[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[ECO "A07"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]

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 $2  { 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... dxc4  { 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. bxc4 Nb6 $1  { 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 $2  { 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. Nxd5 $2 cxd5  { 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... Nxc3 $2 14. Qxc3  { 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.}   1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[ECO "B19"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]

1. e4 c6  { An interesting psychological choice by Carlsen. Anand is the one who plays the Caro-Kann as Black!}  2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5  { The solid Classical Variation.}  5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 e6 8. Ne5  { Unusual. h5 followed by Bd3 is the well-worn main line.}  8... Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Nd7 11. f4  { Interesting attempt to maintain hold of the e5 square. It is potentially weakening and time-consuming, however. White's King side looks loose, especially the h4 Pawn.}  11... Bb4+  { A typical maneuver to provoke White into moving the c Pawn and weaken the Queen side, since White is obviously going to castle Queen side soon.}  12. c3 Be7  { Attacking the h4 Pawn.}  13. Bd2 $201  { Offering the h4 Pawn as a sacrifice!}  13... Ngf6  { Carlsen wisely declines the sacrifice.}  ( 13... Bxh4  { Accepting the sacrifice looks very dangerous for Black.}  14. O-O-O  { Black now has to figure out how to get his King to safety before White blasts through  (  with suitable preparation  )  with ideas like f5.}  14... Bxg3  { Best to get rid of the Bishop that is hampering Black's Queen mobility and remaining Knight development.}  ( 14... Bf6  { Keeping the Bishop, hoping to use it for defending g7. Also there is a threat of taking on e5.}  15. Qe2  { Getting out of the way of the pin on the d4 Pawn and maintaining pressure. White clearly has compensation for the sacrificed Pawn. A natural progression will have Black managing to castle Queen side but White attempting to regain the Pawn on the King side while retaining a positional advantage. The problem for Black is that he cannot castle as long as f7 is undefended from White's strong Knight on e5. So the Knight must be exchanged off, but that leaves the f7 square vulnerable again because of the half-open f file. So Black has nothing to look forward to in this position.}  ) 15. Qxg3  { But now Black's dark squares are weak. It may be that the position is defensible for Black, but it is clearly unpleasant: Black's King may never get to castle in the rest of the game!}  ) 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Ne4  { Trying to make way for an attack starting with g4. But it means allowing a trade of pieces, which benefits the side under attack  (  Black  )  .}  15... Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Nxe5  { Continuing to simplify.}  17. fxe5  { Now Black must do something about White's plan to attack on the King side.}  17... Qd5  { Attacking the a2 Pawn.}  18. Qxd5  { Very surprising to me. Anand allows the Queen trade! This is tantamount to accepting a draw.}  ( 18. Qb1 $2  { Protecting the a2 Pawn is possible but terrible.}  18... c5  { The thematic counterattack against White's center. In this case, White's King is also vulnerable. White stands poorly.}  ) ( 18. Qg4  { White could have avoided the trade of Queens and attempted to keep the game alive.}  18... Kh7 19. Kb1  { White retains attacking chances against Black's King, although Black can also attack on the other flank very soon with c5, etc.}  ) 18... cxd5  { White's position may look better, but there should be no way either side can make progress. White has the half open f file, but Black has the half open c file. White has more space, but not enough pieces to force a break. If both sides had an extra Knight, there would be more chances.}  19. h5 b5  { Starting the thematic "minority attack" against White's c3 Pawn.}  20. Rh3 a5 21. Rf1 Rac8  { Eventually Black will continue with b4, but is not in any rush.}  22. Rg3  { Seeing nothing, Anand forces a draw by repetition rather than allow the minority attack to begin against c3, which would tie White down for a draw anyway.}  22... Kh7 23. Rgf3 Kg8 24. Rg3 Kh7 25. Rgf3 Kg8  1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[ECO "A07"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]

1. Nf3  { The Reti again, as in round 1. I wonder how many more times Carlsen will try the Reti.}  1... d5 2. g3 g6 3. c4  { Finally, a more unbalanced continuation.}  3... dxc4  { Ambitious, immediately creating an asymmetric Pawn structure.}  ( 3... c6  { Anand could have continued in Slav style, in which case I'm not sure what Carlsen was planning. It is possible that eventually he was going to play the unbalancing d3 instead of the sterile d4 of the first round.}  4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 O-O  { My prediction for how the game would have gone.}  ) 4. Qa4+  { Deciding to ensure regaining the Pawn eventually with the Queen.}  ( 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Qa4 e5  { Would have transposed.}  ) ( 4. Na3  { Possible, but the Knight is not particularly well-placed at a3 or even c4.}  ) 4... Nc6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. Nc3 e5  { Ambitious, transposing into a reversed Dragon.}  7. Qxc4  { White has regained the Pawn, resulting in a reversed Dragon position, but at the cost of moving the Queen around. I would consider that White's opening has already failed. Black has even saved a tempo compared to analogous positions in which the Knight goes to d5 and then retreats back to e7. The position is one of dynamic equality, but nothing for White to be excited by. I would rather be Black.}  7... Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 h6 $201 10. Bd2 Nd4 $5  { A surprise to me. I do not think this is good. This is thematic in some positions in this opening structure, but given that Black still has to complete development and has more space and therefore exchanges favor White, I would have waited.}  ( 10... Be6  { Perfectly natural and what I would have played, continuing development.}  ) 11. Nxd4  { White cannot afford to leave Black's Knight on its powerful outpost.}  11... exd4 12. Ne4  { Black now may have a thorn in White's center, but the half-open c file is somewhat loose, and the c5 square still belongs to White. White has a good Knight on e4 and White's Bishop on g2 has also been unleashed by this trade.}  12... c6  { Blocking up the a8 to h1 diagonal against White's light-squared Bishop.}  ( 12... Be6 $2  { Looks natural, developing the Bishop, but now it is a losing move, because of White's double threats against h6 and b7.}  13. Qc1  { Wins.}  ) 13. Bb4  { Immediately aiming at Black's weak dark squares and temporarily pinning Black's Knight.}  13... Be6 14. Qc1  { White cannot be happy about having moved the Queen three times just to reach this square.}  14... Bd5 $201  { To neutralize White's light-squared Bishop and pre-empt a White Nc5. White's position is rather unpromising. Black is the one with a grip on the center and a clear plan to expand on the Queen side with the b and c Pawns.}  15. a4  { White badly needs counterplay on the Queen side before Black takes it over himself.}  15... b6  { Planning to play c5 reaching a Maroczy Bind Pawn structure and shutting out White's dark-squared Bishop.}  ( 15... a5  { Immediately killing White's Queen side counterplay was possible. It does loosen up some Queen side squares, especially if Black continues with a Maroczy b6, c5 plan, but in these types of positions it can be worthwhile to squash White's a5 ideas that leads to White counterplay on the a file. The main drawback is that weakening b5 means that the plan of b5, c5, c4 then becomes impossible because of lack of connected Pawn support on b5. On the other hand, locking up the Queen side for good can sometimes allow Black to advance on the King side with f5 and so forth. Anand must have decided that preserving the b5, c5, c4 plan was best.}  ) 16. Bxe7  { Getting rid of the Bishop before it gets shut out.}  16... Qxe7 17. a5 Rab8  { Ceding the a file to White, but preventing simplification. Black wants to use the other Rook to support the thematic Pawn advances on the Queen side.}  18. Re1  { The e2 Pawn needed to be protected in case the Knight on e4 is driven away. Also, White wants to prepare for a thematic e3 eventually to challenge Black's center.}  18... Rfc8 ( 18... c5 $2  { Leaves the d5 Bishop unprotected to a tactic.}  19. axb6 axb6 20. Nf6+ ) 19. axb6 axb6 20. Qf4 Rd8  { Preventing an invasion on d6 while protecting d5.}  21. h4  { Preventing g5 by Black, which would drive White back for good and establish a bind on the King side while preparing the Queen side attack.}  21... Kh7  { Protecting the h6 Pawn to free up the Bishop on g7 to go to e5 to drive Black's Queen back.}  22. Nd2  { Trying to simplify but at a cost.}  22... Be5 23. Qg4 h5  { A committal choice, ceding the g5 square to White's Knight, but with the point of driving White back.}  24. Qh3 Be6 25. Qh1  { Wow, what a place for White's most powerful piece!}  25... c5 $201  { Maroczy Bind Pawn structure achieved. Now Black's plan is obvious: push b5, c4, aim to create a passed Pawn on c3. White's position is looking bad. All he has to go on is Black's weak g5 square, the White diagonal control, and a possible break on the e file. Is this enough for counterplay for a draw?}  26. Ne4 Kg7 27. Ng5  { Aiming to eventually simplify further, removing Black's Bishop pair advantage and reaching a position with opposite-colored Bishops.}  27... b5  { c4 is coming.}  28. e3 $5  { White goes wild, trying to neutralize Black's plan to create connected passed Pawns, even at the cost of losing a Pawn. The alternative was to wait and possibly get squeezed to death. It's a question of whether it was possible to wait patiently and defend. Carlsen clearly felt uncomfortable with that prospect.}  28... dxe3 29. Rxe3 Bd4 ( 29... Bxb2  { Why did Anand not just take the Pawn? Let's look at what happens with White counterplay on e6.}  30. Rae1 Rb6 31. Bd5 Bd4 32. Rxe6 ( 32. R3e2 $2 Qf6  { Black gets out of the pin successfully, keeps the extra Pawn, and wins.}  ) 32... fxe6 33. Rxe6 Qf8  { White is an exchange down. Can he hold the draw? I don't know. Apparently Anand did not know either.}  ) 30. Re2 c4 31. Nxe6+ fxe6 $201 32. Be4  { Trying to activate the Bishop, and then the Queen from h1.}  ( 32. dxc4  { Opens the b file for Black against the b2 Pawn.}  32... bxc4  { Maybe White can hold, but it does not look fun.}  ) 32... cxd3 33. Rd2 ( 33. Bxd3 $2  { Opening the way for Black's Rook while also losing a Pawn is terrible.}  33... Bxf2+ 34. Rxf2 Rxd3 ) 33... Qb4 $6  { Going for the b2 Pawn. At this point, with so many possible open lines, I no longer trusted my judgment and finally used the computer for analysis. Computer thinks Black's advantage is no longer so great, presumably because Black's King is exposed.}  ( 33... Rf8  { Computer went for White's f2 Pawn. Still not clearly a win.}  ) 34. Rad1 Bxb2 $201  { And Black has won a Pawn.}  35. Qf3  { Finally reactivating the Queen. White will regain one of the two lost Pawns, by taking on d3, then try to get a Rook to d7 against Black's exposed King.}  35... Bf6 36. Rxd3 Rxd3 37. Rxd3 Rd8 $2  { Conceding simplification and a draw.}  ( 37... Bd4  { Creating a dark-squared outpost and blockade  (  follow up with e5  )  would have retained at least some winning chances.}  ) 38. Rxd8 Bxd8 $201 39. Bd3  { Threatening Qb7+ to regain the Pawn on b5. The game is now clearly a draw. Anand must been disappointed to see that.}  39... Qd4 40. Bxb5 Qf6 41. Qb7+ Be7 42. Kg2 g5 43. hxg5 Qxg5 44. Bc4 h4 45. Qc7 hxg3 46. Qxg3 e5 47. Kf3 Qxg3+ 48. fxg3 Bc5 49. Ke4 Bd4 50. Kf5 Bf2 51. Kxe5 Bxg3+  1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[ECO "C67"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6  { Ah, the Berlin Defense, made infamous in the 2000 Kasparov-Kramnik match in which Kramnik revived the opening as a drawing weapon for Black.}  4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8  { For those not familiar with this opening: Black accepts doubled Pawns, less space, an uncastled King, and a delay in development, all in return for the Bishop pair and Queen trade, challenging White to break through. Since Anand is known to play well with the Knight pair, I expect interesting maneuvering.}  9. h3 Bd7  { Beginning a currently popular plan of maneuvering the King to c8 and to b7  (  after b6  )  , while avoiding the light Bishop being a target, by being prepared to defend f7 with Be8 if necessary. Then Black will expand with c5 and then continue development. A very slow plan, but one that has been used effectively by many.}  10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nc3 Kc8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rd2 c5  { Thematically trying to expand on the Queen side and free up the c6 square for a piece.}  15. Rad1 Be6  { A critical moment. White has finished developing, but how next to proceed? The thematic thing to do is to get the Pawns rolling with f4, g4, f5 eventually, while holding off Black's counterplay, which could come in the form of moves like g5, or even h5, h4, Rh5  (  as has happened in some classic Berlin Defense games  )  .}  ( 15... Bc6 $2 16. e6 fxe6  { Looks reasonable, but weakens the e6 square.}  17. Ne5  { A nice clearance sacrifice.}  ) 16. Ne1 $6  { The fundamental problem with a Knight in chess is that sometimes you have to go backwards in order to redeploy, but this temporarily takes time as well as cedes control of the squares the Knight formerly protected, for example the e5 Pawn. Anand wants to prepare f4 and/or move the Knight to d3, but this seems like a bad plan.}  16... Ng6  { Immediately taking advantage of the absence of White's Knight, attacking the e5 Pawn.}  ( 16... b6 17. f4 $2  { White's position looks really good, actually. Black's temporarily extra e6 Pawn is completely unprotected and White's Knight on e5 is a fantastic piece, and the other will come around to e2 and f4.}  ( 17. Nd3 $2 g5  { Black suddenly springs to life with a fantastic position. White must not get complacent in the Berlin Defense!}  ) 17... g5  { Black could play thematically to hurry up with getting the Queen Rook into action. To be honest, I cannot tell what Anand planned here, because it already looks like Black has an advantage. I do not see a good plan for White.}  18. fxg5 hxg5  { The thematic g5 thorn gives Black an advantage.}  19. Nf3 g4 20. hxg4 Bxg4 ) 17. Nd3  { Continuing with a plan to get in f4 no matter what.}  17... b6  { Black has a rock-solid position.}  18. Ne2 $6  { A surprise. Another backwards Knight maneuver, to support either f4 or a Knight to f4. But doesn't it just leave the a2 Pawn hanging? This is a provocative sacrifice.}  ( 18. f4 c4  { Black is clearly better, having isolated White's e5 Pawn and activated the Bishop.}  19. Nb4  { The natural followup, but White just loses the f4 Pawn.}  19... Nxf4 ) 18... Bxa2  { Carlsen goes for the big win! A move like this is either terrible or great. Is the Bishop trapped?}  ( 18... Kb7 19. f4  { White has nothing.}  ) 19. b3 c4 20. Ndc1 cxb3 21. cxb3 Bb1  { No, the Bishop is not trapped. How much compensation does White have for the sacrificed Pawn?}  22. f4  { Anand's point is to gain time in order to advance thematically with the King side Pawn majority. Is it fast enough?}  22... Kb7 23. Nc3 Bf5 24. g4 Bc8 25. Nd3  { The position Anand clearly aimed for with the sacrifice. Black's Rooks and Bishop look completely undeveloped. There is a threat of driving Black's Knight out of action with f5, followed eventually by Nf4 opening the way for the doubled Rooks.}  25... h5  { Black must immediately seek counterplay before getting squeezed to death.}  26. f5 Ne7  { White has played forcing moves, but now looks possibly overextended. The King side is barely defended.}  27. Nb5  { Trying to go for the c7 Pawn.}  ( 27. Nf4 $4  { Loses because of the unprotected g4 Pawn as well as the f4 Knight.}  27... hxg4 28. hxg4 Rh4  { Threatening both to take on g4 as well as take on f5.}  ) 27... hxg4 28. hxg4 Rh4 ( 28... a6 $1  { If Black plays safe, then Anand would presumably have gone for f4 anyway.}  29. Nd4 a5  { Kicking the Knight immediately looks good.}  ) 29. Nf2  { A backwards defensive move, but required. Can Black consolidate in time before White works up threats?}  29... Nc6 30. Rc2  { By now, the game has gotten really complicated, and so much of my analysis from here on is simply computer-aided. The computer knows the truth. Fire it up yourself.}  30... a5  { Ready to activate the other Rook, and also use the Queen side Pawn majority.}  ( 30... g6 ) 31. Rc4  { Stopping a4.}  31... g6  { Trying to reactivate the Bishop.}  32. Rdc1 Bd7 33. e6 fxe6 34. fxe6 Be8  { Black has conceded a passed Pawn for White on e6, but still hangs on to the extra Pawn. How can White continue the attack?}  35. Ne4  { Wow, sacrificing a second Pawn in return for Knight activity! I totally did not see this possibility myself. Anand did and computer did.}  35... Rxg4+ 36. Kf2 Rf4+ $2  { Computer says this was a bad move.}  ( 36... Rd8  { Cleverly gaining a tempo with two Pawn moves in a row. a4 is coming, after which both of Black's Rooks will be active. White looks lost to me.}  37. Ke3  { The computer move, avoiding giving White time to work up c file threats.}  ) 37. Ke3 Rf8  { Giving back a Pawn.}  ( 37... g5  { Computer move.}  38. Nxg5 $4  { With all kinds of complications.}  38... Rf5  { Computer move, wild-looking.}  ) 38. Nd4  { Regaining one of the sacrificed Pawns.}  38... Nxd4 ( 38... Nb4 39. Rxc7+  { Wins a piece.}  39... Ka6  { The computer move concedes a draw.}  ) 39. Rxc7+ Ka6 40. Kxd4  { White has very active pieces, including the King, but is this good enough to win or draw?}  40... Rd8+ 41. Kc3 $5  { Not at all the move I would think of playing, since it encourages Black's Rook to become active. But Anand is playing for a win, clearly. If the King can escape to Queen side safety to avoid checks, then there is a possibility of White maneuvering to try to Queen the e6 Pawn.}  ( 41. Ke3  { Natural, preventing Black from invading with the Rook on f8. Computer says equal.}  ) ( 41. Ke5 $4 Rf5# ) 41... Rf3+ 42. Kb2 Re3  { Bailing out to a draw, through threatening the e6 Pawn and preventing Queening.}  43. Rc8  { Forced.}  ( 43. Ng5 Bb5  { Computer shows that Black can use the Rook and Knight for counterplay for a draw.}  ) 43... Rdd3  { Keeping both Rooks on the board, still hoping for a win but it looks like a draw already once the Bishop and Knight are off.}  ( 43... Rxc8  { Black could have safely simplified to a position that is at least drawn, with a Pawn up.}  44. Rxc8 Rxe4 45. Rxe8  { Clearly a draw.}  ) 44. Ra8+  { Strange choice, this move that just makes Black's King more active. Perhaps sets more traps?}  ( 44. Rxe8 Rxe4  { Similar.}  ) 44... Kb7 45. Rxe8 Rxe4 46. e7  { Looks like a draw. White can make no progress, but Black's King is cut off. Even if Black advances the g Pawn, at some point White will overload Black's Rooks and win the g Pawn at the expense of his own e Pawn, with a draw.}  46... Rg3  { Lending support to the g6 Pawn for advancing.}  47. Rc3  { Trying to exchange Rooks to bail out into a draw.}  47... Re2+ 48. Rc2 Ree3 49. Ka2 g5  { Advancing. White must pick off the g Pawn.}  ( 49... Rxb3 $4 50. Rb8+ Kxb8 51. e8=Q+ ) 50. Rd2  { Threatening Rd7+ followed by Red8 and then Queening the Pawn.}  50... Re5 51. Rd7+ Kc6 52. Red8 Rge3 53. Rd6+ Kb7  { Aiming to hide the King at a6.}  ( 53... Kb5  { Allows White to simplify and draw immediately.}  54. Rd5+ Rxd5 55. Rxd5+ Kc6 ) 54. R8d7+ Ka6 55. Rd5  { Threatening to simplify to a draw with e8=Q to get the g5 Pawn in return.}  55... Re2+ 56. Ka3 Re6  { Setting a trap.}  57. Rd8 ( 57. Rxg5 $4  { Leads to White's King being trapped.}  57... b5 ) 57... g4 58. Rg5  { White will get the g Pawn after all, because Black's Rooks are overloaded protecting the g Pawn and preventing e8.}  58... Rxe7 59. Ra8+ ( 59. Rxg4 ) 59... Kb7 60. Rag8  { Ganging up on the g Pawn.}  60... a4  { A last attempt to confuse Anand.}  61. Rxg4  { Simply chop off the g Pawn.}  61... axb3 62. R8g7  { Forcing a trade of Rooks for a draw.}  ( 62. Kxb3  { Fine also, but why bother?}  ) 62... Ka6 63. Rxe7 Rxe7 64. Kxb3  { Black can make no progress, so it is a draw.}   1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[ECO "D31"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]

1. c4  { I kind of expected this from Carlsen. He prevents an immediate d5 by Anand.}  1... e6  { Finally, Anand deviates from g6 openings as Black.}  2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6  { The Triangle System, a move order that could reach the Meran Semi-Slav.}  4. e4  { The Marshall Gambit, very unusual coming from Carlsen.}  4... dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3  { Carlsen characteristically chooses a solid continuation rather than the gambit.}  ( 6. Bd2  { The actual Marshall Gambit, for which Anand was surely prepared for.}  6... Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+ ) 6... c5 7. a3 Ba5 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Be3  { Overprotecting the d4 Pawn to free up the Queen.}  9... Nc6  { Continuing pressure against White's d4 Pawn, preventing Qc2 or Bd3.}  ( 9... O-O 10. Qc2 ) ( 9... Ne4  { Attempts at simplification always need to be examined.}  10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. bxc3 cxd4 12. Bxd4  { An interesting position that looks even to me: White has a lead in development and center control, and Black's King side is naked, but White has those double isolated c Pawns.}  ) 10. Qd3  { Interesting, preventing Ne4, and protecting the Knight on c3 with the Queen to avoid doubled Pawns in case of a trade.}  ( 10. Be2  { Normal development was possible. It looks to lead to an even game.}  10... Ne4 11. Rc1 Nxc3 12. bxc3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15. Bxd4 O-O ) 10... cxd4 11. Nxd4 Ng4  { Hmm, moving the same piece twice in the opening at the expense of development is always risky. Obviously, White must be "punished" by having the Bishop on e3 removed, but there was I think a less risky way to do that.}  ( 11... Ne5  { Active Knight play in the center while driving away White's Queen looks most natural, and also avoids a possible isolated c Pawn.}  12. Qd2 ( 12. Qc2 $2 Nfg4  { Black is clearly better.}  ) 12... Ne4 13. Qc2 Nxc3 14. b4 Bc7 15. Qxc3 Ng4  { An interesting position with chances for both sides, as White will have compensation for losing the Bishop pair.}  ) 12. O-O-O  { Trying to develop very quickly.}  12... Nxe3 13. fxe3  { OK, Black has the Bishop pair and has given White an isolated e Pawn, but is behind in development and has to worry about the half-open d and f files.}  13... Bc7 $2  { This move makes little sense to me. Black is behind in development and must catch up and free his light Bishop as quickly as possible.}  ( 13... O-O  { How about a natural move like castling?}  14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxd8 Bxd8  { Similar to the game continuation, but with Black's King not covering d6 and d7 squares.}  ) 14. Nxc6  { A choice that could be expected of Carlsen. By removing the Queens, Carlsen maintains long-term positional pressure. I am reminded of Kramnik games in which White pressed against Black's isolated c6 Pawn.}  14... bxc6 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 16. Be2  { Planning Bf3 attacking Black's unprotected c6 Pawn.}  16... Ke7 $2  { Trying to keep control over d6 and d7, but too slow and passive.}  ( 16... O-O 17. Bf3 Bb7 ) ( 16... Bb6  { Black really needed to cover the c5 square.}  17. Rd3 Ba6  { Developing with tempo against the c4 Pawn.}  18. b3 Ke7  { Black looks fine now, having played actively to finish development and neutralize White's d file plans.}  19. Rhd1 Rad8 20. Bf3 Rxd3 21. Rxd3 Bc5  { After all the simplification, Black has sufficient play against White's own weak Pawns.}  22. Kb2 Rd8 ) 17. Bf3 Bd7 18. Ne4  { Aiming at Black's weak c5 square. White has a solid squeeze now.}  18... Bb6  { With a tactical idea to prevent White from Nc5.}  19. c5  { Threatening to lock up Black's bad light Bishop for a long time.}  19... f5  { Lashing out to prevent being squeezed.}  ( 19... Bc7  { Obviously, if this position were any good, Black would not have played Bb6 in the first place.}  ) 20. cxb6 fxe4 21. b7  { A nice touch to keep Black's c6 Pawn isolated.}  21... Rab8 22. Bxe4 Rxb7  { White clearly has a more pleasant position. Black has a bad Bishop and a weak isolated c Pawn  (  and on a light square attacked by White's Bishop  )  . White has control over the half-open d and f files. In a position like this, Black must get active counterplay quickly or else start getting overwhelmed with threats.}  23. Rhf1  { With ideas of doubling Rooks on the f file and going for the f7 square and Black's King side in general. Right now, Black's King Rook is tied down by defense of the h7 Pawn.}  23... Rb5  { Trying to make the Rook active.}  ( 23... e5  { Activating the light Bishop and taking control of d4 and f4 may look loosening because the e5 Pawn is undefended, but what can White really do? Once Black plays Be6 to cover the light squares, it looks like White has little.}  ) 24. Rf4 $2 g5  { The drawback of this attempt at counterplay, if it fails, is that it potentially weakens the entire King side, from f6 to the h7 Pawn.}  ( 24... e5  { Attacking the Rook with tempo looks fine.}  ) 25. Rf3 h5 $6  { Now the King side is truly weakened.}  26. Rdf1 Be8  { Protecting f7. Note how passive the Bishop is here compared to where it could have gone  (  e6  )  if e5 had been played earlier.}  27. Bc2  { Preparing for an eventual e4 to grab some center control.}  27... Rc5  { An attempt to actually attack White with Bg6.}  28. Rf6  { Stopping Bg6.}  28... h4 29. e4  { An important move, seizing some more space in the center and preparing to start maneuvering the King and other Rook into action.}  29... a5 30. Kd2 Rb5  { Trying to keep White tied up to the defense of the b Pawn.}  31. b3 $5  { Playing for the win. Moves like this critically change the nature of a position and have to be thought out carefully, because now Black has a potential target on b3. If Black can successfully attack b3, White might have to retreat to defend.}  31... Bh5 ( 31... g4  { This is the computer move looking to swing the Rook over to g5 to enable Bg6 and pushing of the g Pawn to g3. What did Carlsen plan to do after this?}  ) 32. Kc3  { The King is an active piece.}  32... Rc5+ 33. Kb2 Rd8 $6  { Abandoning the King side looks horribly risky and makes no sense unless one is sure that there will be enough play to compensate for the potential destruction of the King side. But it looks like Anand is playing for a win.}  ( 33... g4  { Again, the active computer move seems to solve Black's problems.}  ) 34. R1f2 Rd4 35. Rh6  { Here we go with the King side invasion.}  35... Bd1  { Anand is going all out hoping counterplay against White's Queen side will be enough.}  36. Bb1 Rb5 37. Kc3 c5 38. Rb2 e5  { Black has finally managed to prepare a4.}  39. Rg6 a4 $6  { Sacrificing the g Pawn and leaving the h Pawn undefended is risky.}  ( 39... g4  { Computer says Black is OK.}  40. Rh6 a4  { Black looks great. The thing is that although Black will lose his h Pawn, the g Pawn is protected, and meanwhile, Black is breaking through on the Queen side.}  ) 40. Rxg5 ( 40. bxa4  { Computer move.}  ) 40... Rxb3+  { Black has achieved the objective of winning White's b3 Pawn. Next up is White's dark-squared a3 Pawn.}  41. Rxb3 Bxb3 42. Rxe5+ Kd6 43. Rh5  { Black has lost a Pawn and will lose another. The only hope is to get to White's a3 Pawn.}  43... Rd1 44. e5+ Kd5 45. Bh7 ( 45. Bg6  { Similar.}  45... Ra1  { Draw. Neither side can make progress after Black wins the a3 Pawn.}  46. Bf7+ Kc6 ) 45... Rc1+ $4  { A horrible blunder, a terrible shame.}  ( 45... Ra1 46. Bg8+  { Compared to the game continuation, this does not win.}  46... Kc6 47. Bxb3 Rxa3 48. Rxh4 Rxb3+ 49. Kc2 Rb4 ) 46. Kb2 Rg1  { The g Pawn doesn't matter. The a Pawn mattered.}  47. Bg8+ Kc6 48. Rh6+ Kd7 49. Bxb3 axb3 50. Kxb3 Rxg2 51. Rxh4 Ke6 52. a4  { Game over. White has passed a and h Pawns, far apart so that Black's King cannot cover both of them as they attempt to Queen.}  52... Kxe5 53. a5 Kd6 54. Rh7 Kd5 55. a6 c4+ 56. Kc3 Ra2 57. a7 Kc5 58. h4  { White will simply march the h Pawn to h7 eventually and Queen either the a Pawn or the h Pawn.}   1-0

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[ECO "C65"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6  { Carlsen is confident about using the Berlin Defense again.}  4. d3  { Anand chooses to avoid going into the Berlin endgame that he had trouble with in round 4. He chooses to fight in the middlegame instead. Note that White gets no opening advantage with this quiet continuation, so Anand is signaling that he wants to demonstrate that he is better than Carlsen in a complex middlegame, the way Carlsen earlier played innocuous openings as White in order to avoid special preparation.}  4... Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Re1 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 d6 10. Bg5 ( 10. Nbd2  { Delaying Bishop development and starting the Knight for f1, and then e3 or g3, is also possible.}  ) 10... Be6 $5  { A surprise to me, and provocative because it allows White to capture.}  11. Nbd2 $6  { Hmm, refusing to take on e6 seems to justify Black's Be6. Anand must have believed that his next move gave him better chances to play for a win, but I do not understand why.}  ( 11. Bxe6  { Giving Black the doubled e Pawns and blocking up Black's Rook on e8 looks most challenging.}  11... fxe6 ( 11... Rxe6 $2 12. d4 ) 12. d4  { Gaining space in the center looks like it gives White a clear advantage, so it confuses me that Anand did not choose it.}  ) 11... h6 12. Bh4  { A fairly thematic Closed Ruy Lopez middlegame has arisen that can be considered equal. Now the question is, who is better at maneuvering to create winning chances?}  12... Bxb3 13. axb3 $5  { Provocative. White accepts a long-term positional weakness of doubled b Pawns for hope of play on the half-open a file. White also has ideas of advancing to b4 to trying to create a bind on Black's Queen side.}  ( 13. Nxb3  { Natural, safe, but completely boring.}  ) 13... Nb8  { The beginning of a Breyer-style defensive redeployment of the Knight to d7 and freeing up the c Pawn for a possible advance to c5 to begin Queen side play.}  14. h3  { Preparing a King side attack.}  ( 14. b4  { Aiming at Queen side play looks completely natural and good, but Anand must have thought there were no immediate prospects there.}  ) 14... Nbd7 15. Nh2  { Apparently aiming to maneuver the Knight on g4. Anand seems to like to maneuver Knights, although this backfired badly in round 4 when he moved his Knights aimlessly in the Berlin ending.}  15... Qe7  { With the idea of breaking the pin and activating the Queen by moving to e6, covering the d5 and f5 squares.}  16. Ndf1  { More Knight maneuvering by Anand. This Knight wants to go to e3 and then f5 or d5.}  16... Bb6  { Making way for a c5 Pawn advance that would clamp down on White's b4 and d4 squares.}  17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5  { Neutralizing any plans White may have had to double up pressure on the half-open a file. Black looks completely fine now.}  19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 Bb6 21. Bxf6  { Getting rid of his own Bishop that was otherwise locked in.}  21... Nxf6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6  { After all this simplification, it looks like Black is fully equal.}  23. Qg4  { Hoping to invade on d7, and forcing Black to remove White's powerful Knight on e3.}  23... Bxe3  { Removing White's potentially dangerous Knight.}  24. fxe3  { So White has voluntarily accepted doubled e Pawns, but for what? In this simplified position, things are not looking promising for Anand. White has a much looser Pawn structure, with the Pawn on d3 being a target, and the the doubled e Pawns are a long-term liability. Black can work toward c5 and c4 prying at White's d3 Pawn. Meanwhile, there is nothing White can really do to make use of the half-open f file. Anand has misplayed the middlegame up to this point. Carlsen has a dream weakness-free position.}  24... Qe7  { Preventing Qd7, and adding to pressure against White's e4 Pawn to prevent White from playing d4.}  25. Rf1 c5  { Black gets rolling on the Queen side. White cannot stop c4. White's position is beginning to look worse and worse.}  26. Kh2 c4 27. d4  { White has now weakened his e4 Pawn.}  27... Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Qb7  { Now threatening to win White's e4 Pawn.}  ( 28... exd4 $2  { Trying to win the e4 Pawn immediately is premature.}  29. exd4 Qxe4 30. Qxe4 Rxe4 31. Ra8+ Kh7 32. Rb8  { And White will regain the Pawn with a draw.}  ) 29. Rd1 $6  { Mysterious to me. Was Anand trying to preserve winning chances but in a clearly worse position?}  ( 29. d5  { Locking up the center at the expense of exposing the e3 Pawn seemed very safe if the goal is to secure a draw.}  ) 29... Qc6  { Protecting the d6 Pawn.}  30. Qf5 $6  { Consistent with the aggressive hope of using the d file with the Rook, but risky.}  30... exd4 31. Rxd4  { Forced. Now the game is getting open. White is hoping to get in Rd5.}  31... Re5 32. Qf3 Qc7  { Now how can either side make progress? Black's weakest points, the b5 and d6 Pawns, are protected, and White's e4 and e3 Pawns are protected.}  33. Kh1 Qe7 34. Qg4 Kh7 35. Qf4 g6  { Nice. Black continues to improve his position, planning to move the King to g7 to protect the f7 Pawn. Also, there are possible ideas of advancing with h5.}  36. Kh2 Kg7 37. Qf3 Re6  { The position looks like a draw to me. How can either side make progress?}  38. Qg3 $2  { This move makes no sense whatsoever!! White just drops a Pawn, making a draw just trickier even if technically the simplification should lead to a draw.}  38... Rxe4 39. Qxd6 Rxe3 40. Qxe7 Rxe7 41. Rd5 Rb7  { The game looks like it should be a draw even though White is down a Pawn.}  42. Rd6 f6  { To start activating the King.}  43. h4 Kf7 44. h5 $5  { Sacrificing another Pawn. An interesting attempt to create a clear draw.}  44... gxh5 45. Rd5 Kg6 46. Kg3 Rb6 47. Rc5 f5 48. Kh4 Re6  { Whoa, Carlsen plays for the win, abandoning the Queen side and going for the kill on the King side.}  49. Rxb5 Re4+ 50. Kh3 $2  { It turns out this is poor, because the King gets stuck on the side of the board, but at this point in the game, I am relying on computer analysis to tell me this retroactively. I certainly did not see the concrete dangers that follow in the actual game.}  ( 50. Kg3  { Keeps the King active so that it may go to f3 or f2 if needed.}  ) 50... Kg5 51. Rb8 h4 52. Rg8+ Kh5  { And White's King is looking unhappy.}  53. Rf8 Rf4 54. Rc8 Rg4 55. Rf8 Rg3+ 56. Kh2 Kg5 57. Rg8+ Kf4 58. Rc8 Ke3 59. Rxc4  { White has connected b and c Pawns, but Black is already closing in on the King side.}  59... f4 60. Ra4 $4  { The losing blunder.}  ( 60. b4  { White draws by immediately trying to Queen the b Pawn.}  60... h3  { Let's see what happens if Black tries the same idea as in the actual game.}  61. gxh3 Rg6 62. Rc8 f3 63. Re8+ Kf2 64. b5 Rg2+ 65. Kh1 Rg1+ 66. Kh2 Re1 67. Rxe1  { White can afford to trade Rooks because his b Pawn will Queen just in time to hold the Queen and Pawn ending!!}  67... Kxe1 68. b6 f2 69. b7 f1=Q 70. b8=Q ) 60... h3 $1  { A beautiful deflecting and clearance sacrifice to keep White's King trapped while making way for the f Pawn to advance. Again, I have to confess that I had to turn on the chess engine to find the forced continuations that allow Black to Queen the f Pawn.}  61. gxh3 Rg6 62. c4  { Trying to check from the side.}  ( 62. Ra8  { White can try to check from behind instead of from the side, but this also does not work.}  62... f3 63. Re8+ ( 63. b4 Rg2+ 64. Kh1 Re2 65. Re8+ ( 65. b5 Re1+ 66. Kh2 f2  { Black Queens.}  ) 65... Kf2 66. Ra8 Re1+ 67. Kh2 Ke3 68. Re8+ Kd2 69. Rd8+ Ke2 70. Re8+ Kf1  { Triangulation.}  ) 63... Kf2 64. Rf8 ( 64. b4 Rg2+ 65. Kh1 Rg1+ 66. Kh2 Re1 67. Ra8 Ke3 68. Re8+ Kd2 69. Rd8+ Ke2 70. Re8+ Kf1 $201 71. Ra8 f2 72. Rf8 Ke2 73. Re8+ Kd3 74. Rd8+ Kxc3 75. Rc8+ Kb3  { No more checks for White.}  ) ( 64. Re7 Rg2+ 65. Kh1  { And Black will eventually get the King out of the way to Queen.}  65... Rg1+ 66. Kh2 Re1 67. Rh7 Ke2 68. Re7+  { And Black's King will go to e3 or e2, and to d2 if needed.}  68... Kf1 ) 64... Rg2+ 65. Kh1  { And Black will Queen shortly, after moving the King out of the way.}  65... Kg3 66. b4 ( 66. Rg8+  { Black will Queen shortly, after moving the King out of the way of the f Pawn.}  66... Kxh3 67. Rh8 Kg3 68. Rg8+ Kf2 69. Rh8 Kf1 ) 66... f2  { Mate coming.}  ) ( 62. b4  { Pushing the b Pawn is too late.}  62... f3 63. Ra8 ( 63. b5 f2 64. Ra1 Ke2 65. Ra2+ Kf3  { Oops, no more checks for White because of his own c3 Pawn!}  ) ( 63. c4  { Transposes to the game continuation.}  ) 63... Rg2+ 64. Kh1 Re2 65. b5 Re1+ 66. Kh2 f2 ) 62... f3 63. Ra3+ Ke2 64. b4 f2 65. Ra2+ Kf3 66. Ra3+ Kf4  { No more checks from the side!}  67. Ra8 ( 67. Ra1 Re6 ) 67... Rg1  { And Black will Queen, because White's Rook checks from behind will run out. Amazing how White's own b and c Pawns got in the way.}   0-1

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Robot 4"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[ECO "C65"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6  { Carlsen has no fear of using the Berlin Defense again as in round 4 and round 6.}  4. d3  { Anand goes for a quiet anti-Berlin again.}  4... Bc5 5. Bxc6  { A delayed Exchange Variation. Anand has given up the Bishop pair early in the opening before, as in his world championship match against Gelfand, in which he used the Rossolimo Variation against the Sicilian, with very similar positional ideas.}  5... dxc6 6. Nbd2  { As in round 4 and round 6, Anand embarks on a Knight maneuver. This Knight can go to b3, or c4 or f1, then e3 or g3, and then possibly to f5.}  6... Bg4  { Carlsen plays to simplify by quick, active development, preparing to trade the Bishop for White's f3 Knight. Also, the plan is to castle Queen side to avoid a White attack on the King side.}  7. h3 Bh5 8. Nf1 ( 8. Nc4  { Looks more active.}  8... Nd7  { Black is fine.}  ) 8... Nd7  { And only now after getting the Bishop out does Carlsen play the thematic defensive move protecting e5.}  9. Ng3 Bxf3  { Carlsen basically committed to this trade by playing Bg4 in the first place.}  ( 9... Bg6  { Possible, but the light Bishop is not very active on this square.}  ) 10. Qxf3 g6  { Preventing Nf5 ideas and also making it perhaps risky for White to castle King side.}  11. Be3  { A little surprising to me because shouldn't Anand avoid simplification to play for a win?}  11... Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O  { The position looks drawish. Black is slightly loose on the King side and does have the doubled c Pawns, but there has been much simplification.}  13. Ne2  { Making way for a possible g4.}  13... Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6 15. h4  { Trying for play on the King side.}  ( 15. g4  { The move I expected was to try to get a bind on f5 and h5 before advancing with h4.}  ) 15... Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3  { Simplifying further.}  17. Qxe3  { A surprise to me, basically conceding a quick draw, I think.}  ( 17. fxe3  { I had expected this recapture to try to put pressure on the half-open f file.}  ) 17... Nc5  { Now it is Black's turn with the Knight maneuver, planning to go to e6 and then probably d4.}  18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3  { Aiming for an f4 advance prying at Black's e5 Pawn.}  19... a5  { If White doesn't do anything, Black may well choose to expand on the Queen side with a4 and other ideas.}  20. Rh7 Rh8 21. Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6  { Preparing Rh8 to simplify further.}  23. f4 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5  { Now it is a dead draw.}  26. Qf3 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. c3 Ne6  { Now all Black has to do is shuffle around waiting for a draw.}  29. Kc2 Ng5 30. Qf2 Ne6 31. Qf3 Ng5 32. Qf2 Ne6  { Draw by repetition. Neither side can make progress.}   1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[ECO "C67"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]

1. e4  { Interesting choice by Carlsen, using Anand's e4.}  1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6  { And Anand uses the Berlin Defense!}  4. O-O  { Is Carlsen going into the Berlin ending?}  4... Nxe4 5. Re1  { Sadly, no. This is a harmless continuation. I expect the game to be drawn soon.}  5... Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O  { The Pawn structures are symmetric. Black will unwind to complete development. White will complete development. Then there will be a draw.}  9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Bf4 d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7 16. Qe2 c6 17. Re1 Bf5  { Both sides have completed development. Time to trade more pieces and draw.}  18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nf3 Ng7 20. Be5 Ne6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Ne5 Re8 23. Ng4 Qd8 24. Qe5  { Implicitly asking for a draw.}  24... Ng7  { Forcing the simplification and draw.}  25. Qxe8+ Nxe8 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Nxe8 Kxe8  { Come on, it's a draw.}  29. f4 f5 30. Kf2 b5 31. b4 Kf7 32. h3 h6 33. h4 h5  1/2-1/2

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.21"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[ECO "E25"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]

1. d4  { Finally, as I've been predicting and hoping for during the whole match! e4 has not worked for Anand at all as White.}  1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3  { As I predicted well before the match! This is a risky but super-aggressive attempt to capture the center and launch a King side attack against Black with e4 or g4. Anand has played this before.}  4... d5  { The most "classical" response, not giving way in the center. There are other interesting alternatives.}  5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5  { Interesting choice by Carlsen, but logical because it avoids any Anand preparation in the "main line" Nxd5 that, for example, Kramnik played against Anand in 2008. Now we have transposed into a Saemisch, which Botvinnik famously played brilliantly as White, but against poor defense by Black. Black has for now prevented e4 by White.}  8. e3  { White must begin King side development.}  8... c4  { A bold, committal approach by Carlsen, shutting in White's Bishop  ( which had wanted to go to d3 aiming toward Black's King ) . This game is going to be wild. White will aim to checkmate Black on the King side, and Black will aim at White's weakened a3 and c3 Pawns to try to create a passed b or c Pawn to Queen.}  9. Ne2 Nc6 10. g4  { Risky but a consistent and time-honored plan in this opening. White wants to drive Black's Knight away eventually in order to be able to push e4.}  ( 10. Ng3  { Looks safer but is not so safe.}  10... h5  { Black is better.}  ) 10... O-O 11. Bg2 Na5  { Heading straight to b3 to remove White's Bishop that defends the dark squares.}  12. O-O Nb3 13. Ra2  { Typical Rook lift in case the Rook may eventually get to the King side to support an attack. We see one advantage of Carlsen's early c4. In old games, White's Bishop got to d3, resulting in White's Rook being able to get to g2 eventually.}  13... b5 14. Ng3 a5 15. g5 Ne8 16. e4 Nxc1 17. Qxc1  { Totally logical and predictable play from both sides so far. Whose attack will win first? I would rather be White here, but progress is difficult because Black's King side is solid for now.}  17... Ra6  { Protecting the Rook in preparation for possible b4, but seems a bit slow.}  ( 17... Nc7  { Seems least committal.}  ) 18. e5  { Next up is the f4 Pawn roller.}  18... Nc7  { Protecting the Rook in order to prepare b4.}  19. f4  { There's no turning back now. Black will be able to get in b4 no matter what.}  19... b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Rxa6 Nxa6  { Things are looking critical. Black has a passed b Pawn now. Is it dangerous?}  22. f5 ( 22. cxb4  { Removing the b Pawn is safest but gives Black counterplay.}  22... Nxb4  { Now Black's Knight gets back into the game and can hop to c6 to press against White's weak d4 Pawn.}  ) 22... b3  { Black must free up the Knight to go back to the King side for defense. Is there a mate for White or not? Carlsen clearly believes not.}  ( 22... bxc3  { Logical.}  23. Qxc3  { Similar to the game, except Black does not have a menacing b Pawn.}  ) 23. Qf4  { Going straight for the mate, abandoning the Queen side.}  23... Nc7 24. f6 g6 25. Qh4  { Aiming for a Rook lift with Qh6, Rf4, Rh4, Qxh7 mate.}  25... Ne8 26. Qh6 b2 27. Rf4  { Does this work??}  27... b1=Q+ 28. Nf1 $4  { Unbelievable blunder by Anand. Unbelievable.}  ( 28. Bf1  { The only move, which causes a long forced variation.}  28... Qd1  { Black must sacrifice the Queen back.}  29. Rh4 Qh5 30. Nxh5 gxh5 31. Rxh5 Bf5  { Black manages to avoid mate.}  32. g6 Bxg6 33. Rg5  { White is a piece down still, but Black is tied up completely.}  33... Nxf6  { Returning the piece. If Black does not do this, then no piece can move but the Queen anyway.}  ( 33... Qa5 34. Rg3  { White simply protects everything. Looks like a dead draw from perpetual check.}  ) 34. exf6 Qxf6 35. Rxd5  { Material is equal again. Looks like a draw by perpetual check against White's King is coming.}  ) 28... Qe1  { There is no mate. White is dead lost. A very sad end to the game.}  29. Rh4 Qxh4 30. Qxh4  0-1

[Event "FWCM 2013"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[ECO "B51"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteElo "2870"]

1. e4 c5  {  A Sicilian, as I had predicted from Anand to play for a win as Black.}  2. Nf3 d6  {  Anand wants to go into the Najdorf.}  3. Bb5+  {  But Carlsen promptly plays the drawish Moscow Variation.}  3... Nd7  {  The most ambitious but risky response, avoiding both the trade of Bishops known to be drawish, and Nc6 which allows doubled Pawns.}  4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+  {  One pair of minor pieces traded off now.}  6... Bxd7 7. c4  {  Establishing a Maroczy Bind pawn structure.}  7... Nf6 ( 7... e5  {  A Najdorf-style e5 is fine here but Anand must have decided it is too drawish and he has to go for a Hedgehog to play for a win.}  ) 8. Bg5  {  Stopping g6.}  8... e6  {  Now we have a Hedgehog type of Pawn structure.}  9. Nc3 Be7 10. O-O Bc6 11. Qd3  {  Preparing for Nd4.}  11... O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 $6  {  Looks passive to me.}  ( 13... Qa5  {  More aggressive development.}  ) ( 13... Bd7  {  Preserving the Bishop might have been a better winning try in this equal position.}  ) 14. Nxc6  {  Another pair of minor pieces traded off.}  14... Qxc6 15. Rac1 h6  {  To break the pin in order to enable the Knight to be redeployed, but does weaken the King side some.}  16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 $6 ( 17. f3  {  Overprotecting the e4 Pawn was a thematic way to retain more tension and avoid more piece trades.}  ) 17... Rfd8 18. h3 Qc7  {  Trying to redeploy the Queen.}  19. Rfd1  {  OK, all the pieces are now developed. The position looks equal. How can either side make progress? In a regular Hedgehog with no pieces traded off, White tries to prevent Black b5 and d5 breaks while attacking on the King side with f4 and possibly e5 or f5.}  19... Qa5 20. Qd2  {  Threatening Nd5.}  20... Kf8 21. Qb2  {  Possible ideas along the diagonal to g7.}  21... Kg8  {  Black can only sit and wait. White can take the draw or press on.}  22. a4 $5  {  Carlsen plays for the win rather than take the draw. Stopping b5. Also, White may have plans of playing on the Queen side also, with a possible b4 and then a5 or c5, if sufficiently prepared.}  22... Qh5 23. Ne2  {  Maneuvering continues.}  23... Bf6 24. Rc3  {  Aiming to double Rooks on the d file possibly.}  24... Bxd4  {  Another pair of pieces traded.}  25. Rxd4 Qe5 $5  {  An active position for the Queen, but my first thought would be, might it be exposed to a possible f4? But Black can aim for b5 by keeping the Queen here.}  ( 25... Nc5  {  Looks like a safe way to protect the d6 Pawn while also hovering over White's Queen side a4 and b3 Pawns as well as e4 Pawn.}  ) 26. Qd2 Nf6 $2  {  Doesn't this allow ganging up on the d6 Pawn and also leave the Queen side undefended?}  ( 26... Nc5  {  Black's Knight looks better on c5.}  27. Re3  {  Looks tenable for Black.}  ) 27. Re3 ( 27. Rcd3  {  This obvious move is not bad but Carlsen must have wanted to prevent b5.}  27... b5  {  It's now or never for Black.}  28. cxb5 axb5 29. a5  {  Creating a Passed Pawn but Black should have counterplay.}  ) 27... Rd7  {  Preparing to double Rooks as well.}  28. a5  {  Nice. Somehow in the past couple of moves, White has improved his position considerably, while Black's has gotten clearly worse. White has b4 and f4 ideas in the air.}  28... Qg5 $4  {  A losing blunder.}  29. e5  {  Uh oh, White gets in the thematic e5 break.}  29... Ne8 30. exd6 $2  {  Too quick to take the Pawn, missing the win.}  ( 30. Nc3  {  Computer says to just maintain the pressure, get in b4 and f4, and win the d6 Pawn at leisure.}  ) 30... Rc6 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6  {  We are in a Knight and Pawns ending now. White has a Queen side majority. Obviously, White has the advantage here.}  36. Kf2 Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7 40. Nc3  {  A critical moment. White may hope to somehow push b4, b5 and break through. It looks hard. Meanwhile, White has left the King side undefended though.}  40... Nf5  {  Trying to go for White's g2 Pawn etc. But seems risky because of White's Knight getting to e4.}  ( 40... g5  {  How about immediately disrupting White on the King side?}  41. g3 ( 41. fxg5 $2 hxg5  {  Black has a passed e Pawn. Black should hold.}  ) 41... gxf4 42. gxf4  {  Looks complicated also, and dangerous for Black.}  ) 41. Ne4 Ne3  {  Trying for active counterplay.}  42. g3 f5  {  Very loosening. Either this works or it doesn't. It turns out Anand's active plan to force a draw does work, even though it looks scary.}  43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7 45. Nf6+ Ke7  {  Abandoning the Queen side.}  46. Ng8+ ( 46. Nh5  {  Another option in which Black gets to Queen but White does not lose a Knight.}  46... Kf7 47. Kb6 Kg6 48. Kxb7 Kxh5 49. Kxa6 gxf4 50. gxf4 e5 51. Kb6 exf4 52. a6 f3 53. a7 f2 54. a8=Q Kh4 55. Qf3 f1=Q 56. Qxe3 f4  {  Queen and Pawn ending that I presume is a draw.}  ) 46... Kf8 47. Nxh6  {  White sacrifices the Knight for some Pawns in order to get at the Queen side.}  ( 47. Nf6 Ke7 ) 47... gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q  {  Wow, both sides have Queened but it's a draw.}  57. Qd5 Qe1 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5  {  A nice drawing finish.}   1/2-1/2

