After Game Eight draw, Viswanathan Anand has run out of options

Remember when you are just learning to swim, you are afraid of the deep end. Even if you know the hand and foot motions; even if you know how to come up for breath, the first time in the deep end is a scary experience. And it remains that way until you take the plunge and discover that it isn’t that bad but at some point, you need to chuck the fear out of your mind and just do it. So far, the Anand vs Carlsen match-up has seen Viswanathan Anand cling on to the sides of the pool, afraid to let go while Magnus Carlsen has freely swum in the deep and shallow end. The Indian GM knows what he needs to do – in the press conference after Game 8, he said, “It is my job to liven it up.” He knows he is behind but he just can’t work up the guts to do it in a game. [caption id=“attachment_1238523” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  With just four games left in the match, Vishy, who is two points behind, has no options left. Getty Images[/caption] But now with just four games left in the match, Vishy, who is two points behind, has no options left. He needs to go for sharper lines, he needs to take the risks, he needs to show initiative if he wants to get out of this with his pride intact – all in all, it means that he needs to kill or be killed. A draw is no solace for a man who will lose unless he can win. It does not even gain time to work on his next plan and Carlsen knows that. In Game 8, once the Berlin defence came into play, he stuck to the obvious — to lines played by other Grandmasters — not venturing out and trying any novelty. Rapid exchanges didn’t give Anand the chance to gain an upper hand or even force a complex position. This can also be seen from the fact that Carlsen only used up 20 minutes on the clock. Anand, meanwhile, desperately looking for a break used up 55 minutes. After the game, Carlsen said: “(I was) looking to set one or two traps, if not, then shut it down.” At this moment, Anand seems a little flustered. He has snapped at Norwegian journalists who asked him to elaborate on what Anand meant by saying he will ‘do his best’ in the upcoming game: “Doing your best means doing your best. I don’t know why you don’t understand English.” This wasn’t the Anand we saw at the start of the match – he was much more relaxed then; he revealed his seconds (Carlsen still hasn’t) and he elaborated on his answers. Now, he’s under the gun and he’s not liking it one bit. Playing at home has its advantages but when you start losing, the pressure just racks up. He might even be getting infuriated by the nonchalance with which Carlsen is dealing with the media. He has been calm and funny in his strange way. Take for example, the moment when Carlsen was asked to describe the game. His reply has the press conference hall guffawing: “He played the Berlin, I played the yada yada yada. Let’s go to doping control.” In another instant, he was asked whether he would finally reveal his ‘mystery’ seconds. He thought about it for 10 seconds and then said a polite, ‘No.’ Everyone, but Anand, laughed. Anand knows best that he has run out of options. The break on Wednesday is going to be his best chance to come up with an opening that will take Carlsen outside his preparation. At the start of the match – it was clear in everyone’s mind – that Anand’s strength was the opening and Carlsen’s was the end-game. So if Anand has to strike a blow then it has to be in the opening round. Once it gets to the middle and end game, Carlsen has clearly been more at ease – even as Anand has fretted about trying not to make a mistake. And that has been the difference – Carlsen has gone in for the kill and grinded Anand out while the Indian GM has merely been trying to avoid getting killed. He can’t do that anymore. Game 9 will see Anand with white again and he will have to bring all his experience to the board. If he can’t do that, he’ll sink without ever really knowing what he is capable of.