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Viswanathan Anand vs Anish Giri
Tata Steel Group A (2011), Wijk aan Zee NED, rd 12, Jan-29
Semi-Slav Defense: General (D43)  ·  1/2-1/2

8
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White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1/2-1/2

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 12 OF 12 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-29-11  Eyal: <On that [49...]Rb6 then [50]Rd3 should draw I think. If then Rc6 Rc1 c2 Kf2.>

Putting the other rook on the c-file - 50...Rc5! is much more powerful; then, with the second rook on the b-file, there's the threat of Rb1 once the pawn reaches c2.

Jan-29-11  Eyal: As was pointed out, 50...c2 51.Rc6+ forces a perpetual check because the king can't escape to h5 due to 52.Rff6, threatening mate on h6 - though Black actually isn't losing, because he can force his own perpetual with Rd1/d2+. There was a very ingenious tactical concept behind Anand's rook maneuvers at the final stage of the game, even if it shouldn't have sufficed for a draw with completely accurate play by Giri.
Jan-29-11  crazybird: Sergey Shipov < "Today Anish Giri played the game of his life, but he couldn’t bring it to its logical conclusion. He sprung an unexpectedly early surprise on his opponent in the opening, skillfully beat off White’s attack, switched to counterattack, and then in a complex struggle achieved a big advantage, but didn’t have the energy to convert it. He’s still a little wet behind the ears… But fans of Giri (and himself) have no need to get incredibly upset. With play like that at 16 years of age (and the World Champion barely managing to escape as White) you can look boldly into the future. This guy will go far…">
Jan-29-11  talisman: had to leave this around move 44...did giri miss just checking with a rook?...
Jan-29-11  Bobwhoosta: AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

(TD, the check is in the mail)

Jan-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Peligroso Patzer: <talisman: had to leave this around move 44...did giri miss just checking with a rook?...>

Not sure exactly what you are referring to (by the phrase "just checking with a rook"), but I think your statement may oversimplify the oversight. What I believe Giri overlooked was that <49. ... Rb6> would have been the best way to defend against White's threat to give perpetual check.

Jan-29-11  anandrulez: Where did Anand go wrong ? I feel this was one of the worst performance from Anand for a long time . Maybe Topalov World Champs was similar , but such a poor opening and middle game from Anand was quite a surprise . Please explain the main mistakes by Anand in the game .
Jan-29-11  fisayo123: Giri's moves where just stronger than Anand's according to Houdini.
Jan-29-11  anandrulez: Official Site : Now the horrible truth descends on Giri as his clock runs down. A relieved Anand emerges after a few minutes discussion with Giri about the rook ending. "I had the feeling that it was going to be a bad day," said the World Champion, "but in the end I managed to save it. He played extremely well." What went wrong? "I just played badly the whole game. I just drifted; lots of aimless moves." Regarding the rook ending. "I just assumed I was lost but I didn't see a clear win for him. At the end one of the fortresses I was hoping to set up was him doubling on the c file behind his pawn on c2 and me with rooks on c1 and f2. Then he cannot get his king in and I draw with Kg1-g2. However I am not sure that I can get this. "After the game we looked at 49....Rb6 50.Rd4 h5 51.e4 Rc5 52.Rdd1 and I have at least kept my pawn. Of course maybe I am still lost." Indeed after 52...c2 53.Rc1 Rf6! Anand cannot set up his fortress and loses. Giri said that he saw that 16...Be6 equalises but that he thought what he played was just as good and that he would have more chances if he kept his bishop pair. Giri admitted that when playing 49...Rd2? he had missed 52.Rff6 - "though even after this he can still draw" said Anand, acknowledging that, if even when he sets up a mating net he isn't winning, his position must have been REALLY bad. The good news about Giri's misfortune is that the tournament remains wide open and an Anand victory tomorrow could put real pressure on Nakamura (though it is likely that a draw will give the tournament to the American on tiebreak).
Jan-29-11  Shariful Alam: Giri, a winner is always lucky.....
Jan-29-11  Eyal: <Where did Anand go wrong ? I feel this was one of the worst performance from Anand for a long time . Maybe Topalov World Champs was similar , but such a poor opening and middle game from Anand was quite a surprise. Please explain the main mistakes by Anand in the game.>

Please give some credit to Giri... Of course it wasn’t a brilliant game by Anand, but the thing that stands out is how well Giri played – he surprised Anand by a very interesting novelty (12…c5), spoiling his opening plans, and gradually outplayed him by very accurate play – until the oversight at the end (missing 49…Rb6!).

Jan-29-11  fisayo123: Yeah i think outplayed is the right word.If Giri won would he have been the youngest player to defeat a world champ? Does anyone know this?
Jan-29-11  anandrulez: Surely Giri deservers a lot of praise for the game , I was just looking at Anand's perspective .
Jan-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: <fisayo123> - <If Giri won would he have been the youngest player to defeat a world champ? >

Reshevsky, at 11, beat Janowski, who was strong enough to draw a match with Lasker, though he was beaten in his official match for the title. Reshevsky then gave up chess for ten years, so was in his 20s when he next encountered grandmasters. Janowski vs Reshevsky, 1922
Botvinnik beat Capablanca around his 14th birthday, admittedly in a simultaneous. There are other cases where champions lost simul games to future stars, but this is perhaps the most famous. Capablanca vs Botvinnik, 1925
Arturo Pomar, at 12, came very close to beating Alekhine - but allowed the champion's Rooks just a little too much play. Strangely familiar, but much more protracted than Giri's effort. Alekhine vs A Pomar-Salamanca, 1944
More recently, Paco Vallejo-Pons, aged 13, beat Topalov in 2005 -- in the Amber blindfold event, a few months before Topalov won the World Championship tourney . But he beat him again at Linares 2006, when most people regarded Topalov as world champion. Topalov vs Vallejo-Pons, 2006
Of course, according to strict matchplay tradition, Kramnik was champ during this period, and winning the reunification match merely confirmed it. Few younger players troubled him much, but a 14-year-old Karjakin beat him: Karjakin vs Kramnik, 2004

Would you like more examples? Giri is young, but not that young, and he played well against the world champion, and drew.

Jan-29-11  Eyal: <Dom> Great collection – only Paco’s age is off by a decade. Still, a good achievement to beat Topalov even at 23 or 24:-)
Jan-29-11  fisayo123: Thanks!
Jan-29-11  polarmis: Here's the final version of Sergey Shipov's commentary on this game (it comes after the "non-game" of Nakamura - Kramnik!):

http://www.chessintranslation.com/2...

Jan-29-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: <Eyal> Thanks for the correction. I'd vaguely wondered how Paco grew up so fast. But they do, don't they?

The big difference today is the rise of elite super-tournaments, and the fact that teenagers qualify to play in them at all. Players such as Alekhine were in their 20s before meeting the top GMs.

Jan-29-11  computer chess guy: Rybka 3 doesn't like 41. ♖a1, preferring 41. ♖ed1 =. After 41. ♖a1 c4, Black has a clear advantage.
Jan-30-11  Ulhumbrus: <anandrulez: Where did Anand go wrong ? I feel this was one of the worst performance from Anand for a long time . Maybe Topalov World Champs was similar , but such a poor opening and middle game from Anand was quite a surprise . Please explain the main mistakes by Anand in the game .> The main mistake may have been the move 21 e5, which began an unsound attack. However Anand made a number of concessions to Giri, at least some of them unjustified, and not only in the opening. Here are some:

6 Bxf6 concedes the bishop pair. never an asset to part with lightly.

13 d5 releases control of the central point e5

16 h3 not only disturbs the King side pawns and costs a tempo but it concedes the second bishop for a Knight.

21 e5? starts an attack which is probably not justified by any White advantage, and this move may pass the advantage to Black. It opens the way for Black's Queen's Bishop. This may be a losing mistake and could have led to defeat, and it appears that it did lead to a lost game. After 21 Nd2 White may still hope to save the game.

It is conceivable that Anand evaluated his side of the position too optimistically at this point and so thought that he could play to win.

It is after this move that Black becomes able to start playing to win, and Giri does so by 21...g5. This move however may be too optimistic for Black. It is conceivable that the move 21...g5 lets Black's advantage slip or even passes the advantage back to White. However the position after 21...g5 may require looking further for alternatives to White, such as the move h4.

Later Giri played actively by 41...c4 and this may win, but after 41..Rb7 Anand might have had little hope of saving the game. It is conceivable that the move 41...c4 gave Anand a greater chance to draw, as he did do in the end.

Anand was lucky to draw, but as Capablanca says, the good player is always lucky, and according to Fine you get to be lucky when you get good. Like Carlsen, Anand plays well enougn to be lucky. But then, Giri has still to reach his peak.

The game warrants a looking at further.

Feb-04-11  Zoheb: Giri should have easily won! That indian anand got lucky! Giri Should have moved his rook to Rb6 at 49th move. i did analysis when Fritz 10.. and it produces better moves and finally black won.. check out these moves

48... Bxe3 49. fxe3 Rb6 50. e4 Rc5 51.
Rdd1 c2 52. Rc1 Rd6 53. e5 Rd3 54. Rfe1
Rxg3+ 55. Kh2 Rh3+ 56. Kg2 Kf7 57. Re4 Rxh4 58. Kg3 Rh3+ 59. Kxg4 Rhc3 60. Rf4+ Ke6 61. Kh5 Kxe5 62. Rf2 Rc6 63. Kg4 Kd4 64. Rf7 Ke3 65. Ra7 R6c5 66. Ra6 Rg5+ *

Black wins! Anand's butt got lucky

Mar-14-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Endgame Statistics:

♔♖♖♙♙♙ vs. ♔♖♖♙♙♙

A side wins 43.7% of the time.

A draw occurs 56.3% of the time.

Mar-27-11  notyetagm: http://www.chessintranslation.com/2...
Mar-27-11  notyetagm: Game Collection: Giri's Best Games
Jul-05-11  notyetagm: Game Collection: SHIPOV'S EXCELLENT COMMENTARY AVAILABLE IN ENGLI
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