Sunday
May092010
Game 11, Predictions
Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 12:50AM
We're down to the last pair of games (pre-tiebreaks), and so this is Anand's last game with the white pieces. What will he do? My guess is another Nimzo-Indian: there's more chance of a big surprise there, and in any case Topalov's preparation for the last Catalan game was pretty convincing. So that's my surmise; what's yours?
Reader Comments (14)
Ananad will play e4 at last.
What is everyone's silly obsession with e4?
Yeah. People suggest 1.e4 as they see this as some kind of surprise. But it's not surprise for anyone that Anand has extensive experience in e4. 1.e4 would also be admitting there was something fundamentally wrong with the previous tries with 1.d4. I don't think so. 1.d4.
I think the "e4 obsession" - here and elsewhere on the Web - is that some people consider 1.e4 a more aggressive and more promising choice. This may be true up to a certain amateur level - even then it remains a matter of taste, and for example the King's Gambit is aggressive without being promising. A WCh match is another story.
I agree with Dennis that the Nimzo is a plausible choice. There are many other lines to explore, maybe 4.g3 with some Catalan spirit after all? Of course Topalov might already deviate on move 3 (3.-d5; 3.-c5!?) or even move 2 (2.-g6).
We'll see 1. d4 tomorrow, despite the pleas from the 1. e4 fans, because that's what Anand plays these days -- unless he's trying to force a draw like in the last game of his WCC match with Kramnik. I imagine we'll see a Nimzo as in game 9 since (1) that's what he played in game 9 and (2) he's presumably got more prep lined up in that area and it seems a bit early to drop his second choice prep -- especially since he had winning chances in game 9 and just missed them OTB. The other (less likely, IMO) option is some third 1. d4 try, particularly if he's got something special planned for a must-win game against Topalov.
More generally, I've been told (haven't looked it up myself...) that White hasn't won a game with 1. e4 in a WCC match since sometime back in the 90s. That makes it pretty certain that 1. e4 isn't going to appear now, I don't care how much Anand played it in the past. Think how much additional time it would have taken for Anand to prep 1. e4 for this match in addition to his prep work on 1. d4. It's just not going to happen.
I agree that 1.d4 is the most likely, and a Nimzo at that. As for 1.e4 not winning in a recent WCh match, I remember Kramnik(!) employing it against Leko in a must-win situation and playing the advance French.
I think Queen's Indian, or KID, or advance French.
This morning I dreamed about a short draw after massive liquidation.
I hope I was wrong about the "short".
I call it a nightmare...
Nimzo, Anand deviates on move 4, though it won't be 4.f3
I predict an English 1 c4 (ha!)
@Mark Wendland: When did you post this? ,:) I had suggested 1.c4 before game 9 already ... . Now we even have a Sicilian - with colors reversed.
@ragstorooks: The final must-win game in Kramnik-Leko was an advance Caro-Kann.
Well, I admit it did come as a surprise to me too. Thus the "ha". But it makes a lot of sense. Kasparov, in the last game against Karpov in Seville, used a similar strategy.
Guys, let's bring the comments to the game post!