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