Cover Story / World Championship
Now Anand started to think again ...
37. ... c5 (.0519) 38. Rb2 (.0436) 38. ... e5! (.0418)
Preparing what Anand
thought was desperate but necessary counterplay. The immediate 38. ... a4 was well met by 39. b4.
39. Rg6 (.0134) a4 (.0341) This had been prepared by
Black’s 38th move, but 39. ... g4 would have been safer.
40. Rxg5 (.0044) Rxb3+ (.0117) 41. Rxb3 Bxb3 42. Rxe5+ (0.50)
The time control having been
reached, Carlsen settled down to calculate his way through the complications. “I really
“It turned out to be a little bit
wanted to go 42. Bd3 to stop his counterplay,” said Carlsen, “only now he can go 42. ... c4! 43. Rxe5+?! Kd6 44. Kxd4 cxd3! and I actually lose!”
42. ... Kd6 43. Rh5 Rd1! (0.46) 44. e5+ (0.47) Kd5 (0.44) 45. Bh7! (0.40)
more difficult for Black to hold than I thought [at first],” said Carlsen.
45. ... Rc1+?! (0.35) In the nine minutes Anand
spent on this move, the com - puter engines and the pundits were confident that Anand would find 45. ... Ra1 46. Bg8+ Kc6 47. Bxb3 Rxa3 with an easy draw, e.g. 48. Kc4 axb3 49. Rh6+ Kd7 50. Kc3 Ra2 when White does not retain enough of an advantage to force a win.
46. Kb2 Rg1 (0.28) Another seven minutes gone,
the time probably spent looking at the desperation variation 46. ... Re1 47. Bg8+ Ke4!? when
Black goes three pawns down but hopes that his c-pawn supported by the king will save the day. “I thought I should be able to generate [enough] counterplay but it wasn’t possible,” said Anand.
47. Bg8+ Kc6 48. Rh6+! (0.29)
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