Song of Norway

Magnus Carlsen has become the 16th world chess champion, taking the title with three wins, seven draws and no losses, the most convincing win in a title match since Capablanca defeated Lasker in 1921. Norway’s Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, congratulated the new champion on live TV, Scandinavian Airlines decorated a plane in chessboard livery in Carlsen’s honour, while Norway in general erupted in wild jubilation. I left the match last week before games seven and eight, which resulted in steady draws, then in game 9, on the precipice of defeat, Anand went for the jugular.
 
Anand-Carlsen; Chennai (Game 9) 2013
 
(diagram 1) In the above position, with chances on a knife edge, Anand risked all with 27 Rf4. After 27 … b1Q+ he now had to parry with 28 Bf1, which amazingly leads to a draw after 28 …  Qd1 29 Rh4 Qh5 30 Nxh5 gxh5 31 Rxh5 Bf5 32 g6 Bxg6 33 Rg5 Nxf6 (Black has nothing better since White threatens h4-h5 and Black is completely tied up) 34 exf6 Qxf6 with equality. Instead the champion blundered horrifically with 28 Nf1? when 28 … Qe1 foiled all of White’s plans, since on 29 Rh4 Qxh4 stops the attack in its tracks and wins a whole rook. Faced with this lamentable dégringolade, Anand resigned, to go three points down, thus leaving him with a hopeless task of resurrecting his chances in the match.
 
Indeed in game ten everything was also going Carslen’s way when he carelessly snatched a weak pawn without due preparation.
 
Carlsen-Anand; Chennai (Game 10) 2013
 
(diagram 2) Here 30 Nc3 or 30 Ng3 followed by Ne4 would win. Instead there occurred… 30 exd6 Rc6 31 f4 Qd8 32 Red3 Rcxd6 33 Rxd6 Rxd6 34 Rxd6 Qxd6 35 Qxd6 Nxd6 36 Kf2 Kf8 37 Ke3 Ke7 38 Kd4 Kd7 39 Kc5 Kc7 40 Nc3 Nf5 41 Ne4 Ne3 42 g3 f5 43 Nd6 g5 44 Ne8+ Kd7 45 Nf6+ Ke7 This endgame is good for White but his best chance to try and win the game would now be 46 Nh5. 46 Ng8+ Now White has nothing more than a draw — the chief consolation for Carlsen being that the half point thus gained made him the new world champion. 46 … Kf8 47 Nxh6 gxf4 48 gxf4 Kg7 49 Nxf5+ exf5 50 Kb6 Ng2 51 Kxb7 Nxf4 52 Kxa6 Ne6 53 Kb6 f4 54 a6 f3 55 a7 f2 56 a8Q f1Q 57 Qd5 Qe1 58 Qd6 Qe3+ 59 Ka6 Nc5+ 60 Kb5 Nxb3 61 Qc7+ Kh6 62 Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63 Kxb6 Kh5 64 h4 Kxh4 65 c5 Nxc5 Draw agreed
 
As Nigel Short pointed out to me, Anand had gone for so long before the championship scoring endless draws, without many wins, against the top players, that the sensation of victory had become alien to him. Against such a hungry young opponent as Carlsen, such enervation was bound to be fatal. When Anand took violent measures to reverse this in game 9, it backfired badly.