Carlsen Retains his Title

Game 2 (Carlsen wins)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. 0-0 d6 6. Re1 0-0 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 Re8 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Bb6 11. a4 a5 12. Nxb6 cxb6 13. d4 Qc7 14. Ra3 Nf8 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 Rd8 17. Qh5 f6 18. Nf5 Be6 19. Rg3 Ng6 20. h4 Bxf5 21. exf5 Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rc3 c5 24. Re6 Rab8 25. Rc4 Qd7 26. Kh2 Rf8 27. Rce4 Rb7 28. Qe2 b5 29. b3 bxa4 30. bxa4 Rb4 31. Re7 Qd6 32. Qf3 Rxe4 33. Qxe4 f3+ 34. g3 h5 35. Qb7 1–0

Game 3 (Anand wins)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Ng5 Ndf6 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Ra5 20. fxe4 Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. 0-0 Rc8 26. Rc6 g5 27. Bg3 Bb4 28. Ra1 Ba5 29. Qa6 Bxc7 30. Qc4 e5 31. Bxe5 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Qe7 33. e6 Kf8 34. Rc1 1–0  

Game 6 (Carlsen wins)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qd3 Nc6 8. Nxc6 dxc6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. e5 Nd7 11. Bf4 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Kc7 13. h4 b6 14. h5 h6 15. 0-0-0 Bb7 16. Rd3 c5 17. Rg3 Rag8 18. Bd3 Nf8 19. Be3 g6 20. hxg6 Nxg6 21. Rh5 Bc6 22. Bc2 Kb7 23. Rg4 a5 24. Bd1 Rd8 25. Bc2 Rdg8 26. Kd2 a4 27. Ke2 a3 28. f3 Rd8 29. Ke1 Rd7 30. Bc1 Ra8 31. Ke2 Ba4 32. Be4+ Bc6 33. Bxg6 fxg6 34. Rxg6 Ba4 35. Rxe6 Rd1 36. Bxa3 Ra1 37. Ke3 Bc2 38. Re7+ 1–0

Game 11 (Carlsen wins)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Nc3 h6 11. b3 Kc8 12. Bb2 c5 13. Rad1 b6 14. Rfe1 Be6 15. Nd5 g5 16. c4 Kb7 17. Kh2 a5 18. a4 Ne7 19. g4 Ng6 20. Kg3 Be7 21. Nd2 Rhd8 22. Ne4 Bf8 23. Nef6 b5 24. Bc3 bxa4 25. bxa4 Kc6 26. Kf3 Rdb8 27. Ke4 Rb4 28. Bxb4 cxb4 29. Nh5 Kb7 30. f4 gxf4 31. Nhxf4 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 Bxc4 33. Rd7 Ra6 34. Nd5 Rc6 35. Rxf7 Bc5 36. Rxc7+ Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Kc6 38. Nb5 Bxb5 39. axb5+ Kxb5 40. e6 b3 41. Kd3 Be7 42. h4 a4 43. g5 hxg5 44. hxg5 a3 45. Kc3 1–0

The king is dead. Long live the king.

Anand played a solid game while keeping tension but started making mistakes. A blunder by each player led to an endgame with an advantage for Carlsen, who tried to win but forced a draw when things got complicated.

Final score: 6 1/2 - 3 1/2

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. c4 Nf6 8. Bg5 e6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. 0-0 Bc6 11. Qd3 0-0 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Rac1 h6 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 24. Rc3 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 Qe5 26. Qd2 Nf6 27. Re3 Rd7 28. a5 Qg5 29. e5 Ne8 30. exd6 Rc6 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6 36. Kf2 Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7 40. Nc3 Nf5 41. Ne4 Ne3 42. g3 f5 43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46. Ng8+ Kf8 47. Nxh6 gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q 57. Qd5 Qe1 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5 ½–½

Anand comes out with all guns blazing

Unfortunately for him, Carlsen found all the right defensive moves to hold the draw, and in the end Anand blundered and Carlsen actually picked up the full point.  Carlsen now needs only one draw in the remaining three games to clinch the title.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. e3 c4 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. g4 0-0 11. Bg2 Na5 12. 0-0 Nb3 13. Ra2 b5 14. Ng3 a5 15. g5 Ne8 16. e4 Nxc1 17. Qxc1 Ra6 18. e5 Nc7 19. f4 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Rxa6 Nxa6 22. f5 b3 23. Qf4 Nc7 24. f6 g6 25. Qh4 Ne8 26. Qh6 b2 27. Rf4 b1=Q+ 28. Nf1?? Qe1 0–1

40 minutes? Are they kidding?? FORTY MINUTES?!

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 0-0 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Bf4 d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7 16. Qe2 c6 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nf3 Ng7 20. Be5 Ne6 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Ne5 Re8 23. Ng4 Qd8 24. Qe5 Ng7 25. Qxe8+ Nxe8 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Nxe8 Kxe8 29. f4 f5 30. Kf2 b5 31. b4 Kf7 32. h3 h6 33. h4 h5 ½–½

Anand can allow only 1 point in the remaining four games.  This match is over.

Looks like Anand is going to go out with a whimper

C'mon, man, FIGHT!  As Chessbase points out, there is a football adage in Brazil that states that losing by ten goals or by a thousand is the same. If you have nothing to lose (and in a match this short, you have nothing to lose), then the score stops being a factor in your decision making.  Play something sharp, lose again, doesn't matter.  But don't draw like this!  Even though I didn't think Anand could pull it off (Elo rated #8 against Carlsen is too big a gap, not unlike Short's #10 against Kasparov in 1993), but I was rooting for some good chess.  This is just pathetic.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 g6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. 0-0-0 0-0-0 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6 15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8 21. Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Qf3 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. c3 Ne6 29. Kc2 Ng5 30. Qf2 Ne6 31. Qf3 Ng5 32. Qf2 Ne6 ½–½

Carlsen Wins Again

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 0-0 6. 0-0 Re8 7. Re1 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 d6 10. Bg5 Be6 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 14. h3 Nbd7 15. Nh2 Qe7 16. Ndf1 Bb6 17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5 19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 Bb6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Qg4 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qe7 25. Rf1 c5 26. Kh2 c4 27. d4 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Qb7 29. Rd1 Qc6 30. Qf5 exd4 31. Rxd4 Re5 32. Qf3 Qc7 33. Kh1 Qe7 34. Qg4 Kh7 35. Qf4 g6 36. Kh2 Kg7 37. Qf3 Re6 38. Qg3 Rxe4 39. Qxd6 Rxe3 40. Qxe7 Rxe7 41. Rd5 Rb7 42. Rd6 f6 43. h4 Kf7 44. h5 gxh5 45. Rd5 Kg6 46. Kg3 Rb6 47. Rc5 f5 48. Kh4 Re6 49. Rxb5 Re4+ 50. Kh3 Kg5 51. Rb8 h4 52. Rg8+ Kh5 53. Rf8 Rf4 54. Rc8 Rg4 55. Rf8 Rg3+ 56. Kh2 Kg5 57. Rg8+ Kf4 58. Rc8 Ke3 59. Rxc4 f4 60. Ra4? (b4!) h3 61. gxh3 Rg6 62. c4 f3 63. Ra3+ Ke2 64. b4 f2 65. Ra2+ Kf3 66. Ra3+ Kf4 67. Ra8 Rg1 0–1

Carlsen Draws First Blood

1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 c5 7. a3 Ba5 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd3 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Ng4 12. 0-0-0 Nxe3 13. fxe3 Bc7 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 16. Be2 Ke7 17. Bf3 Bd7 18. Ne4 Bb6 19. c5 f5 20. cxb6 fxe4 21. b7 Rab8 22. Bxe4 Rxb7 23. Rhf1 Rb5 24. Rf4 g5 25. Rf3 h5 26. Rdf1 Be8 27. Bc2 Rc5 28. Rf6 h4 29. e4 a5 30. Kd2 Rb5 31. b3 Bh5 32. Kc3 Rc5+ 33. Kb2 Rd8 34. R1f2 Rd4 35. Rh6 Bd1 36. Bb1 Rb5 37. Kc3 c5 38. Rb2 e5 39. Rg6 a4 40. Rxg5 Rxb3+ 41. Rxb3 Bxb3 42. Rxe5+ Kd6 43. Rh5 Rd1 44. e5+ Kd5 45. Bh7 Rc1+? (Ra1!) 46. Kb2 Rg1 47. Bg8+ Kc6 48. Rh6+ Kd7 49. Bxb3 axb3 50. Kxb3 Rxg2 51. Rxh4 Ke6? (Re2!) 52. a4 Kxe5 53. a5 Kd6 54. Rh7 Kd5 55. a6 c4+ 56. Kc3 Ra2 57. a7 Kc5 58. h4 1–0

Anand's turn to save the draw

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nc3 Kc8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rd2 c5 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Ne1 Ng6 17. Nd3 b6 18. Ne2 Bxa2 19. b3 c4 20. Ndc1 cxb3 21. cxb3 Bb1 22. f4 Kb7 23. Nc3 Bf5 24. g4 Bc8 25. Nd3 h5 26. f5 Ne7 27. Nb5 hxg4 28. hxg4 Rh4 29. Nf2 Nc6 30. Rc2 a5 31. Rc4 g6 32. Rdc1 Bd7 33. e6 fxe6 34. fxe6 Be8 35. Ne4 Rxg4+ 36. Kf2 Rf4+ 37. Ke3 Rf8 38. Nd4 Nxd4 39. Rxc7+ Ka6 40. Kxd4 Rd8+ 41. Kc3 Rf3+ 42. Kb2 Re3 43. Rc8 Rdd3 44. Ra8+ Kb7 45. Rxe8 Rxe4 46. e7 Rg3 47. Rc3 Re2+ 48. Rc2 Ree3 49. Ka2 g5 50. Rd2 Re5 51. Rd7+ Kc6 52. Red8 Rge3 53. Rd6+ Kb7 54. R8d7+ Ka6 55. Rd5 Re2+ 56. Ka3 Re6 57. Rd8 g4 58. Rg5 Rxe7 59. Ra8+ Kb7 60. Rag8 a4 61. Rxg4 axb3 62. R8g7 Ka6 63. Rxe7 Rxe7 64. Kxb3 ½–½

Chessbase:  A slip from Anand allowed Carlsen to snatch a poisoned pawn, but precise calculation allowed Carlsen to keep it and put the pressure on. Anand survived through cunning and perseverance. 

Additional commentary here.

Finally an exciting game

A draw again, but a well-fought one this time.

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4+ Nc6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. Nc3 e5 7. Qxc4 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 h6 10. Bd2 Nd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Ne4 c6 13. Bb4 Be6 14. Qc1 Bd5 15. a4 b6 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. a5 Rab8 18. Re1 Rfc8 19. axb6 axb6 20. Qf4 Rd8 21. h4 Kh7 22. Nd2 Be5 23. Qg4 h5 24. Qh3 Be6 25. Qh1 c5 26. Ne4 Kg7 27. Ng5 b5 28. e3 dxe3 29. Rxe3 Bd4 30. Re2 c4 31. Nxe6+ fxe6 32. Be4 cxd3 33. Rd2 Qb4 34. Rad1 Bxb2 35. Qf3 Bf6 36. Rxd3 Rxd3 37. Rxd3 Rd8 38. Rxd8 Bxd8 39. Bd3 Qd4 40. Bxb5 Qf6 41. Qb7+ Be7 42. Kg2 g5 43. hxg5 Qxg5 44. Bc4 h4 45. Qc7 hxg3 46. Qxg3 e5 47. Kf3 Qxg3+ 48. fxg3 Bc5 49. Ke4 Bd4 50. Kf5 Bf2 51. Kxe5 Bxg3+ 1/2-1/2

ChessBase:  Anand built a serious advantage and seemed poised to win.  Had he played 29…Bxb2 it might have been, but the moment passed and great defense by the Norwegian challenger saved the draw.

An even shorter draw

More moves, but just about an hour at the board (time control was 4 hours for 40 moves).

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 e6 8. Ne5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Nd7 11. f4 Bb4+ 12. c3 Be7 13. Bd2 Ngf6 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Qd5 18. Qxd5 cxd5 19. h5 b5 20. Rh3 a5 21. Rf1 Rac8 22. Rg3 Kh7 23. Rgf3 Kg8 24. Rg3 Kh7 25. Rgf3 Kg8 1/2-1/2

Seriously?

1. f3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. g2 g7 4. d4 c6 5. 0-0 f6 6. b3 0-0 7. b2 f5 8. c4 bd7 9. c3 dxc4 10. bxc4 b6 11. c5 c4 12. c1 d5 13. b3 a5 14. a3 c4 15. b3 a5 16. a3 c4 1/2-1/2

These guys are killing chess. A 16 move draw? WTF?

Anand Wins (Yawn)

What a monumentally boring match, reinforcing my continuing lack of interest in maintaining this blog.

Game 1 - 24 move draw
Game 2 - 25 move draw

Game 3 (Draw)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2 e5 9.d5 c6 10.h4 cxd5 11.exd5 N8d7 12.h5 Nf6 13.hxg6 fxg6 14.O-O-O Bd7 15.Kb1 Rc8 16.Ka1 e4 17.Bd4 Na4 18.Nge2 Qa5 19.Nxe4 Qxd2 20.Nxf6+ Rxf6 21.Rxd2 Rf5 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.d6 Rfc5 24.Rd1 a5 25.Rh4 Rc2 26.b3 Nb2 27.Rb1 Nd3 28.Nd4 Rd2 29.Bxd3 Rxd3 30.Re1 Rd2 31.Kb1 Bf5+ 32.Nxf5+ gxf5 33.Re7+ Kg6 34.Rc7 Re8 35.Rh1 Ree2 36.d7 Rb2+ 37.Kc1 Rxa2 ½–½

Game 4 (Draw)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nbd7 8.Bd3 O-O 9.O-O Bd6 10.Qc2 e5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.e4 exd4 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nf6 15.h3 Bd7 16.Rad1 Re8 17.Nxd4 Rc8 18.Qb1 h6 19.Nf5 Bxf5 20.Bxf5 Rc5 21.Rfe1 Rxd5 22.Bc3 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Bc5 24.Qc2 Bd4 25.Bxd4 Rxd4 26.Qc8 g6 27.Bg4 h5 28.Qxd8+ Rxd8 29.Bf3 b6 30.Rc1 Rd6 31.Kf1 a5 32.Ke2 Nd5 33.g3 Ne7 34.Be4 Kg7 ½–½

Game 5 - 27 move draw
Game 6 - 29 move draw

Game 7 (Gelfand Wins)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.c5 Nbd7 7.Qc2 b6 8.cxb6 Nxb6 9.Bd2 c5 10.Rc1 cxd4 11.exd4 Bd6 12.Bg5 O-O 13.Bd3 h6 14.Bh4 Bb7 15.O-O Qb8 16.Bg3 Rc8 17.Qe2 Bxg3 18.hxg3 Qd6 19.Rc2 Nbd7 20.Rfc1 Rab8 21.Na4 Ne4 22.Rxc8+ Bxc8 23.Qc2 g5 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 Rxb2 33.Rc7 Rb1+ 34.Kh2 e3 35.Rxc8+ Kh7 36.Rc7+ Kh8 37.Ne5 e2 38.Nxe6 1–0

Game 8 (Anand wins shortest decisive game in WC history)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Ne2 O-O 7.Nec3 Nh5 8.Bg5 Bf6 9.Bxf6 exf6 10.Qd2 f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.g4 Re8+ 13.Kd1 Bxb1 14.Rxb1 Qf6 15.gxh5 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxh1 17.Qf2! 1–0

Game 9 (Draw)
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 cxd4 9.exd4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Qe2 Nbd7 12.Rac1 Rc8 13.Bd3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qc7 15.c4 Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Rfe8 17.Rfd1 h6 18.Bh4 Qd6 19.c5 bxc5 20.dxc5 Rxc5 21.Bh7+ Kxh7 22.Rxd6 Rxc1+ 23.Rd1 Rec8 24.h3 Ne5 25.Qe2 Ng6 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 28.Kh2 Rc7 29.Qb2 Kg7 30.a4 Ne7 31.a5 Nd5 32.a6 Kh7 33.Qd4 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 Re7 43.g4 hxg4 44.hxg4 fxg4 45.Qe5 Ng8 46.Qg5+ Kh7 47.Qxg4 f6 48.Qg2 Kh8 49.Qe4 Kg7 ½–½

Game 10 - 25 move draw
Game 11 - 24 move draw
Game 12 - 22 move draw

Anand won the tiebreak 1-0 with 3 draws.

Chess WC candidates

Winner and runner-up of the 2008–2010 FIDE Grand Prix:  Levon Aronian, Teimour Radjabov

Winner of the 2009 World Cup:  Boris Gelfand
Finalists from the last World Chess Championship cycle:  Veselin Topalov, Gata Kamsky
Based on rating:  Vladimir Kramnik
Other:  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (organizers' nominee), Alexander Grischuk (replacement for Carlsen)

Candidates matches scheduled for April May 3rd to 27th, 2011 (Kazan, Russia).  First round pairings are...

First bracket

Topalov (BUL) - Kamsky (USA)
Gelfand (ISR) - Mamedyarov (AZE)

Second bracket

Kramnik (RUS) - Radjabov (AZE)
Aronian (ARM) - Grischuk (RUS)

The world championship match itself is scheduled to take place in 2012.  Let's see how long this goes without modification by FIDE.

Anand at the finish, 6.5-5.5

Topalov,Veselin (2805) - Anand,Viswanathan (2787) [D56]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.e3 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Rc1 c6 10.Be2 Nxc3 11.Rxc3 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd7 13.0-0 b6 14.Bd3 c5 15.Be4 Rb8 16.Qc2 Nf6 17.dxc5 Nxe4 18.Qxe4 bxc5 19.Qc2N Bb7 20.Nd2 Rfd8 21.f3 Ba6 22.Rf2 Rd7 23.g3 Rbd8 24.Kg2 Bd3 25.Qc1 Ba6 26.Ra3 Bb7 27.Nb3 Rc7 28.Na5 Ba8 29.Nc4 e5 30.e4 f5 31.exf5 [Now the position will crumble in a flash.  31.Nd2 fxe4 32.Nxe4 Bxe4 33.fxe4 Rd4 34.Qe3= ] e4 32.fxe4?? [Topalov loses his nerve and now it is all over.  32.Re3 exf3+ 33.Kg1 Qg5 34.Qc2 Rcd7 35.Re1] Qxe4+ 33.Kh3 Rd4 34.Ne3 Qe8! 35.g4 h5 36.Kh4 g5+ 37.fxg6 Qxg6 38.Qf1 Rxg4+ 39.Kh3 Re7 40.Rf8+ Kg7 41.Nf5+ Kh7 42.Rg3 Rxg3+ 43.hxg3 Qg4+ 44.Kh2 Re2+ 45.Kg1 Rg2+ 46.Qxg2 Bxg2 47.Kxg2 Qe2+ 48.Kh3 c4 49.a4 a5 50.Rf6 Kg8 51.Nh6+ Kg7 52.Rb6 Qe4 53.Kh2 Kh7 54.Rd6 Qe5 55.Nf7 Qxb2+ 56.Kh3 Qg7 0-1

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6326

So that's that ... Anand won the FIDE tournament, Anand beat Kramnik, Anand beat Topalov.  We have an undisputed champion of the world.  Vishy, thanks for cleaning up the mess caused by Kasparov and Short in 1993.

Game 11 Drawn

Anand,V (2787) - Topalov,V (2805) [A29]
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Be6 10.d3 f6 11.Ne4 Qe8 12.Nc5 Bxc5 13.bxc5 Nd5 14.Bb2 Rd8 15.Qc2 Nde7 16.Rab1 Ba2 17.Rbc1 Qf7 18.Bc3 Rd7 19.Qb2 Rb8 20.Rfd1 Be6 21.Rd2 h6 22.Qb1 Nd5 23.Rb2 b6 24.cxb6 cxb6 25.Bd2 Rd6 26.Rbc2 Qd7 27.h4 Rd8 28.Qb5 Nde7 29.Qb2 Bd5 30.Bb4 Nxb4 31.axb4 Rc6 32.b5 Rxc2 33.Rxc2 Be6 34.d4 e4 35.Nd2 Qxd4 36.Nxe4 Qxb2 37.Rxb2 Kf7 38.e3 g5 39.hxg5 hxg5 40.f4 gxf4 41.exf4 Rd4 42.Kf2 Nf5 43.Bf3 Bd5 44.Nd2 Bxf3 45.Nxf3 Ra4 46.g4 Nd6 47.Kg3 Ne4+ 48.Kh4 Nd6 49.Rd2 Nxb5 50.f5 Re4 51.Kh5 Re3 52.Nh4 Nc3 53.Rd7+ Re7 54.Rd3 Ne4 55.Ng6 Nc5 56.Ra3 Rd7 57.Re3 Kg7 58.g5 b5 59.Nf4 b4 60.g6 b3 61.Rc3 Rd4 62.Rxc5 Rxf4 63.Rc7+ Kg8 64.Rb7 Rf3 65.Rb8+ Kg7 ½-½

I have to say even the draws have been very exciting chess.  Kudos to both players. 

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6321

Game 10 Drawn

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 Deviating from game one where he had instead continued with 10...Na5.

11.Qd2 Bb7 12.Rac1 Rc8 13.Rfd1 cxd4 14.cxd4 Qd6N For all practical purposes, this is the novelty.

15.d5 Na5 16.Bb5 Rxc1 17.Rxc1 Rc8 18.h3 Rxc1+ 19.Qxc1 e6 20.Nf4 exd5 21.Nxd5 f5 22.f3 fxe4 23.fxe4 Qe5 24.Bd3 Nc6 25.Ba6! Though this move should not give White an edge against best play, the maze Black must steer through is complex, and anything less leaves Topalov better.

25...Nd4?! Wishing to avoid unnecessary complications, but best was 25...Bxa6 26.Qxc6 Qa1+ 27.Kf2 Qxa2+ 28.Kg3 Qa3! 29.Qa8+ Qf8 30.Qxa7 Be5+ 31.Kh4 Qf1 32.g3 Bc8 33.g4 Bf6+ 34.Nxf6+ Qxf6+=

26.Qc4 Bxd5 27.Qxd5+ Qxd5 28.exd5 White has a very favorable endgame thanks to his bishop pair now.

28...Be5 29.Kf2 Kf7 30.Bg5 Nf5 31.g4 Nd6 32.Kf3 Ne8 33.Bc1 Nc7 34.Bd3 Bd6 35.Ke4 b5 36.Kd4 a6 37.Be2 Ke7 38.Bg5+ Kd7 39.Bd2 Bg3 40.g5 Bf2+ 41.Ke5 Bg3+ 42.Ke4 Ne8 43.Bg4+ Ke7 44.Be6 Nd6+ 45.Kf3 Nc4! Topalov had undoubtedly missed this move, and now the World Champion has almost equalized. There is still play left, but Anand can certainly start breathing calmer now.

46.Bc1 Bd6 47.Ke4 a5 48.Bg4 Ba3 49.Bxa3+ Nxa3 50.Ke5 Nc4+ 51.Kd4 Kd6 52.Be2 Na3 53.h4 Nc2+ 54.Kc3 Nb4 55.Bxb5 Nxa2+ 56.Kb3 Nb4 57.Be2 Nxd5 58.h5 Nf4 59.hxg6 hxg6 60.Bc4 1/2-1/2

http://www.chessbase.com/news/2010/sofia/games/sofia10.htm

Anand misses a win ... TWICE!!

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Re1 Nbd7 12.Rc1 Rc8 This position also occured in the Kramnik-Kasparov WC 2000 match where Kramnik chose 13.Qb3.

13.Bd3 Re8 14.Qe2 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qc7 16.Bh4 Nh5 17.Ng5 g6 18.Nh3 The novelty. In Psakhis-Hillarp Person, 2000, White chose 18.Qd2 instead.

18...e5 19.f3 Qd6 20.Bf2 exd4 21.Qxe8+ Rxe8 22.Rxe8+ Nf8 This exchange of queen for two rooks, yields a complicated middlegame almost entirely centered around piece-play. The reason is that the queenside pawns of both sides are fairly vulnerable if ignored, and the best way to protect them is via active play with the pieces. Obviously neither side will go about committing suicide by opening up the kingside pawns since mating patterns have a nasty way of turning up at lightning speed when one does. So bottomline, who is better? If one had to choose a side, it would be White, not so much for the bishop pair, which are doing little here, but for the rooks, which can often coordinate to overwhelm the queen's ability to hold the fort.

23.cxd4 Nf6 24.Ree1 Ne6 25.Bc4 Bd5 26.Bg3 Qb4 27.Be5 Nd7 28.a3 Qa4 29.Bxd5 Nxe5 30.Bxe6 If 30.dxe5 Black would recover the piece with 30...Qd4+ 31.Nf2 Qxd5

30...Qxd4+ Although this is the obvious move, it may not be best. The reason is that this materialistic grab of d4 followed by the capture on e6 will open the Bulgarian's king to rook threats on the 7th, precisely what White wants. 30...Nd3 31.Rc4 Qxa3 32.Bxf7+ Kxf7 33.Ng5+ Kf6 34.Ne4+ Ke6 35.d5+ Ke5 36.Rf1 and the difference here is that Black's king is not locked in a cage, awaiting the killing blow.

31.Kh1 fxe6 32.Ng5 Qd6 33.Ne4 Qxa3 34.Rc3 Qb2 35.h4 b5 36.Rc8+ Kg7 37.Rc7+ Kf8 38.Ng5 Veselin is now in deep trouble, maybe even objectively lost.

38...Ke8 39.Rxh7 Qc3 40.Rh8+? Argh! The collective sound of groans and comments of consternation by kibitzing amateurs and GMs was heartfelt. Right on the 40th move, to make the time-control, the World Champion does the unthinkable. He unlocks the cage and sets the Challenger's king free. Better was 40.Re4 b4 41.Rxa7 b3 42.Rb7 b2 43.Kh2 Qc1 44.Ra4 Nd7 45.Rab4 which would pretty much quash Black's hopes for good.

40...Kd7 41.Rh7+ Kc6 42.Re4 b4 43.Nxe6 Kb6 44.Nf4 Now Topalov is at a fulcrum and must choose the best way to proceed. There is no question the position is treacherous.

44...Qa1+?! Alas for the fans of the Bulgarian genius this is second best. This plan with Qa1+ is to support the queenside advance with a5 and push both a and b pawns. The problem is that this plan is too slow, and the king is still exposed. More incisive was 44...Qc1+! 45.Kh2 Nc6 46.Nxg6 b3! and the racing b-pawn doesn't allow White time to dictate the proceedings. 47.Nf4 Qd2 48.Rh6 b2 49.Rc4 b1Q 50.Rhxc6+ Ka5 51.R6c5+ Ka6 52.Rc6+ Ka5

45.Kh2 a5 46.h5! Opening lines for the rook.

46...gxh5 47.Rxh5 Nc6 48.Nd5+ Kb7 49.Rh7+ White is winning now.

49...Ka6 50.Re6 Kb5 51.Rh5 Nd4 52.Nb6+ Ka6 53.Rd6 Kb7 54.Nc4 Nxf3+ 55.gxf3 Qa2+ 56.Nd2 Kc7 57.Rhd5 This is an imprecision. It isn't that Black is suddenly doing well, but the rooks would work better if they could threaten from afar.

57...b3 58.Rd7+ Kc8 59.Rd8+ Kc7 60.R8d7+ Kc8 61.Rg7 a4 62.Rc5+?? This is a blunder, and suddenly Topalov can see a light at the end of the tunnel. The straightforward 62.Rdd7 was preferable. For example: 62...a3 63.Kg3 Qa1 64.Rc7+ Kb8 65.Rb7+ Ka8 66.Nxb3

62...Kb8 63.Rd5 Kc8 64.Kg3?? Twice offered the chance to finish his opponent off, and twice he slips. One could point to any number of factors to account for this: rustiness (hardly), age (not likely), nerves (possibly), and physical preparation. Nerves would be the obvious explanation, and could easily be the correct one, but the last one, physical preparation, cannot be overlooked. The blunders we are seeing, barring the odd first game, have begun appearing in the latter part of the match, and at later stages of the game, when the players have been sweating it out for hours already. Fatigue, and thus conditioning, could also easily explain these lapses of concentration.

64...Qa1 65.Rg4 b2 66.Rc4+ Kb7 67.Kf2 b1Q 68.Nxb1 Qxb1 69.Rdd4 Qa2+ 70.Kg3 a3 71.Rc3 Qa1 72.Rb4+ Ka6 73.Ra4+ Kb5 74.Rcxa3 Qg1+ 75.Kf4 Qc1+ 76.Kf5 Qc5+ 77.Ke4 Qc2+ 78.Ke3 Qc1+ 79.Kf2 Qd2+ 80.Kg3 Qe1+ 81.Kf4 Qc1+ 82.Kg3 Qg1+ 83.Kf4 1/2-1/2

[Analysis by Chessbase]

Topalov evens the score 4-4

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.f3 c5 8.e4 Bg6 9.Be3 cxd4 10.Qxd4 Qxd4 11.Bxd4 Nfd7 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.Bxc4 Rc8 So far, both players had been repeating games three and five, where Anand had opted for 13...a6. In those games, he had found himself with a very cramped position which had left him mostly trying not to lose, hardly inspiring. Presumably he found no significant improvement, hence 13...Rc8.

14.Bb5 a6 15.Bxd7+ Kxd7. Obviously, 13...a6 was designed to prevent this, so the question is whether the bishop pair will compensate for the king in the center, and the lack of development. Note how the g6 bishop is still hemmed in, and the g7 bishop still has to cover g7 for at least another move.

16.Ke2 f6 17.Rhd1 Ke8 GM Amonatov played this twice before as Black a few years ago, drawing once and losing another. Anand must be familiar with the games, so what has he found?

18.a5N Be7 19.Bb6 Rf8 20.Rac1 f5 21.e5 Bg5. The World Champion had clearly played this with his next move in mind, but as it turned out, he had committed a very serious oversight.

22.Be3 f4. Anand completely and uncharacteristically missed White's next move, and now finds himself in a world of pain. Even if he had realized his mistake in time, and exchanged the bishop with 22...Bxe3 GM Dorfman commented that even after 23.Kxe3 f4+ 24.Kd4! Ke7 25.Ne4! Bxe4 26.Kxe4 he would much prefer to be White, but this was still the lesser evil.

23.Ne4! Topalov must have been mentally rubbing his hands in glee as his knight gets a free pass to d6.

23...Rxc1 24.Nd6+ Kd7 25.Bxc1 Kc6 26.Bd2 Be7 27.Rc1+ Kd7 28.Bc3. This move came as a bit of a shock to the GM commentators, and Seirawan even refused to believe it was the move played when he was first informed. They had expected 28.Bb4! expecting to counter 28...Bxd6 with 29.Rd1! and it would be much harder on Black.

28...Bxd6 29.Rd1 Bf5 30.h4 A good move designed to prevent Black from consolidating his f4 pawn. The bishop on d6 is going nowhere.

30...g6. This move on the other hand is a mystery as all it does is create weaknesses and a target for a possible h5. Was Vishy dreaming of a possible h6 and g5?

31.Rxd6+ Kc8 32.Bd2 Rd8 33.Bxf4 Rxd6 34.exd6 Kd7 The debate as to whether White could win this was huge. Granted it is an opposite-colored bishop ending, which is a significant argument, but there is no denying Black has work to do as the Bulgarian will soon show.

35.Ke3 Bc2 36.Kd4 Ke8 37.Ke5 Kf7 38.Be3 Ba4 39.Kf4 Bb5 40.Bc5 Kf6 41.Bd4+ Kf7 42.Kg5 Bc6 43.Kh6 Kg8 44.h5 Be8 So far, so good. White has put into action his best chance to try and take the full point, but Black has kept his cool and should hold. If Topalov takes on g6 they may as well shake hands right then and there, so he pulls back and hopes for a miracle.

45.Kg5 Kf7 46.Kh6 Kg8 47.Bc5 gxh5 48.Kg5 Kg7 49.Bd4+ Kf7 50.Be5 h4! This masterly shot is enough to draw.

51.Kxh4. If the challenger were to try 51.Kh6 h3 52.gxh3 Kg8 and there would be no way to get through.

51...Kg6. With the king now on g6, White can no longer try to squeeze Black off the board, and Veselin must have been getting ready to accept that a draw was all he was getting today.

52.Kg4 Bb5 53.Kf4 Kf7 54.Kg5 Bc6?? And here comes his miracle: Black absolutely had to be able to protect the h7 pawn with his bishop. By being forced to retreat with Kg8, the game is now lost. Tragically, Anand played the only losing move.

55.Kh6 Kg8 56.g4 The resignation caused a good deal of confusion to many spectators, and no doubt, for their benefit, a few more moves could have been played to make it clearer. However, no doubt demoralized by his several blunders, and the impending defeat, Anand wanted no more of this game. So how would Topalov win from here? 56.g4 Bd7 57.g5 Be8 58.Bg7 Bd7 59.g6 hxg6 60.Kxg6 Be8+ 61.Kf6 Bd7 62.Ke7 Bc6 63.d7 Bxd7 64.Kxd7 Kxg7 65.Kxe6

[Analysis by Chessbase]

Game 7 Drawn

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7. The third time this position is reached in the match, and Topalov tries yet a third line, this time going into a Bogo-Indian kind of Catalan. In game four he had chosen 5...a5, which had gone all wrong for him to say the least, and in game six he opted for 5...a6, which also didn't yield anything to his taste.

6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Bf4 dxc4. Though hardly a stranger to this line, Veselin goes down the less trodden path which will lead to extremely sharp play. In previous games, he had chosen the mainline 8...Nbd7 or 8...b6.

9.Ne5 b5. This extremely sharp move leads to a piece sac for a slew of passed pawns. Though the one game to record was between Gelfand and Ivanchuk no less, its only test was in their *blindfold* rapid game at Amber earlier this year.

10.Nxc6 Nxc6 11.Bxc6 Bd7. This is the official novelty, as in Gelfand-Ivanchuk, Amber (blindfold) 2010, Ivanchuk had played 11...Ba6.

12.Bxa8 Qxa8 13.f3 Nd5 14.Bd2 e5 15.e4 Bh3 16.exd5 Bxf1 17.Qxf1 exd4 18.a4 Qxd5 19.axb5 Qxb5 20.Rxa7 Re8 21.Kh1   Until now, Topalov had no reason to complain. His opponent had clearly not expected this, and while he had spent a mere three minutes up until now, Anand had used up well over an hour on his clock. Furthermore, the position was exactly the type of sharp double-edged position he relishes. This last move by the Indian was not to Kasparov's liking, one that he said he couldn't understand, but it also clearly took the challenger out of his preparation, as he now spent over twenty minutes on his next move.

21...Bf8. His first move out of his preparation, as was obvious by the sudden deep think, and he plays the wrong move. Why not 21...Qxb2? Though it may not win, it would not lead to the difficult position that ensued where he was a piece down and his passed pawns neatly blockaded.  22.Qe1 h6 23.Na3 23.Rxe7 would also lead to a draw after 23...Rxe7 24.Qxe7 Qxb1+ 25.Kg2 Qb2 26.Qe8+ Kh7 27.Qe4+ g6 28.Qe8! Qxd2+ 29.Kh3 Kg7 30.Qe5+ Kf8 31.Qb8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ and Black cannot prevent the perpetual.

22.Rc7 d3 23.Bc3 Bd6 24.Ra7 h6 25.Nd2. Kasparov felt that Anand missed his chance here, and could have maintained good winning chances instead after 25.Qh3!

25...Bb4!  This move is about as poisoned as could be, and the title-holder has only one move that doesn't lose.

26.Ra1! A very fine move by Vishy and showing that his mine detector is on and working. Other moves such as 26.Ne4 would fail to 26...Bxc3 27.bxc3 f5 28.Nd6 Qc5 29.Rxg7+ Kxg7 30.Nxe8+ Kf7 and the combination of doomed knight and protected passed pawn would be the end. Or 26.Qc1 Bxc3 27.Qxc3 Re1+ 28.Kg2 Re2+ 29.Kf1 Qc5 30.Ne4 Qf5 and White would get mated.

26...Bxc3 27.bxc3 Re2 28.Rd1 Qa4 29.Ne4 Qc2 This admittedly looks scary, but the World Champion has seen it in advance and knew what he was doing.

30.Rc1 Rxh2+ 31.Kg1 Rg2+ 32.Qxg2 Qxc1+ 33.Qf1 Qe3+ 34.Qf2 Qc1+ 35.Qf1 Qe3+ 36.Kg2 f5 37.Nf2 Kh7 38.Qb1 Qe6 39.Qb5 g5 40.g4 fxg4 41.fxg4 Kg6 42.Qb7 d2. This seals the draw, since White can neither take the pawn, nor Black force it through.

43.Qb1+ Kg7 44.Kf1 Qe7 45.Kg2 Qe6 46.Qd1 Qe3 47.Qf3 Qe6 48.Qb7+ Kg6 49.Qb1+ Kg7 50.Qd1 Qe3 51.Qc2 Qe2 52.Qa4 Kg8 53.Qd7 Kf8 54.Qd5 Kg7 55.Kg3 Qe3+ 56.Qf3 Qe5+ 57.Kg2 Qe6 58.Qd1 1/2-1/2

[Analysis by Chessbase]

Game 6 Drawn

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 Topalov deviates from the previous Catalan line which had led to a nasty defeat. The question now is what Anand would have in store.

6.Ne5 c5 7.Na3 cxd4 8.Naxc4 Bc5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 Though the official novelty only takes place a move later, this can be described as the real novelty and the essence of what the World Champion had prepared.

10...h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6N 12.Nd3 Ba7 13.Qa4

13...Nc6 [The enticing fork with 13...b5 falls flat to 14.Qc2 bxc4 15.Qxc4 and the rook on a8 is lost.]

14.Rac1 e5 15.Bxc6 b5 16.Qc2 Qxc6 17.Ncxe5 Qe4 18.Qc6 Bb7 19.Qxe4 Bxe4 20.Rc2 We now have a very complex fight between the bishop pair and the knight pair.

20...Rfe8 21.Rfc1 f6 22.Nd7 This seemingly innocuous move is in fact the first move in a masterly plan by Anand to regroup his knights. While said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, this does actually begin the longest run of consecutive knight moves ever seen in a World Championship match with no less than thirteen!

22...Bf5 23.N7c5 Bb6 24.Nb7 Bd7 25.Nf4 Rab8 26.Nd6 Re5 27.Nc8 Ba5 28.Nd3 Re8 29.Na7 "It seems that with this Vishy has lost his 'faith' in the position. Surprising. I liked it." – GM Yasser Seirawan

29...Bb6 30.Nc6 Rb7 31.Ncb4 a5 32.Nd5 a4 33.Nxb6 Rxb6 34.Nc5 Bf5 35.Rd2 Finally giving the cavalry a rest.

35...Rc6 36.b4 axb3 37.axb3 b4 38.Rxd4 Rxe2 39.Rxb4 Bh3! Despite being a pawn down, it is now White who must tread carefully with the unpleasant threats around his king. This is all that is needed to neutralize Anand's winning ambitions.

40.Rbc4 Rd6 41.Re4 Rb2 [Black could even play 41...Rc2 illustrating the back rank weakness. 42.Rc4 Re2=]

42.Ree1 Rdd2 At this point Topalov can be considered the moral victor, since even though he is hardly winning, his position appears preferable.

43.Ne4 Rd4 44.Nc5 Rdd2 45.Ne4 Rd3 And by refusing the repetition, he says exactly what he thinks.

46.Rb1 Rdxb3 47.Nd2 Rb4 48.f3 Opening the escape route for the king.

48...g5 49.Rxb2 Rxb2 50.Rd1 Kf7 51.Kf2 h5 52.Ke3 Rc2 53.Ra1 Kg6 54.Ra6 Bf5 55.Rd6 Rc3+ 56.Kf2 Rc2 57.Ke3 Rc3+ 58.Kf2 Rc2 1/2-1/2

Analysis on Chessbase