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Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand
Gashimov Memorial (2019), Shamkir AZE, rd 2, Apr-01
Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack. Main Line Old Main Line (D37)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
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Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Diademas: <spingo: I think Anand gave up too early, but he has been on the wrong end of too many Carlsen grinds and the prospect of another one must have disheartened him.>

This would not have been a grind. I would think an average CG member could have won this against Anand.

Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  ajk68: Black is paralyzed in the end. He can just make waiting moves. White's king is free to roam the board and gobble up black's d-pawn.
Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: Anand once led 6-1 in their classical head-to-head; it's now 12-8 in Magnus's favour.
Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  ajk68: The most interesting nuance of the final position is that white prefers not to step onto the d-file when the black rook is on a4 - which would allow d4, forcing e4 instead of possibly creating a passed d-pawn. Although in the final analysis, it's not clear it matters as the king will capture the d-pawn and white will not create a passed d-pawn pawn.
Apr-01-19  Sokrates: It seems that Carlsen has become Anand's Angstgegner, particularly when they reach the endgame. Apparently, Carlsen's endgame skills stage so much fear that even players with the colossal strength of Anand lose their self-confidence.

Somehow you can't believe Carlsen would lose that endgame if they switched side around move 26.

Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Diademas...This would not have been a grind. I would think an average CG member could have won this against Anand.>

I am a 700 player; think I'd have had a shot, or would I have lost my way while sending Anand on his trip down Perdition Alley?

Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Diademas: < perfidious: <Diademas...This would not have been a grind. I would think an average CG member could have won this against Anand.> I am a 700 player; think I'd have had a shot, or would I have lost my way while sending Anand on his trip down Perdition Alley?>

You are way too modest. ;)

<
Number of games in database: 73
Years covered: 1982 to 2011
Last FIDE rating: 2186>

Apr-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Diademas>, permit me a droll bit of humour; as I am probably one-third the player I once was!
Apr-01-19  Ulhumbrus: <Messiah: 29...g6?? is terrible, now Justin will grind down Anand after 30.♖b7 - tears incoming on the wrong end, unfortunately.> On the other hand if Black prevents 30 Rb7 by 29...Bc8 White can attack the a7 pawn from a8 instead by 30 Rb8 followed by Ra8.

The move 29 a6 fixes the a7 pawn as a target. This suggests that Black is advised to not wait for it. Instead of 28...Rc5, 28...Rc3-a3 attacks the a5 pawn before White can play 29 a5-a6.

Apr-01-19  Eyal: In the press conference after the game, Anand criticized 25...Qc3 (instead of Qc5, with the same basic idea), then 28...Rc5 (instead of e.g. Ra3), and finally 29...g6 as the last mistake. He noted that 29...Bc8! (to prevent Rb7) can still save Black - said that during the game he was discouraged when he noticed 30.Rb8 (with the threat of winning a piece by Bg4) 30...Kh7(?) 31.Rb7! and now, with the black king on h7, 31...Bxb7 32.axb7 Rc1+ 33.Kh2 Rb1 doesn't work because of 34.Bd3+; but went on to note that Black can still save himself by 30...g6! (now in the right timing) to meet 31.Bg4 with f5.

This means that 29.a6 was actually a sloppy move by Carlsen - 28...Rc5? should have led immediately to a forced win by White with the more precise 29.Rb8+!, and now Black doesn't have a good response - 29...Bc8 loses a piece to 30.Bg4; 29...Rc8 allows 30.Rb7 (now that the white a-pawn is not under threat), when the only way to defend a7 is going super-passive with Ra8; and finally, 29...Kh7 allows the same idea pointed out by Anand in a different move order - 30.a6 Bc8 31.Rb7!.

Apr-01-19  Eyal: Btw, Carlsen gave in the press conference a sample line to explain how White wins the rook endgame beyond the point in which Anand resigned - https://twitter.com/chesscom/status.... Basically, the white king comes out and wins the d5 pawn (Black can't defend it with Ra5 becaue of Kb6), then White creates a second passer on the h-file which ties the black king to h7, and finally he penetrates with the king to f6.
Apr-01-19  parmetd: Carlsen is starting a streak against the former champ... Last two meetings Carlsen has won.
Apr-02-19  Ulhumbrus: < parmetd: Carlsen is starting a streak against the former champ... Last two meetings Carlsen has won.> The good news is that Anand knows why he lost. He would have more cause to worry if he could not find out the reason why he lost and what to avoid if the position were to come up again.
Apr-02-19  parmetd: True but in essence both games he lost in a similar sense... inaccuracies right before the draw.
Apr-03-19  Roark: Anand doesn't even know his endgames. The players of the 1900s are laughing in their graves. All this computer technology for naught. Idiot is I believe the appropriate description of such a character.
Apr-03-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Diademas: <Roark: Anand doesn't even know his endgames. [...] Idiot is I believe the appropriate description of such a character.>

Yeah! Who is this patzer Anand anyway? Better get a day job that pays, cause he will never make it as a chess player.

Thank you for sharing this brilliant insight <Roark>. Finally someone with real credentials sticking it to these useless amateurs.

Apr-03-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: < Roark: Anand doesn't even know his endgames. The players of the 1900s are laughing in their graves. All this computer technology for naught. Idiot is I believe the appropriate description of such a character.>

I see just one idiot here, and his name is <Roark>.

Apr-04-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: white's active e pawn will force the black king out in the open.
Apr-04-19  parmetd: Although Diademas inadvertently refers to one of my favorite chess stories from Anand's youth.

I am sure my summary leaves a lot to be desired but it went something like this.

When Anand was young and traveling by train to play tournaments in India, he sat next to an older man on a train. The older man started a conversation with Anand and asked what he did. Anand replied I am a chess professional. The older man took a moment and after a long slow sigh said, "take it from an experienced old man. That's a hard life. You really don't have a chance to make it at such a tough sport. Maybe if you were Visanathan Anand perhaps... But since you're not. I advise you to find work young man."

Apr-04-19  Messiah: Hendrik must have been very proud that his Justin edged out a toothless tiger.
Apr-04-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Messiah>

<toothless tiger>

Mamedyarov and Giri would like a word.

Apr-05-19  mckmac: <Parmetd: When Anand was young and traveling by train...>

Charming story, thanks.

Apr-05-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: How could they hear each other, hanging outside the door, with all those people piled on the roof?
Apr-05-19  Clashero1880: clever racist joke @HeMateMe, just that a racist joke is never clever
Apr-05-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: <https://www.kcprotrade.com/2018/01/... >
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