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Expressly annotated by Miss Lonelyhearts

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Magnus Carlsen – Viswanathan Anand
World Chess Championship; match game 2; Sochi, November 9, 2014
Spanish C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6. This old move seems to have become a favourite with all the leading players! 4. d3. A quiet move which avoids the main lines. 4. ... Bc5. This used to be Morphy’s favourite. 5. 0-0 d6 6. Re1!? A “new” move and perhaps the best chance to keep some initiative. After 6. c3 0-0 7. Nbd2 a6 Black has an easy play and no problems in the centre, Hracek – Kramnik, Prague 2002. 6. ... 0-0 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 Re8 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Bb6. “10. ... Bb6 looked slightly odd to me. White will play 11. a4, I guess. A smidgen more comfortable for White, but no panic yet”, Grandmaster Nigel Short tweeted. 11. a4 a5 12. Nxb6 cxb6 13. d4 Qc7 14. Ra3!! An elegant addition to the – yet metaphoric – attack. “Those pointing out mistakes (with engine help obv.), please notice 14. Ra3!? by Magnus, breathing life into a dead equal position!”, Grandmaster Anish Giri tweeted. 14. ... Nf8 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 Rd8 17. Qh5 f6 18. Nf5 Be6?! At the press-conference after the game, Anand blamed his 18th move and suggested 18. ... Qf7, in order to dislodge the enemy Queen. Magnus was quite agree. Interesting was also Hikaru Nakamura’s suggestion: “Strange moves by Anand in the middlegame. In particular, the Knight almost always belongs on e6 in these exchange Ruy structures. 18. ... Ne6!”. 19. Rg3 Ng6. We would prefer 19. ... Rd7 (keepng cool) in order to met 20. Bh6 by 20. ... Bxf5 21. gxf5 Rad8 and Black’s position looks still tenable. 20. h4 Bxf5. Dennis Monokroussos prefers the tricky 20. ... Kh8 (with the tactical pointe 21. Rxg6 Qf7). 21. exf5 Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rc3 c5 24. Re6 Rab8 25. Rc4 Qd7 26. Kh2! Relentless prophylaxis. Now, 26. ... Qd1?? would be met by 27. Re8+ winning. 26. ... Rf8 27. Rce4 Rb7 28. Qe2. Alekhine’s gun! 28. ... b5!? The most practical try. 29. b3. “29. b3 is the human move. Supposedly 29. Re7 was stronger, but why bother?”, Short tweeted. 29. ... bxa4. On 29. ... c4 30. axb5 cxb3 31. b6! and White wins, e.g. 31. ... b2 32. Qc4 b1=Q?? 33. Re8+ Qf7 34. Rxf8+ Kxf8 35. Qc8+ and mate next move. 30. bxa4 Rb4

31. Re7. This happy – and easy – move, forcing the Queen to a dilemma, decides the fate of the issue. 31. ... Qd6. The innocent-looking 31. ... Qxf5?? is prettily refuted by 32. Rxb4 axb4 (idem to say 32. ... cxb4) 33. Qc4+ Kh8 34. Qf7! Rg8 35. Re8 and White mates in two moves. 32. Qf3 Rxe4 33. Qxe4 f3+ 34. g3 h5?? “Blunders don’t happen in a vacuum. 34. ... h5?? came after enormous sustained pressure”, Short tweeted. After 34. ... Qd2 35. Qxf3 Qxc2 36. Kg2 White stands much better, but the game is not over. 35. Qb7 1 : 0. “Nice way to end the weekend...”, Magnus tweeted afterwards.