Anand vs Topalov: Anand threw away the game

No kidding.

23... Bb7 or 23... Bd7 both seemed like decent moves, which in no way lost Anand the game. Shame neither of them were played.

It's wrong to blame the opening, it's not the fault of the Gruenfeld, Anand played passively and badly.

He threw it away with Kf7, he must have forgotten his preparation or something, clearly he must have looked at it, seeing as how he blitzed out every move up untill before Kf7.

Gonna be interesting to see what he has to say about the game.

Maybe, it was part of a strategy. Maybe Anand was so confident that he thought he could play Grunsfeld, and at the WORST case, lose, and Topalov would gain confidence and overestimate his own abilities.

Perhaps it was a long-term strategy to play a weak opening.

Topalov's moves were genius though. The Nxf6 was not even suggested by Rybka 2.2.

I saw the Game It was C R A Z Y

I don't understand 20...Kg8 and then Kf7 a few moves later; why not play 20...Kf7?

Anyway, good play by white.

Grunfeld is not a weak opening at all - players like Kramnik and Gelfand use it regularily. The specific line the players chose seemed to be overlooked (or not analyzed correctly) by Anand and his team.

Anand got out played...pure and simple.

On the positive side, Anand tried to play for a win as Black, not for a draw.

good game...not for Anand

Good write up and pictures (also the annotated game using a rather impressive diagram... the annotation rolls forward with the moves!) here:

http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/world-championship-g1/#more-24507

Well, a complex decision by Anand and his team (to play the Grunfeld against Topalov). I think all the bulgarian team have played this line :-P (Cheparinov too, for example).

Recently I prepared this line (with Na5 and b6, as Yelena Dembo recommended on his book about the Grunfeld, already two years ago) with a venezolan player.

Seeing the line 13.Bh6! - only line dangerous for black, we think - and plans with f4-f5, Nf4 after black take pawn d4 the feeling is "black is in danger, but it seems to have enough defence in any lines".

For example, in this line, Najer-Safarli (Aeroflot 2010), Cheparinov-Kamsky (2008) and Karjakin-Carlsen (2008) could be improved...

Ok, we will see the analysis of the game, but in this line only black could have problems, being a draw a great result for them, or I think so... :-S

Anyway, encouragement for Anand; come on, Vishy! :-)

Anand played his last serious G in 1998. Had three G rapids against Leko after that.

Blew up his kingside pawns, parked his queenside rook, screwed his c-bishop into the board and forgot it. And then he sent his King off on a drunkard's errand.

Not much chess today. If I was Topalov, I would read the message.

Wow! Topalov won this game like it was child's play.

Anands light squared bishop didnt move entire game??!!

the Grunfeld is not a bad opening at all. Susan Polgar seems to think black equalized out of the opening, which I agree.

but from there Topalov just outplayed Anand.

there will be much more of a fight next game

 Thanks for that link, good diagram and write up.

I disagree. In this computer era it has been proven that the Grunfeld isin't such a great opening for black. It is not unsound but it isin't a "top level" opening in terms of solidity. As soon as I saw the first few moves of the game today, I felt Anand was going to be in trouble playing a Grundfeld. He should have stuck to something else. 

Mmm... yes and no, Palamed. Last move of the game was 30.Rxc8+, so Bc8 could have been moved...

One thing: Grünfeld is not the same it was any decade ago but, as any top level players - Svidler for example - have shown it can be played. As any people comment above, Black's position is not so bad before Kf7??