The World Chess Championship 2012 ....

[chisigma]

Several members and authorities of MHB have recently manifested interest about the 'world of the chess', so that I decided to open a thread about the World Chess Championship 2012. Yesterday the 'challenger' Boris Gelfand won the 7-th game againsy the world champion Visvanathan Anand, and I try to do several comments about this game. You all are requested to take into account that my level as chess player is negligible respect to the competitors (Thinking)... Now we observe the 7-th game between Gelfand and Anand...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6... The same position has been achieved in the second, 4-th and 6-th game and in all the games Gelfands was the leader of Whites. It is a variation of the so called 'Slav Defence' widely played in the last eighty years... and even before!... The main drawback of this line is the fact that the several pawns of Blacks are, at least in the first phase of the game, 'fixed' on white squares, so that the development of the Queen's Black Bishop is problematic, and that is the reason why this bishop is often called 'The Bad Bishop'. This game is instructive about why the 'Bad Bishop' can lead to the ruin! ... 5. c5... in the second and 4-th games Gelfand replied with 5. b3 and in the 6-th with 5. Qc2. No effective goals have been met, so that Gelfand tries a new way. My personal experience suggests that in similar positions the best chance of Blacks is to arrive as soon as possible to the move e5, so that the sequences of moves Qe7, g6, Bg7, 0-0 has ever been 'automatic'. Anand chooses a different way... Nbd7 7. Qc2 b6 8. cxb6 Nxb6 9. Bd2 c5 10. Rc1... ​ in few moves the 'pawnwall' on the Queen's side has been broken but Whites have a clear advantage of development. What is the best alternative for Blacks now?... 10. ... c4 will be followed by 11.e4 so that ... cxd4 11. exd4 Bd6 12. Bg5 0-0 13. Bd3 h6 14. Bh4 Bb7 15. 0-0 Qb8 16. Bg3... the 'spontaneous' alternative 16. Bxf6 gxf6 is not 'worrying' for Blacks, because they would obtain the absolute control of the black squares of the center and King's side ... Rc8 17. Qe2 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Qd6 19. Rc2 Nbd7 20. Rfc1 Rab8?!... what's the scope of this move?... a counterattack along the b- line requires too much time!... 20... Rc7 followed by 21. ... Rac8 would have effectively contrast the pressure of Whites ob the c line ... 21. Na4 Ne4 ?!... the Blacks burn all bridges behind them!... maintaining 'could blood' it wasn't difficult to realize that a sequence like 21. ... Rxc2 22. Rxc2 Bc6 23. Nc5 Bb5... forcing the exchange of the 'Bad Bishop' would give better chance ... 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 23. Qc2!... excellent move!... 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24.Qxe4 Bb7 25. Qe3 Bc6 26. b3 Bxa4 27. bxa4 Qb4 and Blacks have no problems 23. ... g5... I don't remember who one time said me: when a position is wrong, all moves are wrong... 24. Qc7 Qxc7 25. Rxc7 f6 26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Nd2 f5 28. Nc4 Nf6 29. Nc5 Nd5 30. Ra7 Nb4 31. Ne5 Nc2 32. Nc6!... the winning move!... the 'Bad Bishop' is kapput!... Rxb2 33. Rc7 ...why not Ne7+ followed by Nxc8?... we have a chance to understand the difference between a 'chess player' and a world champion... the knight in c6 remains to defend d4 blocking any Black's chance and the White's attack will murder not only the 'Bad Bishop', but also the Black King!... Rb1+ 34. Kh2 e3 35. Rxc8+ Kh7 36. Rc7+ Kh8 37. Ne5 e2... ​ the alternative 37. ... exf2 doesn't change anything... 38. Nxe6 ... ​ now after 38... Rh1+ 39. Kxh1 e1-Q+ 40. Kh2 the only chance to avoid [for the moment...] the checkmate is 40... Qxe5, so that Black resign...

 

[Jameson]

Thank you for starting this thread, chisigma! I need some time to read and digest your comments and am looking forward to doing so. For those like me who have trouble visualizing how this game played out just from the notation give above, here is a way to view this game easily without any voice over commentary as I have posted before. I suggest reading chisigma's post along side viewing the game is another window.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1666550

 

[chisigma]

The shortest world championship game of all times!... may be it's incredible but Gelfand in the 8-th game has been k.o. in only 17 moves!... the 'comments' in a further post...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

Viswanathan Anand vs Boris Gelfand- World Championship 2012, 8-th game

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Ne2 0-0 7. Nec3 Nh5 8. Bg5 Bf6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Qd2 f5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. g4 Re8+ 13. Kd1 Bxb1 14. Rxb1 Qf6 15. gxh5 Qxf3+ 16. Kc2 Qxh1 17. Qf2 Black resign...

 

[Jameson]

What a trap! I don't know at what point this trap was set or intended to be played on the white side but in the end it worked flawlessly.

 

[chisigma]

In my opinion we can define the 'trap' as a 'selftrap' that Gelfand, probably 'excited' by the result of the 7-th game, has constructed against himself!... let's do a short investigation about...

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Ne2 0-0 7. Nec3... We have a typical position of the so called 'Benoni Defence' , but the last Knight's move may seem a little 'odd'. In fact the scope of the move is to develop the other Knight in d2 or a3 with the possibility to jump, after the moves e6, exd5, cxd5, in c4 7. ...Nh5?!... This 'aggressive move' [the Blacks start a sort of attack with Rock and Knight in the Queen side not developed...] isn't properly a 'mistake' but it creates the condition of the 'selftrap' ... 8. Bg5 Bf6?!... Coherent with the 'plane' but 8. ... f6 9. Be3 f5 was better 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Qd2 f5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. g4 Re8+ 13. Kd1 Bxb1 14. Rxb1 Qf6?... Fatal error!... after 14. ... Ng7 the position of the Blacks, although with some weaknesses in the black squares, can be sustained. Now the 'selftrap' has been activated and Gelfand has no possibilities to escape!... ...15. gxh5 Qxf3+ 16. Kc2 Qxh1 17. Qf2! ... Good move!... now the threat 18. Bd3 trapping the Queen forces the 'desperate' 17. ... Nc6 18. dxc6 Qxc6 but after 19. Nd5 the game is untenable for Blacks so that Black resign...

The final position remembers an old Italian proverb: when the wife leaves home, better she is accompanied!...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

 

[chisigma]

The 9-th game between Anand and Gelfand has terminated in a drawn, but, in my opinion, is the most 'exciting' and 'instructive' of the match till now!... Gelfand leads Whites...

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 00 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. 00 dxc4 8. Bxc4cxd4 9. exd4... We are arrived to a position typical of this scheme. The Whites has an 'isolated' pawn in d4 but Blacks have to solve the problem of 'Bad Bishop' [remember the 7-th game...], so that the following Black's move in perfectly undesrtable ... b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2 Nbd7 12. Rac1 Rc8 13. Bd3 Bxc3 14. bxc3... Both the players have in some sense 'improved' their game. Whites now have two pawns connected in the center and the pair of Bishops and Black have solved the problem of 'Bad Bishop'. Blacks however don't have acquired the complete parity and that means that they have to 'be careful' ... Qc7 15. c4... Whites have a slight advantage but that is in some way 'natural'. My personal experience suggests that in similar positions it is essential to find a 'secure square' for the black Queen and, even if that may seems 'unconventional', the best move now is 15 ... Qb8 with the possibility of ... Qa8, making the 'Bad Bishop' really 'bad'!... Anand chooses a quite different way... 15... Bxf3?! 16. Qxf3 Rfe8 17. Rfd1 h6 18. Bh4 Qd6?!... Again 18... Qb8 was probably the best alternative, even if for Blacks counterchance are minimal. Now Blacks are pratically forced to change the Queen for Rock, Bishop and pawn... 19. c5 bxc5 20. dxc5 Rxc5 21. Bh7+ Kxh7 22. Rxd6 Rxc1+ 23. Rd1 R8c8 24. h3 Ne5 25. Qe2 Ng6 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 28. Kh2... ​ The pratical chance for Blacks are clearly to arrive to a drawn, but it requires a careful conduct. A solid defensive scheme may be the Knight in d5, the Rock in c7 and the King in g7, having the capability to 'pendulate' the Rock in e7,c7,e7 etc..., so that the following moves are easy to understand... 28... Rc7 29. Qb2 Kg7 30. a4 Ne7 31. a5 Nd5 32. a6 Kh7 33. Qd4... Both players conduct the game in superb way. Now Blacks have to take into account the treat f4 and f5, so that it is necessary to change the defensive scheme properly... f5 34. f4 Rd7 35. Kg3 Kg6 36. Qh8 Nf6 37. Qb8 h5 38. Kh4 Kh6 39. Qb2 Kg6 40. Qc3 Ne4 41. Qc8 Nf6 42. Qb8... The new defensive scheme of the Blacks is based on the possibility to 'pendulate' the Knight in f6, e4, f6, etc... or the King in g6,h6,g6, etc... now the 'logical move' is 42... Kh6 maintaining the position... but that doesn't happen!... 42... Re7?... incomprehensible move that leads the Rock in a passive and non protected position!... 43. g4?... And Gelfand loses his 'magic moment'!... after 43. Qb3! Ne4 44. Qf3 Nf6 45. Qg3+ the Blacks are kapput!... Now Whites have to combat for drawn... 43... hxg4 44. hxg4 fxg4... of course not 44. ... Nxg4?? 45. Qg8+... 45. Qe5 Ng8 46. Dg5+ Kh7 47. Qxg4 f6 48. Qg2 Kh8 49. Qe4 Kg7 ... and drawn has been arranged...

An other Italian proverb: also the champions are humans...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

 

[Jameson]

Just watched this game. I saw the check that led to capturing the black's queen and was so surprised that black allowed it! The resulting structure shows how sometimes having a queen while your opponent does not can be very tricky. The calculation in this game is just brilliant to watch.

 

[chisigma]

In http://red-white-chess.blogspot.com/2012/05/gms-comment-gelfand-anand-hard-draw-on.html You can find interesting 'comments' of 'Great Masters' to the 9-th game. Among them 'very interesting' is what the Dutch GM Erwin l'Ami says about the position after the Black's move 38. ... Kh6 :

It's very important now that 39.Qb3 Kg6 40.Qg3+ Kh7 41.Qg5 Ne4! 42.Qxh5+ Kg7 wins for Black!...

Very well!... now we can understand why the Black's move 42. ... Re7? could have been catastrofic: the sequence of moves described by l'Ami is possible for Whites because the move 42. Qxe7 that captures the 'unlucky' Rock!...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

 

[chisigma]

The 11-th game has been again a draw... anyway I suppose that some reasonable consideration may show the 'beauty' of the chess world...

1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd7... An interesting new move!... as seen in the previous post in this type of positions the main problem for Blacks is the 'Bad Bishop'... the Anand's solution to this old problem is, at least in this game, very effective!... 9.a3 Ba5 10. Qe2 Bc6 11. Rd1 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nbd7 13. Bd3 Qa5 14. c4 dxc4 15. exd4 Qh5 16. Bf4 Rac8 17. Ne5 Qxe2 18. Bxe2 Nxe5 19, Bxe5 Rfd8 20.a4?!... A very risky move!... now 20. ... a5! fixes the white pawn and, sooner or later, the black 'Bad Bishop' will kill it!... but Anand, leading Blacks, probably has only the draw as goal!... 20. ... Ne4 21. Rd3 f6 22. Bf4 Be8 23. Bb3 Rxd4 24. Be3 Rd7 ... and draw is arranged...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

 

[chisigma]

Draw again in the 12-th game!... according with some GM Anand didn't try seriously to force and prefers to arrive at the end of the match in parity, what allows him to remain world champion... may be!...

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.b3 d6 7.e5 Ng6 8.h4 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Nd2... Blacks have an extra pawn but their position is globally 'weak' and the Bishops have little field of action. A passive defensive strategy is not recommended and that explains next Black's move ... c4!? 11. Nxc4 Ba6 12. Qf3 Qd5!... After 12. ... Qc7 [defending c6 and e5...] 13. 00 ... with the threat 14. Nxe5 the Blacks have a diffcult game ... 13. Qxd5 cxd5 14. Nxe5 f6 15. Nf3 e5 16. 00 Kf7 17. c4 Be7 18. Be3 Bb7 19. cxd5 Bxd5 20. Rfc1 a5 21. Bc5 Rhd8 22. Bxe7 draw At this point Anand had 56 minutes to play the next 18 moves [the first 40 moves must be played in less than 120 minutes...] and Gelfand only 12 minutes!... why propose draw and don't proceed a little more? (Thinking)...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$

 

[chisigma]

Anand remains chess world champion!... after the 'regular' sequence of 12 games the result of which has been 6 to 6, the match has been decided with a sort of 'tie break' of 6 games that Anand won 3,1/2 to 2, 1/2. There is the decisive game, where Anand leads the Whites...

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. B3 e5 6. Nxe5 Qe7... The same initial moves of the 12-th game, but now Anand change way ... 7. d4 d6 8. Nxc6 Qxe4+ 9. Qe2 Qxe2+ 10. Kxe2 Bb7 11. Na5 Bxg2 12. Rg1 Bh3 13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Nc3... Whites have a slight advantage because the weakness of the Black pawns in the Queen side, expecially the c5 pawn that is 'virtually died'. It is very difficult at this point to suggest good moves for Black, so that this variation of the Sicilian game is to be considered as inferior ... 000 15. Bf4 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Rxd6 17. Rg5 Nf6 18. Rxc5+ Kb8 19. Nc4 Re8+ 20. Ne3 Ng4 21. Nd5 Nxe3... of course not ... Nxh2 22. f3!... 22. Nxe3 Bg4+ 23. f3 Bc8 24. Re1 Rh6 25. Rh1 Rhe6 26. Rc3 f5 27. Kd2 f4 28. Nd5 g5 29. Rd3 Re2+ 30. Kc1 Rf2 31. h4 Ree2 32. Rc3 Bb7 33. Rd1 gxh4?! ... Better in my opinion 33. ... h6 leaving to Whites the task to force the position. Now Blacks have to degrade without any chance of counterplay... 34. Nxf4 Re8 35. Rh1 Rc8 36. Rxc8+ Bxc8 37. Rxh4 Bf5 38. Rh5 Bxc2 39. Rb5+ Ka8 40. Nd5 a6 41. Ra5 Kb7 42. Nb4 Bg6 43. Nxa6 Rxf3 44. Nc5+ Kb6 45. b4 Rf4 46. a3 Rg4 47. Kd2 h5 48. Nd7+ Kb7 49. Ne5 Rg2+ 50. Kc3 Be8 51. Nd3 h4 52. Re5 Bg6 53. Nf4 Rg3+ 54. Kd4 Bc2 55. Rh5 Rxa3 56. Rxh4 Rg3 57. Nd5 Rg5 58. b5 Bf5 59. Rh6 Bg4 60. Rf6 Rf5 61. Rb6+ Ka7 62. Rg6 Bf3 63. Rg7+ Kb8 64. Nc3 Bb7 65. Kc4 Bf3 66. Kb4 Bd5 67. Na4 Rf7 68. Rg5 Bf3 69. Nc5 Kc7 70. Rg6 Kd8 71. Ka5 Rf5 72. Ne6+ Kc8 73. Nd4 Rf8 74. Nxf3 Rxf3 75. Kb6 Rb3 76. Rg8+ Kd7 77. Rb8 and Blacks resign...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$