Chennai: World champion Viswanathan Anand struggled once again with his white pieces and suffered a painful defeat against challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the sixth game of the World Chess Championship here today.
After a shocking loss from a drawn position in the fifth game, Anand looked prepared to strike back but the Berlin defense yet again came in his way as Carlsen demonstrated his superior skills on the board once more in a drawn endgame to beat the world champion.
The Indian is now at a make-or-break situation and the next game will be most crucial to the final outcome of the match. As things stand, after six games and half way through, Carlsen leads the match 4-2, needing just 2.5 points more from next six to become the next world champion.
Anand had his hopes pinned on the king pawn but the Berlin defense has troubled the best players in the world in the last decade.
Team Anand had not found anything in the main line and it was evident from the fact that Anand went for the closed Ruy Lopez, often a simple reprieve when one wants to avoid the intricacies of the Berlin defense. Anand decided to try his chances in the middle game arising out a close variation.
Carlsen was game for it if the opening and middle game was any indication. The Norwegian gave nothing away and by the 20th move it was a level position on board for Anand with not much to look upto.
However the match situation suggested otherwise, Anand had to play on for a win and that's what he decided to do, unfortunately the plan boomeranged.Carlsen, with his immaculate understanding of almost all kind of positions, neutralized white's initiative in the middle game and when a queen and rook with pawns endgame arose on the board, it was already clear that the Norwegian was calling the shots.
Pushed back on the defensive third time in as many games as white, Anand fumbled, probably this might be the costliest fumble for him ever, as he allowed Carlsen to get a pawn plus rook endgame.
Theoretically the position was still drawn, but then that was the case in the prvious game of the match too. Yet again, Carlsen provoked Anand to do something to solve matters quickly and the defending champion realized how hard it is to achieve it against the 'Mozart of chess'.
The endgame was drawn till move 56 according to the experts of the game. Then Anand made one mistake after another and it was all over 11 moves later.
In the post game conference, Carlsen said he is happy to have a healthy lead at the half way stage in the match.
Anand needs to do everything right to be back in the match. Things look very difficult for the Indian as of now, especially after two back-to-back losses from drawn endgame.
Successive defeats leave Anand nervy in World Chess C'ship
Successive defeats leave Anand nervy in World Chess C'ship
Chennai: Having suffered back-to-back defeats in the World Chess Championship, defending champion Viswanathan Anand was today left a bit nervy if the press conference after the sixth game is anything to go by.
Replying to a question about what he planned to do in current situation after two losses, Anand said he would want to the best in the coming games.
However when the defending champ was asked what he meant by 'doing the best', the world champion since 2007 was pretty curt in his reply.
"Doing your best mean doing your best. I do not how you understand English," he snapped at the journalist.
Asked was there pressure after losing yesterday, Anand said: "Yes. Probably."
Moments after suffering the loss, the 43-year-old was even asked by one journalist what was his reaction to Sachin Tendulkar's retirement.
"I had noticed and was following what he was doing. But the other things were in my mind," Anand said.
Anand said he had started off well but committed a blunder in the middle.
"I just pretty much started off well. I gave the check and then actually I was going for a rook-g 4 and a simple idea. Then, I just blundered here with f-4. And, this was lost of course," he said.
"Here, I get rook-c and just draw. When I started it was quite good and I thought if I get queen g4 I could get the major pieces get solid positions. But then, I do not know ... perhaps one mistake after the other," he added.
Carlsen was at his best to tackle the new situation.
"Its good go get a healthy lead the half way stage of the match, we still got six games to play," said the challenger from Norway.
While Anand maintained that he would like to do his best in the remaining games, Carlsen elaborated on the sixth game in depth.
"I wanted to carry on from the last game and exert pressure. The position after the opening is about level and when he blundered or sacrificed a pawn, I thought I have my chances," Carlsen said.
The Norwegian, however, maintained that the position was that of a draw.
"The position was a draw in all likelyhood but then I had set up this trap where Anand fell in," he said.
Anand, for the records, has never suffered two losses in a row in World Championship contest since 2008. The second loss could well mean a curtain for Anand's hopes of retaining the title.
With two down and six to play, Anand needs to strike it in the next one as otherwise it may be too late.
Carlsen, on the other hand, was in his elements after the victory. The Norwegian knows its not far for him to win his maiden world title in his first attempt.
Garry Kasparov, his mentor and trainer in 2009 has been vouching for the new talent for quite some time and Carlsen has thus far proven himself to be worthy of the title.
Anand needs a plan 'B' if he has to make a serious impression in this match.
