Impressions on Game 6, Anand-Gelfand world championship match, Moscow

Another game, another draw. Boris Gelfand, playing white, tinkered with his opening, choosing a different treatment than the previous two occasions. but it did not change the outcome much. Anand got in a very nice novelty on the 14th move. Gelfand threatened to take a central pawn. Faced with this menace, the champ simply ignored it and castled his king into safety.

As the challenger sank into a deep cogitation, the assembled commentators pored over Black's new idea. Grandmaster Svidler, in the commentary box, was not far to see the ramifications. After the fall of Black's pawn, the white rook would be in an unstable position, unable to be reinforced by the rest of the laggardly army.

Only the white queen would be able to assist and even she would be hard-pressed. Gelfand came to the same conclusion for he gave back the pawn - didn't attempt to hold on to his riches. He instead activated his bishop, which otherwise would have to wait a long time huddled in the starting position.

Soon the queens and a set of rooks left the board leaving the position without any bite. Anand had succeeded in neutralizing whatever edge that Gelfand could have hoped to have and "peace broke out".

So half-way through the balance holds. There have been similar passages of play before in world championship matches. Anand's own clash with Kasparov started with eight consecutive draws. However in this encounter, both are seemingly so well prepared that the games are rarely leaving their preparatory databases. Success will go to he who surprises his opponent first.


Jaideep Unudurti


The 2012 World Chess Championship is being covered and reported on for this site by Jaideep Unudurti. Jaideep Unudurti is a journalist with interest in travel, photography and literature. He has written extensively on chess including a series of comprehensive interviews with Viswanathan Anand.

As 'Jai Undurti' he is the writer and co-creator of the "Hyderabad Graphic Novel", a pioneering look at the city's myths and history in comic-book form.

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