[Preview: It's win or go home for Big Vlad. He has the white pieces, which have been something of a disadvantage for him during the match thanks to Anand's superlative preparation. A win or a draw for Anand and he keeps his world championship title -- and/or takes Kramnik's, depending on how much of a match-tradition headcase you are. Kramnik has never been maniacally competitive like, say, Karpov, but you know he'd love to have a win in this match. Deep Thought: Will we find out who came up with the 14..Bb7 in the Meran that led to Anand's wins in games 3 and 5? If it wasn't Anand himself, does that guy get a serious chunk of bonus cash? Not saying Anand wouldn't have won without it, but I'd say you've got to give homeslice more than a pat on the back for that one.]
A big first win for Big Vlad to keep the match going. It was a Nimzo this time with a subtle tweak of a new move from Kramnik with Re1. White had a tiny pull but over the span of a few moves Anand had a complete breakdown in his sense of danger and suddenly it was just over. Kramnik's queenside invasion was terminal with the black knight exemplifying the old saying about how one bad piece ruins your entire position. It's now 6-4 and Anand needs just a draw in Wednesday's game 11 with white to clinch the match. More later.
Busy with other work for the next few days so hard to give this game much attention right now. But honestly I don't think having a lot more time would help. I don't understand what happened now and GM Kaidanov was pretty mystified at the time on Chess.FM. Anand either missed or dramatically underestimated the danger to his queenside posed by the white a-pawn. The black knight is tossed to a horrible square and the a and c-pawns are easy targets. Meanwhile, the black queen and bishop are chilling on the kingside. The piece path Bc8-a6-c4-e2-g4-e6 is incredibly slow even in a maneuvering game line this one. Ironically, during the game my database popped up with the fact that the position after 21.Bf4 had been reached before in GM play. The French teen GM Feller played it earlier this year except it was White to move! So even a full tempo up over a GM game Anand resigned eight moves later. Excellent play by Kramnik, no doubt, but clearly Anand took a mental trip to Jamaica in this one. Feeling the pressure?
Anand did seem to realize the need to get his pieces back to the queenside. His solution of ..f6 was very slow, however. At the time the move 22..Bg4 looked weird. Having taken the time to route the bishop over to eliminate the Bg2, shuffling it around in a big circle without achieving that goal seemed very strange. 22..Nc4 was the obvious move, but White gets an excellent endgame after 23.Qa6 Nxe3 24.Rxe2 Nxg2 25.Kxg2 even without his bishops. Perhaps leaving the the bishop on e2 for another move or two was best. White can eject it with h3, threatening g4, but that takes a tempo Black can use to get in ..f6 with the white bishop still on g2.
Meanwhile, all of Kramnik's moves had a clear purpose. He kept the bishops with the retreat 22.Be3, as usual trusting in pieces and squares instead of time (or material). 23.Qa6 is a star move, taking control of c4 and getting out of the way of the a-pawn. Qb5 was also playable, but that would take the pressure off the a7 pawn. Since we now know that Black is in serious trouble after 23..f6, what else? In the press conference, Kramnik suggested 23..Be6 directly instead, then 24.Bf1 Qf3. It's hard to see how that deals with the a4-a5 threat. Keeping the queen on the kingside adds a few options though, and skipping ..f6 entirely leaves that square open for the knight to evacuate with ..Nd7-f6. In short, 23..f6 was a dud for several reasons. Even the winning tactical themes with Qd6-Re7 were based on the bishop on e6 hanging with no protection from an f7 pawn.
It was still impressive how fast Black's house came tumbling down. The white rook and queen create threats everywhere and the black pieces have no safe squares. The ultimate defender, the computer, tries 24..Rc7 25.a5 Nd7 26.Rab1 with shameless silicon groveling to follow with moves like ..Qe8 and ..Rac8 to come. Petrosian, maybe, but Anand or anyone with a shred of hope, no. The last best hope was probably to challenge on the b-file with 26..Rab8, ditching the c-pawn after 27.Rb5 Nc4 28.Rxb8 (28.Reb1 may be even stronger) 28..Rxb8 29.Bxc5. Admittedly that looks pretty hopeless.
27..Nd7 loses the a-pawn after 28.Rb7 Qe8 (or Rd1) 29.Rxa7 and the white a-pawn is a monster. Anand surprised us a little with his prompt resignation, not bothering to let Kramnik show the spectators the various ways to win. The most common is getting two pieces for a rook. 29..Rd8 30.Qb4 Qc6 31.Re7 with Rxe6 next. If 31..Bf7 32.Ra1 picks up the dim knight.
This looks like a classic Kramnik win, if one against a 2500 in a league game. Anand now has a free day to recover from this pounding, clear his head, and come back needing only a draw with white to clinch the match. In a similar situation against Leko in 2004 Kramnik came out with the Benoni. Anand's at something of a disadvantage in this situation because, like Leko, he's not normally a 1.d4 player. No way in heck he would play into that Anti-Moscow Gambit again but Kramnik probably can't afford the Semi-Slav anyway since Anand could just chop on d5, play Bf4, and have around zero losing chances. GM Kaidanov recalled that the one time he faced Kramnik, long ago, it was a Leningrad Dutch...
Wonder what happens to the unused preparation lines.Do they stay the property of the principal or are the seconds entitled to use them?
...Bb7.
I have a small database and surprisingly I found a total of six games where 14...Bb7 was played (some reaching the position with transposition of moves). The 15. Bf4 Bd6 is also here. Out of six, in five, White took the b-Pawn.
Especially pleasing was a game played in the '32nd Bangladesh Championship - 2006', when Syed Manfuzur Rahman playing Black and adopting this move actually was able to beat Abdul Maleq who had the White pieces.
Although, the game was decided by mutual blunders and nothing to do with 14...Bb7, it provides an important chess lesson: things can be found even in the trash! Only if one knows what to search for!!
Md.Alimuzzaman
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mig, there must be some computer programming bug in 'Daily Dirt'.
After a couple of times patting my cat while reading your site, my cat won't be patted anymore and comes up with a message "meow". Well I never.
I encountered this problem a couple of months ago, too, but as I was having other cat problems at the time, I assumed it was my cat.But now, with my cat entirely fixed, this problem has occurred again.
I'm pleased overall with the sportsmanship of this match. Of course Kramnik will play his chess. For some of you who may think this is dull, drab, boring... I'm happy to see a match where the drama is on the board and not in the toilet.
I get the distinct impression that Kramnik is on the decline here. Even if Kramnik had a level of preparation matching Anand's it's crystal-clear who is the world champion at this stage.
Looking forward to some good chess tomorrow.
I think Kramnik needs to get his White Bishop out to g2. He was playing a lot of Catalan/QID with Bishop on g2 before the match... maybe his big surprise prep for Vishy was that he wasn't going to play it :/
>Wonder what happens to the unused preparation >lines.Do they stay the property of the principal >or are the seconds entitled to use them?
property of the principal just as the products of the work of any hired employee, the seconds are hired and paid for their contributions
'Times of India' wants Anand to sieze the opportunity and inflict irreversibile psychological damage on Kramnik. Sort of Fischer "breaking" of Larsen, Taimanov and Petrosian as
they never recovered form that crushing defeats.
"crushing the ego"..yes..but is this acceptable, pro-social, behavior ?
"When Kasparov defeated Karpov 13-11 by winning the last game in Moscow 1985, he had opted for the Sicilian defence. Since then, these two great Russians crossed swords against each other on more than 50 occasions. But the trauma of that defeat was such that Karpov never dared to play 1.e4 and give his nemesis an opportunity to go Sicilian.
Of course, Anand hasn't sealed the title and anything can happen, technically. But the Indian shouldn't waste this opportunity to inflict further scars on Kramnik's mind. Go for a win, Vishy...This article appeared in the online service of the Times of India"
Hey Mig, what's the resolution of the Leonid Yudasin puzzle?? I repeat, the thing in common with Kasparov and Yudasin is that they are the only two people to have lost to Kramnik in a classical match excluding friendlies. Kramnik's record so far, -3 (Gelfand, Kamsky and Shirov) =2 (Leko and Topalov) and +2 (Kasparov and Yudasin).
What's my prize???
>What's my prize ???
a copy of the next Kasparov book entitled " How I never lost to Kramnik and if I did it was only a petty accident"
SPAM follows:
Sorry for a diversion! And for bringing up one of my pet subjects, i.e., the privileges of a World Champion and Draw Odds in a World Championship Match.
Whoever wins the current WC match, there is no doubt that he will be the Absolute world match Champion. And as a World Match Champion, he would be absolutely deserving one very huge privilege, i.e., he would be spared the rigors of qualifying through a grueling and uncertain Cycle. This is indeed a great privilege, but thoroughly deserved.
But, I still hanker for one very minute privilege for the World Champion. In the future World Championship Matches, and I am really afraid that there may be none, the World Champion should be given the "DRAW ODDS' in the ARMAGEDDON Blitz Game, i.e., Black pieces with 4 minutes for the game as against the Challenger having White pieces and 5 minutes with the Champion retaining his title in case Armageddon ends in a Draw.
The reason I say so, is - imagine if in a future match two Draw Specialists (such as Kramnik and Leko) meet, and all the twelve regular games at Classical time control, all four Rapid games and the two Blitz games end in DRAW, and the Challenger thereafter draws the Black Colour for the Armageddon game, draws that game and thus wrests the title. Wouldn't it be a travesty of justice if a Challenger defeats a World champion in a Title Match, without actually beating him in a single game. As if the Champion forfeited the match.
I agree, that such a possibility is remote, but it is indeed theoretically possible. We can only pray and wish that we may be spared such a monstrosity.
Kramnik is really a great match player!Thanks to his brilliant strategy the match is still not over,because in game 2 he offered a draw in the right moment.Drawnik is really a Champion in draw making!But now he has another chance!The only match he won against Anand was the Advanced Chess in Leon.Human+computer.Everydody knows he is extremely strong when he gets comp.help in matches,he has proved it many times already.So why to wait more?
And one question for MIG:Whos ass are you going to kiss now that Drawnik lost?
>I get the distinct impression that Kramnik is on >the decline here.
He has been on the decline since 2002 when his health began deteriorating, he has only hit the hard bottom here in Bonn.
Maybe he is still taking those pain killing (and mind dumbing) drugs, his illness is a genetic condition which can't be cured only medically managed.
Just prior to the start of gthe Bonn match, Kramnik mentioned in an interview that he feels fine healthwise and is not not currently on any medications.
why Qc7 ?
Pein has Kramnik's explanation at TWIC
".. Kramnik explained his Qc7 as panic. He said "I was running a bit short of time and I was afraid to make a blunder in time trouble, because I can admit that in this position for 1 minute I was considering 35... f4." f4 would have allowed mate in one....:
I just feel bad for Vlad because now he'll be lucky to get a Timex endorsement, whereas Blancpain, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, etc., will be courting Vishy: http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2734
"Wonder what happens to the unused preparation lines.Do they stay the property of the principal or are the seconds entitled to use them?"
There must be a statute of limitations on this. Both Anand and Kramnik must have come to this match prepared for dozens of contingencies that never occurred (e.g., there has been no 1.e4 to date). Once the match is over, you cannot forever prevent someone from using a move later on it they happen to be in a game situation where it applies.
About 14..Bb7 and other novelties in general, Anand at the closing banquet in Morelia specifically mentioned Nielsen and praised his and the other seconds contribution to the victory. Hopefully he will be as generous with the loot as he is with the praise.
"Wonder what happens to the unused preparation lines.Do they stay the property of the principal or are the seconds entitled to use them?"
I suppose it must also depend on how close the players are. For someone like Topalov and Cheparinov, I'd imagine Cheparinov would be able to use their preparation more freely than someone who is just a "hired gun" for a single match.
And of course, no one is able to stop those "hired guns" using the prep they discover, if they really want to. But they are probably less likely to get hired again (by the same player or another) if they do.
That's more for his sponsors' ears. And to a lesser extent for his fans. Like Sachin Tendulkar. When he returns from an injury claiming to be '100% fit', what he means is that he has rested his back enough to keep going a little longer. Due his bad back he cannot dominate as before, but he can still score better than most others because of his amazing technique. But he won't rake in the same endorsement deals if he admitted openly that his bad back is not going to be cured anytime soon. I have no doubt in my mind that Kramnik is not physically what he used to be before his illness. I'm not saying that being fully fit would have changed the final result of this match, but least the scoreline would been less embarrassing for him. It'll be interesting to see what happens next for Kramnik - given that he's unlikely to be able to get any more freebies from FIDE nor dominate the tournament scene with Anand, Topalov, Carlsen, Aronian, Morozevich, etc. around..
Dennis Monokroussos noted on his blog that Kramnik leaves the stage after almost every move. He estimates that Kramnik could be losing 15-20 minutes of clock time per game, because Anand makes a move and Kramnik isn't there to see it.
I'm pretty sure they have monitors in the changing room. So he'd know as soon as Anand makes a move. Maybe he doesn't want Anand to see his facial expressions after each move? Also, maybe his physical condition requires him to consume a lot of water and hence use the restroom often? (I hope the Topalov fans don't start something again about him cheating; look at the score).
>It'll be interesting to see what happens next for Kramnik -
given that he's unlikely to be able to get any more freebies from FIDE
nor dominate the tournament scene with Anand, Topalov, Carlsen, Aronian, Morozevich, etc. around..>
He has made enough money, he will retire and busy himself with less competitive activities
(anyway he never was "maniacally competitive as Karpov", in Mig's opinion).
For instance he will turn to art (he keeps talking in interviews about painting, sculpture etc.).
Once an artist he can allow himself to relax and contemplate the "position" without being struck by anxieties that he is going to be mated with Qh7.
According to Monokroussos, they DO NOT have monitors in the changing rooms.
"Once an artist he can allow himself to relax and contemplate the "position" without being struck by anxieties that he is going to be mated with Qh7."
Or actually appreciate the artistic beauty of it ;)
Well, in that case, it has to be health reasons. But I doubt if we'd ever hear it from him before he retires (and hence nobody to sponsor him for his chess skills)..
It could just be that Kramnik is a kinesthetic learner.
They seem to have traded inaccuracies on moves 21-22, according to chessok.com.
Kramnik has just chickened out with 22.Be3?! instead of 22.Be5x! Has somebody told him he needs a win today?
Wouldn't 22. Bxe5 Nc4 23. Qa6 Nxe5 24. Qxe2 have won White a pawn?
It seems Anand misplayed first with 21...e5 instead of 21...Bd3.
Sure but there would have been complications!
Brrrr.....
GM Dimitrov: It is not easy to find a way to progress in the line 22.Bxe5 Qxe5 23.Rxe2 Nc4 24.Qa6 Qxc3 25.Ree1 Ne5.
>They seem to have traded inaccuracies on moves 21-22, according to chessok.com.
Anand bluffed with e5, threatened Kramnik with complications and Vlady quickly retreated.
The same move against chessok.com (Rybka3 on 8CPU) would have been another story.
Ahhh, thanks plei for posting that.
too bad the match will probably end soon. really rich games towards the end, with a classic struggle of Anand trying to induce complications and Kramnik doing his darndest to steer a quiet course.
Anand is 30 mins down on the clock (1:15 - 0:46). Wonder if he'll have to "earn it big time" again like last game.
Yes but a quiet course doesn't make you WC. I guess it will be over after today's game which makes Anand the more than deserved winner.
This is very much a kramnik-like position..Anand will suffer for a long time.
I'm not talking about the match situation but the content and quality of the games which arises from a tussle between such opposing temperaments and styles.
Then he should perhaps stand on e1 (e8 when he's black) and pretend to be the king of his army..:P
Rybka not impressed with Anand's latest moves. Eval has gone from +0.20 to +1.18 from moves 22-24.
Rybka at chessok.com thinks this is going to be worse than yesterday for Anand. After 25. Bf1 Rybka thinks it can win for white. But chess programs don't understand endings that well (unless of course it is in the tablebase).
Yes, that'll be Kramnik's next quest: World Champion of oversized chess! lol
I think Rybka's evaluation is not accurate. Yes, Anand's c pawn is doomed, and that's what Rybka is all excited about. But White's isolated c pawn is not that strong either, and so I'm not sure if it is that big an advantage. Anyways, who am I to question Rybka?
Rybka gave a nice trick instead of Anand's 23.. f6 , 23..Be6 24.Bf1 Bh3!
1:00 - 0:34 after 25.Bf1.
I don't understand why after 22 Be3 Anand did not play
22... Nc4 23.Qa6 Nxe3 24.Rxe2 Nxg2 25.Kxg2
exchange off White's Bishop pairs, with equality.
I guess Anand was offered a nice bonus from the organizers to keep the match alive until the last game.
"I guess Anand was offered a nice bonus from the organizers to keep the match alive until the last game."
Hah. Much more likely Kramnik is actively avoiding Anand's prep work and is getting playable positions.
WOW, Anand making really weak moves and seems to be going down! Is there are Kasparov comeback in the making?
Given the current position of Black, and Anand's remaining, time 15 min and counting for 11 moves.
I think Kramnik will score his first win of this match.
Anand pretty much waded into Kramnik's prep work. Not what I had hoped for, but Kramnik is a great player and deserves to have at least one victory in this match.
1-0. Shortest game of the match.
Anand has resigned
As folks were saying, Kramnik is all washed up. He can't beat anybody.
Anand has cracked under the psychological pressure...his first sign of weakness in this match.
Kramnik holds 1-0. As it was said when Carl Lewis sang the national anthem, "Uh oh!"
Great prep from Kramnik. He'll very much have to get outside his comfort zone as Black on Wednesday, it'll be interesting to see what his choice is. I think we might see a Benoni.
Anand played a couple of very poor moves. He was not recognizable as himself at all in game 10.
Maybe just lost under chess pressure? I think by the end of this match (odds are tomorrow) we can retire any theories of special psycholgical vulnerability of Anand.
Interesting, now the "pressure" can act on kramnik. Now that he has a ghost of a chance will also work on him. All this sets up a fantastic game on Wednesday.
Vishy may do well go back to 1.e4, never mind a Sveshnikov.
The Law of Averages had to catch up with Anand...
Delicate position for the Kramnikiites here as well. Do they start roaring immediately? But then a loss or draw in the next game will mean Krishna1 et al will pour scorn over their heads. they may favour the passive-aggressive line of marcshepard.
Anand totaly cracked psychologicaly. what was that ugly Bg4 move?
Yep! I think he's also all confused about what strategy to employ. Yesterday he went for his usual sharp lines and almost lost. Today needing only a draw he tried to play very 'solidly' but ended up being too passive and lost. It will be interesting to see what he does Wednesday as white. Would e4 mean he's panicking? Will he play sharp lines? Or solid?
Mig will be happy that he now only loses one days pay (instead of two) and the journalists that they get a trip to Dortmund. Fans happy that they get more chess. Poor Anand. He would have been really relieved had it ended today. But serves him right for being so confused in the head. He doesn't seemed to have learnt his lessons from Mexico R13 against Grishchuk or from yesterday. Celebrations on hold for two more days.
>Anand played a couple of very poor moves. He was >not recognizable as himself at all in game 10.
well, there were signs in the previous game when he choose to go for the sharpest variation instead of drawing ( Bh4 instead of the notoriously drawish Bxf6 Moscow variation).
anyway, classic signs of fear from Anand when the stakes are high and he is getting close to the biggest result of his career...
you may remember the poor Schlechter losing in an won postion to Lasker when he needed only 1/2 point to win the match and become the new WCCh..
nerves, aka fear
*Dresden
Anand crushed quickly. So much for the "greatest and most universal champion," etc garbage from some of the Indian fans. Here we have a likely world champion who can't even distinguish himself atop the FIDE ratings.
For the record, I hope for an Anand victory. I much prefer his brand of chess, and he deserves it after being one of the best players in the game for so long. Although I predicted a Kramnik victory pre-match, I didn't care for his picking and choosing of his match play opponents. Caissa will be well served by a great player and great human being such as Vishy Anand.
At the same time, the jingoistic chauvanistic garbage coming from some of the fans on this site (i.e. Khrishna1) have been embarassing.
It's great that the players have a rest day to decide what to play Wednesday...... Wouldn't like to be one of their seconds now :-)
Classic signs of fear from Ovidiu when the stakes are high and he's getting close to watching his hate-fetish go down to defeat.
"Anand played a couple of very poor moves. He was >not recognizable as himself at all in game 10."
Kramnik played a couple of very good moves. He was finally recognizable as himself in game 10. In fact, he even won the game.
hansie wrote:
{
World Champion should be given the "DRAW ODDS' in the ARMAGEDDON Blitz Game, i.e., Black pieces with 4 minutes for the game as against the Challenger having White pieces and 5 minutes
...
Wouldn't it be a travesty of justice if a Challenger defeats a World champion in a Title Match, without actually beating him in a single game.
}
Your point that the current WCChamp should have to have Black in the final tie-breaking Armageddon game is a small point with a certain logic to it; except for one unfixable flaw.
Armageddon chess games (or more directly "draw-odds" games) are inherently unfair unless they are based on time bidding. I do not see this as a matter of opinion, it is more a matter of common sense (I believe that is also Greg Shahade's assessment, as expressed on UsChess.org forums).
The fact that several Tournament Organizers feel differently about Armageddon bidding is perplexing to me. On what stone tablet from God does it say 5 minutes -to- 4 minutes is exactly fair?
Having preset color assignments to the players before Armageddon time bidding occurs would make bidding impossible/silly.
Thus ultimately your worthwhile argument does not quite seem to work.
A very good, almost crushing, victory for Kramnik which was not as some comments suggested due to very weak Anand moves. This will salvage a little pride for Kramnik who doubtless will sleep better tonight - it will also perhaps bring some fanatics down to earth and they will realise that, as the live ratings clearly show, Anand is not much ahead of the pack. He is currently the best player in the world and is deservedly going to win this match but the gap is small.
Just imagine if Kramnik would have been able to capitalize yesterday... well, Big K is a comeback kid, that's for sure. Maybe his ego just didn't allow him to start winning earlier.
Here's hoping for a great game Wednesday (& Thursday :-))
> Poor Anand. He would have been really relieved >had it ended today. But serves him right for >being so confused in the head.
It was an old test for him, how he would deal with the psych. pressure..and he failed. He knows it. Maybe that's why it took him so much to become WCh despite his natural talent.
Nice squeeze by Kramnik.
Anand didn't manage to put up a real defense.
Now the match dynamics work for Kramnik, but he needs a small miracle to win with black. Let's look forward for at least one other fighting game.
An excellent, even thematic, game from Kramnik, to save some face and play well in at least one game.
I don't doubt that Vishy will wrap the match up on Wednesday with White, but Kramnik has to feel good that at least he didn't get whitewashed, and managed to finish a winning game "in his style".
Anand probably should have stuck with the Meran, match situation be damned.
>Now the match dynamics work for Kramnik, but he >needs a small miracle to win with black.
Both players are relieved because if this game. What Anand feared most did happen (he made sure that it would) so he is free to play normal again while Kramnik has regained his self-confidence ( which may mean that he will start blundering again).
Beautiful result!! This ought to spice up the match a bit. Until now
it appeared like the least contested WC match ever. I can't believe
Anand is likely to drop the remaining 2 games, but it is not unheard
of in his career. Still, he dropped just one game, which is perfectly
logical to happen at some point.
Oh, some Indian fellas opened huge mouths, ought to learn some
restraint from Anand himself. I've always warned against the jinx
factor. Still, come end of week I want to drink my champagne cooled
for the day the when the VK curse on the WC Title will be
lifted... Ooops, did I say jinx... :-)
D.
Whatever psychological reasons caused Anand to make weak moves in this match will not carry over to the next game. Kaspy has made comments in the past which insinuate that Anand is a wuss and cracks under pressure, but the post-1995 data doesn't support that characterization. At some level, every one is a wuss, e.g., Kaspy was a wuss (and a sore loser to boot) when he lost to the IBM team in 1997. I really don't think this is going to the blitz playoff.
"Both players are relieved because if this game. What Anand feared most did happen (he made sure that it would) so he is free to play normal again while Kramnik has regained his self-confidence ( which may mean that he will start blundering again)"
Inside Man 2, Episode 10: once again Ovidiu is granted access to the minds of Kramnik and Anand. He becomes so busy with tracking their dreams, fears and motivations that he cancels his monthly English lesson and asks a neighbour to take a colicky Cocky to the vet.
> Kaspy has made comments in the past which >insinuate that Anand is a wuss and cracks under >pressure.
And he was very right, as this game well shows. It made me recall the Schlechter_Lasker last game of their match.
>At some level, every one is a wuss, e.g., Kaspy >was a wuss (and a sore loser to boot) when he >lost to the IBM team in 1997.
your 'cold logic' fails you, why he was a wuss ? Kaspy was a sore loser in 1997 but this fact doesn't imply anything about 'wussing'.
It was very nice to see Kramnik in action in his type of position. Inimitable.
The match is still almost certainly lost, but I do think he deserved one resounding victory.
What are the chances that Vishy will go 1.e4?
In one sense he has milked the whole queen-pawn thing for all its worth and can play a 'reverse-surprise'. Even if Vladimir is well prepared Vishy has been doing this his whole life. Also with e4 it is easier to go into sterile lines. For example the 2.c3 line against the Sicilian and so forth.
I don't get it.
On move 17 Anand could have exchanged Queens. 17. Qb4 Qxb4 … then … 18. c3xb4 Rf8-d8 …and whites bishop is pinned on d2. If 19. Bd2-e3 then the rooks come off and the position is equalized and looking very drawish.
How could Anand not want to make an easy simplification of the game with these 2 easy and obvious moves? Leading 6-3, anything that pushes the game towards a draw is to be welcomed.
When I see stuff like this, I begin to wonder if they are just playing for show.
A quiet draw and everybody will go home happy: Anand having the crown and Kramnik having salvaged some pride.
Today's game is what Kramnik should have been doing the whole match, not the crazy Merans. Anand had it coming in the last 3 games. Still I doubt that he will crack enough to lose with white and Kramnik has what it takes to win with black.
"At some level, every one is a wuss, e.g., Kaspy >was a wuss (and a sore loser to boot) when he >lost to the IBM team in 1997."
The non-word you deploy, from "wimp" and "puss", was never consistent with Kasparov's temperament. He was brave as a lion and tough as a mongoose at a cobra convention. He sat down facing sudden elimination 21 straight times against Karpov in Moscow and saved his career 21 straight times. Seville 1987 game 24...you get the picture. And his anger during and after the Deep Blue match was not the sour-grapes tantrum of a pussy and a loser, but a natural response from a victim of a garden-variety railroading. IBM took Kasparov for a sleigh ride and he said so - and it took courage to tell the truth in that situation.
So no comparison with the current match either, since Kasparov could end his retirement tomorrow and defeat both Anand and Kramnik. Both would close, but his heart would make the difference.
>How could Anand not want to make an easy >simplification of the game with these 2 easy and >obvious moves? Leading 6-3, anything that pushes >the game towards a draw is to be welcomed.
The same can be said about the 9th game where Anand went for the sharpest continuations.
But then Kramnik also foolishly choose to enter again in 5th the Meran-Bb7, and duly got beaten once more.
This has been a great match. As if to prove rdh's point about his being a bishop guy, Kramnik has been working the two bishops in the last two games and won one game and was close to winning the other. I expect some non-kramnikian opening in the next game - whether it is the Dutch or the KID or some such. Chances are Anand will not lose, but he needs to show he can win what many think is a won match.
"So no comparison with the current match either, since Kasparov could end his retirement tomorrow and defeat both Anand and Kramnik. Both would close, but his heart would make the difference. "
Are you serious or am I not getting some sort of irony there?
It seems that Anand's play started going astray early on in this game. Basically black was just playing waiting moves while white was improving his position. First black had his queen and bishop on the queenside, then he manouvered them to the kingside and again he moved them back to e6 and e8. I am not familiar with the opening, so I am asking why not the active and simple 14.-Rab8!? (e.g. 15.c4 Qc5 16.Qa4 Qxc4).
>Chances are Anand will not lose, but he needs to >show he can win what many think is a won match.
If he tries to show off that he can win he may lose again Wend.
What he needs to show, and was expected from him in the last 2 games, is that he can simplify and draw at will.
I am not sure that he can however. His way to cope with this task has been to continue playing for complications (i.e. to continue the kind of game he is most comfortable and secure with).
Are you serious or am I not getting some sort of irony there?
Hey RB, I did say it would be close.
I can't help but think that Game 9 was the last chance. If Kramnik had won that, (and perhaps won today) the match would have been wide open. I don't think that Vishy will back down - in fact he lost today because of his passive play. In Game 9 despite his inferior position the sharp nature of it made it very difficult for Kramnik. In fact vlady admitted at one point he lost the thread so much he missed a mate in one (Qh7). So nothing wrong in provoking complications. That said, as an Anand-fan i hope he has some mercy on our nerves and plays the exchange slav or something.
I noticed that, Clubfoot. It wasn't even that close in BGN 2000, but you are saying it would be close now?
All the pussy and wuss talk is nonsense of course. But lets not rewrite history: Kasparovs comments and behaviour after his Deep Blue debacle were the epitome of sore loser syndrome. Dreadful stuff in which he repeatedly and petulantly accused the IBM team of cheating (ie human intervention) without a scrap of evidence - because of a move which is routinely found by pc programs eg Rybka that cost peanuts to buy.
Incidentally 17..Qxb4 does NOT equalise for black at all which is why Anand did not play it. After 18 cb Rfd1 19 Be3 Rxd1 (19..e5 might be better but does not equalise)20 Rxd1 white has a very pleasant ending with the 2 bishops and better pawn structure exactly want you dont want against Kramnik. 18 ...Qh5 is the best move and the almost universal choice of GM's in this position (eg Carlsen, Karjakin, Gelfand, Jokovenko and Anand himself in a previous game) the culprit is 22..Bg4? which turns out to be a positional mistake immediately exploited by 23 Qa6! and incredibly after 23..f6 24 a4! the game looks lost!! People criticising Anands moves should not just describe it as weak or poor play as white often plays h3 in these positions (which among other things prevents Bg4)and 22..f6 is ok but NOT after the bishop moves from the f1/a6 diagonal then its a fatal move. Its a very subtle and confusing position where black leaves his c pawn for white but white should not take it!
Once again Anand lost the 10th game of a match. Not such a bad thing to have your first loss only in the 10th game.. But against Garry he nearly lost 3 in a row after winning the 9th.
If he loses tomorrow, good chance we might get to see some rapid and blitz chess too. Sponsors will be happy.
>I can't help but think that Game 9 was the last >chance.
Bareev called it "over in no uncertain terms" after g8. If a "miracle" is what needs to happen
whether it begins in g9 or g10 is immaterial.
It's totally off-topic in this thread, but since you started it
-- Kasparov's actions to requests the search space for Deep
Blue's game were totally logical and justified. IBM's failure to
provide them was very, very ill meant and certainly something
that should raise questions. I don't think that Kasparov was
asking for too much in that case. Plus, in those days the human
interaction with the machine was more lose than it is today and I
don't put it past the IBM Team to have tweaked something during
the game. Today of course, the story is totally the opposite --
the computers now tweak with the human brain...
I understand that Kasparov's stature, fame and shall I say,
"opinionated" personality make him a convenient target for all
kinds of nasty remarks, sucking all kinds of criticism like a
vacuum cleaner, but this is one case where I think it is
undeserved...
D.
17...Qxb4 18.ab Rfd8 19.Be3 is not even close to a draw (and no, a2 isn't hanging). Two bishops and better structure = lots o' suffering. Sorry to sound harsh, but really, when your alternatives are A) "Hey, the 2700+ GMs are evaluating the position differently then I am, maybe I'm wrong" or B) "Nah, the match must be fixed" -- don't choose B).
Yes, I believe it would be very close today, not at all the sweet dominating shutout of 2000. Against Anand, Kasparov would have a lot less trouble. Remember that this match signals the end of an era in that the winner will almost certainly drop the title very quickly. But anyhow I believe there's a lot of ageless Korchnoi in Kasparov. Dokhoian never did start entering tournaments and destroying people with 15 years of Kasparov's prep, so if he starts playing again, look out.
Andy -- I just don't agree. It was crying wolf after so many years of prevaricating and bullying behaviour, but that doesn't make it less a truth. And it's not rewriting history to point out that Kasparov was a victim -- a most unusual role he hasn't played before or since.
Ovidiu ... Indian newspapers love this kind of hyperbole. You never just win, you "thrash" your opponent, etc. Yes, it is obnoxious - I try not to take it too seriously.
"I am not familiar with the opening, so I am asking why not the active and simple 14.-Rab8!? (e.g. 15.c4 Qc5 16.Qa4 Qxc4)." Because of 16 cxd5! Rxb3 17 axb3 Now unless Anand had prepared this line (or had Rybka in the toilet) he is not going to see the computer move 17...Qc2! (not at move 14) when after 18 Bb4 cxd5 19 Rdc1 Qb2 20 Bxf8 Kxf8 black is probably fine. so he went with the tried and trusted 14 ..Qc5
''He was brave as a lion and tough as a mongoose at a cobra convention''.
That's a classic, Clubfoot. I'm playing a league match tomorrow and will be playing like a lion escorting his mongoose girlfriend to a cobra convention.
To Andy and all the other uninformed jerks - Kasparov was correct, IBM did cheat, players on the team admitted to it (changing the program to play certain moves during the match), among them Joel Benjamin.
Well its the same old story: an absence of evidence cannot "prove" anything. Kasparov did not get the computer logs he wanted therefore IBM cheated. Joel Benjamin was the human adviser - neither he nor any other human needed to intervene We DO know that commercial programs find the move complained about easily today. Of course Kasparov allowed onerous playing conditions to prevail that was just uncharacteristically bad negotiating on his part but lets not forget he was extremely well paid. His subsequent absurd sour grapes (droning on in embarrasing and defamatory articles and lectures)were unedifying and unworthy of the greatest chess player in history but no ones perfect! At the time it was humiliating to lose to the machine although nobody feels like that now....
Well its easy to insult people why dont you give the links to where people admitted "cheating" then we can see whether your stating the truth or trolling? Lets not start shifting ground -Kasparovs main complaint related to 1 specific move which he believed the computer would not and could not have generated and that therefore this move was generated by human intervention. There has been nothing to back this up and this move is easily found by commercial programs. Nobody cheated - nobody needed to.
First please read:
http://xkcd.com/386/
What always amazes me about these evergreen arguments is how they get further and further from reality and more toward the far extremes on both sides with the passing of the years. Occasionally becomes never, sometimes becomes always, etc. True about politics, too. There must be an axiom in here somewhere.
My first try: Mig's Law of Internet Arguments: "The more time passes after a controversial event the less the online arguments about the event will reflect reality."
Anyway, game 10 update posted in the main item. Not that you care. You may now return to hashing out the controversy over Gunsberg's clock handling, or whatever.
Not sure how the now-irrelevant Kasparov-Deep Blue thing came up. Surely no one thinks any GM could draw Rybka on purpose-built hardware now, and surely no one is too impressed by Kasparov's reactions to losing anything, ever.
That's part of why he was so good; he took losing so badly.
Anyway, KUDOS to Mig for the XKCD reference, and my try at an axiom:
"Sides in internet arguments are like cults; they progressively purge the reasonable and sane in favor of the true believers over time, until no one is left, and/or no one is interested."
Too long...
Anand should have stuck with the Meran.
"No way in heck he would play into that Anti-Moscow Gambit again but Kramnik probably can't afford the Semi-Slav anyway since Anand could just chop on d5, play Bf4, and have around zero losing chances. GM Kaidanov recalled that the one time he faced Kramnik, long ago, it was a Leningrad Dutch..."
Kramnik could try the same thing he did in game 9: get the Semi-slav via the Queens Gambit move order. But of course, Anand will have some other solid options there, like the Catalan. I think the Benoni is not likely, since Anand is probably ready for it and Kramnik knows it. So it may be a complete surprise. The Dutch is possible. Maybe the KID or the Benko or even something like the Albin Countergambit or Chigorin. Anand didn't face QGA often, too. I think Kramnik will go for whatever of the above he thinks will be the biggest surprise to Anand, as I guess it will makes sense to test Anand in an off-beat but sharp variation.
Discussing strategy for Kramnik in the next game is a grand waste of time. He can only pray for divine intervention and try to play some chess. Anything else will likely accelerate the chances for another draw or loss.
Re: the controversy over Gunsberg's clock handling
What a scoundrel that guy was! He should have spent the rest of his days in the hoosegow! Why I've seen the daguerreotypes and they are conclusive I say!
>Discussing strategy for Kramnik in the next game >is a grand waste of time.
I don't recall anyone here (Mig inculded) having guessed correctly the openings, or even the
strategies.
It may very well be Meran again but now Kramnik playing the Bb7 variation since he has had time to study it.
Gunsberg is, without the slightest, most miniscule doubt, the best chess player ever that did not become world champion. Chess history would have developed entirely differently if he had beaten Steinitz back then; and he was so close. Clearly, Petrosjan would never have become world champion if Gunsberg had won...
Oh, I love chess history! Soon, we'll have #15 !
>Gunsberg is, without the slightest, most miniscule doubt, the best chess player ever that did not become world champion. Chess history would have developed entirely differently if he had beaten Steinitz back then; and he was so close.>
Absolutely, he was way ahead of his times.
Isidor Arthur Gunsberg (November 2, 1854, in Budapest, Hungary – May 2, 1930, in London) began his career as the player inside the chess automaton Mephisto, but later became a chess professional.
Nowadays they also become professionals by moving inside of Fritz and Rybka.
You guys are just "clueless!". You all know it is a "slam dunk" match for Anand! So don't get excited too much. Traditional match headcases are already banging their heads on the boards. Many classical myths have already been burst. The "paper" thing is settled once and for all. We all know the ducking and hiding and talking of tradition kept us away from a meaningful world championship from 1993. In one way it is good that Anand lost that you can't attribute this to Kramnik's inferior preparation like his seconds wanted us to believe and to take away credit from Anand. Anand is the greatest player ever! I have a lot to be excited about!!
Go Anand Go!
Play your game just like you did when you started the match. Play for win and play till the end. Stay focussed and avoid eye contact. Take him out of theory from move 9 so Kramnik will stand exposed. If possible, play from something you have prepared long ago!
THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS ALL YOURS!!!
Andy - You can fling all the monkey-poo you want and brazenly ignore the facts, but IBM cheated. Period.
"No way in heck he would play into that Anti-Moscow Gambit again but Kramnik probably can't afford the Semi-Slav anyway since Anand could just chop on d5, play Bf4, and have around zero losing chances. GM Kaidanov recalled that the one time he faced Kramnik, long ago, it was a Leningrad Dutch..."
It's not that simple to get a draw when you really need it... One can get to Semi-Slav via Queens Gambit move order and answer cd with ed. Granted that's not easy to win as well, but before the times of Gunsberg and Chigorin these positions lead to fistfights.
Anyway, if Kramnik wants to have his 5% chance he better forget any stupid KID or Benoni. He must stay with stuff that suits his style and keep the game going as long as possible. Any sort of Dutch is probably OK, but that's kind of obvious choice. The Semi-Slav IMO is not a great idea because there is too much theory in Qc2 system and white doesn't risk much there. But IMO it's all academic. What does Vlad do after e4? Sveshnikov is overanalysed and I don't see him entering Najdorf either.
The thing is, most chess fans on both sides were expecting a closely fought match between Anand and Kramnik and thought the final result would be a close one or decided in the tie-break.
But now after Anand won thrice, people began to think he was invincible and after his loss in game 10 are disappointed. Because at 3-0, people were EXPECTING a complete Anand white wash and people believed they deserved to see a winless Kramnik. I don't understand why they are disappointed, it's not as if they expected a 3-0 in the first half before this match started, infact most Anand fans expected Anand to lose a game, but now that he has lost a game, they feel let down, even though he is still in the lead.
These fans were hoping for bread before the match, but were served cake at the start of it until game 10, when they got bread again. That is why they are disappointed.
That's how human emotions are - you hope for something, but you are given something better, and when all of a sudden you are deprived of this new luxury, and are given what you were initially hoping for, you still feel let down.
Good speculation on openings. R-bears, in particular. But what about meeting 1.e4? Can we assume that since Anand plays it all over the place, he is basically prepared? It seems like a viable option, as K. has been throwing a ton of effort into d4 positions.
Here is where we see it's a real shame to only have 12 games. If K. is indeed waking up, it would be great to have 4 more games to test Anand more.
>What does Vlad do after e4?
He can play e5 and Ruy Lopez/Morpy.
According to a Kasparov interview back in 2001 or so, Kramnik is an expert in the open (5..Nxe4) variation. He helped Kasparov preparing it for his WCh match with Anand's.."When the modern treatement of the open variation was designed"
(aprox. quote from memory )
Kramnik has just played Kasparov's 5.g3 in Nimzo, maybe he is in a nostlagic mood and he will play 3..a6. 4.Na4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 in RL, it is an aggressive enough system.
what about 4.Bxc6 instead? hard to win the black side of the exchange spanish
Off-topic I know, but....
how is adjusting the computer to play differently during the match considered cheating? I'm pretty sure this was discussed in the book written by one of the programmers....'Behind Deep Blue' I think it was. Humans can, and often do, change things up mid-match between games, so how is it unfair for the computer to do the same? For one, it's highly doubtful DB had any sort of intervention during the games, GM or otherwise. More importantly though, it was far from obvious at the time that human intervention would be at all benefical to the machine. It's actually counter-intuitive considering that might put two different plans in play at a given move. Finally, who the hell cares if a GM had intervened; Kasparov was the best in the world at the time and he lost to something or someone. No way it was anything other than sour grapes.
Congratulations to Kramnik on a very well-played Game 10 and deserving win. Anand could not find the right answers to the positional pressure in a position-type well-suited to Kramnik’s preferred playing style.
Kramnik’s performances in Games 9 & 10 would prove the arguments that I presented in earlier posts (after Game 8 but before Game 9), thus –
1) Kramnik is in no way affected by any supposed ill-health (as perceived by his supporters and presented as excuses for his losses in the first half of the Match). In fact, he himself has said that he is in good health.
2) Kramnik is playing at his peak. Kramnik’s Game 10 performance is certainly no worse (and arguably better) than any of his performances against Kasparov’s Nimzos in their year 2000 Match.
(Note: Kasparov’s adopted the Nimzo and QGA as his main defences against Kramnik’s 1d4 in 2000).
And his Games 9 & 10 performances showed that he is certainly playing no worse than his play in the matches against Kasparov, Leko & Topalov.
(Note: Kasparov did not appear to try very hard to win as White in 2000. Kasparov’s Whites saw very early draws on at least two occasions and Queen exchanges in the opening itself on more than 2 occasions, and quickly reaching technical Kramnik-type positions).
3) Anand is over-the-hill at 39 years of age. He reached his peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s when, in some years, he even managed to outperform an active Kasparov on tournament results and actually, winning the Chess Oscar in those years. Anand was probably the only player who managed to do outperform an active Kasparov on tournament results in any calendar year since 1985.
No one could have imagined an Anand at his peak falling into the time trouble we saw in Game 2, 9, & 10 and generally slow play in all the games so far, or being outplayed tactically by Kramnik (as in Game 9). Anand played like an old man in Game 10. He did not display any of the energetic play shown in earlier games, perhaps a sign of poor stamina due to age or expanding waist-line (due to lowered metabolism rate?,or Aruna’s cooking?or both?). Okay, let’s leave Aruna out of this.
4) Anand’s 3 wins were 100% due to his excellent preparation and play. Those wins were in no way due to any “ill-health” or generally poor play on Kramnik’s part. Arguably, Kramnik performed to a (2800) level in those lost games. No one in his right mind would expect Kramnik to find the excellent moves he found OTB within 5 minutes in reply to Anand’s novelties. The fact that Kramnik found those excellent replies OTB showed that he is playing well and taking 40 minutes or more on one move under the circumstances is normal (for a human being). Certainly Kramnik was not playing poorly. It was the collateral damage, i.e. the consequential time trouble and resulting weaker moves that caused Kramnik to lose those games.
Generally Kramnik played very well (excepting his calculation blunder in Game 5, something which can happen to the best) in those lost games under the pressure of Anand’s excellent preparation (quick play belting out 20 moves in 15 minutes in the opening), Anand’s excellent play and the unbalanced positions that Anand forced. Certainly Kramnik was playing at the 2800 level but he was up against Anand’s 2900+ (taking into consideration the time control used).
5) When allowed to be in his element (a positional-type position) as in Game 10 and against a less than excellent (i.e.< 2900) Anand, Kramnik showed his mettle and what he is capable of. He showed that he is a very strong player playing at his peak, improving on his already excellent performance in Game 9.
Mig - love the cartoon.
1. Wuss = Someone who cracks under pressure. Of course there are degrees of wussness. A little bit of wussness causes one to crack under tremendous pressure, a large dose of wussness is one who cracks under even a little bit of pressure. But, regardless of the degree, a wuss is a wuss is a wuss.
2. Kaspy broke down under pressure in the last game against Deep Blue. If you don't remember, go check it for yourself.
3. Kaspy is a wuss because he broke down. You can argue about the degree of wussness, but you can't argue that he is not a wuss. That's why I said in my original post, that *at some level* everyone is a wuss.
The whole thing about whether IBM cheated or not is really moot. The real point is that Kaspy had (and still has) a supersized ego, and he just couldn't believe that a bunch of really smart computer scientists could beat him.
Well, they did. And if he hadn't lost to Deep Blue in 1997, he would have lost sooner or later to some other silicon-based engine, and Kaspy would have reacted in the same way.
Bottom line: the second game with Deep Blue messed him up, and he never recovered after that. He totally broke down in the last game, and then we got to see the sore loser side of this megalomaniac.
It would be nice if Kaspy came back to chess. IMHO, that's all he knows, and he better get used to that fact. I mean, Kramnik's chances for winning this Championship are a million times better than Kaspy's chance of winning anything against Putin & Co.
As for Putin, that is one nasty non-wuss right there. BTW, Mig, please don't give my IP address to Putin and his henchmen - I don't want to see poison pellets (or whatever they were) in my car tomorrow.
>Kaspy broke down under pressure in the last game >against Deep Blue. If you don't remember, go >check it for yourself.
Perhaps you should argue your position rather than just throwing it as self evident (save that "we don't remember"). We do rememebr only that there wasn't anything in it to support your 'wussing' hypotheses.
Garry got messed up the order of moves in a caro-kann (h6 instead of first Bd6 then h6) which allowed an early Nxe6 blow. The comp promptly did it (opening-book) and it was practically over.
That was blundering at the 7th move and understandable because it was in a opening which Kasparov hardly ever played as Black.
Most likely the IBM didn't want to show the prints because their Depp Blue was such a crappy piece of software that it would have been embarassing to admit they did it.
The "human like" moves were just bugs in the software.
Not that this has anything to do about this match...
It seems Anand likes his stay in Bonn,5 star hotel, private escort and so on.Also, he signed a 12 games contract and he wants to keep his promise.Probably the organizers told him there were not enough tickets sold,so the match must continue.And now Drawnik can lose and return back to Russia safely.
How can the organizers hope to recoup 2.35 million $ of prize money + other expenses incurred just by way of ticket sales? Even if the match is played out to sudden death, I still don't think they would be able to recover all the costs...
WTF are you talking about Dimi. Do you think Kramnik should have the right to ask Anand a detailed printout of what he was thinking during every move in this match? what would he play in different scenarios that did not arise ? That would be stupid to request, but anyhow people thinks Kasparov was entitled to that.
By the way, the logs where printed and secured by trusted third parties (Kent Thompson and the Match Arbiter I think Mike Valvo) during the match when Kasparov made the request to be opened AFTER the match.
The logs went into the IBM match site after the match and everyone could see them. Of course the Kasparov apologists like you had already moved into other things (defending him after he was caught on video cheating against Polgar maybe ? or trying to invalidate Kramnik win of the world championship on 2000 ?)
We are not going to see an open spanish from Kramink. Anand used to play it occasionally and has more experience with it. Not to mention that Yussupov who was in Anands corner during the 90’s played it regularly.
My guess is that we are not going to see a Berlin either. If Anand dares to play e4 its going to turn in to a Sicilian, and its going to be a bloody one.
I still have my money on Anand playing d4. My hopes are on a Budapest!
>How can the organizers hope to recoup 2.35 >million $ of prize money + other expenses >incurred just by way of ticket sales?
They don't hope that, they hope that their name "Evonik" will become well known for the reason that only a powerful and very successful company can afford to waste 2.35 million...
It is the same thing with you buying a drving a Mercedes instead of a standard Toyota : you tell something to the world about your status and finacial means by the very fact that you can afford buying such thing, that you can waist on the difference between usefullnes and luxury.
Dutch Stonewall against 1.d4
Spanish against 1.e4
edfong,
Your posts are far longer than anyone else's, and I don't think it's because you have more to say than the journalists, the titled players, and the usual suspects who hang out here. The poster who puts the most thought into the fewest words wins.
ya
Come, let us cheer Anand up!!!
(What a weird sport. The player has to cheer up the fans!)
Hey guys, I am saying it again. Anand is the Michael Jordan of chess. What a dominating display right from the word go! A turnover jumper (in Game 11) will seal the deal in Anand's favor!!
Come, let us cheer Anand up!!!
(What a weird sport. The player has to cheer up the fans!)
Hey guys, I am saying it again. Anand is the Michael Jordan of chess. What a dominating display right from the word go! A turnaround jumper (in Game 11) will seal the deal in Anand's favor!!
You know what would have Anand said at the end of game 10? He would have offered a handshake and said "You, lucky dog!"
GeneM, many thanks for going through my post.
I fully agree with you on Armageddon bidding for all the situations, except, IMHO, in such a World Championship Match, where the Title Holder has not been made to qualify through a ‘Cycle’, not even a very short one, and directly defends his Title in a Match against a Challenger. Here, I feel that a preset colour assignment, i.e., Black for the Champion along with a Pre-determined time allocation (and, yes, you are again right, 5:4 is not sacrosanct, it may be 5.5:3.5 or 6:3 or any other combination preferred by majority of grandmasters in time bidding Armageddons and decided at the outset of the Cycle, along with the other rules, regulations and conditions).
This just in from the Danish chess federation's magazine "Skakbladet", Peter Heine Nielsen commenting on Anand's 14...Bb7 in game three of the match (my translation):
"14...Bb7!?
The move is no novelty, but its reputation is so much poorer than 14...b4 and 14...Ba6 that it apparently came as a total surprise to Kramnik. Up until now everybody were of the conviction that developing the bishop to its most natural square and pretending that Black had an attack was just an unrealistic dream, but Anand shows that it is reality. Who invented it? Well, Kasimdzhanov prepared it for his meeting with Gelfand, but Anand had also found it. I recall a hint of dissappointment at the first training session, when both Kasimdzhanov and Anand told that they had great ideas in the Meran and it turned out to be the same. But when we started analyzing it, dissapointment quickly turned to joy."
Not much to add to that story, really. Great minds think alike! My guess is that Heine may have played a bigger role than he claims!?