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Anand's Defensive Brilliancy! - Best Chess Games - Kramnik vs. Anand, 1997
Could you find Anand's defensive idea to hold on against Vladimir Kramnik?

Anand's Defensive Brilliancy! - Best Chess Games - Kramnik vs. Anand, 1997

SamCopeland
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Great defensive chess is rarely appreciated in chess. It has been observed that while brilliant attacking moves are often a joy to behold, brilliant defensive moves are often ugly, necessary things.

In today's game, Viswanathan Anand shows that great defense can also be beautiful. Facing a fearsome light-square assault, he finds a way to surrender material and hold all his key points. Once the counterattacking pawnslaught begins, Kramnik is in great trouble.

I've annotated this game below. I tried my best to paint a good picture of the course of the game without obsessing over smaller inaccuracies and accepting that complete truth in the analysis of such a complex game could only be achieved after days of analysis with the most powerful engines. This is by no means a definitive analysis

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Want more of Viswanathan Anand's games? Check out my previous videos!

SamCopeland
NM Sam Copeland

I'm the VP of Chess and Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2014, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.

You can find my personal content on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube where I further indulge my love of chess.