Carlsen - Anand 2014

[Carl Hibbard]

I would agree Carl. I suspect it will get interesting if Anand continues to leaves his comfort zone like he did to some extent in Game 1 employing aggressive tactics and more risk taking than he usually does. Of course its a double-edged sword, it could work but then again he may end up playing positions he doesn't like really badly and simply get slaughtered.

He has to be a little nervous that his first white veered from safe to dangerous in a few short moves but the same strategy as last time would be fatal.

[MartinCarpenter]

Thing is though, if someone can genuinely threaten you from that sort of incredibly simple position, it really must be very, very hard to play them in a match They're so much easier to get than genuinely dangerous complications.

In a tournament its just one game so you defend for ages, maybe get your draw and move on. In a match you get the pressure for game after game.

Quite like what happened in Kramnik - Topalov and even the last bit of Anand - Topalov for that matter. Anyhow we'll see

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Anyone surprised by the opening moves in Game 2?

[Carl Hibbard]

Anyone surprised by the opening moves in Game 2?

Not really but at least it was not a Berlin.

[MartinCarpenter]

It does look like the sort of thing you'd expect Carlsen to be trying. Imagine he'll switch about a fair bit.

[Jonathan Bryant]

Anyone surprised by the opening moves in Game 2?

Not really but at least it was not a Berlin.

It’s a kind of Berlin, I’d say, but not a proper one (which I for one - possibly the only one - think is a shame).


On the 'Anand Going For It' theme ... worth remembering that including today Vishy has Black in four games out of six. Then he’ll have an extra White in the last 5 games.

I imagine he’ll see getting to game 7 level as a reasonable success. I don’t see him taking any risks at all with Black.

[Jonathan Rogers]

At move 16, I guess that Carlsen has the smallest of edges in the symmetrical structure either because

Black has a hole on d6 whilst Carlsen has no corresponding hole on d3 - but Black can occupy the d-file quickly

or because

he can put a queen on h5. Which looks nice but does not look like a mating attack in progress since Black has not played ...h6.

Or ... he may have no edge whatsover.

Helpful, moi?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

It looks solid for Anand and the pressure looks optical, but could either player could slip here? Is it more double-edged than it looks, or can Carlsen just keep probing?

[Jonathan Bryant]

It looks solid for Anand and the pressure looks optical, but could either player could slip here? Is it more double-edged than it looks, or can Carlsen just keep probing?

It’s not really a probing kind of position at the moment, though is it? It’s more "I’m going to mate your" or "No you’re not" kind of concrete.


If I didn’t have a computer saying that Black has nothing to worry about I’d be worried for Black and probably would have chopped the knight instead of putting my bishop on e6. I guess that’s one of the many reasons why Anand is playing the match and I’m not.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Yeah. I suppose we might now see a trade of the major pieces on the d-file.

(though the computers like 20.h4 for some reason - I think if Anand doesn't spot and meet the Bh6 threat with Rd7 he will be busted, but see Jonathan's comment above about why he is sitting opposite Carlsen and we are not...)

EDIT: With the evaluations for White climbing, I'm going out on a limb and predicting a Carlsen win from here (move 20).

[Jonathan Bryant]

EDIT: With the evaluations for White climbing, I'm going out on a limb and predicting a Carlsen win from here (move 20).

I’m staying with as draw the most likely outcome. Although now I’ve said that by the time I’ve finished typing this post Vishy will probably have left a mate on.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

We may be waiting a while. Anand, unsurprisingly, is having a long think.

[Rob Thompson]

It looks to me like this position has turned into a probing one.

[Jonathan Rogers]

a draw from this would be another fortunate escape. With the old hindsight, it seems to me that if Black was going to take on f5, he should have done so earlier.

(Hindsight might also suggest that White had a rather serious presence on the kingside even though Black hadn't volunteered ...h6)

[Jonathan Bryant]

It looks to me like this position has turned into a probing one.

Yes, I was just thinking that. I’m also less optimistic that Black will hold. Talking of hindsight, was ... Re8 encouraging White to transfer the Queen to h5 necessary/correct? It looked slightly cackhanded to me at the time.