Magnus Carlsen Won the Second Game of the World Chess Championship Match and Seized the Lead
The second game of the World Chess Championship match between the champion Magnus Carlsen and the former champion Vishwanathan Anand took place in the Main Media Center in Sochi on November 9th. The Norwegian grandmaster played White.
In the opening Magnus Carlsen showed a new idea aimed against the Berlin variation, which is currently the most dreadful line for those who like to start the game with е2-е4. Vishy Anand successfully rearranged his pieces and obtained a solid and safe position. However, such course of events apparently made Anand too relaxed, as later the Indian started making superficial and inaccurate moves. The World Champion found a very energetic plan – he transferred the queenside rook on the kingside and created a direct attack against the king.
White’s strategy looked very straightforward and obvious, but it turned out difficult for Black to parry the threats. At the press-conference Anand blamed his 18th move and suggested 18…Qf7 instead, pushing the opponent’s queen away from its strong position. Carlsen agreed with him, saying he did not obtain much out of the opening apart from slight initiative. However, after 19.Rg3 he already was quite optimistic.
The computer considers Black’s 20th move a nearly decisive error, as after it Anand was forced to defend a hopeless position. However, the only defense (20…Kh8) looks very unnatural for a human player. During the subsequent game Anand could defend more tenaciously, but the problems he had to solve were severe in any case. The World Champion converted his advantage in a calm manner, without forcing the events.
The match score is currently 1.5-0.5 in Carlsen’s favor. Monday, November 10th is a day off. Both players said they will relax and do some sport.
The third game is played on Tuesday, November 11th. Vishy Anand has White.
The World Chess Championship match consists of 12 games with a classical time control: 120 minutes for 40 moves, then 60 minutes for 20 moves, and then 15 minutes plus 30 second per move until the end of the game. If the match is tied, a tie-break will be played on November 27th.
The 2014 Chess Championship match between incumbent champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Vishy Anand will take place between November 7 and 28 in Sochi, Russia. The World Chess Championship is the most followed event in the world of chess. There are about 600 million chess players all over the world, with such well-known enthusiasts as Sergey Brin, George Soros, Bill Gates and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Tickets for the match can be booked at sochi2014.fide.com.
For more information:
Masha Kunica
Media, World Chess Championship
media@agonlimited.com
Anand has no chance. He was too stubborn to beg Nakamura, the only person who knows how to beat Carlsen, to help him. Big mistake.
Dude aren,t you ashamed of saying this??? The one who could never score a win against Carlsen and ran away to face Navara due to the fear of facing Carlsen….. How Stupid you Naka Fans…..