The Championship Explodes into Life
: Created:11 Nov 2014 , byAnand ended speculation that the 2014 title contest would be another procession for Carlsen by winning the third game and levelling the match.
Anand's choice of 7.c5 against Carlsen's Queen's Gambit Declined isa topical line with Aronian, Karpov and Tomashevsky among its previous adherents. Carlsen answered with 7...c6 although in the very recent supergrandmaster tournament in Tashir, 7...Nh5 was favoured in order to swap off the White bishop on f4. Anand was clearly the better prepared going uncastled into complications to secure a dangerous advanced pawn on c7.
This game it was Carlsen who fell behind on the clock and found himself forced into passivity. He blundered on moves 28 and 29 but better moves were thin on the ground. This is Anand's first victory in a full length game over Carlsen in four years and he will be vastly encouraged.
In the side show battle of the computers Stockfish came out well on top approving of Anand's sacrificial line early on. Komodo took more time to give full credence to White's attack and Houdini proved to be a follower not a leader.