Anand v Carlsen

[Jonathan Bryant]

... doubt if it will be a draw.

although we have an implicit offer of a repetition now. (And Ive literally just finished my tea too).


EDIT:
Ooh hello. Magnus slaps it down.

[AustinElliott]

... doubt if it will be a draw.

although we have an implicit offer of a repetition now. (And Ive literally just finished my tea too).

...which Carlsen rejects (22. a4 instead of Qd2). A slight surprise there given a draw is enough for him, but perhaps he doesn't want to give Anand the psychological satisfaction of knowing MC is happy with a half-point.

[Jonathan Bryant]

I think Carlsen just wanted me to have that Portuguese tart* after all. Everything else he's done in this match seems to have been for my personal benefit:-

Opening 1 Nf3
multiple Berlins (with both colours)
rook endings
he even got a sort of French Exchange.





*confectionary updates will now cease.

[John Cox]

Think exd6 might have been Carlsen's Larry Holmes moment.

[Clive Blackburn]

Now we have got to the sort of drawish ending that we know Carlsen can win!

N + 6P on each side

[Roger de Coverly]

Now we have got to the sort of drawish ending that we know Carlsen can win!

N + 6P on each side

With the White King on c5 and the Black one at c7 (move 41), presumably advantage Carlsen. The on-line engine at chessbomb agrees with this, but comes out with some weird lines to demonstrate this. How far he will press this remains to be seen, presumably for as long as he can play for a win with little or no risk of losing.

[MartinCarpenter]

Best bit about the online engine is it claiming that 35 .. Nxd6 was a mistake because it evaluates an ending with Anand due to be down two queens as -1000! Rare to see an outright bug like that nowadays.

Maybe Carlsen went exd6 due to presuming this ending a 'trivial' win?! That or he's only allowed beat Nakumura in middlegames

[Ray Sayers]

The commentators were saying protocol dictates that Vishy should offer the draw as he needs to win.

I am surprised Magnus didn't offer to repeat moves earlier after Kg8, Qd2 etc.

Now we have an odd stand-off:

Magnus shouldn't offer a draw as Vishy needs to win;
Vishy shouldn't offer a draw as he is worse!

Hmmmm... what to do?!

[John Cox]

I think it's clear Magnus intends to win this ending if he can; that's why no draws are getting offered. And no doubt Anand is equally determined not to lose; in a non-competitively-relevant sort of way, I fancy we'll see quite a keen struggle.

[MartinCarpenter]

What normally happens is that once it gets lopsided enough that the side that needs the win can't hope to get it then they offer the draw conceding the match. Maybe not here

[Steve Rooney]

I love Carlsen's approach of eschewing drawing ideas until he has extracted every single ounce of advantage out of the position. It is this forceful characteristic and his supreme self-belief which seems to have made the difference in the whole match. I wouldn't bet on a draw today.

[John Cox]

I'm not sure I would either; as far as the site computer and the commentators can tell me, Nh5 here wins. Although it does kinda sacrifice a piece; it's not surprising Carlsen's giving it a good long look.

[Roger de Coverly]

I'm not sure I would either; as far as the site computer and the commentators can tell me, Nh5 here wins.

Stockfish at the chessbomb site is recommending the idea of leaving the Knight to be taken in order to grab the b7 pawn. The very long line it suggests ends in a queen and pawn ending which is drawn according to the Shredder tablebase. Magnus may well be thinking differently, but isn't it the type of position where most players, if they only needed a draw to win something, would take the repetition rather than gamble on a pawn race?

[John Cox]

Actually that might well be right, that according to the tablebase it's a draw. I wouldn't put much on Anand's chance of holding it in practice though.

Most players would, fo' sure, but Magnus isn't most players. I'd be surprised if he doesn't go for it. If he's going to do some kind of casual risk assessment, he'd have done it by now.

[John Cox]

After all, it's not *that* difficult a line. The delightful Trent/Sachdev duo have it on their board without benefit of computer, and if they can do it, I'm thinking Magnus can.