11 moves are played in game 10 at the championship, which sees Anand with the white pieces countering Carlsen's Grünfeld-Indian with the Russian system. Anand is trailing behind by points, and with playing White can be expected today to play for the full point at all cost - since time is running out for him.

At first5 glance White seems to control more space, however Black's position currently is solid and without weaknesses. Anand thinking longer than the moves before. If he wanted to assault Carlsen with something new coming out of nowhere, than so far his plan has failed.

P.S.

Anand has a free pawn on the d-file. That makes it a natural ingredient of any plans he may calculate.

P.P.S. And with his 15th move Carlsen leaves the realm of theory behind.

P.P.P.S.

Carlsen maybe has chosen a sub-optimal defence against the d-pawn, allowing White a solidification of the strategic potency of his position. Had the Norwegian seen something, or did he just play a weak move? He seems to think that the d-pawn is no threat that must be taken serious. Means: he does not think that it can transform or create sufficient pressure to pose a risk.

Interestingly, the engines' evaluation shave dropped in favour of Black.

What also is a concern for Carlsen is his knight on a6, it is currently ineffective and is almost out opf action.

And Anand strikes aginst the black kingside, taking on h6 with the Bishop.

Carlsen does not mind and let his Queen take prey on b2. The Queen on b2 and bishop on g7 stay in mutually supportive contact.

White is in the offence, but I still cannot see an enforced variation deciding the game in his favour.

P.S. My old Fritz 11 rates it +4.4 at calculating 22 moves ahead - something that the online engines do not see, or is Fritz just getting old ? :o

P.P.S.

Nonsense! I forgot to include a black knight... :haha:

P.P.P.S.

Somehow I feel that White has let something pass by without taking advantage of it. The potency to mount pressure suddenly seem to have dramatically declined, and now Black has threats on the queenside on his hand.

Visitors, tzzz... don't come that often to my place, but when they come, then at impossible times...

24 moves played, Anand has 26 minutes left, Carlsen 47 minutes.

P.S.

Anand is getting into time troubles, and has no decisive plan to follow. The position is complicated for both, not equal I would say, but nevertheless open-ended. One would rate White's position as slightly better, but still there are so complex differences between both sides that it is hard to see any decisive, enforced variation there. Everything is possible. Black can play slightly more relaxed, having more time, and not needing to win at all cost. If I were Black, I would play for securing the draw.

Carlsen is said to hate only losses more than draws, however. :D

Anand: 20 minutes for 14 remaining moves.

P.S.

And there rings the door bell again. I don't believe this...

I'm back and see that they are finished :huh: after heading for a rook endgame and equal chances, 32 moves. The time pressure for Anand (still 8 moves needed in 12 minutes) may have played a role in him offering a draw.

Note to myself: before next match, shoot that freaking door bell off that wall.

10. Anand : Carlsen 1/2 : 1/2
total 4.5 : 5.5

Tomorrow will be a break.

http://www11.pic-upload.de/21.11.14/rzp5wqe9jzj5.jpg

In about half an hour, game 11 will start. Carlsen this time is in striking distance to secure early the title with a win. He also can play it safe and calculating to secure two draws today and tomorrow, which also would be sufficient. We will see his choice. It could become a Sicilian today, one of Black's sharpest weapons against e4 if Black wants to play for a win. Anand must take risks, he stands with his back against the wall.

P.S.

No Sicilian, but once again - Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence. Big surprise for me, I must admit. I would have expected something far more aggressive by Anand.

P.P.S.

In move 14, Anand brings a novelty. Whether it is sufficient, remains to be seen. I fail to see something decisive coming from it.

I cannot help it, but I have the feeling thatAnand decided to not press the match today, but to get a draw and try a final offensive in the last regular game when he plays White again, and then hoping for the tie break game(s) after game 12.

P.P.P.S.

Carlsen tries to start worries for Black on the kingside, by opening the psoition a bit, enforcing compolications, and then having his king in a quite offensive support role for an attack on Black's then-to-be- weak pawn on g5.

20 moves played, Carlsen has 1:04 and Anand 1:08 hours left.

Sometimes I feel tempted to switch to another channel, featuring this:

http://cdn2.spiegel.de/images/image-...eryV9-gmcs.jpg
Chess-Boxing. Several rounds of chess and boxing, in turns.

Carlsen currently acts with initiative, but whether that initiative actually will lead somewhere, is in doubt, I think. Anand chooses for a solid, but passive defence. He seems to not follow a strategy for victory in this game.

P.S.

Carlsen still seem to have initiative at first glance, but maybe that is deceiving an impression. Black opened the queenside recently, has a solid dfeence and even some inherent potential for raising threats by himself. His pieces are placed well enough. Carlsen's activity in centre and on the kingside currently raises dust only. The engines' evaluations have notoriously dropped in Black's favour over the recent moves.

P.P.S.

White just stopped Black'S counterplay on the kingside, it seems. Now a battle for the recently opened b-file can be expected. White cavalry camps on d5 and f6, in mutual support, looking deep into the Black back-country.

P.P.P.S.

This is still midgame, but the kings already established close opposition on c6 and e4. :)

The situation has swung around once again, Black now has given up one knight and one rook, for the two white bishops, he has a free pawn on b4 now, but I doubt that is sufficient. With the b-file now closed again, the white rooks still stand ready on the d- and e-files.

Engines' evaluations jumped up to +1.0.

A very interesting game it is. And still a nightmare of complexity, I think. A sharp position.

P.S.

Exchanges on the kingside now, pawns and knights. The white rooks have just won in weight, now the position opens up. And while typing, rook number one reaches deep into Black'S territory, Rd7, he even could double rooks on he d-file. Engines' jump to +2.0. Anand is under heavy pressure, me thinks. Black's only option now is the free pawn on b4, c7 trails behind too much, and is locked by the rook (King on b7). White has threats by himself, and a pawn on d5 and a centralised king free to go plundering in Black's ruins on the kingside - if that even is needed anymore.

P.P.S.

Oh-oh... Anand plays unprecise, several sub-optimal moves, the commentary says, and I think that is right. Tournament-panic? He is sliding down that hill now. The question is if he can solidify once again before impacting down at the bottom. I doubt it, Carlsen is blowing the trumpet for for attack.´Stockfish already has it at +3.5Black'S only remaining weapons that look promising, is his pair of bishops wanting to support the b-pawns transformation. If that fails, he is done.

P.P.P.S.

Carlsen enforces exchanges, and the b-pawn cannot hold its promise anymore, with black bishops falling as well. The game effectively is over, Carlsen will win and defend his world championship title one game early. Anand can only delay the realisation of his defeat.

They pass the time control.

Move 45, and its over, the chmapionship is decided - Anand resigns, and the final result is 6.5 : 4.5 !

http://www11.pic-upload.de/23.11.14/9fxfiapbn652.jpg

Carlsen played with more stediness throughout the past two weeks, while Anand played funbles in at least 2 games. That is too much against such player like the Norwegian. However, all in all Anand left a better impression than last year in Anand, and this was his major mission anyway: to correct that damage to his reputation.

The win for Carlsen is absolutely okay. Congratulations!

:woot: :woot: :woot:

Yes Congratulations (although I was cheering for Anand : )

My favorite game analysis is from Jerry, a National Master in chess - aka: 'ChessNetwork'. He should have game 11 up soon:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ChessNetwork

(If this is a private topic, I apologize and my post can be deleted)

[QUOTE=aanker;2263592]Yes Congratulations (although I was cheering for Anand : )

My favorite game analysis is from Jerry, a National Master in chess - aka: 'ChessNetwork'. He should have game 11 up soon:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ChessNetwork

(If this is a private topic, I apologize and my post can be deleted)[/QUOTE]@ aanker: good site thanks! :up:

AS predicted!http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.6080....1&qlt=90&rm=2

I have replayed all matches in fast mode now, and noted one thing: Anand almost always was very well prepared and had quickstarts out of the opening, clear advantage for him over Carlsen there. But he never really made something out of it. The game when he defeated Carlsen, I looked closer at, and searched for comments on the game. Several professionals seem to think it was more that Carlsen shot himself, than that Anand hunted him down. Carlsen did not play his usual optimal chess that day.

If I consider both these things, I would conclude that although after the first half it looked different by points, Anand neverthless was still maybe more chanceless than one would imagine at first thought, Carlsen had that one loss - and in the other matches never really left the Indian a realistic chance to win. I hoped he would be able to set up more of a fight in the second half of the championship - but he never really was able to.

Seen that way the tournament maybe should be seen as a much clearer affair for Carlsen than the result of 6.5:4.5 let you assume at first glance. Carlsen destroyed Anand three times in 11 games. And when he lost one game, that was because he ran into a prepared open knife variation by Anand. So: Anand maybe did better than last year in Chennay.

But not that much better.

The future belongs to the young players, and I think that Anand will not be able to return to the chall,e nge once again, more likely it will be players like Italo-American Fabiano Caruana or German-Armenian Lewon Aronjan.