaining as Carlsen.

And now he has less time. He has been thinking more than eighteen minutes.

26...Rdb8

Anand is now behind on the clocks for the first time today.

Does this rook have more scope for attack on the b-file? Was Anand's move defensive in nature?

27.Ke4

Carlsen seizes the opposition. He also steps out of a potential pin of his bishop.

27...Rb4! (or ?, or !?)

Mouseslip. He meant to go to b3. (I'm kidding, but that was my first thought.)

28.Bxb4 cxb4

Anand sacrificed the exchange. He is playing for a win!

After Anand's 28...cxb4

This position is unclear. Peter Svidler points out that Black is a full exchange down and has no clear threats. Yet, the computer sees slightly less than a one pawn advantage for White.

29.Nh5

Carlsen anticipates Kb7 and c6, so maintains an "rechargeable knight" (Tryfon Gavriel) on f6.

29...Kb7 30.f4 gxf4 31.Nhxf4 Nxf4 32.Nxf4 Bxc4

No rechargeable knight on f6, but rather an idea that I had looked at several hours ago when the material was still equal.

33.Rd7

27...Rb4 is starting to look like a mistake. Both players are slightly under fifteen minutes for the next several moves.

After Carlsen's 33.Rd7

"This looks unpleasant." Peter Svidler

33...Ra6

"We failed to consider this...an important move." Peter Svidler

34.Nd5 Rc6 35.Rxf7 Bc5 36.Rxc7+ Rxc7 37.Nxc7

After Carlsen's 37.Nxc7

37...Kc6

Box.

38.Nb5 Bxb5 39.axb5 Kxb5 40.e6 b3

I predicted this move just before Svidler mentioned it.

Both players have reached the time control.

After Anand's 40...b3

I think that Carlsen will win today and end the match. However, Black has chances if Carlsen misplays the position. A win by Anand is not out of the question.

Anand took a risk when he sacrificed the exchange. He forced issues.

Thinking that Carlsen would go into a long think, the commentators went away for a break. But, they came back immediately because Carlsen played a move.

41.h4 Be7 42.Kd3 a4 43.g5

"Black is not in time, I think." Peter Svidler

43...hxg5 44.hxg5 a3 45.Kc3 1-0

Carlsen wins 6.5-4.5.

Anand was well prepared for the Berlin and should not have been worse after 26.Kf3. But, he chose a sharp line that pressed the issue. Carlsen played precisely and retained his title.

Anand -- Carlsen, Game 10

World Champion Magnus Carlsen leads challenger and former champion Viswanathan Anand 5-4 after nine games. The match is being played at the Olympic Media Center in Sochi, Russia. Yesterday's game 9 started with the variation of the Berlin Defense to the Spanish Opening that appeared in game 7. Game 7 was on the verge of setting the record for longest World Championship game ever played, but fell short by two moves.

With three games remaining, Anand is under pressure to produce a win. Both players have demonstrated exceptional opening preparation for this match. Both are confident.

Following these games live and blogging them while in progress is both enjoyable and exhausting. The games start at 3:00 pm in Sochi, which is 4:00 am my time. Because of the importance of game 10, I set my alarm for 4:00 am for the first time during this match. I also prepared the beginning of this post last night.


I predict the game's first moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4.

Every time that Anand has had White, these have been the moves. Will they vary today?

Anand,Viswanathan (2792) - Carlsen,Magnus (2863) [D97]
WCC Sochi (10), 21.11.2014

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0–0 7.e4 Na6 8.Be2 c5 9.d5 e6 10.0–0 exd5 11.exd5 Re8

These moves were played rapidly, and now Anand begins to think. Carlsen opted for a Grunfeld Defense, as in game 1 of this match. However, Anand varied from that game on move 4.

After Carlsen's 11...Re8

I have played the Grunfeld and have played against it. However, I have no experience  with 5.Qb3 and subsequent moves.

12.Bg5

Anand spent about ten minutes. 12.Rd1 is the most popular move, and was Anand's choice when he had the diagram position twenty years ago. 12.Be3 and 12.Bc4 have also been played by Grandmasters.

12...h6 13.Be3 Bf5 14.Rad1 Ne4N

After Carlsen's 14...Ne4

Reference Game:

Wojtaszek,Radoslaw (2713) - Ponomariov,Ruslan (2729) [D97]
Poikovsky Karpov 13th Poikovsky (2), 29.09.2012

14...Qb6 15.b3 Rad8 16.Rd2 Ng4 17.Bf4 Qa5 18.Rc1 g5 19.Bg3 Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Qxc3 21.Rxc3 Nf6 22.Bb5 Ne4 23.Re3 Nxd2 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Bxe8 Ne4 26.Ne5 f6 27.Nc4 Kf8 28.Bb5 Nxg3 29.Bxa6 bxa6 30.hxg3 Ke7 31.f3 Bb1 32.a3 Bc2 33.Na5 Kd6 34.Nc4+ Kc7 35.Na5 Bg6 36.Nc4 Bf7 37.d6+ Kd7 38.Kf2 Bg6 39.Ke3 Bc2 40.Na5 Kxd6 41.g4 Bg6 42.Nc4+ Ke6 43.Na5 Kd5 44.Nc4 f5 45.gxf5 Bxf5 46.Na5 Bd7 47.Nc4 Bb5 48.Nd2 a5 49.Ne4 Bc6 50.Kd3 Ke5 51.Nxc5 Kf4 52.Ke2 Kg3 53.Kf1 g4 54.fxg4 Bxg2+ 55.Kg1 Bd5 56.b4 axb4 57.axb4 Kxg4 58.Kf2 Kf4 59.Na4 Bc6 60.Nc3 a6 61.Ne2+ Ke4 62.Ng3+ Kd3 63.Nf5 h5 64.Ng7 h4 65.Nf5 h3 66.Kg3 Kc3 67.Ne3 Bg2 0–1

15.Nxe4

When the reference game was a long Black win, it dawns on me that Carlsen could be seeking to bring this match to a rapid conclusion. If he manages a win with Black, he needs only one draw in the last two games to secure his title.

15...Bxe4

Peter Svidler, who with Sopiko Guramishvili is providing live commentary for the official site, thinks that it is likely both players are still in their preparation.

16.Qc1

Anand spent fifteen minutes on this move.

Svidler, who plays the Grunfeld, thinks that Anand's advanced central pawn is strong. I find it reminiscent of a game Garry Kasparov played in his youth, which he comments upon in some depth in Kaparov on Kasparov, Part 1: 1973-1985 (2011).

16...Qf6

I expected 16...Kh7. Anand had been thinking for eight minutes as Svidler and Guramishvili return from a short break.

Svidler is confessing that he considered Carlsen's move, although he did not mention it earlier.

After Carlsen's 16...Qf6

17.Bxh6 Qxb2

A queen swap here followed by exchanges of bishops for knights to double the opponent's pawns seems to make the d-pawn less of a threat. Black should hold the position.

18.Qxb2 Bxb2

Although 19.Bxa6 is tempting, keeping the bishop pair on the board offers better prospects for applying the sort of pressure that could lead to a win.

In general, I like having the Black side of the Grunfeld with a two to one pawn majority on the queenside. However, in my experience, Black's c-pawn usually gets exchanged for White's d-pawn. Here, that d-pawn is a potential monster.

19.Ng5

Susan Polgar suggested this move in a tweet while Anand was contemplating 18.Qxb2.

Anand has 51 minutes remaining. As Carlsen is thinking, I notice that he is a player who tips his head from side to side while calculating potential exchanges. It is subtle, which helps to explain why I had not noticed it before.

Carlsen has been thinking for twenty minutes.

"The gloves are off," Fabiano Caruana tweeted.

After thirty minutes of thinking, Carlsen played.

19...Bd4

Problems with the delay, feed, or hackers caused Svidler to briefly perceive that 19...Bxg2 had been played.

20.Nxe4 Rxe4 21.Bf3 Re7 22.d6 Rd7 23.Bf4

I had these moves in my database before they were played.

After Anand's 23.Bf4

White's d-pawn is blockaded and Black's knight may now have time to find a more useful square, perhaps Na6-b4-c6. Would Anand snap it off on c6? Perhaps, Carlsen needs to slide the other rook to c8 first.

23...Nb4 24.Rd2

Surely White cannot let the a-pawn drop. Or, can he?

24...Re8

This move must be much stronger than my idea.

Svidler has introducing a guest, an expert on the Grunfeld, when the live commentary feed died. Perhaps the broadcast is working elsewhere in the world.

Refreshing my browser brought it back, so the problem seems to be local.

25.Rc1

Anand has 22 minutes to get to move 40.

25...Re6 26.h4

Anand avoids backrank checkmates and also prevents g6-g5.

The problems I was having listening to the commentary continue, so I am missing interesting Grandmaster analysis. These problems seem to stem from my notebook computer, which often has connectivity issues. It is a nice box, but the internal WiFi seems substandard. The video works fine on my iPad, but the battery needed charging so I switched to my notebook.

I suppose that I could move the charger to where I am sitting in the living room. These First World problems with technology are soo troubling.

26...Be5

The analysts are not optimistic concerning Anand's ability to play for a win in this position now.

After Carlsen's 26...Be5

27.Bxe5 Rxe5 28.Bxb7 Rxb7 29.d7 Nc6 30.d8Q+ Nxd8 31.Rxd8+

White looking at the position after 26...Be5, I entered some moves in my database. These moves were soon played on the board.

31...Kg7 32.Rd2 1/2-1/2

I did not get as far as the last move by each player in my guess-the-move.

The draw should be considered a victory for Carlsen in terms of the match situation. With two games remaining, Carlsen leads 5.5-4.5.

In the press conference, Anand mentioned 24.Re1 as an alternative to 24.Rd2. The commentators seemed to suggest that Anand lost control of the position near that point in the game.

Carlsen -- Anand, Game 9

When I awoke at 4:10 am, the ninth game of the World Championship had been underway a few minutes. I grabbed my iPad from the side of the bed and checked on the game. Seeing that it was another Berlin Defense, I put the iPad down and went back to sleep.

No, I do not consider the Berlin boring. Rather, I expected another long game and could use the sleep. Sleep avoided me. At 5:00 am, I checked on the game again. It appeared that Magnus Carlsen could force a draw against challenger Viswanathan Anand. With a one point lead in the match, Carlsen retains his crown if he can manage a draw in every remaining game.

Carlsen's reputation is to play on until "every resource is exhausted," as Peter Svidler so ably put it during the commentary on an earlier game in this match. Perhaps a short draw, however, would be a way to increase psychological pressure on Anand. The challenger is under growing pressure to find a way to win. He has one win against Carlsen in the past few years. That win was last week.

I played a couple of blitz games on Chess.com while still in my warm bed. After a stunning game in which my opponent resigned a rook ahead, I returned to the World Championship game. It was over.


Carlsen,Magnus (2863) -- Anand,Viswanathan (2792) [C67]
WCC Sochi (9), 20.11.2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3

The oldest game in the Chessbase database with 9.h3 is Gaprindashvili,N -- Vreeken,C from a preliminary round of the Women's World Championship in 1978. It is a hot move now, having been played by such players as Aronian, Caruana, Karjakin, and Grischuk. Carlsen also played it in game 7 of this match.

9...Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Ne2 

Carlsen played 11.Bf4 in game 7. 11.Ne2 is relatively uncommon, but is something that Anand should be prepared for.

After Carlsen's 11.Ne2

Reference Game:

Carlsen,Magnus (2772) - Jakovenko,Dmitrij (2760) [C67]
Dortmund SuperGM Dortmund (1), 02.07.2009

11...Be7 12.Bg5 Be6 13.Nf4 Bd5 14.Bxe7 Kxe7 15.Ng5 Nd4 16.Rad1 Ne6 17.Ngxe6 Bxe6 18.h4 a5 19.a3 a4 20.Rfe1 g6 21.f3 Ra5 22.c3 Rb5 23.Re2 Ra8 24.Rd4 Raa5 25.Kf2 Rxe5 26.Rxe5 Rxe5 27.Rxa4 Rb5 28.b4 c5 29.Ra7 cxb4 30.cxb4 Kd7 31.Ne2 Rb6 32.Ke3 Bc4 33.Nd4 Kd6 34.Ra5 Ra6 35.Rxa6+ bxa6 36.g4 hxg4 37.fxg4 Ke5 38.Nc6+ Kf6 39.Kf4 Ke6 40.h5 gxh5 41.gxh5 Bd3 42.Ke3 Bf1 43.h6 Kf6 44.Ne5 Bb5 45.Kd4 Ba4 46.h7 Kg7 47.Nxf7 Kxh7 48.Ng5+ Kg6 49.Ne6 1–0

11...b6

There are ten prior instances of  this move in the reference database that I use. Four of these games were decisive, with two wins for each side.

12.Rd1 Ba6 13.Nf4

After Carlsen's 13.Nf4

13...Bb7N

Reference Game:

Dominguez Perez,Leinier (2726) -- Ponomariov,Ruslan (2741) [C67]
ESP-chT CECLUB Honor Leon (5.2), 09.11.2012

13... Rd8 14.Bd2 Nd4 15.Nxd4 Rxd4 16.a4 Bc8 17.a5 a6 18.Be3 Rxd1+ 19.Rxd1 b5 20.Nd3 Be7 21.Bc5 Bd8 22.Nb4 Rh6 23.f4 f5 24.c3 Bh4 25.Rd3 Rg6 26.Kh2 Bb7 27.Nc2 Bc8 28.g3 Bd8 29.h4 Be6 30.Nb4 Bc8 31.Rd2 Bb7 32.Rd1 Bc8 33.Rh1 Bb7 34.Kg2 Be7 35.Nd3 Bd8 36.Kf2 Rh6 37.Re1 Bc8 38.Nb4 Kf7 39.Rd1 Ke8 40.Re1 Kf7 41.Re3 Rg6 42.Ke2 Rh6 43.Kd2 Rg6 44.b3 Rh6 45.c4 Rg6 46.Kc3 Rh6 47.Nc2 Re6 48.Nd4 Re8 49.Rd3 bxc4 50.bxc4 Bd7 51.Re3 Be7 52.Bxe7 Kxe7 53.e6 Bc8 54.Kb4 Kf6 55.Kc5 Bb7 56.Nxc6 g6 57.e7 Ba8 58.Re5 Bb7 59.Nd8 Bg2 60.Nc6 Kf7 61.Nb4 Rxe7 62.Rxe7+ Kxe7 63.Nxa6 Kd8 64.Nb4 Ba8 65.Nc6+ Kc8 66.a6 1–0

14.e6 Bd6 15.exf7+ Kxf7 16.Ng5+ Kf6 17.Ne4+ Kf7 18.Ng5+ Kf6 19.Ne4+ Kf7 20.Ng5+ ½–½

Spanish Opening games in this match have averaged 71 moves. Perhaps Anand's novelty refutes Carlsen's preparation, so Carlsen opted to bail. Perhaps a short draw was all he wanted from the beginning.

The Berlin Defense was revived in popularity after many years of neglect when Vladimir Kramnik adopted it in his World Championship Match against Garry Kasparov. Kasparov could not win with the White pieces. Since then, many games have demonstrated that either side can fight for advantage as there are several imbalances in the position.

Anand -- Carlsen, Game 8

Carlsen's Theoetical Novelty

There is a lot of talk that Magnus Carlsen does not study the openings, but simply plays very good chess. He plays better chess than anyone else, ever.

Viswanathan Anand is almost a legend in his opening preparation. Even Vladimir Kramnik, no slouch in terms of preparation for a match, was thoroughly out-prepared by Anand.

Today's game, thus, becomes very important because Carlsen played a novelty that neutralized White's chances in a well-known position of the Queen's Gambit.

Anand,Viswanathan (2792) -- Carlsen,Magnus (2863) [D37]
WCC Sochi (8), 18.11.2014

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 c5 

6...Nbd7 was played in game 3.

7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3 Nc6

The players have reached a fairly common position in the Queen's Gambit declined.

9.Qc2

After Anand's 9.Qc2

9...Re8

Carlsen opts for a relatively rare move. 9...Qa5 is the most common move.

10.Bg5

There are nine prior instances of this move in the ChessBase database. Other moves played in this position are 10.Rd1, 10.O-O-O, and 10.cxd5.

10...Be7!

 This move is essentially the novelty, although it appears once in the ChessBase database, played by an A Class player, Gunther Manheimer in 2010.

10...d4 was played in Showalter -- Janowski 1898, and has been the main move since.
10...dxc4 was tried in the 2002 Championship of Israel, Lev -- Ruderfer. White won in 67 moves.

11.Rd1 Qa5 12.Bd3 h6 13.Bh4 dxc4 14.Bxc4 a6 15.0–0 b5 16.Ba2 Bb7 17.Bb1

After Anand's 17.Bb1

White has his battery aiming at the king. However, due to Carlsen's moves 9 and 10, the Black king cannot become trapped.

17...Rad8 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Ne4

19.Qh7+ was shown by Anand during the press conference. 19...Kf8 20.Ne4 Rxd1.

19...Be7 20.Nc5 Bxc5 21.Qxc5 b4 22.Rc1 bxa3 23.bxa3 Qxc5 24.Rxc5 Ne7 25.Rfc1 Rc8

After Carlsen's 25...Rc8

There are no imbalances in the position.

26.Bd3 Red8 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Rxc8+ Nxc8 29.Nd2 Nb6 30.Nb3 Nd7 31.Na5 Bc8 32.Kf1 Kf8 33.Ke1 Ke7 34.Kd2 Kd6 35.Kc3 Ne5 36.Be2 Kc5

After Carlsen's 36...Kc5

37.f4 Nc6 38.Nxc6 Kxc6 39.Kd4 f6 40.e4 Kd6 41.e5+ ½–½

Carlsen leads the World Championship Match 4.5 - 3.5. Tomorrow is a rest day.

Carlsen -- Anand, Game 7

A Record of Sorts

Half-way through the World Championship in Sochi, Russia, Magnus Carlsen leads Viswanathan Anand 3.5-2.5. Carlsen has his second consecutive White today. Anand opted for the Berlin Defense against Carlsen's Spanish (Ruy Lopez).

Carlsen,Magnus (2863) -- Anand,Viswanathan (2792) [C67]
WCC Sochi (7), 17.11.2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3

This move seems to be growing in popularity among top players. 9.Nc3 is the main line.

After Carlsen's 9.h3

9...Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Bf4 Be7 12.Rad1 Be6 13.Ng5 Rh6 14.g3 Bxg5 15.Bxg5

We have bishops of opposite color.

After Carlsen's 15.Bxg5

15...Rg6 16.h4 f6 17.exf6 gxf6 18.Bf4 Nxh4

Anand wins a pawn

19.f3 Rd8 20.Kf2

Reference Game:

Anand,Viswanathan (2817) -- Nakamura,Hikaru (2753) [C67]
Grand Slam Final 4th Sao Paulo/Bilbao (7), 07.10.2011

20.Rxd8+ Kxd8 21.Kf2 Nf5 22.Rh1 Ng7 23.Bd2 Bf5 24.Nd1 Bxc2 25.Ne3 Bd3 26.Ng2 Ne6 27.Rxh5 Rg7 28.Bc3 Ke7 29.Rh6 Rf7 30.g4 Bb1 31.a3 f5 32.g5 Nxg5 33.Nf4 Ke8 34.Rg6 Nh7 35.Rg8+ Rf8 36.Rg7 Rf7 ½–½

20...Rxd1 21.Nxd1 Nf5 22.Rh1

Carlsen gets to use the h-file

22...Bxa2 23.Rxh5 Be6 24.g4 Nd6 25.Rh7

After Carlsen's 25.Rh7

25...Nf7N

Reference Game:

Giri,A (2768) -- Radjabov,T (2726) [C67]
Tashkent 2014

25...f5 26.g5 Nf7 27.Rh5 Rg8 28.Kg3 Rh8 29.Rxh8+ Nxh8 30.Bxc7 Ng6 31.Nc3 Kd7 32.Bb8 a5 33.Na4 Kc8 34.Bf4 b5 35.Nc5 Ba2 36.c3 a4 37.Bd6 Bd5 38.f4 Kd8 39.Kf2 Nh4 40.Ke3 Ke8 41.Nd3 Be4 42.Nf2 Bd5 43.Ba3 Kf7 44.Kd4 Ke6 45.Nd3 Ng6 46.Nc5+ Kf7 47.Na6 Nxf4 48.Ke5 Nd3+ 49.Kxf5 c5 50.g6+ Kg8 51.Nxc5 Nxc5 52.Bxc5 ½–½


26.Ne3 Kd8 27.Nf5 c5 28.Ng3

After Carlsen's 28.Ng3

28...Ne5

Anand spend thirty minutes on this move.

I was considering  28...Ng5 29.Rh8+ (29.Rxc7 was my line Nh3+ 30.Ke3 Nxf4 31.Rxb7) 29...Rg8 30.Rh6 (30.Rxg8+ Bxg8)

29.Rh8+ Rg8 30.Bxe5 fxe5

30...Rxh8?? 31.Bxf6++-

31.Rh5 Bxg4

I guessed this move, reasoning that liquidating White's kingside pawns was Anand's only chance to fight for a draw.

32.fxg4 Rxg4 33.Rxe5 b6 34.Ne4 Rh4 35.Ke2 Rh6 36.b3 Kd7 37.Kd2 Kc6 38.Nc3 a6 39.Re4 Rh2+ 40.Kc1 Rh1+ 41.Kb2

After Carlsen's 41.Kb2

41...Rh6 42.Nd1 Rh6 43.Ne3 Rh6 44.Re7 Rh2 45.Re6+ Kb7

After Anand's 45...Kb7

I had mentioned during earlier games that I was observing without reference to computer evaluations, as were the commentators. However, I noticed after that claim that the left side of the game board on the official website contains a vertical bar indicating the computer's evaluation.

Once I observed it, it became harder to ignore. At least it offers no numerical evaluation and no lines. While Carlsen was contemplating this position, Svidler made the point that a computer evaluation of +1.85 in such an endgame position means only that White is ahead materially.

If the evaluation suddenly jumps higher, then there is a concrete win.

There is no question that White has an advantage in this position, but finding a concrete win is not so easy. It may be that it is not possible.

46.Kc3 Rh4

Black's rook restrains White's king from the side. There is a passive quality to Black's defense, but it is White that has the complex problem to solve.

47.Kb2 Rh2 48.Nd5 Rd2 49.Nf6 Rf2 50.Kc3 Rf4 51.Ne4 Rh4 52.Nf2 Rh2 53.Rf6 Rh7 54.Nd3 Rh3 55.Kd2 Rh2+ 56.Rf2 Rh4

After Anand's 56...Rh4

57.c4 Rh3 58.Kc2 Rh7 59.Nb2 Rh5 60.Re2 Rg5 61.Nd1 b5

Swapping all the pawns should certainly be a draw.

After Anand's 61...b5

Carlsen has a lot more time remaining than Anand. At move 60, they reached the last time control. The players now get thirty seconds per move.

62.Nc3 c6 63.Ne4 Rh5 64.Nf6 Rg5

After Anand's 64...Rg5

Anish Giri tweeted that it should be a draw now, and probably always was. He referred to Anand as "king of the fortresses".

Peter Svidler pointed out one of several stalemate possibilities in the position: 65.Kb2 Kb6 66.Nd7+ Ka5 67.Ka3 b4+ 68.Kb2 Rg2

65.Re7+ Kb6

Carlsen spent a lot of time on his move. Anand moved instantly.

Jan Gustaffson  tweeted that he doesn't see why everyone thinks it is an easy draw, as he would lose it. The moves in his tweet were the next ones played on the board.

66.Nd7+ Ka5 67.Re4

Here, Svidler suggested that Black needs to start checking.

67...b4? does not work to provoke stalemate because of 68.Ne5.

Svidler now prefers 67...Rh5, but 67...Rg2+ seems to hold.

Anand is thinking.

67...Rg2+

The checks begin. In one of the lines that might result from this decision, Anand will give up some pawns but can draw. It's one thing to work out such lines on a board without the pressure, it's quite another to do so from Anand's chair.

Anand's rook is proving quite active. Even his king and pawns have found something to do. If White wants to lose, he could find a way.

68.Kc1 Rg1+ 69.Kd2

After Carlsen's 69.Kd2

69...Rg2+ 70.Ke1

Where does Black's rook belong? With correct play, the game should be a draw. Defense is not trivial. Anand must find the correct approach.

70...bxc4 71.Rxc4 Rg3 72.Nxc5 Kb5 73.Rc2

After Carlsen's 73.Rc2

73...a5 74.Kf2 Rh3 75.Rc1 Kb4 76.Ke2 Rc3 77.Nd3+ Kxb3 78.Ra1

After Carlsen's 78.Ra1

Carlsen should have no expectations of winning this position, but there may be some benefit from torturing Anand a bit longer.

78...Kc4 79.Nf2

Svidler and Sopiko Guramishvili are feeling trapped as commentators. They are certain that the game is a draw, but Carlsen is keeping everyone at work as long as possible.

79...Kb5 80.Rb1+ Kc4 81.Ne4 Ra3 82.Nd2+ Kd5 83.Rh1 a4 84.Rh5+ Kd4

84...Kd6?? 85.Nc4+

85.Rh4+ Kc5 86.Kd1 Kb5

86...Rg3 87.Ne4+

87.Kc2 Rg3 88.Ne4 Rg2+ 89.Kd3 a3 90.Nc3+ Kb6 91.Ra4 a2 92.Nxa2 Rg3+ 93.Kc2 Rg2+ 94.Kb3 Rg3+ 95.Nc3 Rh3 96.Rb4+ Kc7 97.Rg4 Rh7 98.Kc4 Rf7 99.Rg5 Kb6 100.Na4+ Kc7 101.Kc5 Kd7 102.Kb6 Rf1 103.Nc5+ Ke7 104.Kxc6 

After Carlsen's 104.Kxc6

104...Rd1 105.Rg6 Kf7 106.Rh6 Rg1 107.Kd5 Rg5+ 108.Kd4 Rg6 109.Rh1 Rg2 110.Ne4 Ra2 111.Rf1+ Ke7 112.Nc3 Rh2 113.Nd5+ Kd6 114.Rf6+ Kd7 115.Nf4 Rh1 116.Rg6 Rd1+ 117.Nd3 Ke7 118.Ra6 Kd7 119.Ke4 Ke7 120.Rc6 Kd7 121.Rc1 Rxc1 122.Nxc1 1/2-1/2

They did not get the record of the longest World Championship game ever played, which remains the 124 move draw Korchnoi -- Karpov 1978.

"This now makes no sense to me whatsoever." Peter Svidler

To play so long and not go for the record. Why? It might be pointed out that Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov played their marathon with adjournments, so today's game was the longest WCC game played at a single sitting.

Carlsen leads 4-3. Anand has three more Whites in the remaining five games.