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Home » Chess News » Events » World Chess Championship 2012 » Gelfand fails to exploit bad opening from Anand in Game 9

Peter Svidler:

To sum up. I think c5 was not forced on move 19, objectively perhaps Bg3 was stronger, even though you can't blame Boris for winning the Queen when he has a chance. He gave it a fairly decent shot, forced Vishy to show some precision in this position. But Vishy was equal to it and all in all an interesting game.

And now with 3 left. I very much like the spirit in which Boris approached this game. I may be somewhat disappointed in 19.c5... we were heading for a very interesting game. Boris managed yesterday to put game 8 completely behind him and today he played in a very focused manner. He played to win, he didn't play to just be there. I think it was very important for him to show that game 8 didn't throw him, that game 8 didn't completely get him off his game.

Of course with two white and just one black left Vishy has to be considered a slight favourite but this is heading fo a very interesting conclusion.

Viswanathan Anand:

Obviously I messed something up in the opening. Normally speaking my position is much worse, white just got the two bishops for my two knights and the only thing I did was to try and provoke this move 19. c5 because I thought that I would get rid of the bishop in almost all the lines and I could try and make a fortress.

This is in fact what happened in the game, though in the games it was very tricky to decide which fortress to choose. And I have pawn on e5, knight on g6 Rook on e7 as one fortress, pawn on e5, knight on e6, rook on c7 as another, the one I chose in the game the knight on d5, there are just too many, my problems in the other fortresses were I have a very good chance of... if I play e5 then he won't get a passed pawn very easily but somehow to take the decision at the board was difficult.

So I went for this one when he played f4 and I had f5 and h5 then I thought I'm safe, I couldn't see a way forward for him. In fact I don't even need this Re7 and Ng8.

I played this Re7 because I saw this Ng8 trick but if I play Kh6 I think we are just repeating the position for the second time already. I simply don't know if white missed a win somewhere.

Do you feel pleased or not?

Gelfand: I have never come across a player who is happy to draw a better position.

Are you friends or enemies?

Gelfand: There are many other stages between "friends" and "enemies". In this match.we are opponents but of course we respect each other greatly and I'm very happy there were no scandals around this match unlike what we saw in the Kramnik "toilet scandel" fortunately that hasn't happened in this match. This will not happen.

Twitter quotes of the day:

Erwin l'Ami @erwinlami Shipov: "He sold a gold watch for a rouble". #anandgelfand

Erwin l'Ami @erwinlami Thinking how to increase the pressure after 19.Bg3 Qb4. Maybe just 20.Rb1 Qa5 21.Qe2, stopping e5. #anandgelfand

@MarkTWIC World #Chess Championship Game 9. How did Svidler solve his own time trouble problems? "By becoming shallower and more superficial!"

Erwin l'Ami ?@erwinlami It's very important now that 38...Kh6 39.Qb3 Kg6 40.Qg3+ Kh7 41.Qg5 Ne4! 42.Qxh5+ Kg7 wins for Black! #anandgelfand

6h Anish Giri @anishgiri From my brief look seems that Vishy is in huge danger today.. White's eventual push on the kingside may break it..

Chess in Translation @ChessinT Smirin: "Gelfand can play on as he's not risking anything". Grishcuk: "Nobody's risking anything any more"

@Chess__News: Grischuk: It's better when the press conferences are held apart. It's easier for the players to say foul things about each other.

@SilvioDanailov: Gelfand missed great chance to win today. However, I still would put my money on him. Tomorrow is important day, the nerves will decide.

WCh Moscow
Anand, Viswanathan	-	Gelfand, Boris	½-½	24	D85	Gruenfeld Defence
Gelfand, Boris	-	Anand, Viswanathan	½-½	25	D45	Anti-Meran Variations
Anand, Viswanathan	-	Gelfand, Boris	½-½	37	D70	Gruenfeld Defence
Gelfand, Boris	-	Anand, Viswanathan	½-½	34	D45	Anti-Meran Variations
Anand, Viswanathan	-	Gelfand, Boris	½-½	27	B33	Sicilian Sveshnikov
Gelfand, Boris	-	Anand, Viswanathan	½-½	29	D45	Anti-Meran Variations
Gelfand, Boris	-	Anand, Viswanathan	1-0	38	D45	Anti-Meran Variations
Anand, Viswanathan	-	Gelfand, Boris	1-0	17	E60	King's Indian without Nc3
Gelfand, Boris	-	Anand, Viswanathan	½-½	49	E54	Nimzo Indian

IM Malcolm Pein annotates the game

Gelfand,Boris (2739) - Anand,Viswanathan (2799) [E54]
WCh 2012 Moscow RUS (9), 23.05.2012
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4

The Slav is evidently in the repair shop

4.e3

The Rubinstein, still trendy after all these years particularly now that Ivan Sokolov has published a new book

4...0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 dxc4 8.Bxc4 cxd4 9.exd4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Qe2

[11.Re1 Nbd7 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.Qb3 Be7? (13...Bxc3! 14.Rxc3 h6 15.Bh4 Bd5 (15...Qe8!?) 16.Ne5) 14.Bxf6!+/- Nxf6 15.Bxe6! fxe6 16.Qxe6+ Kh8 17.Qxe7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qxd4 19.Nb5! and 1-0 in 25 Kramnik-Kasparov WCC London 2000]

11...Nbd7 12.Rac1 Rc8 13.Bd3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qc7 15.c4 Bxf3?!

Voluntarily giving up the two bishops. Vishy criticised this afterwards. "Obviously I messed something up in the opening. Normally speaking my position is much worse, White just got the two bishops for my two knights and the only thing I did was to try and provoke this move 19. c5 because I thought that I would get rid of the bishop in almost all the lines and I could try and make a fortress. This is in fact what happened in the game."

16.Qxf3 Rfe8 17.Rfd1 h6

[17...e5 18.Bf5+/-]

18.Bh4 Qd6 19.c5!?

Anand was happy to see this rather than 19.Bg3 he had foreseen the consequences. In the commentary box Peter Svidler had this on the board well in advance of it's appearance on the board

[19.a3!? Press conference; 19.Bg3 Qe7 20.Re1 Is nice for White 2Bs v 2Ns is no fun for a nice example of exploitation, if ultimately White was unsuccessful see Korchnoi-Karpov WCC 1978 Game 5; 19.Bg3 Qb4 20.a3 Qa5 Black can play for e6-e5 but he must be worse here. Some manouevre like Bg3-d6-b4-c3 is even possible]

19...bxc5 20.dxc5 Rxc5 21.Bh7+ Kxh7 22.Rxd6 Rxc1+ 23.Rd1

White has won the queen for rook knight and pawn but with a knight coming to d5 Black has good chances to build a fortress

23...Rec8 24.h3 Ne5 25.Qe2!? Ng6

[25...Nd5!?]

26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 28.Kh2 Rc7

As Vishy said he had many possible setups though in the games it was very tricky to decide which fortress to choose. And I have pawn on e5, knight on g6 Rook on e7 as one fortress, pawn on e5, knight on e6, rook on c7 as another, the one I chose in the game the knight on d5, there are just too many

29.Qb2 Kg7 30.a4 Ne7 31.a5 Nd5 32.a6

This is progress Black has to be constantly on the alert for Qb7

32...Kh7 33.Qd4 f5

34.f4

Now Vishy relaxed somewhat: He said: "When he played f4 and I had f5 and h5 then I thought I'm safe, I couldn't see a way forward for him. In fact I don't even need this Re7 and Ng8. I played this Re7 because I saw this Ng8 trick but if I play Kh6 I think we are just repeating the position for the second time already. I simply don't know if white missed a win somewhere."

[34.g4 fxg4 35.hxg4 perhaps offered more chances for kingside play but 34.g4 f4 is also possible; 34.g4 f4 35.h4]

34...Rd7 35.Kg3 Kg6 36.Qh8 Nf6 37.Qb8 h5 38.Kh4 Kh6

39.Qb2

[39.g4 hxg4 40.hxg4 Nxg4 41.Qg8 This position not so simple, I'm not sure if black is holding or not. - Gelfand. Now Black can lose with 41...Rc7 41...Rc7 (But there is a fast counter attack 41...Nf2 42.Qc8 Rd3! And White must force perpetual or bale out 43.Qxe6+ fxe6=) 42.Qd8 Rc6 43.Qg5+ Kh7 44.Qe7 Rxa6 45.Qb7; 39.Qb3 Kg7 40.Qg3+ Kh7 41.Qg5 Ne4! 42.Qxh5+ Kg7 Wins for Black]]

39...Kg6 40.Qc3 Ne4 41.Qc8 Nf6 42.Qb8 Re7 43.g4 hxg4 44.hxg4 fxg4 45.Qe5 Ng8!

Preventing f4-f5+

46.Qg5+ Kh7 47.Qxg4 f6 48.Qg2 Kh8 49.Qe4 Kg7 1/2-1/2

WCh Moscow (BUL), 11 v - 31 v 2012
Name	Ti	NAT	Rtng	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total	Perf
Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	2791	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	.	.	.	4½	2727
Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2727	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	½	.	.	.	4½	2791

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