Our first non loss was a drawn match, 2-2. I managed to squeak a win in a worse position, because my opponent ran out of time. This will be a very important game for me to analyze.
I need to spend more time with KID positions with exchanges of black e-pawn for white d-pawn. I know I have have issues with dxe5, but also with ...exd4, both of which are common in the mainline variations I play. I am becoming more familiar with the problems black has to overcome, and I need to pay more attention to how to mitigate those and cause problems for white. Fortunately, there are usually a good number of games in my periodic extractions from the TWIC database.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
World Chess Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 10
Anand needs a win to keep the match alive, but this was a long fought draw. Congratulations to the new World Champion, Magnus Carlsen!
Anand is one of the great players of all time. He has been a contender for the world championship since the 90s and won the title in 2000, lost it in 2002 and won it again in 2007. He defended the title from then till now. He remains one of the strongest players in the world, and has to be one of the favorites to be the next challenger.
Anand is one of the great players of all time. He has been a contender for the world championship since the 90s and won the title in 2000, lost it in 2002 and won it again in 2007. He defended the title from then till now. He remains one of the strongest players in the world, and has to be one of the favorites to be the next challenger.
Anand choses the Sicilian in response to Carlsen's 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ this Moscow variation and its sibling the Rossolimo (2...Nc6 3.Bb5) are very popular in high level play. In many Sicilians, white's light square bishop becomes bad, with lots of white pawns on light squares. Trading it off early allows white to put his pawns on light squares without considering the plight of this bishop. It also allows white to retake on d4 with the queen. 3...Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 a6 6.Bxd7+ Bxd7 7.c4 Nf6 8.Bg5
This looks like a new move, but is in keeping with the general plan for white to control the d5-square. This points out the futility of memorizing moves without understanding the underlying reasons. 8...e6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.O-O Bc6 11.Qd3 O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6
The rook configurations are important. One black rook belongs on c8 and one white rook belongs on d1, but where the other ones go is the tricky part. 15. Rac1 h6 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 white's pieces are on good squares, and now is a good time to make luft. The players now begin a long line of manuevering pieces around making small threats trying to pry something loose. 18...Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 24. Rc3 Bxd4
d6 is rarely a problem for black as long as the dark square pieces remain on the board, but white's bishop was applying uncomfortable pressure on the long diagonal. Pushing it back with e6-e5 would have given white the d5-square and made black's bishop into a large pawn. 25. Rxd4 Qe5 26. Qd2 Nf6 27. Re3 Rd7 28. a5 Qg5?! this inaccuracy allows white to apply more pressure on the d6-pawn. 29. e5 Ne8
30. exd6?! releasing the tension too early. After the game Carlsen identified this as an error. Black's d6-pawn cannot move. (30.Ng3 would increase the pressure on black.)30...Rc6 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6
Carlsen likes these types of positions. There is a lot of play left in this endgame. He will advance his king along the g2-a7 diagonal. 36. Kf2 Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7
Anand must keep in mind guarding the invasion square of b6, while the knights will spar the kingside. 40. Nc3 Nf5 41. Ne4 Ne3 42. g3 f5 43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7
Carlsen could force a draw here with 45.Nd6 and repeat the position, as black must not lose the b7 pawn without a passed pawn to compete with white's a&b pawns, but he goes for the win 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46.Ng8+ Kf8 an alternate and possibly winning path for white would be 47.Nh5, but the calculation is deep and thus risky. Carlsen chose a path where he could not lose. He gives up his knight for all but one of white's pawns, that will result in a Q+Ps v Q+N ending. Q v Q+N is a draw. 47. Nxh6 gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4
The a and f pawns will promote to queens and Carlsen cannot lose this, and thus will be the winner of the match and the new world champion. 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q 57. Qd5 centralizing his queen. 57...Qe1 (Qxh3 would allow white's pawns to get in motion 58.b4 Kf6 59.c5 this is not losing for black, but is worse than the game.) 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5 1/2-1/2
This looks like a new move, but is in keeping with the general plan for white to control the d5-square. This points out the futility of memorizing moves without understanding the underlying reasons. 8...e6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.O-O Bc6 11.Qd3 O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6
The rook configurations are important. One black rook belongs on c8 and one white rook belongs on d1, but where the other ones go is the tricky part. 15. Rac1 h6 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 white's pieces are on good squares, and now is a good time to make luft. The players now begin a long line of manuevering pieces around making small threats trying to pry something loose. 18...Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 24. Rc3 Bxd4
d6 is rarely a problem for black as long as the dark square pieces remain on the board, but white's bishop was applying uncomfortable pressure on the long diagonal. Pushing it back with e6-e5 would have given white the d5-square and made black's bishop into a large pawn. 25. Rxd4 Qe5 26. Qd2 Nf6 27. Re3 Rd7 28. a5 Qg5?! this inaccuracy allows white to apply more pressure on the d6-pawn. 29. e5 Ne8
30. exd6?! releasing the tension too early. After the game Carlsen identified this as an error. Black's d6-pawn cannot move. (30.Ng3 would increase the pressure on black.)30...Rc6 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6
Carlsen likes these types of positions. There is a lot of play left in this endgame. He will advance his king along the g2-a7 diagonal. 36. Kf2 Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7
Anand must keep in mind guarding the invasion square of b6, while the knights will spar the kingside. 40. Nc3 Nf5 41. Ne4 Ne3 42. g3 f5 43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7
Carlsen could force a draw here with 45.Nd6 and repeat the position, as black must not lose the b7 pawn without a passed pawn to compete with white's a&b pawns, but he goes for the win 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46.Ng8+ Kf8 an alternate and possibly winning path for white would be 47.Nh5, but the calculation is deep and thus risky. Carlsen chose a path where he could not lose. He gives up his knight for all but one of white's pawns, that will result in a Q+Ps v Q+N ending. Q v Q+N is a draw. 47. Nxh6 gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4
The a and f pawns will promote to queens and Carlsen cannot lose this, and thus will be the winner of the match and the new world champion. 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q 57. Qd5 centralizing his queen. 57...Qe1 (Qxh3 would allow white's pawns to get in motion 58.b4 Kf6 59.c5 this is not losing for black, but is worse than the game.) 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5 1/2-1/2
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Endgame Studies to Improve Calculation
During Anand-Carlsen round 9, Susan Polgar said that endgame studies are good for improving calculation. I have avoided endgame studies for one good and one bad reason. The good reason is that there artificial nature does not directly translate to "real" endgames.
The bad reason that I do not like them is because they are difficult. They are difficult, because calculation in open positions is one of the (many) weak areas of my game. My dislike for studies because they are hard, turns the good reason above into a rationalization.
If a chess study is a good exercise, then a modified Stokyo seems the best fit. All calculation should be done in the head, but take notes of key ideas so one can recreate the calculation afterward. Then use a set and check the variations. Finally use a computer to check your analysis.
So if I want to start doing endgame studies to improve calculation, what studies is the next obvious question. There are a lot of studies available for free on the internet, and you can google for databases of studies. J. Silman has a review of some endgame study books where he discusses the usefulness of endgame studies for practical play.
I am going to put Nunn's "Endgame Challenge" on my list of books to get.
The bad reason that I do not like them is because they are difficult. They are difficult, because calculation in open positions is one of the (many) weak areas of my game. My dislike for studies because they are hard, turns the good reason above into a rationalization.
If a chess study is a good exercise, then a modified Stokyo seems the best fit. All calculation should be done in the head, but take notes of key ideas so one can recreate the calculation afterward. Then use a set and check the variations. Finally use a computer to check your analysis.
So if I want to start doing endgame studies to improve calculation, what studies is the next obvious question. There are a lot of studies available for free on the internet, and you can google for databases of studies. J. Silman has a review of some endgame study books where he discusses the usefulness of endgame studies for practical play.
I am going to put Nunn's "Endgame Challenge" on my list of books to get.
World Chess Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 9
Anand chose a very sharp line today, and we get an exciting game. I was expecting something like this on round 7. Unfortunately for Anand, Carlsen came out on top, and now leads 6-3. It is inconceivable that Carlsen will not be able to draw in one of the next three games.
I did not watch the game live, as I am shifting my sleep schedule so I can play well tommorrow night. I will update this post after I have analyzed the game.
Anand abandons e2-e4 and plays 1.d4 Nf3 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 Carlsen choses the Nimzo-Indian, one of his normal defenses to d4. 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 This is the Saemisch variation of the Nimzo with f2-f3 which is a common idea these days. This could be a very dynamic game. 7.cxd5 exd5 is a rare move. Carlsen has been in this position once before (Krush-Carlsen 2007), where he played the more common Nxd5 8.e3 c4 Carlsen plays this quickly so it is likely home preparation or just analysis of his draw with Krush 9.Ne2 Nc6 10.g4 Anand gains space on the kingside. This is a very commital move, as black has not castled yet. Carlsen could post his knight on b3 and castle long.
10...O-O Carlsen castles into it. Carlsen takes a while to make this move. He must be confident in his defense, or he is rolling the dice. (10...Na5 delaying castling and leaving in question where his king goes might be more prudent) 11.Bg2 Na5 12.O-O Nb3 13.Ra2 this is a better square for the rook than b1. From a2 the rook can slide across to e2 to support the center on, or f2-h2 to support a kingside attack. 13...b5 14.Ng3 a5 black's attack is coming quickly, but white is attacking black's king 15.g5
15...Ne8 the knight must retreat, but the question of which square is key. The knight will not remain on e8 passively defending g7, and on d7 it could not remain blocking the light square bishop. The choice depends on where the knight is going. 16.Ne4 Nxc1 17.Qxc1 Ra6 similar to white's Ra2, this move allows the rook to support the kingside. 18.e5 Nc7 here the knight defends d5 and the 16-rook 19.f4 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.Rxa6 Nxa6
22.f5!? Anand goes for it. Black's b-pawn will be very powerful now, but white will get a strong kingside attack. (22.cxb4 elimiates the b-pawn, and diverts black's knight further from the kingside. Black's c4-pawn is protected and passed, but one square further from promotion 22...Nxb4 23.f5 Nd3 24.Qe3 and white's attack continues, but perhaps not as powerfully) 22...b3 23.Qf4 Nc7 the knight heads back for defense 24.f6
White threatens to mate on g7 and h7. Black has several defensive plans here to calculate: gxf6, g7-g6, and Ne8. 24...g6 25.Qh4 Ne8 26.Qh6 b2
Carlsen threatens to promote the b2-pawn to delay the rook lift. Anand is short on time with less than 10 minutes on the clock to get to move 40.
27.Rf4 but Anand goes for it anyway. Carlsen can promote his b2-pawn, but then must give it up to prevent mate if he can. 27...b1=Q+ 28.Nf1? On g3 this knight blocked the e1-h4 diagonal and controlled h5. 28.Bf1 was necessary. Qe1! There is no more attack, as black can give up his extra queen for the rook and there is no mate on h7. 0-1.
I did not watch the game live, as I am shifting my sleep schedule so I can play well tommorrow night. I will update this post after I have analyzed the game.
Anand abandons e2-e4 and plays 1.d4 Nf3 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 Carlsen choses the Nimzo-Indian, one of his normal defenses to d4. 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 This is the Saemisch variation of the Nimzo with f2-f3 which is a common idea these days. This could be a very dynamic game. 7.cxd5 exd5 is a rare move. Carlsen has been in this position once before (Krush-Carlsen 2007), where he played the more common Nxd5 8.e3 c4 Carlsen plays this quickly so it is likely home preparation or just analysis of his draw with Krush 9.Ne2 Nc6 10.g4 Anand gains space on the kingside. This is a very commital move, as black has not castled yet. Carlsen could post his knight on b3 and castle long.
10...O-O Carlsen castles into it. Carlsen takes a while to make this move. He must be confident in his defense, or he is rolling the dice. (10...Na5 delaying castling and leaving in question where his king goes might be more prudent) 11.Bg2 Na5 12.O-O Nb3 13.Ra2 this is a better square for the rook than b1. From a2 the rook can slide across to e2 to support the center on, or f2-h2 to support a kingside attack. 13...b5 14.Ng3 a5 black's attack is coming quickly, but white is attacking black's king 15.g5
15...Ne8 the knight must retreat, but the question of which square is key. The knight will not remain on e8 passively defending g7, and on d7 it could not remain blocking the light square bishop. The choice depends on where the knight is going. 16.Ne4 Nxc1 17.Qxc1 Ra6 similar to white's Ra2, this move allows the rook to support the kingside. 18.e5 Nc7 here the knight defends d5 and the 16-rook 19.f4 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.Rxa6 Nxa6
22.f5!? Anand goes for it. Black's b-pawn will be very powerful now, but white will get a strong kingside attack. (22.cxb4 elimiates the b-pawn, and diverts black's knight further from the kingside. Black's c4-pawn is protected and passed, but one square further from promotion 22...Nxb4 23.f5 Nd3 24.Qe3 and white's attack continues, but perhaps not as powerfully) 22...b3 23.Qf4 Nc7 the knight heads back for defense 24.f6
White threatens to mate on g7 and h7. Black has several defensive plans here to calculate: gxf6, g7-g6, and Ne8. 24...g6 25.Qh4 Ne8 26.Qh6 b2
Carlsen threatens to promote the b2-pawn to delay the rook lift. Anand is short on time with less than 10 minutes on the clock to get to move 40.
27.Rf4 but Anand goes for it anyway. Carlsen can promote his b2-pawn, but then must give it up to prevent mate if he can. 27...b1=Q+ 28.Nf1? On g3 this knight blocked the e1-h4 diagonal and controlled h5. 28.Bf1 was necessary. Qe1! There is no more attack, as black can give up his extra queen for the rook and there is no mate on h7. 0-1.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 8
Game 8 - very boring draw, but it was quick.
I will not be getting up for the next two games, as I have to play Friday evening, and I need to shift my sleep schedule. I will make a post on the games, but they will be later in the day.
Carlsen plays the Ruy, and Anand replys with the Berlin. Carlsen does not chose the Berlin wall, but a variation with symmetric pawn structure, balanced pieces, and one open file.
1.e4 e5 I would have expected something with more chances for a dynamic game. It is very easy as white in the open game to get very quiet positions with no winning chances for black. Anand is down two games, and needs two wins to get to the tiebreaks. He only has two games as white left. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe5 5.Re1 recovers the pawn directly, and produces fewer imbalances than the Berlin Wall. 5...Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 O-O 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 18.Bxf5 Nxe5 19.Nf3 Ng7 20.Be5 Ne6 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Ne5 Re8 23.Ng4 adds some tactical tricks. The black queen must stay on the d8-h4 diagonal, or white will invade the weak dark squares around black's king. 23...Qd8 which Anand parrys, by placing his queen on a square that cannot be diverted. 24.Qe5 Ng7 Anand allows Carlsen a combination to trade all the pieces, which he takes. 25.Qxe8+ Nxe8 26.Rxe8+ Qxe8 27.Nf6+ Kf8 28.Nxe8 Kxe8 29.f4 f5 20.Kf2 b5 31.b4 Kf7 32.h3 h6 33.h4 h5
Monday, November 18, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 7
Carlsen was able to trade down into an even endgame, and a repetition draw on move 31.
Anand is two games down and only has two games as white left. He needed to make something of today.
Anand plays the Ruy Lopez. I was expecting something different, but Anand may have nothing else prepared. Carlsen plays the Berlin again, and why not as he has been better in the two previous uses of this opening. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 Anand takes a third path this time with the rare 6.Nbd2 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.Nf1 Nd7 defends the e5-pawn 9.Ng3 Bxf3 Carlsen gives up the two bishops. He must not have liked the future of the bishop on g6, or he just wanted to trade pieces 10.Qxf3 g6 11.Be3 Qe7 12.O-O-O O-O-O 13.Ne2 Rhe8 14.Kb1 b6 15.h4 Kb7 Carlsen sets up a more aggressive posture on the queenside. His king guards the c-pawns and his rooks can now slide along the back rank. 16.h5 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Nc5 18.hxg6 hxg6 Anand opens the h-file. It may be premature, because black should be able to challenge white on the h-file now 19.g3 or perhaps Anand is just reducing the pawns on the kingside. Carlsen takes a long think, and choses to gain space on the queenside, secures his knight on c5, and a long term threat to attack the white king. 19...a5 20.Rh7 Rh8 21.Rdh1 Rxh7 Anand has his rook invasion at the cost of a trade of a pair of rooks. 22.Rxh7 Qf6 A nice placement of black's queen. On the long a1-h8 diagonal it supports bringing a rook to h8 and helps control the d4 square. It also keeps the white queen off of the f-file. 23.f4 Rh8 24.Rxh8 Qxh8 25.fxe5 Qxe5 This endgame looks equal with few imbalances. A draw looks likely 26.Qf3 f5 27.exf5 gxf5 28.c3 Ne6 29.Kc2 Ng5 30.Qf2 Ne6 31.Qf3 Ng5 32.Qf2 Ne6 1/2-1/2
Anand is two games down and only has two games as white left. He needed to make something of today.
Anand plays the Ruy Lopez. I was expecting something different, but Anand may have nothing else prepared. Carlsen plays the Berlin again, and why not as he has been better in the two previous uses of this opening. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 Anand takes a third path this time with the rare 6.Nbd2 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.Nf1 Nd7 defends the e5-pawn 9.Ng3 Bxf3 Carlsen gives up the two bishops. He must not have liked the future of the bishop on g6, or he just wanted to trade pieces 10.Qxf3 g6 11.Be3 Qe7 12.O-O-O O-O-O 13.Ne2 Rhe8 14.Kb1 b6 15.h4 Kb7 Carlsen sets up a more aggressive posture on the queenside. His king guards the c-pawns and his rooks can now slide along the back rank. 16.h5 Bxe3 17.Qxe3 Nc5 18.hxg6 hxg6 Anand opens the h-file. It may be premature, because black should be able to challenge white on the h-file now 19.g3 or perhaps Anand is just reducing the pawns on the kingside. Carlsen takes a long think, and choses to gain space on the queenside, secures his knight on c5, and a long term threat to attack the white king. 19...a5 20.Rh7 Rh8 21.Rdh1 Rxh7 Anand has his rook invasion at the cost of a trade of a pair of rooks. 22.Rxh7 Qf6 A nice placement of black's queen. On the long a1-h8 diagonal it supports bringing a rook to h8 and helps control the d4 square. It also keeps the white queen off of the f-file. 23.f4 Rh8 24.Rxh8 Qxh8 25.fxe5 Qxe5 This endgame looks equal with few imbalances. A draw looks likely 26.Qf3 f5 27.exf5 gxf5 28.c3 Ne6 29.Kc2 Ng5 30.Qf2 Ne6 31.Qf3 Ng5 32.Qf2 Ne6 1/2-1/2
Saturday, November 16, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 6
Another decisive game! after a long fought endgame.
In the last World Championship, Gelfand won the first decisive game, and Anand came right back with a novelty and a quick win. Anand plays a novelty this game, but no quick win.
Anand chose a d3 line against Carlsen's Berlin this time, and springs an early novelty. Carlsen plays d3 lines as white in the Ruy Lopez. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 O-O 6.O-O Re8 7.Re1 this is a rare line, White may miss the support of f2. a6 8.Ba4 b5 9.Bb3 d6 10.Bg5 is a novelty, but still a thematic move when the black dark square bishop is outside the pawn chain. Carlsen takes a long think.
10...Be6 11.Nbd2 h6 12.Bh4 Bxb3 13.axb3 Nb8 redeploying this knight to d7 to relieve the queen of the defense of the f6-knight. 14.h3 Nbd7 15.Nh2 Bb6 17.Ne3 Qe6 18.b4 a5 19.bxa5 Bxa5 20.Nhg4 Bb6 21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Qg4 Bxe3 24.fxe3 Qe7
An equal and fairly balanced major piece endgame. Carlsen may play on for quite a while. He will rely on being able to play more exactly than Anand.
25.Rf1 c5 26.Kh2 c4 27.d4 Rxa1 28.Rxa1
(28...exd4 does not quite work 29. exd4 Qxe4 30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Ra8+ Kh7 32.Rb8 gathers in black's b-pawn and equalizes.)
28...Qb7 threatens the e4 pawn 29.Rd1 Qc6 30.Qf5 exd4 31.Rxd4 Re5 32.Qf3 Qc7
black looks slightly better now 33.Kh1 Qe7 34.Qg4 Kh7 35.Qf4 g6 36.Kh2 Kg7 37.Qf3 Re6 38.Qg3?! Carlsen now trade in his positional advantage for a pawn, but Anand's rook will be more active. Carlsen takes a long time evaluating the resulting R+P ending. 38...Rxe4 39.Qxd6 Rxe3 40.Qxe7 Rxe7 41.Rd5 Rb7
Anand takes a long think. Carlsen needs to preserve some queenside pawns, because 3v2 pawns in a rook endgame is an easy draw. Anand should be able to get a slightly better king position as well as his more active rook for good drawing chances. Anand takes a long think here to decide the best way to play this. 42.Rd6 Anand makes it difficult for Carlsen to activate his king. 42...f6 43.h4 Kf7
44.h5 Anand plays a surprise by offering up another pawn to break up Carlsen's pawns and keep black's king passive. 44...gxh5 45.Rd5 Kg6 46.Kg3 Rb6 47.Rc5 f5 48.Kh4
Carlsen returns a pawn to activate his rook. 48...Re6 49.Rxb5 Re4+
50.Kh3 Kg5 51. Rb8 h4 52.Rg8+ Kh5 53.Rf8 Rf4 54.Rc8 Rg4 55.Rf8 Rg3+ 56.Kh2 Kg5 57.Rg8+ Kf4
In the last World Championship, Gelfand won the first decisive game, and Anand came right back with a novelty and a quick win. Anand plays a novelty this game, but no quick win.
Anand chose a d3 line against Carlsen's Berlin this time, and springs an early novelty. Carlsen plays d3 lines as white in the Ruy Lopez. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 O-O 6.O-O Re8 7.Re1 this is a rare line, White may miss the support of f2. a6 8.Ba4 b5 9.Bb3 d6 10.Bg5 is a novelty, but still a thematic move when the black dark square bishop is outside the pawn chain. Carlsen takes a long think.
10...Be6 11.Nbd2 h6 12.Bh4 Bxb3 13.axb3 Nb8 redeploying this knight to d7 to relieve the queen of the defense of the f6-knight. 14.h3 Nbd7 15.Nh2 Bb6 17.Ne3 Qe6 18.b4 a5 19.bxa5 Bxa5 20.Nhg4 Bb6 21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Qg4 Bxe3 24.fxe3 Qe7
An equal and fairly balanced major piece endgame. Carlsen may play on for quite a while. He will rely on being able to play more exactly than Anand.
25.Rf1 c5 26.Kh2 c4 27.d4 Rxa1 28.Rxa1
(28...exd4 does not quite work 29. exd4 Qxe4 30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Ra8+ Kh7 32.Rb8 gathers in black's b-pawn and equalizes.)
28...Qb7 threatens the e4 pawn 29.Rd1 Qc6 30.Qf5 exd4 31.Rxd4 Re5 32.Qf3 Qc7
black looks slightly better now 33.Kh1 Qe7 34.Qg4 Kh7 35.Qf4 g6 36.Kh2 Kg7 37.Qf3 Re6 38.Qg3?! Carlsen now trade in his positional advantage for a pawn, but Anand's rook will be more active. Carlsen takes a long time evaluating the resulting R+P ending. 38...Rxe4 39.Qxd6 Rxe3 40.Qxe7 Rxe7 41.Rd5 Rb7
Anand takes a long think. Carlsen needs to preserve some queenside pawns, because 3v2 pawns in a rook endgame is an easy draw. Anand should be able to get a slightly better king position as well as his more active rook for good drawing chances. Anand takes a long think here to decide the best way to play this. 42.Rd6 Anand makes it difficult for Carlsen to activate his king. 42...f6 43.h4 Kf7
44.h5 Anand plays a surprise by offering up another pawn to break up Carlsen's pawns and keep black's king passive. 44...gxh5 45.Rd5 Kg6 46.Kg3 Rb6 47.Rc5 f5 48.Kh4
Carlsen returns a pawn to activate his rook. 48...Re6 49.Rxb5 Re4+
Carlsen gives up another pawn to activate his king 58.Rc8 Ke3 59.Rxc4 f4 60.Ra4? h3
and a third pawn to get a passed f-pawn. Carlsen looks very good here. 61.gxh3 Rg6 62.c4 f3 63.Ra3+ Ke2 64.b4 f2 65.Ra2+ Kf3 66.Ra3+ Kf4 67.Ra8 Rg1 0-1 Carlsen is up two games! The next few games, Anand will go tactical.
and a third pawn to get a passed f-pawn. Carlsen looks very good here. 61.gxh3 Rg6 62.c4 f3 63.Ra3+ Ke2 64.b4 f2 65.Ra2+ Kf3 66.Ra3+ Kf4 67.Ra8 Rg1 0-1 Carlsen is up two games! The next few games, Anand will go tactical.
Friday, November 15, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 5
First decisive game of the match.
1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 Kasparov says that you cannot become a strong player without playing the Ruy Lopez (yesterday's game) or the Queen's gambit declined (today). 3.Nc3 c6 Anand uses the triangle against Carlsen's English opening, and Carlsen avoids heavy semiSlav theory with 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 (the more common move is 6.Bd2) 6...c5 7.a3 Ba5 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Be3 Nc6 10.Qd3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Ng4 with this novelty the game slips out of history and we are in new territory.
12.O-O-O Nxe3 13.fxe3 Bc7 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Qxd8 Bxd8. It looks like we have a long endgame ahead
Black has several soft spots. The c6-pawn and the c6 and d6 squares. This is a comfortable type of position for Carlsen. It is likely that Carlsen will be able to force the trade of his knight for Anand's dark square bishop leaving a good vs bad bishop ending. This is likely another two result endgame for Carlsen.
16.Be2 Ke7 17.Bf3 Bd7 18.Ne4 Bb6 19.c5 f5 20.cxb6 fxe4 21.b7 Rab8 22.Bxe4 Rxb7
Carlsen has his slightly better game with the good versus bad bishop, but black only has one weakness, and usually one needs two weaknesses to work against to win an endgame. One problem that Carlsen has is the black's c6 pawn is indirectly defended by a pin/fork with a rook against white's king on the c-file.
23.Rhf1 Rb6 24.Rf4 seems to allow black to play e6-e5 with tempo on the rook making more squares available to black's bishop, but Anand chooses 24...g5 25.Rf3 h7-h5
Anand gains space while eliminating a target on h7; he is slowly removing his pawns from squares available to white's bishop. 26.Rdf1 Be8 27.Bc2 Rc5 28.Rf6 h4 29.e4 Carlsen limits the scope of his bishop, and could be a problem if black gets e5 in first. a5 30.Kd2 Rb5 31.b3 Bh5 32.Kc3 Rc5+ 33.Kb2 Rhd8 Anand is down to 14 minutes with 7 moves to play. 34.R1f2 Rd4 35.Rh6 Bd1 36.Bb1 Carlsen avoids the trade of bishops 36...Rb5 37.Kc3 c5 38.Rb2 e5
Anand has removed his pawns from light squares, and Carlsen has the bad bishop. It looks like things have turned completely around. Carlsen does have an active rook in compensation. 39.Rg6 (39.Bd3 fails to Rxb3+ 40.Rxb3 Bxb3 41.Kxb3 Rxd3) a4 40.Rxg5 Rxb3+ 41.Rxb3 Bxb3 Rxe5+ Kd6 43.Rh5 Rd1 44.e5+ Kd5 45.Bh7 Rc1+ 46.Kb2 Rg1 47.Bg8+ Kc6
1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 Kasparov says that you cannot become a strong player without playing the Ruy Lopez (yesterday's game) or the Queen's gambit declined (today). 3.Nc3 c6 Anand uses the triangle against Carlsen's English opening, and Carlsen avoids heavy semiSlav theory with 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 (the more common move is 6.Bd2) 6...c5 7.a3 Ba5 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Be3 Nc6 10.Qd3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Ng4 with this novelty the game slips out of history and we are in new territory.
12.O-O-O Nxe3 13.fxe3 Bc7 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Qxd8 Bxd8. It looks like we have a long endgame ahead
16.Be2 Ke7 17.Bf3 Bd7 18.Ne4 Bb6 19.c5 f5 20.cxb6 fxe4 21.b7 Rab8 22.Bxe4 Rxb7
Carlsen has his slightly better game with the good versus bad bishop, but black only has one weakness, and usually one needs two weaknesses to work against to win an endgame. One problem that Carlsen has is the black's c6 pawn is indirectly defended by a pin/fork with a rook against white's king on the c-file.
23.Rhf1 Rb6 24.Rf4 seems to allow black to play e6-e5 with tempo on the rook making more squares available to black's bishop, but Anand chooses 24...g5 25.Rf3 h7-h5
Anand has removed his pawns from light squares, and Carlsen has the bad bishop. It looks like things have turned completely around. Carlsen does have an active rook in compensation. 39.Rg6 (39.Bd3 fails to Rxb3+ 40.Rxb3 Bxb3 41.Kxb3 Rxd3) a4 40.Rxg5 Rxb3+ 41.Rxb3 Bxb3 Rxe5+ Kd6 43.Rh5 Rd1 44.e5+ Kd5 45.Bh7 Rc1+ 46.Kb2 Rg1 47.Bg8+ Kc6
Carlsen takes a long think. He likely is trying to decide to play Rh6+ or not. The key is what squares he wants to allow the black king. 48.Rh6+ Kd7 This might be a key mistake. The a-pawn might be very fast. (48...Kb5 49.Bxb3 axb3 50.Kxb3 Rxg2 51.Rxh4 and black still has the possibility of control of all of white's pawns.) 49.Bxb3 axb3 50.Kxb3 Rxg2 51.Rxh4 Ke6 52.a4
With the black king centralized, white must push the outside pawns. The a4-pawn is defended by the h4-rook, which allows the white king to get more active if black's king moves to the wing, or the a-pawn can keep advancing if black takes the e-pawn. 52...Kxe5 53.a5 Kd6 This looks winning for white. 54.Rh7 Kd5 55.a6 c4+ 56.Kc3 Ra2 57.a7 Kc5 58.h4 1-0
What is "concrete play"?
Concrete is a chess term that has arisen in the last 10 years along with the strength of computer play. When computers were applied to many opening positions, new moves that violated opening principles were found. These counter principle moves backed by tactical analysis needed a new term. Concrete moves are counter to general principle, but still good moves that are backed with analysis.
I think the term is becoming overused and possibly overloaded with new meanings.
I think the term is becoming overused and possibly overloaded with new meanings.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 4
The most interesting game so far. Lots of fireworks in the variations. Anand sacrifices a pawn to tie up Carlsen in a Ruy Lopez Berlin Wall, but Carlsen escapes the bind and keeps his extra pawn, but the resulting R+P ending is very drawish. The game is not over, but I have to go. I will update with an annotation of this game later today.
I am watching the chess.com/live coverage (starts at the half hour after start of the game) on my computer, and watching the game moves on my tablet with the World Championship app. For me this is better than chessbomb, because there is no computer evaluation. The chess.com coverage has a live board, but does not show the clocks.
Update: A very interesting draw. Much more fireworks than would be expected from a Berlin Wall. Anand's pawn sacrifice idea is one for Berlin players to watch out for, unless you are as good on defense as Carlsen.
I am watching the chess.com/live coverage (starts at the half hour after start of the game) on my computer, and watching the game moves on my tablet with the World Championship app. For me this is better than chessbomb, because there is no computer evaluation. The chess.com coverage has a live board, but does not show the clocks.
Update: A very interesting draw. Much more fireworks than would be expected from a Berlin Wall. Anand's pawn sacrifice idea is one for Berlin players to watch out for, unless you are as good on defense as Carlsen.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 3
A much more interesting game, today.
Carlsen with white again goes Barzca, but plays c4 before d4. Anand accepts the "gambit", which seems to surprise Carlsen.
I am definitely liking the chess.com./tv coverage better than the official feed. Today, Irina Krush (with her new GM title) provides commentary. Also, chessdom.com has a couple of choices for live annotation. Unfortunately, chessdom.com also has computer evaluation on the page. I have chessdom.com in a window with the computer analysis and chat covered with the chess.com/tv page.
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Qa4+ Nc6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.Nc3 e5 7.Qxc4 Nge7 8.O-O O-O 9.d3 h6 10.Bd2 Nd4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Ne4 c6
The natural plan is to advance the queenside pawns in a minority attack. GM Krush points out that Carlsen's 13.Bb4 is a non-obvious move. Carlsen delays the queenside advance to pin the Ne7, with perhaps the idea of trading the bishop for that knight. Long term Carlsen may be playing for a good knight versus bad bishop endgame after a trade of light square bishops.
13...Be6
14.Qc1 is another non obvious move by Carlsen, as it occupies a natural square for a rook.
14...Bd5 15.a4 b6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.a5 Rab8 19.Re1 Rfc8 19.axb6 axb6 20.Qf4 Rd1 and Carlsen takes time for a long think.
GM Krush thinks that he would like to play Nd2, but there are problems with it blocking the retreat of white's queen, and the possiblility of the queen being trapped or a perpetual is a real concern. Carlsen plays 21.h4, which may be preparation for Nd2
21...Kh7 22.Nd2 Be5 23.Qg4 h5 24.Qh3 Be6 25.Qh1
The queen on h1 is not as ugly as it might look. Anand will likely c6-c5 to remove all targets from the bishop-queen battery. Carlsen now controls the a8-square, and may get some play from the light squares on the queenside, but I think black is better and certainly has the initiative.
25...c5 26.Ne4 Kg7 27.Ng5 b5
Anand allows opposite colored bishops. The danger of a draw B+P ending is still a long way off, meanwhile black gets his queenside pawns in motion and may be able to take advantage of the passive position of white's queen. Carlsen has a long think. He decides not to take the bishop on e6, as that is likely a two result game not in Carlsen's favor. 28.e3!? gives Carlsen some counterplay, though it looks dangerous. after 28...dxe3 opens up both of black's bishops. 29.Rxe3
29...Bd4!? (Why not 29...Bxb2? I have no idea, except Anand may not have liked the counterplay white would get)
30.Re2 c4 31.Nxe6 fxe6 Carlsen is getting low on the clock with 8 moves to go to time control in a complicated position.
32.Be4 is a pawn sacrifice. cxd3 33.Rd2 Qb4 34.Rad1 Bxb2 35.Qf3 Bf6 36.Rxd3 Rxd3 37.Rxd3 Rd8 38.Rxd8 Bxd8 39.Bd3 Qd4 gives up the b-pawn. Anand has bailed out for a draw, but it is likely a draw at this point no matter what Anand plays.
I don't see how either player can make progress. Carlsen sometimes plays on a very long time in a drawn position, but this position is very dead. 40.Bxb5 Qf6 41.Qb7+ Be7 42.Kg2 Carlsen declines a draw here, very puzzling. 42...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
Carlsen with white again goes Barzca, but plays c4 before d4. Anand accepts the "gambit", which seems to surprise Carlsen.
I am definitely liking the chess.com./tv coverage better than the official feed. Today, Irina Krush (with her new GM title) provides commentary. Also, chessdom.com has a couple of choices for live annotation. Unfortunately, chessdom.com also has computer evaluation on the page. I have chessdom.com in a window with the computer analysis and chat covered with the chess.com/tv page.
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Qa4+ Nc6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.Nc3 e5 7.Qxc4 Nge7 8.O-O O-O 9.d3 h6 10.Bd2 Nd4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Ne4 c6
13...Be6
14.Qc1 is another non obvious move by Carlsen, as it occupies a natural square for a rook.
14...Bd5 15.a4 b6 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.a5 Rab8 19.Re1 Rfc8 19.axb6 axb6 20.Qf4 Rd1 and Carlsen takes time for a long think.
21...Kh7 22.Nd2 Be5 23.Qg4 h5 24.Qh3 Be6 25.Qh1
25...c5 26.Ne4 Kg7 27.Ng5 b5
Anand allows opposite colored bishops. The danger of a draw B+P ending is still a long way off, meanwhile black gets his queenside pawns in motion and may be able to take advantage of the passive position of white's queen. Carlsen has a long think. He decides not to take the bishop on e6, as that is likely a two result game not in Carlsen's favor. 28.e3!? gives Carlsen some counterplay, though it looks dangerous. after 28...dxe3 opens up both of black's bishops. 29.Rxe3
29...Bd4!? (Why not 29...Bxb2? I have no idea, except Anand may not have liked the counterplay white would get)
30.Re2 c4 31.Nxe6 fxe6 Carlsen is getting low on the clock with 8 moves to go to time control in a complicated position.
I don't see how either player can make progress. Carlsen sometimes plays on a very long time in a drawn position, but this position is very dead. 40.Bxb5 Qf6 41.Qb7+ Be7 42.Kg2 Carlsen declines a draw here, very puzzling. 42...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
Sunday, November 10, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 2
Another short draw. The players reached an equal endgame after 18 moves, and found a repetition in the early twenties.
Game 2 is a Caro, a surprise from Carlsen. Happy times for a couple of our local players.
Carlsen is playing the opening quickly, so he is still in recent preparation, Anand is taking more time. The official site commentary is diving into the chess today. From time to time, Polgar is making comments suitable for novice players. Generally, the chess.com/tv coverage is targeting a more informed audience. I started with the youtube feed off the official site, today.
With 14...O-O, Carlsen castles on the opposite side. This could be a very exciting tactical game, but after Anand plays the centralizing 15.Ne4, which allows Carlsen to begin a series of exchanges that ends with an invitation to trade queens, and Anand accepts. We are in an endgame after moves 18.Qxd5 cxd5.
This endgame is mostly equal. White has more space, but a bad bishop. Neither player has a glaring weakness, but both have play on opposite wings. Carlsen plays the next few moves actively, which allows Anand to force a repetition of moves.
Game 2 is a Caro, a surprise from Carlsen. Happy times for a couple of our local players.
Carlsen is playing the opening quickly, so he is still in recent preparation, Anand is taking more time. The official site commentary is diving into the chess today. From time to time, Polgar is making comments suitable for novice players. Generally, the chess.com/tv coverage is targeting a more informed audience. I started with the youtube feed off the official site, today.
With 14...O-O, Carlsen castles on the opposite side. This could be a very exciting tactical game, but after Anand plays the centralizing 15.Ne4, which allows Carlsen to begin a series of exchanges that ends with an invitation to trade queens, and Anand accepts. We are in an endgame after moves 18.Qxd5 cxd5.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
World Championship 2013: Anand - Carlsen, round 1
Ack! A short draw for the first game. I got up early! Anand can chalk this one up to his excellent preparation.
The official site is having problems with their streaming commentary, but youtube.com has an alternate feed. Chess.com/tv also has live video coverage of the games with different commentators. tcec.chessdom.com has a live board with computer analysis of the current position. The chess.com coverage seems to be more about the chess, but the official site coverage changed commentators at the one hour mark. I expect in future games, there will be less discussion of the scene in Chennai and India.
The opening is a very interesting one for me. Carlsen chose 1.Nf3 and delayed a central pawn thrust till 4.d2-d4. Anand chose a Grunfeld like setup, while Carlsen chose a double fianchetto Reti like setup.
Anand heads into rare territory with 9...d5xc4. This simplifying move gives white a pawn center, but those pawns can be weak, and Anand grabs the initiative and begins to attack Carlsen's c&d pawns. My move order to this kind of position would end up in a neo-Grunfeld, as I play c2-c4 before committing to the kingside fianchetto.
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bf5 8.
c4 Nbd7 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 Nb6 11. c5 Nc4 12. Bc1 Nd5 13. Qb3 Na5 14. Qa3
Nc4 15. Qb3 Na5 1/2-1/2
The official site is having problems with their streaming commentary, but youtube.com has an alternate feed. Chess.com/tv also has live video coverage of the games with different commentators. tcec.chessdom.com has a live board with computer analysis of the current position. The chess.com coverage seems to be more about the chess, but the official site coverage changed commentators at the one hour mark. I expect in future games, there will be less discussion of the scene in Chennai and India.
The opening is a very interesting one for me. Carlsen chose 1.Nf3 and delayed a central pawn thrust till 4.d2-d4. Anand chose a Grunfeld like setup, while Carlsen chose a double fianchetto Reti like setup.
Anand heads into rare territory with 9...d5xc4. This simplifying move gives white a pawn center, but those pawns can be weak, and Anand grabs the initiative and begins to attack Carlsen's c&d pawns. My move order to this kind of position would end up in a neo-Grunfeld, as I play c2-c4 before committing to the kingside fianchetto.
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bf5 8.
c4 Nbd7 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 Nb6 11. c5 Nc4 12. Bc1 Nd5 13. Qb3 Na5 14. Qa3
Nc4 15. Qb3 Na5 1/2-1/2
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Following Kaufman - November 2013
The new issue of Following Kaufman is done.
This ebook collection of games is available for free in epub format on Smashwords.
Only 136 games this month, but all are relevant to "The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White" and present them with a diagram for each move.
This ebook collection of games is available for free in epub format on Smashwords.
Only 136 games this month, but all are relevant to "The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White" and present them with a diagram for each move.
Word Championship: Anand - Carlsen 2013, Preview
I am excited about the upcoming world championship match between Viswanathan
Anand and Magnus Carlsen. Like most world championship matches many of the games will be draws, but I expect they will be interesting draws. Unlike the last championship, neither player has a tremendous advantage in rapid play, so they will have incentive to win the match in regulation.
I want to make a blog post after each round, like I did for Anand vs Gelfand, but the games will be live very early in the morning for me. The first round is on November 9th at 3pm India time (GMT+5:30), which is 4:30am EST (GMT-5), and 3:30am for me here in the land of 10,000 lakes. (Link to official site for match)
This should be a very interesting match of experience and preparation (Anand) versus talent (Carlsen). Both of these players (like all super GMs) have loads of talent and experience, plus I am sure both are working very hard on match preparation. But in comparing the contestants, they do have relative strengths.
Carlsen is like Capablanca in that he seems to have a deep understanding of chess. He plays solid openings and accumulates advantages. I expect that Carlsen will play some new opening lines to lessen Anand's preparation advantage.
Anand is like Botvinnik. He is rich in experience and very good in his preparation.
I also expect that if Anand loses this match, he will, like Botvinnik, be the leading challenger for the next round.
The match will be held in Chennai, which is Anand's home town. This kind of home field advantage is rare in chess world championships. Anand's career has been very good for chess in India, and this may be FIDE's attempt to cement that success. Considering India's population and growing economy, I think we will all benefit from continuing popularity of chess in India.
After Bobby Fischer's departure, participation in chess declined in the USA. If Anand loses, I do not think that will happen to chess in India. Certainly, Anand will (continue to) behave better than Fischer whether he retains the title or loses it.
I want to make a blog post after each round, like I did for Anand vs Gelfand, but the games will be live very early in the morning for me. The first round is on November 9th at 3pm India time (GMT+5:30), which is 4:30am EST (GMT-5), and 3:30am for me here in the land of 10,000 lakes. (Link to official site for match)
This should be a very interesting match of experience and preparation (Anand) versus talent (Carlsen). Both of these players (like all super GMs) have loads of talent and experience, plus I am sure both are working very hard on match preparation. But in comparing the contestants, they do have relative strengths.
Carlsen is like Capablanca in that he seems to have a deep understanding of chess. He plays solid openings and accumulates advantages. I expect that Carlsen will play some new opening lines to lessen Anand's preparation advantage.
Anand is like Botvinnik. He is rich in experience and very good in his preparation.
I also expect that if Anand loses this match, he will, like Botvinnik, be the leading challenger for the next round.
The match will be held in Chennai, which is Anand's home town. This kind of home field advantage is rare in chess world championships. Anand's career has been very good for chess in India, and this may be FIDE's attempt to cement that success. Considering India's population and growing economy, I think we will all benefit from continuing popularity of chess in India.
After Bobby Fischer's departure, participation in chess declined in the USA. If Anand loses, I do not think that will happen to chess in India. Certainly, Anand will (continue to) behave better than Fischer whether he retains the title or loses it.
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