Arctic Securities Chess Stars 2010 (Final)
Carlsen beats Anand in Arctic Securities Final
IM Malcolm Pein - Wednesday 1st September 2010
Malcolm Pein looks at Magnus Carlsen's win against Anand in the rapid tournament in Norway.
Magnus Carlsen defeated Vishy Anand in the final of the Artic Securities Chess Stars 2010 in front of his home fans at Kristiansund in Norway. The nineteen year old world number one took the two-game match 1.5-0.5, winning with white and drawing with black.
Anand was disappointed with his play in the first game as he blundered a pawn early on. We have seen that Carlsen has not been at his best either, and he missed the opportunity. Instead of going one pawn up, Carsen chose to go one pawn down and a sacrifice gave him pressure on the queenside. This was a typical rapid game in which Anand's passive position was hard to play at a fast time limit, even if objectively, he had no problems.
The games were played at a rate of twenty minutes plus ten seconds per move and Carlsen skilfully ramped the pressure by taking the battle to Anand in the centre and then on the kingside.
In the return Carlsen defended the Ruy Lopez with ease and a draw was agreed after 26 moves. Carlsen's winning run continued, he has won nearly every event he has competed in since the Autumn of 2009.
M Carlsen - V Anand
Gruenfeld g3
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 c6 6.0-0 d5 7.Nbd2 Bf5 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Na6
(Slightly unusual 9...Nd7 or more aggressive, 9...Qa5 are commonly played)
10.Nh4 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 Be6 12.Rac1 Qd7 13.Nf3 Rfd8 14.Rfd1 Nc7 15.Qa5 Ne8 16.e3 Bg4 17.Rd2 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 e6
(Black sets up a wall of pawns to limit White's unchallenged light squared bishop)
19.Rdc2 Nd6 20.a4 f5 21.Qe1 a5?
(21...Ne4)
22.Bc3
(22.cxd5 exd5 23.Rc5 seems to win a pawn. If 23...Qc7 24.Bxd5+)
22...dxc4
(22...b6!? 23.c5 bxc5 24.Bxa5 Rdb8= 22.cxd5 cxd5 23.cxd5 cxd5 24.Bd2)
23.Bxa5 cxb3 24.Rb2 Rdc8 25.Rxb3 Bf8 26.Rcb1 Ra7 27.Kg2 Nc4 28.Bb4 Bxb4 29.Rxb4 Nd6 30.Qc3 Rca8 31.Qc2 Ra6?! 32.h4 h5 33.e4! R8a7
(33...fxe4 34.Bxe4 Nxe4 35.Qxe4 Qd5 36.Qxd5 cxd5 37.Rxb7 Rxa4 38.Re7 Rxd4 39.Rxe6)
34.exf5 Nxf5 35.Re1 Ra5 36.Qb3 Kf7 37.Re4 Ne7 38.Qc2 Nd5 39.Rc4 Ra8 40.Re5 Ne7
Viswanathan Anand
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Magnus Carlsen
Position after 40...Ne7
41.Bxh5 Rxe5
[41...gxh5 42.Qh7+ Kf8 43.Qh6+ Ke8 44.Qxh5+ Kd8 45.Rxa5; 41...gxh5 42.Qh7+ Kf6 43.Rg5]
42.dxe5 Qd5+ 43.Bf3 Qxe5 44.Re4 Qd6 45.h5
Black's king is too weak now
45...Rf8 46.Qb2 b5 47.axb5 cxb5 48.Qxb5 Nf5 49.Qb7+ Kf6 50.Qh7 gxh5 51.Bxh5 Qd5 52.Bf3 Qd2 53.g4 Ng7 54.g5+ 1-0
Viswanathan Anand
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Magnus Carlsen
Final position after 54.g5+ and if 54...Qxg5 55.Rg4 wins
