Anand v Carlsen

[JustinHadi]

1. b4!

Or the refined line 1.Nf3 any black move 2.b4!

[Jonathan Bryant]

Bah. Anand's bottled the Berlin Ending.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

So I'm not following with an engine or commentary, and they've been in a rook endgame since the first time control, with Carlsen a pawn up and now Anand has used his h-pawn to break up Carlsen's kingside pawns. It might not be how I'd have played it, but presumably there is a point to all these moves? These are the sort of endings I manage to lose against higher-graded players, so I'm not going to say too much more...

[Jonathan Bryant]

It might not be how I'd have played it ...

h4-h5 is certainly not how I'd have played - but it did seem to ease his position somewhat to my non-expert eye.

[Paul McKeown]

Anand appears to have bollixed a dead draw or at least made things very, very difficult for himself.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Yes, well, at the second time control I'm still in the dark somewhat. It looks rather, um, unbalanced? To my eye, the Black f-pawn looks stronger than the other pawns and I'd prefer to be Black. Still not sure why the position needed to be played like this by Anand.

(Paul put it much better! )

[Paul McKeown]

h4-h5 was okay I think - wrecking Black's pawn structure and playing for a drawn h+f pawn rook endgame. That was a decent way to play.

[Paul McKeown]

Match over. Next.

[Trefor Owens]

There are still another 4 games to play!

....
...

well that's my guess anyway

[Jonathan Bryant]

h4-h5 was okay I think - wrecking Black's pawn structure and playing for a drawn h+f pawn rook endgame.

I'm not sure he was doing that exactly as no obvious way to liquidate the queenside pawns, but it did seem to stop Black's pawns rolling forward quite effectively. I wouldn't have described the game as a 'dead' draw at any stage though.

I like a rook ending as much as the next man, but heading for this particular one did seem a strange choice to me.

[Mark Hannon]

If Carlsen is a sadist like Fischer was I think he could win all the remaining games. I was always more impressed by Anand winning multiple championship matches than Fischer's 6-0 s once his opponent was broken.

[Jonathan Bryant]

Talking about moves that i wouldn't have played in a zillion years -- Carlsen's ... f6.

[Mats Winther]

In fact, Carlsen could have won easier by playing 39...Qxd6! 40.Rxd6 Rxe3 41.Rd5 b4! This gives a better rook endgame than the one in the game, which is probably drawn. So, evidently, Anand's 38.Qg3 was bad. It was an almost equal position; black only slightly better, with little hope of making progress.
/Mats

[Jonathan Bryant]

In fact, Carlsen could have won easier by playing 39...Qxd6! 40.Rxd6 Rxe3 41.Rd5 b4!
/Mats

Can't you just go 42 cxb4 here? I'm not seeing how Black keeps his last queenside pawn and stops the b-pawn from running at the same time.

[Trefor Owens]

Not sure if we are allowed to 'help' either player - but a little hint to Anand, I don't belive that Carlsen has ever won a game against the King's Gambit