Cover Story / World Championship Bd3 f5!.
14. ... bxc6 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 16. Be2 Ke7
A very quiet choice. After 16.
... Bb6 Carlsen was probably intending to sacrifice a pawn with 17. Bf3 Bxe3+ 18. Kc2 but after 18. ... Bd7 it is hard to see why White should have anything more than adequate compensation for the pawn.
17. Bf3 Bd7 (1.02) 18. Ne4 (1.01) Bb6 19. c5 (0.59) f5! (0.58) 20. cxb6 fxe4 21. b7 Rab8 22. Bxe4 (0.59) Rxb7 (0.57)
“I think the opening went
quite well for me, I got some advantage,” said Carlsen. “I have some static advantages
like better bishop and better pawn structure. If I can consol - idate and put pressure on him then I can definitely play for a win.” However objectively this position should be fine for Black so long as he stays active, as Anand does.
23. Rhf1 (0.53) Rb5 (0.55) 24. Rf4 g5 25. Rf3 (0.45) h5 (0.33)
25. ... Be8, intending 26. ...
Bg6, is ugly but probably also adequate.
26. Rdf1 (0.38) Be8 27. Bc2 Rc5 28. Rf6 (0.30) h4 (0.23) 29. e4 a5 30. Kd2 (0.22) Rb5 (0.20) 31. b3 Bh5 32. Kc3 Rc5+ 33. Kb2 (0.16)
Now Anand could sit tight 34. ... Rd4! (.0855)
“I missed this,” admitted Carlsen, “and I was worried that I might even be worse.”
but decides to try for counter - play.
33. ... Rd8 (.0920) 34. R1f2 (0.15)
Now Carlsen spent eight of his remaining 15 minutes—Anand had nine—before playing ...
35. Rh6! (.0732) ... with a very firm hand and
a poker face. As a bluff, the body language worked like a charm. After the game Anand said that in his opinion “34. ... Rd4 looked strong but turned out to be the decisive mistake— my counterplay didn’t ma te ri al ize. 34. ... Rg8!? was the right way to play” (with the idea of meeting 35. Rh6 with 35. ... Bg6 ~IR).
35. ... Bd1 (.0841) 36. Bb1! (.0651) Rb5 (.0611) 37. Kc3 (.0448)
Carlsen Fact File
FULL NAME: Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen RATING (12/2013): 2872 (Record for highest rating) WORLD RANKING: 1
SECONDS: Jon Ludvig Hammer, Laurent Fressinet, Ian Nepomniachtchi
HOBBIES: Soccer, basketball, tennis, modelling
1990: Born Tønsberg, Norway 2000: Becomes a student at the Norges Toppidrettsgymnas, the national sports institute which had recently added a chess course run by Simen Agdestein.
2003: Becomes an international master and begins travelling the world with his family.
2004: Becomes a grandmaster at 13, the youngest ever to achieve all his grandmaster norms outside their home country. Draws with world number one Kasparov in a rapid tournament in Reykjavik.
2007: Finishes last in Wijk aan Zee Grandmaster A group in January (having won the C group in 2004 and the B group in 2006.) Two months later finishes second in Linares tournament.
2008: Ties for first place with Levon Aronian in Wijk aan Zee.
2009: Begins work with Garry Kasparov. Dominates Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament, 21
⁄2 points ahead of then world number one Veselin Topalov. Wins Chess Oscar for the first time.
2010: Youngest ever world number one. Ends cooperation with Kasparov.
2011: Wins the Peer Gynt Prize—a high Norwegian honor.
2013: Breaks Garry Kasparov's rating record and wins Candidates tournament and World Championship.
“Age was partly a factor, but regardless of everything else, he just lost to a better player.” ~CARLSEN
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