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Event: World Championship 2012 – Rapid Game 2 of 4
Game: Viswanathan Anand (IND) vs. Boris Gelfand (ISR)
Location: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Date: 30th May 2012
The hunger to win was very much evident in Anand, as he sat down for the second rapid game. The game opened with the king’s pawn opening and was responded by Gelfand with a Sicilian Defence! No surprises here considering that the last few matches went down the same road. In-fact several experts also commented that the game may proceed to the Rossolimo variation again, as was the case in the previous two encounters with Anand playing white.
Coincidentally, the game did proceed to the Rossolimo variation! 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. In fact the players continued the same line of action as in the previous game 3… e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.b3 e5 6.Nxe5 Qe7
This was where Anand decided to tread a different path and played 7.d4 supporting the knight. 7… d6 threatening the knight and forcing it to move. 8. Nxc6 gaining a pawn advantage for white. Black capturing the d4 pawn would not be a wise move as it will provide white with a further opportunity to consolidate its position, and at the same time the black pawn on d4 would be a weakling which can be easily recaptured.8…Qxe4+. Gelfand will force a queen exchange simplifying the position 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2. The queen exchange is more beneficial to Black than White as the white knight is still lurking in danger.
10…Bb7 threatening the knight. 11. Na5 was played offering the pawn at g2. However, it was the best of the moves as playing 11.d5 could have been disastrous 11. d5 Ne7! 12. Nxe7 Bxe7 13.c4 Bf6!!
11…Bxg2 12.Rg1 Bh3 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nc3 O-O-O The black rook was now strongly placed on the d file while the black king has escaped from the centre. 15. Bf4 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Rxd6. The 17th move was a decision between taking the bait at g7 or sticking to the game plan and concentrating on the more important c5. Anand decided to ignore the bait and played the strong move of 17.Rg5 Nf6 18. Rxc5+ Kb8
The game saw another turning point a few moves later 19.Nc4 Re8+ 20.Ne3 Ng4 21.Ncd5 Nxe3. This was when Anand could have taken the knight using the f2 pawn enabling the options for the king to move. However, Anand decided to use the knight instead and allowed Gelfand to come back to the offensive. 22. Nxe3!? Bg4+ and white is now on the defensive 23.f3 Bc8 24.Re1 Rh6 25.Rh1 Rhe6 26.Rc3 f5 27.Kd2 f4. These moves exhibited how skilfully Anand was able to circumvent the pressures and maintain his cool. He not only managed to keep his lead but also took away the advantage from black and can now come back strongly.
However, there was something else, besides the players, that was deciding the turn of events. It was the time left to make the moves. Both players had exhausted their specified quota of 25 minutes and were making very quick moves. In-fact at one point the clock read Anand 0.09 – 0.01 Gelfand! This not only forced the players to take some quick decisions, but also forced errors in the game play which both exploited, and the game tipped scales from one side of the table to the other. But towards the end, the game boiled down to both players having only a rook, while Anand having an additional pawn. And the entire focus of the game had shifted to this additional pawn. The rooks and the kings from both the sides were engaged in a battle for the pawn. The black was constantly trying to increase the pressure on it, while the white had to stay sharp and deflect any danger to the pawn, and at the same time working on a strategy to advance the same as well.
Finally after 77 moves Gelfand decided that it was lost cause, and resigned giving Anand the first victory in the rapid format. The score board now read Anand 1.5 – 0.5 Gelfand.
Rapid Game 2 Details:
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.b3 e5 6.Nxe5 Qe7 7.d4 d6 8.Nxc6 Qxe4 9.Qe2 Qxe2 10.Kxe2 Bb7 11.Na5 Bxg2 12.Rg1 Bh3 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nc3 O-O-O 15.Bf4 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Rxd6 17.Rg5 Nf6 18.Rxc5 Kb8 19.Nc4 Re8 20.Ne3 Ng4 21.Ncd5 Nxe3 22.Nxe3 Bg4 23.f3 Bc8 24.Re1 Rh6 25.Rh1 Rhe6 26.Rc3 f5 27.Kd2 f428.Nd5 g5 29.Rd3 Re2 30.Kc1 Rf2 31.h4 Ree2 32.Rc3 Bb7 33.Rd1 gxh4 34.Nxf4 Re8 35.Rh1 Rc8 36.Rxc8 Bxc8 37.Rxh4 Bf5 38.Rh5 Bxc2 39.Rb5 Ka8 40.Nd5 a6 41.Ra5 Kb7 42.Nb4 Bg6 43.Nxa6 Rxf3 44.Nc5 Kb6 45.b4 Rf4 46.a3 Rg4 47.Kd2 h5 48.Nd7 Kb7 49.Ne5 Rg2 50.Kc3 Be8 51.Nd3 h4 52.Re5 Bg6 53.Nf4 Rg3 54.Kd4 Bc2 55.Rh5 Rxa3 56.Rxh4 Rg3 57.Nd5 Rg5 58.b5 Bf5 59.Rh6 Bg4 60.Rf6 Rf5 61.Rb6 Ka7 62.Rg6 Bf3 63.Rg7 Kb8 64.Nc3 Bb7 65.Kc4 Bf3 66.Kb4 Bd5 67.Na4 Rf7 68.Rg5 Bf3 69.Nc5 Kc7 70.Rg6 Kd8 71.Ka5 Rf5 72.Ne6 Kc8 73.Nd4 Rf8 74.Nxf3 Rxf3 75.Kb6 Rb3 76.Rg8 Kd7 77.Rb8 1-0
