Playing it safe for a return date with Carlsen

If Anand beats Sergei Karjakin in the penultimate round of the Candidates chess tournament, he will win a rematch with Carlsen without losing a game, and with one game still in hand.

Fans will hope for one career-highlight win from Anand in the eight-player 14-round meet at Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. However, he is likely to stick to his tried and tested method of solid, risk-free, subtle chess that has taken him so close to the top spot.

If a position demands counterattacking, he will go for it; if the position ensures only win or draw with no threat of defeat, he will show his attacking instincts.

In the 12th round game against Dmitry Andreikin of Russia, he was clearly better. However, he chose not to go for the kill against the world No. 43, considering that he was not in a desperate position for a full point.

After agreeing for a draw, Anand said in a press conference: “(If I play) Kd2… (instead of three-fold repetition that he went for) and I suspect white (Anand) is better but my head was spinning. And I decided not to tempt my fate.”

These are typical thoughts of a scholar who has seen life. A younger and less experienced player is generally less aware about the chances of losing from such a position.

But not a colossus like Anand. “It was a practical decision (to draw with Andreikin in a better position). I was quite tired. If something (had) happened, I still had to make 4-5 correct defensive moves before winning an extra piece.”

In all sports and also in life, safety-first approach is considered wiser, though, it can sometimes also lead to disaster. Let’s hope Anand will not be consumed by slow poison in the remaining two games. And yes, he can weave his own ‘black magic’ against Sergei Karjakin on Saturday.

Standings: 1. Anand 7.5 pts; 2. Aronian 6.5 pts; 3. Mamedyarov, Karjakin 6 each; 4. Svidler, Andreikin, Topalov, Kramnik 5.5 each.