Anand vs Carlsen: World Championship match thread

Considering the environmental rape humanity has done to this planet the upcoming young generation of chess players would be lucky not to be forced resort to cannibalism.

How can there clearly be more play to be had when the best move for both players leads to a repetition?

In all three games now Anand has had a choice between a safe draw and a taking a line which (although unclear) potentially offered more. 

That would be the b6 lines in game one, Qg4 line in game two and taking the b pawn in game three. He will have looked at all of those lines OTB - it not like he missed them. He chose to take the draw on each occasion. Make of that what you will.

Anand's opening prep is better and Carlsen looks unsually passive - this is going to be very close and both seem very tentative..

I think that any professional competitor will bide his time and strike when he sees his opportunity.

It is hilarious how aggressive, or machismo, some people get about a chess match. They sound so silly

And why not? It is a contest after all. Tension is part of the fun.

Seems like I've seen that photomontage before in another thread?

odd question. It says on Chess.com that the starting time for the games is 2am. Can someone tell what time that would be in Pacific Coast Time 

GM's who watch these games see how easy it is to beat both of them Anand and Carlsen. They are drawish GM's and play boring chess.

I think Chess.com uses PCT.

The games start at 3:30 am CST.  Convert as necessary(I'm lazy).  

10/10 captions

But about the press conferences:  Chess players are a much different breed than American Idol contestants.  They simply aren't interested in media whoring.  Everything they have to prove is done over the board.  I laughed so hard when one of the journalists asked "Do you plan to be more active on your twitter accounts?" and Anand immediately retorted something like "I am trying to be more active on the chess board." with Carlsen immediately agreeing with him.  The chess culture is one of respect and purity (purity as in remaining solely focused only with the game of chess).  It's ridiculous how the press keeps asking them how they feel about their opponent and opening preparation.  What do you expect them to say?  If they answered honestly they'd be a fool.  If they answered vaguely (e.g. "Nah I'm not worried I have Anand all figured out.") they'd be an ass.  The most respectful thing they can do is just decline to answer.  Sure, Anand is much more graceful about it injecting humor with comments like "I'm flattered you think I would answer that."  But it doesn't change the fact that everyone want details into their state of mind and they aren't getting them.  Chess is shifting more and more into a spectator's sport.  It's good because that's where the money is at and tit's the reason we have the ability to watch the world's best with commentary online for free, but it's also bad in the sense that chess players are now expected to act like politicians or pop stars or else be scrutinized and ridiculed. 

Magnus did not show up to entertain you with funny comments Scottrf; he's there to win.  Personally I couldn't be more impressed how they handle the media.  They know the questions are ridiculous and they don't mind showing it, especially Carlsen.  They should spend more time asking the players for variations they calculated during the game.  That's what the fans actually interested in chess want to see and the players usually don't mind sharing that information because the position will never occur again (as long as you only ask them about moves outside the book).

Anand was asked if he had considered 29...Bxb2, and he immediately answered, "of course." I'm certain that's true of the alternative moves in the first tow games. Today he was under 15 minutes with 12 moves to go to make the time control. The lines that justify 29...Bxb2 as possibly winning are complex. There's a nuance on move 34 that must be found for the idea to work.

My comment below was cut and pasted from my forum post MAGNUS CARLSEN'S IMAGE because it is realted to recent comments on this forum ------------------------------------------------

FromMuToYou, the players are not automatons, capable only of analysing positions and variations. The reporters wanted an insight into the human side of the contest, and of the players themselves. Most spectators are interested too. It's not too much to ask for the players to gather themselves for a few questions.

Carlsen talked about his nerves during the game, and then mentioned that's what it's all about. Did he need to say anything else? He was scared, the game was tense, that's a central part of his job. Should he have spent time bragging about finding a draw? Should he have shamed Anand for missing a clear win? Should he have told us that he plans to play the Reti again on Friday?

Yeah, Carlsen is a nervous wreck, on game two he knocked the pawn over on the first move like a pushwood.  http://youtu.be/lN4zrXB6ksI?t=17s

Carlsen gave an interview to a journalist for a German magazine before the match. The journalist said that he was surprized by Carlsen's apparent hostility during the face to face interview. But on listening to the tape later, the journalist noticed that the apparent hostility was gone, and Carlsen actually gave very matter of fact responses. The difference of course is body language.

Carlsen might not even be aware of his body language. But it might be something he needs to work on.

Without the press asking them, we know what it is. For most spectators it maybe not so obvious.

Clearly Anand is ahead in openings in those 3 games. Carlsen is obviously much better in endgame. It shows in game 3, where Anand clearly have avoided end-game complication.

If Carlsen wanted to state the fact, he would have said he was clearly better than Anand in end game by a mile. And he knows.

Anyone else see a comparison of this match to Alekhine-Capablanca in terms of style?  Anand like Alekhine being the one who works harder on openings and sharp lines; Carlsen like Capablanca being more naturally talented, the master of technique and end games.