rajeshporupath wrote on 11/13/13 at 18:16:15:


Yes, Carlsen would likely have won according to the engines.

ErictheRed wrote on 11/13/13 at 17:24:07:


I agree with you. I am more nervous about Anand's chances than before. Carlsen has a slight momentum now. Today Anand should never have allowed ...Bxa2, but played OK after that to hold. He'll be relieved but know he has to be sharper than that.

Well round 4 is in the books, and despite the even score I maintain that Carlsen is looking in good shape.  Let's see if he comes out swinging after the rest day; he seems to have shaken whatever nervousness he may have had and is ready to fight.

Excellent play by Anand as well after going down a pawn.  It's unfortunate that we only get 12 games because this is shaping up to become an exciting match.

belgian wrote on 11/13/13 at 04:31:43:


Well that's what everyone is saying.  I guess the idea is that after 35....Qd6 36.Qg2 Rxf2 37.Rxf2 Rf8 38.Rdd2 Bxf2+ 40.Qxf2 Qxd3 Black has excellent winning chances.

Still...I think that's just the kibbitzer's job, to say what Black should have done.  I really like these opposite-colored bishop middlegames, and I think that some of the reason Black didn't win was because White has a lot of play, even down a pawn.  With queens on, White has attacking chances sometimes.   

So after some shuffling I came up with 34...Rf8 35.Kh2!? with the idea of keeping more pieces on for counterplay.  I bet this is what Carlsen had in mind, and my hunch is that this is what Anand was "scared" of when he went for the draw.  White has play after 35...Rxf2+ 36.Rxf2 Bxf2 37.Rxd3! for instance.  If 35...Bxf2 36.Rxd3! is similar; the rooks stay on the board and Carlsen will get his counterchances despite being down a pawn (Rd7+, Rf1, Rf3, and Qf3 are all ideas in these lines).  Having said that, I haven't looked at anyone else's analysis yet, that's just my quick impression (aided with Rybka, of course).

So I dunno, I think people are paying too much attention to the computer in suggesting that Black should have played on.  He risked facing a lot of activity for the sake of a pawn.

I could be wrong, but this is why I think Carlsen might take the lead soon.  It was Vishy that backed out of the fight, and Carlsen that played very active, fighting chess to my eyes.  Unfortunately he had seriously misplayed things earlier, but if he's started from an equal position instead of a much worse one, I wonder what might have happened. 

I predict some change for Carlson, quite possibly 1.e4.  The Reti has not worked and it's a short match.

I wonder whether he presses for a win with Black tomorrow? 

Edit:
Most people seem to think that the first three games have been to Anand's advantage, but I'm not sure I agree.  The first was a quick draw--true, White got nothing, but he wasn't really worse.  In the second, Black (Carlsen) introduced a novelty that resulted in a quick draw, and notice that it was Anand that went straight for the repetition.   

In the third game everyone is talking about how Anand had a big advantage.  I look at it another way, though: it's the first game that we've finally seen a fight.  Carlsen was clearly worse, out of both players' preparation, etc.  For the first time he could completely forget about all of the match psychology and opening junk and just fight. 

And he fought very, very well.  Despite Anand's position looking good, at no point did it seem White was in any real danger of losing; he found a lot of counterplay.  And while he was exhausted at the end of the game, I wonder if Carlsen doesn't feel good that he finally got that feeling of adrenaline, that pure chess dogfight.  And despite the hand-to-hand combat starting from a position where Anand had an advantage, Carlsen didn't seem to be in any genuine danger.

So on the one hand, the opening/theoretical battle has gone to Anand.  On the other, it could be that Carlsen has finally shaken his nerves and remembered what it is to just fight and play chess.  If that's the case, I can imagine Carlsen suddenly getting some wins.   

I guess that in my view, Anand's preparation has looked superb, but what if Carlsen finds a way to get out of that preparation?  Even with merely an equal game, but a complicated one?  And isn't this what we all expected the match to go like, anyway?  I think those Carlsen -2.5 odds were a little too steep.

tbh. carlsens opening repertoire as white is a complete desaster ... I think he is too afraid somehow ...

lnn2 wrote on 11/12/13 at 15:45:40:

white can play d4 before c4 and a transposition to a Tarrasch is likely