World Championship - Game 3

Game 3 saw Carlsen stick with the Reti approach and Anand too stuck with to his guns from game 1.  Carlsen again failed to get even a hint of an opening advantage and in fact got outplayed by Anand in the early middlegame.  I thought at one point Carlsen was going to lose but some experienced GMs (Gelfand) weren't so convinced he was in serious trouble due to the often drawish nature of opposite coloured bishops.

Some notes from the TWIC site with the odd comment from myself [AL]

Carlsen,Magnus (2870) - Anand,Viswanathan (2775) [A07]
WCh 2013 Chennai IND (3), 12.11.2013

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.c4

Carlsen is the first to deviate.

[3.Bg2 was chosen by Carlsen in game one.]

3...dxc4

White's opening is hardly critical so grabbing a pawn to slow white's development seems a good test.

[3...c6; 3...d4 are both respectable and more commonly played alternatives.]

4.Qa4+

[4.Na3 is the main alternative.]

4...Nc6 5.Bg2

[5.Qxc4]

5...Bg7 6.Nc3

[6.0-0 e5 7.Qxc4]

6...e5

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 6...e5

Grabbing a share of the centre.

[6...Nh6 7.Qxc4 Nf5 8.0-0 0-0 9.d3 h6 10.Bd2 Nfd4 1-0 Polugaevsky,L (2575)-Dlugy,M (2545)/London 1986 Was perfectly fine for black and led to an interesting game settled on the run up to first time control.]

7.Qxc4

[7.Nxe5 Bxe5 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qxc6+ Bd7 10.Qe4 f6 11.f4 Ne7 12.fxe5 Bc6! was a nice line given by Kasparov.]

7...Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.d3 h6!?

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 9...h6

9...Be6 has been played more frequently

10.Bd2 Nd4!?N

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 10...Nd4

starting to exchange pieces and grabbing space.

[10...Be6 11.Qa4 Nd4 (11...f5!? has been very successful for black but has been only tested at a low level.) 12.Rfc1 f5 13.Ne1 c5 14.Bxb7 Rb8 15.Bg2 Rxb2 was a draw in Kuzubov,Y (2624)-Negi,P (2607) New Delhi 2011 (40 moves).]

11.Nxd4

"I missed some simple things when I went for this whole 11.Nxd4, 12.Ne4, 13.Bb4 operation so I think already then I misplayed something." - Carlsen.

[11.Rac1 Be6 12.Qa4 b6 seems fine for black.]

11...exd4 12.Ne4

[12.Na4 Be6]

12...c6 13.Bb4

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 13.Bb4

This seems to allow black complete equalisation but there doesn't seem to be very much if anything for white here already. Carlsen commented that this position wasn't a disaster because if he had had this as black it would be a fairly common position from the Maroczy structure.

[13.h4 Be6 14.Qc1 Nf5=; 13.Qc1 may offer the best chances for something. 13...Kh7 14.Bb4 Be6 15.Nc5 Bc8 16.Re1]

13...Be6 14.Qc1

[14.Qc5 Nd5 15.Ba3 Qc7 16.Rfc1]

14...Bd5 15.a4 b6 16.Bxe7 (before black can shut bishop out of game with ...c5 [AL]) 16...Qxe7 17.a5 Rab8 18.Re1 Rfc8 19.axb6 axb6 20.Qf4

[20.Ra6]

20...Rd8 21.h4 Kh7 22.Nd2

White's queen is terribly short of squares.

22...Be5 23.Qg4

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 23.Qg4

23...h5

[23...f5 was my thought when watching the game it seems black is so in control he can play on either side of the board. 24.Qh3 f4!? (24...h5) 25.Bxd5 Rxd5 26.g4 Rb5; 23...Be6 at first looks like it will lead to a repetition (as many people were predicting - AL) but: 24.Qf3 Bd5 25.e4!? Be6 (25...dxe3?! 26.Qxe3 Re8 27.Nc4 Bxc4 28.Bxc6 Rec8 29.Bg2) 26.Qe2 Qb4 27.f4 Bg7 28.e5 which also looks better for white.]

24.Qh3 Be6 25.Qh1 c5 26.Ne4 Kg7 27.Ng5

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 27.Ng5

"Here it felt like white had more or less gotten enough counterplay, I'll have to check that was indeed the case. I felt if we swapped light squared bishops white was not risking anything to that rules out for me Bf5, Bg4 such moves and I didn't really see where else I could go. Bb3 is a bit ridiculous so I decided just to go for the opposite bishops." - Anand.

27...b5!

Carlsen admitted he "underestimated this plan with b5 giving up the bishop".  A high class move in my view [AL]

[27...Bf5 28.Bh3 Bxh3 29.Qxh3; 27...Bg4 28.Bf3 (28.Bh3 Bxh3 29.Qxh3 transposes.) 28...f6 29.Ne4 Bd7]

28.e3?!

"I really didn't have any idea what was happening next so I was happy to survive." - Carlsen. I think around here Carlsen lost the thread of the position after being surprised by b5.

[28.Nxe6+ Qxe6 29.Bh3 was Carlsen's initial intention but it "didn't seem to work out" nevertheless most probably he should have played it. 29...Qe7 (29...f5 30.Qf3 Qf7) 30.Qc6 c4 31.dxc4 bxc4 32.Qxc4 Rxb2 with a draw to follow.]

28...dxe3 29.Rxe3

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 29.Re3

29...Bd4!?

[29...Bxb2! is the best according to Houdini but only if you see a finesse quite deep into the line. 30.Rae1 Rb6 31.Bd5 (31.Bh3 "I thought white had full compensation, I didn't see the point in going for that." Anand. 31...Bd4 is the move Houdini gives against this line of Anand's with advantage to him.) 31...Bd4 32.Rxe6 fxe6 33.Rxe6 Qf8!! Houdini (33...Rxe6 34.Nxe6+ Kh6 35.Nxd8 Qxd8 36.Qf3 is completely equal.) 34.Qg2 when black is better.]

30.Re2 c4

"I think I have enough counterplay here." Anand didn't comment at all on 28.e3 suggesting that he didn't considered it an important moment.

31.Nxe6+ fxe6 32.Be4 cxd3 33.Rd2

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 33.Rd2

33...Qb4?!

Kasparov was surprised Anand played this move so quickly.

[33...Rf8!? 34.Bxd3 Qd6 35.Qg2 Rxf2 36.Rxf2 Rf8 37.Raf1 Bxf2+ 38.Rxf2 Rxf2 39.Qxf2 Qxd3]

34.Rad1 Bxb2

[34...Rf8 "The thing is we were getting very short of time. Even if I win the pawn on f2 if he plays Bd3 and Qe4 I don't see how I'm better. It seems to me my upside was quite limited anyway." Anand. 35.Bxd3 (35.Kh2 doesn't seem any better.) 35...Rxf2 (35...Qd6!? may be the critical try that Anand missed as it stops Qe4. 36.Qg2 Rxf2 37.Rxf2 Rf8 38.Rdd2 Rxf2 39.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 40.Qxf2 Qxd3 with a pawn up in a Queen and Pawn ending but this I think may be a long way from being won.) 36.Rxf2 Rf8 37.Qe4 Bxf2+ 38.Kg2 Qxe4+ 39.Bxe4]

35.Qf3 Bf6

[35...Bd4]

36.Rxd3 Rxd3 37.Rxd3 Rd8

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 37...Rd8

A tacit draw offer. "The thing is that although black has an extra pawn I'm not really in danger of queening it. The problem is with these opposite coloured bishop white's always going to have a backstop and the other thing is that g6. I saw I could play Bd4 and normally this is what I would have done but I simply didn't see anything anyway with something like Qe2, I didn't see any progress. And then I was just swapping down with Rd8." Anand.  ***This strikes me as rather pessimistic - I doubt Carlsen would have acquiesced to a draw so easily when a pawn up [AL].

[37...Bd4]

38.Rxd8 Bxd8 39.Bd3 Qd4 40.Bxb5 Qf6

Viswanathan Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Position after 40...Qf6

Accompanied by a draw offer from Anand.

41.Qb7+

Carlsen turns down the draw offer but there are no chances here. The first two games were settled by three-fold repetition and perhaps this indicates Carlsen won't agree any draws but will play out the games until the end. The players quickly trade down to an absolute draw.  ***I wonder if this is part of a general match strategy from Carlsen to drag out even drawn positions for as long as possible to eventually wear his significantly older opponent out.  I'm not sure this strategy has much chance of success as it's 'only' 12 games.  Over 24 games maybe...[AL]

41...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+

Finally insufficient mating material for both sides, so draw.

1/2-1/2

I certainly think Anand missed some chances here to make Carlsen much more uncomfortable.  Carlsen is so difficult to beat (when he isn't over pressing) one wonders just how many chances Anand will get.

Match scores

Anand       1.5

Carlsen     1.5