FUN / COMPETITIONS
CHESS WITH LUKE MCSHANE
I'll admit there’s something compulsive about watching Anand win rapid tournaments.
Like watching the champion fighter, I know what the result will be, but I still want to see the gory details.
Against the toughest opposition in the world, only Anand makes the game look effortless. Of course, rapid chess suits Vishy's style like a glove, combining as he does immense tactical skill with powerful pragmatism and intuition, speed of play and dangerous openings.
At the Grenkeleasing Rapid World Championship held in Germany this month, Anand took the title for the ninth time in succession.
Magnus Carlsen was the challenger in the final, ahead of Alexander Morozevich and Judit Polgar, but the young Norwegian never had a chance.
In an earlier game, Morozevich was gunned down just a few moves out of theory with some beautiful tactics.
Vishy Anand - Alexander Morozevich
(Mainz, 2008)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.d5 Nb8 13.Nf1 Nbd7 14.N3h2 Nc5 15.Bc2 c6 16.b4 Ncd7 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.Bg5 Qc7 19.Ng3 d5 20.exd5 Nxd5 21.Ng4 An interesting idea from Anand, and its trickiness is well suited to a rapid game. White's queenside pawn structure may be compromised, but he hopes that the massed energy on the kingside will more than compensate for this. The immediate 21...Nxc3 22.Qd3 would be disastrous, but Morozevich tries another plausible move with equally dire consequences. 21...Nf4? 21...g6!? suggests itself, in light of the game, but no doubt Anand had some ideas here too. 22.Ne4 is natural, as 22...f5 23.Bb3! is strong. 22.Bxf4 exf4 (see diagram) 23.Nh6+!! A stunning idea - deflecting the pawn to h6 leaves no way to cover the sensitive h7 point. 23...Kh8 23...gxh6 24.Qg4+! (24.Qd3 Nf6 25.Nh5 Bg7! actually wins for Black) 24...Kh8 (24...Bg7 25.Nh5 is no better) 25.Qf5! Nf6 26.Qxf6+ Kg8 27.Qf5 and Black's position is hopeless. 24.Nxf7+ Kg8 25.Ne4?! A stay of execution. Instead, 25.Bxh7+! would have been much more clinical. For example, 25...Kxh7 (25...Kxf7 26.Qh5+ Kf6 27.Qg6 mate) 26.Ng5+ Kg8 27.Qb3+ Kh8 28.Qf7! threatening Qf7-h5+, but also skewering the knight which would otherwise defend from f6. 28...Qd6 29.Nf5 and Black can resign. 25...Ne5 26.Nfd6 Red8 27.Qh5 Bxe4 28.Nxe4 h6 29.Qf5 Re8 30.Qxf4 With a second pawn in the bag, the rest is easy for Anand. 30...Rac8 31.Qf5 Qd7 32.Qxd7 Nxd7 33.Rad1 Nb6 34.Bb3+ Kh8 35.Kf1 g5 36.f3 Rc6 37.Rd3 Bg7 38.Red1 Be5 39.Rd8 Rxd8 40.Rxd8+ Kg7 41.Rg8+ Kh7 42.Re8 Bxc3 43.Re7+ Bg7 44.Nc5 Nc8 45.Re8 Bc3 46.Bd5 Rc7 47.Be4+ 47...Kg7 48.Ne6+ wins the rook. 1–0
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