A third of the world chess championship is over.
Looking at the 2-2 score, there is nothing to choose between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand.
Going beyond the score, Carlsen is upset with the quality of his play in the last two games and conversely, he notices how upbeat Anand is with the comeback win in Game 3. Further, Carlsen has not missed Anand’s preparedness to proceed in an equal position, as seen in Game 4.
The confidence of having won with white in Game 3 will work to Anand’s advantage. He has no reason to switch from the queen-pawn opening. The key will again be getting a dynamic, double-edged position with several tactical possibilities as the game goes deep into the middle-game.
Carlsen, yet to get over the fact that he was caught in Anand’s preparation leading to a frustrating loss in Game 3, can be expected to meet fire with fire.
Playing black in Game 1, Carlsen chose the Grunfeld Defence but could not prevent Anand from emerging better out of the opening.
In Game 3, Carlsen responded with Queen’s Gambit Declined and Anand readily tightened the screws and levelled the match-score.
To Team Anand’s credit, it has made Carlsen search for suitable responses to the queen-pawn opening. Anand does hold the option of surprising Carlsen by going back to his favourite king-pawn opening but given the current status of the match, there is no need for it.
If Carlsen is seen to be a little defensive in Game 5 and plays for a draw, the approach should not surprise anyone. After all, a draw with black will be some solace for his defeat with black in Game 3.
In addition, the prospect of playing white in Game 6 and Game 7, should justify Carlsen’s conservative strategy on Friday. However, Anand cannot afford to give Carlsen any reason to be confident.
As Carlsen admitted after Game 4 that he was not playing well by his standard, it was an indication that he could well be vulnerable in his desperate search for form.
So far, in the 14 world championship games involving Carlsen, the only time Anand managed to bring the youngster under pressure was on Tuesday and the result was there for the world to see.
Carlsen is known to bounce back from defeats. In fact, he has a tremendous record of hitting back strongly in the second half of the contests.
In Chennai, Anand never brought Carlsen under serious pressure and regretted it for a long time. A second chance is what Anand had hoped for and succeeded in creating.
So far, Anand has managed to worry the Norwegian. Another defeat, which is a distinct possibility, can shake Carlsen’s plans like never before.
However, Anand should guard against his tendency to be defensive in an equal position.
This could seriously backfire against a player of Carlsen’s calibre, though Anand got away with it on Thursday.
In general, a draw is not a bad result, but each time Anand is made to fight long for a draw, his diminishing stamina could well become a factor in the battles ahead.
