World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen plays 'Flick Chess' in Office! (Video)
Hollywood Spice to Carlsen, Anand World Chess Championship Memories
Hello chess blog friends, we're missing the excitement of the world chess championship somewhat. So, here's a look back with some Hollywood spice. World chess championship 2014 could have inspired the following Hollywood movie title remakes! Do you agree? Maybe, these photographs could serve as movie poster themes. ;: Just kidding. These photos are from the library of lovely photographs by Vladimir Barsky and Anastasiya Karlovich at the official website. Enjoy.
Sleeping with the enemy
When Harry met Sally
Hansel and Gretel
Knights of the Round Table
His Girl Friday
Citizen Kane
The Red Shoes
Black Beauty
The Terminator
The trivia question is can you identify the celebrities in each photo?
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
Russian President presides over World Chess Championship Awards Ceremony
Hello chess blog friends, the closing ceremony of the World Chess Championship between Magnus Calrsen (Norway) and Viswanathan Anand (India), won by Carlsen 6.5-4.5, took place on November 25th in the Main Media Center in Sochi. For the first time in the history of the World Chess Championships (which began in 1886) the closing ceremony was attended by a head of the host country: the Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Main Media Center and expressed his gratitude to the grandmasters for their high-quality games.
Vladimir Putin said: “This match between the two strongest grandmasters of the planet has truly become the focal point of the entire world chess championship. Millions of chess fans from all over the world followed it. As I have just been told, this was about 2 million people in over 100 countries every day. I am certain that the honest and fierce struggle of two equal and respectable players has met the expectations of millions of fans across the globe.
Chess is fairly considered an important part of world culture. In Russia it has traditionally enjoyed special respect.
We are happy and proud that the Olympic city of Sochi hosted the decisive match for the world chess crown.
This city is filled with a festive atmosphere of sports and competition, and the participants in this match have demonstrated the same qualities as the Olympic athletes did during the Winter Olympics.
The match to determine the World Chess Champion will definitely serve to further develop chess in Russia and the world at large.
We in Russia have a special love for chess. Let me remind you that this country gave the world ten champions.
We have about 540 thousand people doing this sport, while the number of those who like to spend their free time over a game of chess runs into millions.
Once again, my congratulations to Magnus Carlsen on his outstanding victory! I wish you success!”
The FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov awarded the players with memorable medals, and then crowned Magnus Carlsen with laurels and gave him the Grand Champion's Cup. “You played a great match, – said Mr. Ilyumzhinov to the players. – Millions of young chess fans follow you and want to become great masters someday, just like you. We are grateful to the Russian Government and the Russian President Vladimir Putin for their assistance in organizing the match. The level of organization met the highest standards. I announce the 2014 match closed. The next one, in 2016, will be played in USA”.
Read more »Labels: Magnus Carlsen, russia chess, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir putin, world chess championship 2014
Magnus Carlsen retains World Chess Title with Win in Dramatic Game 11
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen retains his world title by beating five-time champion Viswanathan Anand in Sochi today. Carlsen won the 11th game to take his total to 6.5 in the 12-game match despite Anand putting up a gutsy, valiant fight. Ultimately, it were the nerves that mattered as they do in such a high-voltage match. Anand admitted that his nerves cracked first and Carlen could hold himself to take home the title second time in a row. Anand scored 4.5 in the match including a win in Game 3, Carlsen had won Game 2. The other games were drawn.
Game 11: Photo by Anastasiya Karlovich
Anand had the pressure going choosing to play a sharp line in the Berlin and got out of the opening with plenty of scope for a ballistic attack, but he overestimated his chances on the Queenside, went for a faulty exchange sacrifice and could not handle the passed, connected pawns whose power backfired. Carlsen, known to calculate long and hard, found the 'only move' step after step to win the dramatic Game 11 after 27. ...Rb4.
In the post-game press conference, Anand was all praise for his opponent. Carlsen said he and his team enjoyed their stay in Sochi. Both the players held separate press conferences today which you can replay at the official website along with all the game videos and press conferences.
You can replay the game with Chess King.
FIDE World Chess Championship Carlsen-Anand 2014
The FIDE World Chess Championship match between defending champion Magnus Carlsen and his challenger Viswanathan Anand was held from November 7 (and was to run until November 27, 2014) in Olympic Media Center located in the Adler City District of Sochi, Imeretinsky Valley, on the Black Sea.
The match included twelve games, with time controls of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 61. The first person to score 6.5 was to be declared the champion. A tiebreak of faster-time control games would have been held in case of equal scores by both the players after 12 games.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Sochi 2014 G10 Drawn: Can Anand force Tiebreak in two Games?
Hello chess blog friends, in tennis terminology you could say World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen is on match-point. Carlsen leads the World Chess Championship after 10 games 5.5 - 4.5 against Viswanathan Anand. Saturday being a rest day, Games 11 and 12 will be played on Sunday and Monday. Carlsen could win Game 11 and retain his title or even draw both the last two games to remain World Chess Champion. Vishy Anand has to win one game to draw level and draw one game to force a tiebreak. Of course, if Anand wins both the last two games, he becomes the World Champion.
Before we talk about the Game 10 draw - here are the tiebreak rules:The Match is played over a maximum of twelve games and the winner of the match shall be the first player to score 6.5 points or more. If the scores are level after the twelve games, after a new drawing of colors, four tie-break games shall be played. The games shall be played using the electronic clock starting with 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds after each move. In case the match is still drawn, a match of 2 games shall be played with a time control of 5 minutes plus 3 seconds increment after each move. In case of a level score, another 2-game match will be played to determine a winner. If still there is no winner after 5 such matches (total 10 games), one sudden-death game will be played.
Meanwhile, Game 10 was drawn in 32 with Anand unable to do much with Magnus Carlsen's Gruenfeld Defence as in Game 1. Anand played the Russian Variation though both players said at the press conference that the position needs to be further studied and evaluated. You can replay the game with Chess King.
Score Carlsen 5.5 - Anand 4.5.Sunday 23rd November 2014. Game 11 Carlsen vs Anand. If Carlsen were to win this game he would win the whole match.
The seven-time Russian champion Peter Svidler shared his thoughts about the game:
“Unfortunately they didn't go for my pet line in Gruenfeld, so I was little bit unsure about the correct move orders and stuff. I play 7…а6 and haven't played 7…Na6 for quite a while, so my book knowledge is a bit outdated. However, we discussed the opening with Ian Nepomniachtchi, who also analyzed it at home and with computer. Carlsen showed an interesting new idea 15…Bxe4, which can be critically tested only by 16.d6 instead of 16.Qс1. Probably they either missed or underestimated the drawing tendencies after Black's strong reply 16…Qf6!
Later it felt like Vishy had some microscopic pressure, but a slightest inaccuracy from White, and the game immediately became dead even. We were a bit surprised by 24.Rd2 – first of all, one can even play 24.а3, but the strongest is 24.Rfe1 – the а2-pawn is not so crucial, so we can ask Black a couple of concrete questions first. Yes, after 24…Nc6 White's advantage is not easy to prove, but without the e-file it becomes simply impossible. When Vishy realized it, he quickly forced a draw, otherwise White could end up being worse. Of course, there was 26.g3, preventing 26…Be5, but it is hard to believe White can squeeze anything of it.”
You can read a nice report by Vladimir Barsky at the official website as well.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 9: Carlsen draws 'better prepared' Anand
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Championship game 9 was a short draw. It might have been a tad frustrating for World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen as he appeared to have come for a rout with White. However, he admitted that Anand was better prepared.
“You finished so fast today that the journalists didn't yet finish their coffee”, joked Anastasia Karlovich at the start of the press-conference. However, Magnus Carlsen did not pick up her tone:
“I have no idea when your journalists drink coffee.”
Magnus Carlsen chose to avoid any risks considering the pressure and high stakes in the match. The 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov continues to observe the match closely and shares his impressions on twitter:
“Berlin aside, I also learned that this is a dangerous path. Giving up quick draws with white is a betrayal of Kaissa & she does not like it! Carlsen has a lead and only 3 games to go. But if he starts to believe he can coast to the title it is very dangerous psychologically. The last match was already over by now, a blowout. He may feel very uncomfortable pressure in the final games if it is still so close. This is true with any stressful decision. You just want it to be over, to feel relief, and it can overwhelm all your critical thinking.”
Magnus Carlsen: “Yes, it is frustrating when the opponent is better prepared at this point in the match, but it has been the other way around too.”
Of course, it is in Carlsen's favour to steer all games to draw considering he has a one-point lead, but Anand cannot be discounted. The Indian Grandmaster is known to fight with patience until the very last and could strike at any moment on the smallest of weaknesses. Anand is known to have a fantastic theoretical understanding of chess. Carlsen did well not to risk it at all in Game 9 as he could have been saddled with a weaker positional endgame.
Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 8: A Draw, Carlsen Keeps Lead
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Championship 2014 in Sochi witnessed a draw in Game 8 much to the disappointment of Anand fans. Here is the insightful summary by Vladimir Barsky via the official website. You can replay the game with Chess King.
“Surprised Carlsen is playing such a risky variation. No doubt he analyzed it, but it's hard to account for all White's options”, tweeted Fabiano Caruana. And Nigel Short confessed that he doesn't know 9...Re8, despite 30+ years of experience in this variation. He also enriched the chess literature with a new term – “a typical condom variation: to be used once and thrown away”.
For the fourth time in Sochi the former World Champion started the game with the queen's pawn push. Each time Carlsen responded differently – first with the Gruenfeld, then with the Queen's Gambit, then – with the Queen's Indian. Today Magnus, when it was his turn to make the third move, covered his face with a palm and sat motionless for about five seconds. Then he moved a pawn to d5, pressed the clock, fell down in the chair and closed the eyes, as if being totally exhausted by the effort. After the game the champion explained that his physical shape was not very good in the beginning, but he slowly gained strength over the course of the game. Maybe he just didn't want to repeat the Queen's Gambit, in which he lost the third game? But his coaches convinced him and even gave him a secret weapon!
Anand started to consume time, and when a first critical moment occurred, rejected the most principled but highly risky continuation. Soon a symmetrical ending with two minor pieces for both sides arose, and White had only a symbolic advantage, if anything at all. The position was too simple – no room for traps or errors. On the move 41 Anand offered a draw, and Magnus accepted.
The seven-time Russian champion Peter Svidler presents his view on the eighth game:
Read more »Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
3 Top Lessons from Anand - Carlsen World Chess Championships!
Hello chess blog friends, Two of the world's best chess players - Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen - are meeting to fight for the top chess title two years in a row. Here are three top lessons every chess fan should gain from these two historic clashes...
1 - Physical fitness: Finally, it's there for all chess fans to see. You're not going to be making much headway if you're not fit. Spending more than six hours at a stretch ensuring that your brain still comes up with the best calculations on the board requires stamina and endurance. If you're up against a tenacious opponent, you could well be sitting fighting for every drop of blood. You will need to stay alert all the way just to even eke out a draw. So, get the hind, get, set, go with an exercise regime!
2 - Chess studies: Yes, chess is a whole lot about logic, but look at the huge amount of chess theoretical preparation that goes into a game. Playing chess at the top level, with the clock ticking against you, it's all so important to be armed with the best theoretical preparation of all phases of the game fro opening, middlegame to the endings. Start training then... and, Chess King is cool to begin with.
3 - Believe in yourself: There is no scope for disappointment when it comes to playing chess at tournament level. Whether you blunder, or you lose, you're got to get up right back and go fight again. That is the greatest lesson chess will possibly every teach you. There is no giving up - whether it is Anand losing the title and working hard to win another chance, whether it's Magnus Carlsen losing his lead and coming back to taking the lead again... or, whether it's both blundering and fighting on... That's chess. The show must go and you must fight till the last. Chess makes you a warrior in the best of traditions. Believe in yourself and fight till the last - on the chessboard and off it. Chess is for the brave alone.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championships 2014
World Chess Match Game 7: Fortress Master Anand unfazed by Carlsen Grind
Hello chess blog friends, former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand knew just what he was doing when he gave away a Bishop for two pawns in Game 7 at the World Chess Championship versus Magnus Carlsen this Monday!
The game marked the second half of the match so Magnus Carlsen got to play two games with White in a row. Magnus stuck to 1.e4 and, since Anand did not try the Sicilian, the game steered into the Berlin with Magnus sticking to theory.
However, the game tempo did not slow down even after Anand's novelty – clearly such course of events did not surprise Carlsen. White sacrificed a pawn, obtaining very active pieces in return – his rook was on the 7th rank, and the knight settled on f5. Anand thought for 35 minutes on his 31st move and made a very committal decision to sacrifice his bishop for two pawns, intending to set up a fortress. Later at the press conference the former World Champion said he found this plan at the board, although he had seen similar positions successfully defended before.
Carlsen's task was to trade the rooks and keep his two pawns from exchanges. However, it was hard to achieve, as the black rook was not allowing the white knight settling in the centre, while supporting с2-с4 would expose the white king. Eventually Carlsen was forced to put a pawn on c4, because he could not make progress otherwise, but Black advanced his pawn to b5 and activated the king, threatening to exchange all the pawns. Soon Anand managed to simplify the position, achieving a book draw with a rook against a rook and knight.
The World Champion kept playing, trying to utilize minimal practical chances for a win. However, Anand demonstrated the required accuracy, and the game ended in a draw on the 122nd move, just three moves short from breaking the record for the longest World Championship game. The fifth game of the match between Anatoly Karpov and Victor Korchnoi in Baguio, 1978, ended in a draw in the 124th move.
Magnus said at the press conference that he was convinced that there would be a way to win the endgame after black's sacrifice. However, soon he realized that he could not make progress without pushing c4, which gave Black counterplay.
Vishy Anand was asked if it was frustrating to defend for so long. “It is not frustrating if I get a draw in the end”, replied the ex-World Champion.
The score in Carlsen-Anand match is now 4-3 in Carlsen's favor. The eighth game is played on Tuesday, November 18th, at 15:00. Anand has White. Admission is free of charge. The official website of the championship http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/ broadcasts live grandmaster commentary in Russian and English. (Official website) Replay the game with Chess King.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 6: Knight's Betrayal hits Anand, Carlsen wins to Lead
Hello chess blog friends, Round 6 will go down at the World Chess Championship 2014 will go down in chess history for possibly the wrong reason! Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand failed to accept 'the gift' of a blunder from reigning champion Magnus Carlsen!
“When you don't expect a gift you don't look for it,” said a disappointed Anand at the press conference after the sixth game. The pressure of the world title match took it's toll and that is why, also, chess will forever remain human no matter how much computers come into play in training.
There have been blunders at World Championship matches before for example, Garry Kasparov in his 11th game of the 1985 match against Anatoly Karpov.
For Magnus Carlsen, one other upside of the game was that Anand chose a passive line in the Sicilian, but it was a solid and tricky setup. Carlsen was rattled by his own error, but his only feeling was relief when Anand returned the favour.
Peter Svidler, in his commentary said, " Many people think the main problem of the 4…а6 Sicilian is 5.Bd3. However, in that line White often must play for mate in order to get any advantage. Unfortunately (I played this position as Black a lot, so I am obviously biased), White indeed gives mate fairly often. However, this is not Carlsen's way of playing chess, so he went for 5.с4, and the endgame that occurred at the board is one of the main lines."
"After the 25th move there was a short break in the broadcasting. Sopiko and I turned the microphones off, and suddenly 26.Kd2 appeared on the monitors. I didn't even cover it in the analysis, because this was obviously a huge mistake – White loses two pawns with checks! Okay, he will pick up the h6 pawn, but his position will be ruined. I began to wave hands to the directors to turn off the ads and let us back on air, but in less than 20 seconds Black replied with 26…a4. At that moment I didn't understand anything at all."
Naturally, after playing 26.Kd2 Magnus immediately realized the problem. In general allowing the pawn to a3 is not a good idea for White, so he is supposed to meet a4 with a3. However, Magnus knew he cannot gamble anymore, and immediately moved the king from d2 to e2. Vishy played 27…а3 and probably asked himself why Magnus did not block his pawn. The answer popped up instantly, and after that continuing the game for Vishy was incredibly hard. What a terrible situation – you barely holding an inferior position and suddenly miss a chance to win! If Vishy responded correctly, White had no real resources to defend. The game would move to a technical stage of converting a huge advantage, and Vishy is very good at it, too, writes Vladimir Barsky in his report at the official website.
Magnus Carlsen leads the match 3.5 - 2.5 after six games. You can continue to watch the very exciting world chess championship match live on the official website. Replay Game 6 with Chess King.
Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 5 Drawn: Carlsen, Anand both 2.5
Hello chess blog friends, the World Chess Championship 2014 is evenly poised with both Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand at 2.5 each after Game 5 was drawn. The main stage in Sochi ended with a draw, but there was excitement elsewhere - Russian chess juniors got prizes and the talented Shakhriyar Mamedyarov bulldozed his way to winning the Tal Chess Memorial which was held in Sochi over two days in blitz format. The Tal Chess Memorial is expected to be back in classical format, in Sochi, next year. Alexander Grischuk was second.
Shakhriyar shared his championship match impressions with RCF's Eteri Kublashvili:
“I think the third game was very important. Exactly such victory Anand missed in Chennai. He is a different person in Sochi, and I think the match will be very tense. Anand's play also proves it. Actually, he played quite well this year, while Carlsen, in my opinion, did not. So this is going to be an exciting match. I will not be surprised in Anand wins.”
Peter Svidler shared his opinion on the game:“Today I worked in a commentary booth with Ian Nepomniachtchi, and the players made us look fools in the end! For at least 15 minutes we talked about how unpleasant this ending is for black, when there is a white pawn on a2 and black pawn on b6. We explained in detail that if you remove all the rooks, it might be simply hopeless for black, and even with a single pair of rooks defending is tough. So we thought Vishy will play it on for at least two hours, and paused to have a snack. However, as soon as we left the booth, Vishy traded the queenside pawns! This came as a big surprise for us, however, Anand surely calculated everything and decided that black consolidates, and white's winning chances are non-existent.
Magnus Carlsen did push and push for long to eke out any advantage from the long-drawn endgame, but Anand stood his ground and stuck to safe play instead of taking any risks. The show moves on to Game 6 being played on Saturday. Magnus has White in both Games 6 and 7. Watch all the action live at the official website. You can replay Game 5 with Chess King.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 3 Sochi 2014: Anand wins, Levels Score
Hello chess blog friends, Indian chess fans had a thrilling Tuesday as five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand pulled off a solid win to level the score with reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen in Game 3 of the Sochi World Chess Match 2014. Here is the nice summary report of Game 3, via the official website, by Vladimir Barsky:
The champion and the challenger were in a different mood before the day off, but planned to spend it similarly – to have a rest and to do some sport. Magnus accomplished his goal, according to the twitter of Tarjei Svensen: “A very bad day for Magnus Carlsen in Sochi today. He lost a basketball match”. However, that defeat was a mild setback compared to what happened later on the board.
Chess fans were really looking forward Anand's second game as White. Will he manage to create problems for his fearful opponent, utilizing his advantage in opening preparation? During the previous match Carlsen usually managed to skip the opening stage, relying on his advantage in the middlegame and the endgame.
After the players fired away 16 moves in 10 minutes, the former World Champion Alexander Khalifman visited the press-center. The comment of the respected theory expert:
“As expected, Magnus changed the opening. He went for the Gruenfeld in the first game, but it was more of a probe, because this opening does not really suit him. In today's game he returned to a more classic way of handling the game, picking the Queen's Gambit. And then it suddenly got interesting. The debated variation is currently considered one of the cornerstones of the QGD. It occurred several times at the Petrosian Memorial just a couple of days ago, but every time Black played 7…Nh5 to get rid of the dark-squared bishops, which is a safer option. Kramnik played it against Aronian and made a draw. Magnus, however, went for 7…с6. Not that it's weak, but it initiates a forced line, which is in my opinion unpleasant for Black. White sacrifices a pawn, creating a strong passed pawn on с7.
I analyzed this variation extensively, and I think Black barely holds, often by various tactical tricks. I repeat, there is no highway to a draw, just many trails, and everywhere Black must invent something to survive. This is why Black stopped allowing this variation: he cannot regain the initiative, and any mistake can lead to a disaster. But maybe Magnus analyzed it thoroughly, and we will see some beautiful forced draw...”
“Alexander, what are your impressions from the first two games?”
“Anand somewhat lacks confidence. As expected, he is not at his peak early in the match. It is too early to draw definite conclusions about the level of preparation and play, but he is clearly lacking confidence. Both times he lost concentration immediately after the opening. And this makes the third game even more interesting. The players quickly played a lengthy theoretical line, which means Vishy will have more time for the critical moments of the game. The opening is clearly in his favor.”
“You carried out a presentation of a new chess variant on the day off. Could you tell us more about it?”
“Tensorchess in an amusing game that seems interesting to me. The younger generation might like it – there is no volumes on the opening theory in tensorchess, which is a big advantage. And although the 8x10 boards are not available, tensorchess already has its computer app.”
The 10th World Champion Boris Spassky, who attended the presentation, looked with amusement at the rectangular board with a brand new piece on it – a monster! – but said he will stay with regular chess. Our game is still a mystery in many ways, but if some people like inventing things – sure, why not?
During the third game Boris Vassilyevich visited the Dvorkovich Saloon and had a lecture for the young participants of the Tournament of champions. It wasn't even a lecture, more of a collection of stories: a childhood during the war, matches with Petrosian, meetings with Fischer, both in real life and in his dreams... When Spassky finished his speech, there was a long line of children seeking autographs.
However, let us return to the key event in Sochi. Carlsen kept thinking, and it became apparent that we are not going to see a beautiful forced draw. Here is the conclusion of the 7-time Russian champion Peter Svidler:
“Everybody thought that an excellent opening preparation will be one of the main trumps of Vishy. And today it worked for real. In the first game Anand was also better prepared, but the resulting position was unclear, and White's advantage evaporated after his first slight inaccuracy. Today we saw an even sharper and more concrete line, and despite Magnus changing the opening, Vishy was better prepared as well. As a man who avoids analyzing the QDG for the last three years (I spent way too much time on it in 2011, helping Alexander Grischuk at the candidates matches), I cannot suggest a correct reaction for Black. A year ago I played this position as White against Topalov, and I looked into it for a while, but I forgot the details. This is an extremely concrete line, where you must know the correct move orders, or the c7-pawn becomes a huge problem for Black. I can only say that Sopiko Guramishvili and I expected recapturing on d5 with a pawn. Magnus, however, took with a rook and created more problems for himself. Keeping the rook on the a-file, where it supported the passed pawn, looked more natural. However, this position is so concrete that speaking in terms of natural-unnatural just makes no sense.
Upon obtaining an advantage, Vishy carefully and accurately converted it into a full point. It was noticeable that he tried hard not to rush things and not to look at the clock at all. A very important victory by Anand! The match basically starts over.”
“It went wrong from the start and I didn't have a chance. But I'll get a new chance and can strike back tomorrow”, said Magnus. He also added: “When something goes wrong, it's always my fault.”
Anand was very happy to find 26.Rc6! Answering the question about the depth of his preparation, he said that 24.Qb6 was still his book. After 29.Qa6! Black's position is collapsing, and after 30...e5 Anand had no doubt about his win, but tried to remain calm until the end. By the way, Vishy confirmed that he also had a sporting day off, hitting the gym. Then he spent about 3-4 hours preparing for the game.
Carlsen confessed that he was surpassed in the opening preparation. The Norwegian said he saw 24.Qb6, but thought he could neutralize the opponent's initiative. However, after 26.Rc6! it became clear for him that his position is hopeless.
“Would you say that the Tiger is back?”, asked a Norwegian journalist. Anand laughed:
“There are many games ahead. The next game is tomorrow, so let us not rush it.”
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Game 3 Today: Can Anand Equalise?
Hello chess blog friends, the third game of the World Chess Championship 2014 in Sochi is set to begin in almost an hour. Magnus Carlsen leads 1.5 - 0.5 after his win in the second game of the match. Naturally, the question chess fans are asking is whether Anand can equalise today after the rest day!
Game 2 that concluded with Carlsen winning.
Indian newspapers report that Viswanathan Anand needs to come up with fresh ideas to recover the lost ground. The five-time world chess champion from India, of course, knows how to bounce back into contention.
Anand had said in the press conference: "I didn't quite look at it that way (in reference to a question about a probable slip-up and slackening during the game), in terms of the hour, I kept hesitating between the queen and Bishop move. Even then it's not catastrophic there are many moments after that but may be the slip up had started already."
Meanwhile, Carlsen said, "There was not too much going on to be honest, I thought I might have a slight initiative when I got my rook life I was feeling more optimistic, if black has to go for the set-up (in the game) then it's clear that something has gone pretty seriously wrong,"
Carlsen also said, "I just tried to put him under pressure, I don't know if I played the most accurate way, I think he could certainly have defended better, you cannot win in chess without mistakes, you got to play well to induce those."
Don't forget to watch live the World Chess Championship Game 3 starting at 3 pm Moscow time. There is super commentary in English by Peter Svidler and Sopiko Guramishvili and in Russian by Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk and Sergey Shipov.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match 2014 Game 2: Carlsen Wins, Leads
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has struck first and won Game 2 at the Sochi World Chess Championship 2014 versus Viswanathan Anand. Declining the Berlin and going for his usual grining play, the World Champion now leads 1.5-0.5 in the 12-game match. Here is the official report of Game 2 via the official website which has live commentary and broadcast on game days: (Replay Game 2 with Chess King)
The second game of the World Chess Championship match between the champion Magnus Carlsen and the former champion Vishwanathan Anand took place in the Main Media Center in Sochi on November 9th. The Norwegian grandmaster played White.
In the opening Magnus Carlsen showed a new idea aimed against the Berlin variation, which is currently the most dreadful line for those who like to start the game with е2-е4. Vishy Anand successfully rearranged his pieces and obtained a solid and safe position. However, such course of events apparently made Anand too relaxed, as later the Indian started making superficial and inaccurate moves. The World Champion found a very energetic plan – he transferred the queenside rook on the kingside and created a direct attack against the king.
White's strategy looked very straightforward and obvious, but it turned out difficult for Black to parry the threats. At the press-conference Anand blamed his 18th move and suggested18…Qf7 instead, pushing the opponent's queen away from its strong position. Carlsen agreed with him, saying he did not obtain much out of the opening apart from slight initiative. However, after 19.Rg3 he already was quite optimistic.
The computer considers Black's 20th move a nearly decisive error, as after it Anand was forced to defend a hopeless position. However, the only defense (20…Kh8) looks very unnatural for a human player. During the subsequent game Anand could defend more tenaciously, but the problems he had to solve were severe in any case. The World Champion converted his advantage in a calm manner, without forcing the events.
The match score is currently 1.5-0.5 in Carlsen's favor. Monday, November 10th is a day off. Both players said they will relax and do some sport.
The third game is played on Tuesday, November 11th. Vishy Anand has White. Admission is free of charge; spectators have an opportunity to follow a live grandmaster commentary or to play speed chess with a unique chess robot, developed by Konstantin Kosteniuk. The official website of the championship http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/ broadcasts live grandmaster commentary in Russian and English.
The World Chess Championship match consists of 12 games with a classical time control: 120 minutes for 40 moves, then 60 minutes for 20 moves, and then 15 minutes plus 30 second per move until the end of the game. If the match is tied, a tie-break will be played on November 27th.
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Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
World Chess Match Round 1 Anand - Carlsen Draw: Little Tricks of the Two-men Show
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Championship 2014 in Sochi, 2014 is off to an interesting start. Here is the very nice report by Vladimir Barsky via the official website. Replay the game with Chess King.
Little Tricks of the Two-men Show
The World Chess Championship started on Saturday in the Main Media Center in Sochi. The doors of the Pushkin Hall were opened half an hour before starting the clocks, and in a few minutes many photographs and TV operators lined up in front of the scene. The scene looks unusual for modern times – there is no barrier between players and spectators. The organizers found it unnecessary, because they did many other precautions: the spectators are not allowed to bring any electronic devices, and all radio communication in the playing hall is blocked. Well, at least there are no glass barriers, and it once again feels like a theater, not a zoo with a giant aquarium.
Igor Levitin, adviser of the Russian President made a symbolic first move of the match. Igor Yevgenyevich took it responsibly. Together with the FIDE President and the Chief Arbiter, he arrived at the scene five minutes to three, greeted the players and looked at Anand interrogatively. The former World Champion, who played White, pointed at the e4-pawn. In due time Levitin moved it to e4, then lifted it up and held for a while, looking straight at the spectators in the playing hall. Then put it back to e4, shook hands with the players and returned to his seat. After that Vishy asked Mr Filipowicz to bring the pawn back to e2, and when the clocks were started, played 1.d2-d4 instead. A little trick!
The 7-time Russian champion Peter Svidler, who comments the games in English together with the charming Sopiko Guramishvili, annotated the critical moments of the first game for our readers. The Russian-speaking audience is served by grandmaster Sergey Shipov, who left his colleague Ilya Smirin in Moscow at the Petrosian Memorial, flew south and found a new partner – Alexandra Kosteniuk. A lovely substitution if you ask me!
The 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov, who did not accept Vladimir Putin's invitation to visit the match in Sochi yet, tweeted: “A tense fight in game one of #CarlsenAnand. They know each other well, why waste time?” Carlsen said at the press-conference that it was a good start, although they both played a mediocre stretch at some point. According to Anand, he got careless, but then was lucky to find a nice idea with Rd4-b4 followed by activating the queen by Qh1-d5, which secured a draw.
Carlsen admitted that the opponent surprised him in the opening and praised the idea of bringing the bishop to h3, which secured the c8-square. Anand was asked to comment Radjabov's words, who suggested that Vishy mixed up the move order in the opening. Perhaps he meant that the computer on a shallow depth gives White a big edge after 13.Be2 instead of 13.0-0-0. In Khanty-Mansiysk six months ago Anand would just delicately avoid a direct answer, but here he was firm: “I did not mix up anything!”
Answering about his opening ceremony impressions, Anand burst with laughter: “The magician was great, but I recalled the 1998 Chess Oscar ceremony, when another magician stole my watch!” It happened in Moscow at the Central House of Journalists, and the watch returned to the Indian guest's wrist by the end of the evening...
The Media Center also hosts an exhibition of chess pieces from the Chess Museum, and an exhibition of photographs of chess players. A one-armed robot designed by Konstantin Kosteniuk plays a three-board simul non-stop, and crushes its opposition ruthlessly. The V. Dvorkovich Saloon hosts the junior Tournament of champions, and the Chess Olympiad champion Olga Girya gave a simul.
Photos by Boris Dolmatovsky
Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
Glittering Opening Ceremony for World Chess Match 2014 Carlsen vs Anand in Sochi
Hello chess blog friends, the World Chess Championship between World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand has begun in Sochi, Russia at 3 pm Local Time today.
The official opening ceremony of the World Chess Championship took place at the Congress Hall of the Radisson Blu hotel in Sochi on November 7th, 2014.
The ceremony was attended by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Russian Chess Federation President Andrey Filatov, the adviser of the Russian President Igor Levitin, former World Champions Boris Spassky, Nona Gaprindashvili, Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, Zhu Chen, Antoaneta Stefanova, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russian deputy minister of sports Pavel Kolobkov, and other officials and famous chess players. Russian People's Artist Sergey Makovetsky and Alexandra Kosteniuk were hosts of the ceremony.
Igor Levitin read out the welcome address of the Russian President Vladimir Putin:
“Russia deserves the honour of holding this important and prestigious event. Our country has won wide recognition for its chess school and has extensive experience at holding events of this level, all the more so as this championship match is taking place in Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year.
I am confident that Sochi’s developed sports, transport and tourism infrastructure and the traditional hospitality of its residents will ensure that this event takes place at the highest standard and will enable the competitors – Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand – to demonstrate the full measure of their skill and ability to find original solutions to the most complex tasks and show that they are worthy rivals in this battle for the chess world’s crown.”
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on behalf of the FIDE Presidential Board (the International Chess Federation unites 181 countries) sent greetings to the guests of the championship. He revealed a rich competitive and cultural agenda during the championship – the Tal Memorial grandmaster blitz tournament, junior Tournament of champions, master-classes, simultaneous displays, etc. In the end Mr. Ilyumzhinov wished good luck to the match participants and expressed hope for brilliant and exciting games.
Igor Levitin awarded the Russian players with state decorations. The order “For Merit to the Fatherland” of the 1st class was given to Alexandra Kosteniuk, Natalia Pogonina received this order of the 2nd class. Olga Girya and Sergey Rublevsky received Honorary Mentions of the Russian President. These players and the Russian women's team coach got their awards for winning the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway as well as for their contribution to chess development in our country.
After the mime show “Dance of chess queens” the Chief Arbiter of the match Andrzej Filipowicz (Poland) called for the drawing of lots. Vishy Anand has the white pieces in the first game.
The grandmasters will play 12 games with classical time control: 120 minutes for 40 moves, then 60 minutes for 20 moves, and then 15 minutes plus 30 seconds per move for the rest of the game. If the match is tied, the tie-break with quick time controls will take place on November 27th.
The ceremony was concluded with the concert of a singer Tina Kuznetsova and the Jazz Quartet of People's Artist of Russia Igor Butman.
More photos from the opening ceremony
Labels: Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, world chess championship 2014
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