16-11-2013, 12:49 PM
I think Game 5 yesterday game marked the point where Carlsen moved ahead on the balance of the play. I don’t understand Anand’s 16…Ke7 at all, spurning the two active bishop moves Bb6 and Bg5 that threaten Bxe3+. He plays Bb6 tow moves later anyway, when W has c5 in reply. He seemed to be in a passive mindset but when he got his passive position I thought he defended and counterattacked superbly for the rest of the session until move 45. It’s hard not to be affected by that annoying little computer number on the screen that was showing 0, so I thought he had got there - but actually, Anand had quite a difficult choice as to which side to go for. 45 … Ra1 and the a-pawn was the ‘zero’ evaluation and going to the K side with Rc1+ and Rg1 was the wrong choice.
He seemed to tire in that second session and even almost at the end could have gone down to Q v R which is supposed not to be easy these days. In the position after 57 a7 White’s main winning plan seems to be to push his h pawn to deflect the Black King then move the W king up to support the a-pawn.
Anand again 'chose poorly' with 57 ... Kc5 (after which it looks like he can't stop both of the pawns). However with the simple 57 … Ra4 Black makes this plan a lot harder. The WK goes round to the Q side the long way, via d4 (once the BK is on the K side looking after that h-pawn) and with the R on c7 plays Kc5 and Kb6 after which because of the P on a7 W can capture the c-pawn with the rook. However that’s not quite the end of it as B can take the R and go into R v Q – because whites h-pawn then falls to the combined attentions of the B R+K. Maybe this Q v R ending is regarded as easy to win by the GMs? I personally think it’s very hard if you don’t know it, and quite hard if you do. Anyone got any more on this?
Or perhaps Anand had just had enough of the game.
[pgn]1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 c5 7. a3 Ba5 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd3 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Ng4 12. O-O-O Nxe3 13. fxe3 Bc7 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 16. Be2 Ke7 17. Bf3 Bd7 18. Ne4 Bb6 19. c5 f5 20. cxb6 fxe4 21. b7 Rab8 22. Bxe4 Rxb7 23. Rhf1 Rb5 24. Rf4 g5 25. Rf3 h5 26. Rdf1 Be8 27. Bc2 Rc5 28. Rf6 h4 29. e4 a5 30. Kd2 Rb5 31. b3 Bh5 32. Kc3 Rc5+ 33. Kb2 Rd8 34. R1f2 Rd4 35. Rh6 Bd1 36. Bb1 Rb5 37. Kc3 c5 38. Rb2 e5 39. Rg6 a4 40. Rxg5 Rxb3+ 41. Rxb3 Bxb3 42. Rxe5+ Kd6 43. Rh5 Rd1 44. e5+ Kd5 45. Bh7 Rc1+ 46. Kb2 Rg1 47. Bg8+ Kc6 48. Rh6+ Kd7 49. Bxb3 axb3 50. Kxb3 Rxg2 51. Rxh4 Ke6 52. a4 Kxe5 53. a5 Kd6 54. Rh7 Kd5 55. a6 c4+ 56. Kc3 Ra2 57. a7[/pgn]
He seemed to tire in that second session and even almost at the end could have gone down to Q v R which is supposed not to be easy these days. In the position after 57 a7 White’s main winning plan seems to be to push his h pawn to deflect the Black King then move the W king up to support the a-pawn.
Anand again 'chose poorly' with 57 ... Kc5 (after which it looks like he can't stop both of the pawns). However with the simple 57 … Ra4 Black makes this plan a lot harder. The WK goes round to the Q side the long way, via d4 (once the BK is on the K side looking after that h-pawn) and with the R on c7 plays Kc5 and Kb6 after which because of the P on a7 W can capture the c-pawn with the rook. However that’s not quite the end of it as B can take the R and go into R v Q – because whites h-pawn then falls to the combined attentions of the B R+K. Maybe this Q v R ending is regarded as easy to win by the GMs? I personally think it’s very hard if you don’t know it, and quite hard if you do. Anyone got any more on this?
Or perhaps Anand had just had enough of the game.
[pgn]1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 c5 7. a3 Ba5 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd3 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Ng4 12. O-O-O Nxe3 13. fxe3 Bc7 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 16. Be2 Ke7 17. Bf3 Bd7 18. Ne4 Bb6 19. c5 f5 20. cxb6 fxe4 21. b7 Rab8 22. Bxe4 Rxb7 23. Rhf1 Rb5 24. Rf4 g5 25. Rf3 h5 26. Rdf1 Be8 27. Bc2 Rc5 28. Rf6 h4 29. e4 a5 30. Kd2 Rb5 31. b3 Bh5 32. Kc3 Rc5+ 33. Kb2 Rd8 34. R1f2 Rd4 35. Rh6 Bd1 36. Bb1 Rb5 37. Kc3 c5 38. Rb2 e5 39. Rg6 a4 40. Rxg5 Rxb3+ 41. Rxb3 Bxb3 42. Rxe5+ Kd6 43. Rh5 Rd1 44. e5+ Kd5 45. Bh7 Rc1+ 46. Kb2 Rg1 47. Bg8+ Kc6 48. Rh6+ Kd7 49. Bxb3 axb3 50. Kxb3 Rxg2 51. Rxh4 Ke6 52. a4 Kxe5 53. a5 Kd6 54. Rh7 Kd5 55. a6 c4+ 56. Kc3 Ra2 57. a7[/pgn]