World Chess Championship 2013 Round 1: how to understand the short 16-move Carlsen-Anand draw

Nov 9, 2013 · 2 minute read · 0 Comments
chess World Chess Championship Magnus Carlsen Viswanathan Anand Réti Opening Grünfeld Defense

In the much-anticipated first round of the World Chess Championship between Anand and Carlsen, the game ended in a very quick 16-move draw.

In accordance with my own advice on ways to follow the match to maximize learning, today I saw the match result, downloaded a PGN file of the game score, and then walked through it without a computer engine running, analyzing the game with my own mind as I replayed the game. Then I double-checked my thoughts with a chess engine. I still have not bothered to read or watch any coverage of this first-round game; I will do that later.

Game and notes below:

Disappointment in a short draw?

I’m sure a lot of people were disappointed by this short draw. But one has to realized exactly what happened.

Carlsen played the unambitious Réti Opening as White, presumably hoping to avoid special preparation by Anand. Anand neutralized the opening early on with simple development using a Grünfeld Defense setup. Carlsen attempted to place his remaining undeveloped piece, the Queen Knight, on a more active square than the more “natural” square that would have overprotected the c4 Pawn, but Anand punished this by immediately attacking the c4 Pawn, resulting in Carlsen basically having to play moves that enabled Anand to choose to repeat the position for a draw.

Carlsen had no choice but to take the draw or stand clearly worse, so he bailed out. The question then is, should Anand tried to continue playing for a win, since it was his choice to take the draw or not?

In a match situation at this level, typically the player as Black is quite happy to take a draw, so it made sense for Anand to do so. It was possible for Anand to not force the draw, at the cost of loosening up his own Queen side, but why play in this risky way, as defending champion?

The game

Below is the game with annotations. My task was made easy in this case because it was such a short and clear game, without much complexity. I hope it will be harder in subsequent games in the match!

Move comment:

Event: FWCM 2013
Site: Chennai
Round: 1
Date: 2013.11.09
White: Carlsen, Magnus
Black: Anand, Viswanathan
Result: 1/2-1/2

Side to move: white

Last move: 1. variations:
Next move: 1. Nf3 variations:

1. Nf3

Carlsen signals that he is probably avoiding an aggressive opening struggle and hopes to simply get an acceptable middle game and somehow outplay Anand.

1... d5

The most solid response, grabbing the center and taking control of White's e4 square.

2. g3

Validates my guess that Carlsen is avoiding a fight in the opening. White has no opening advantage here. More aggressive instead would have been d4 or c4.

2... g6

Anand immediately goes for a Gruenfeld. I think he has already morally won the opening battle. White will eventually have to play d4 to prevent Black's e5, and then we will have a drawish symmetrical Gruenfeld.

3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3

[6. c4 Would have transposed into a typical Gruenfeld position immediately.]

6... O-O 7. Bb2 Bf5

Continuing piece development.

8. c4

[8. Nbd2 Supporting c4 with more protection is what I expected and would have played myself.]

8... Nbd7 9. Nc3?

A surprise to me, because of the potentially weak c4 Pawn. A known drawback of g3 against the Gruenfeld is that White's light-squared Bishop is not around to protect the c4 Pawn.

9... dc4

Thematic in this type of position, where Black risks getting squeezed on the Queen side if he does not disrupt White's possible expansion plans that may begin with a suitably prepared c5.

10. bc4 Nb6!

Active and good, attacking White's c4 Pawn. White's opening experiment has completely failed.

11. c5

A very ugly move, ceding the c4 and d5 light squares. [11. Ne5? A natural attempt to protect the c4 Pawn. 11... Ng4 White's c4 and d4 Pawns are under severe pressure and he is about to lose a Pawn.]

11... Nc4 12. Bc1

Wow, what an ugly position for White.

12... Nd5

Black has lovely Knight play, which is often the case in the Gruenfeld, even when White plays more accurately. Right now, Black threatens White's Knight on c3 and also opens up the a1 to h8 diagonal for the fianchettoed Bishop on g7.

13. Qb3

Basically forced. [13. Nd5? cd5 White stands clearly worse in this position, in which Black's pieces are all better than White's, and the c5 Pawn is not going anywhere.]

13... Na5

Accepting the draw by repetition. [13... Nc3? 14. Qc3 Not good for Black, because of the stranded Knight on c4.]

14. Qa3

[14. Qb2 Same consequence of a draw by repetition. 14... Nc4 15. Qb3]

14... Nc4 15. Qb3 Na5 16. Qa3 Nc4

Anand must have been ecstatic by the outcome of this game: a quick draw as Black, without even any struggle. Carlsen cannot be happy.

Franklin Chen

World Chess Championship 2013 Round 1: how to understand the short 16-move Carlsen-Anand draw

Disappointment in a short draw?

The game