I am slightly relieved, was wobbly for a bit there: V Anand after Game 1

The first game of the World Chess Championship in Sochi started with a riveting draw in 48 moves. Viswanathan Anand started off better, Magnus Carlsen fought back, then Anand was in trouble but he managed to stay afloat and fight to a draw. Anand, who started with white pieces, looked slightly better after the opening but as we have seen so often in the past, Carlsen managed to equalise and by the time the end game came around, the Indian GM was having to do all the running around. Anand started off with a blitz. By the 12th move, he had more than 30 minutes on the Norwegian – perhaps an indication of how well Anand prepared. Carlsen opted for the Gruenfeld defense – which often leads to very sharp positions with active piece play – but that also meant he needed to be careful in the early going. [caption id=“attachment_1793989” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Anand didn’t have it easy but was relieved to get away with a draw. AP[/caption] GM Peter Svidler, who is one of the official commentators at the FIDE site and also a noted Gruenfeld expert, said, “Simply in terms of the outcome of the opening, this is a dream position for Vishy. He is close to a half an hour ahead on the clock, he is quite clearly in very familiar territory, and he also got a sharp position with threats against the black king.” But Grandmasters covering the match also noted that White’s choice of Nf3 (the 9th move) was perhaps not the best continuation, and a few even thought that perhaps Anand forgot his preparation. But in the post-match conference, Anand – without going into specifics – shot down that suggestion. “I can’t get into details but no, I didn’t mix up my moves,” said Anand with a smile. Even if he did, there was no way, he was going to reveal that in a press conference. But Carlsen did come back into the match very well. At Chennai, we saw Carlsen often turn tables on Anand after being in a spot of bother initially and then the Indian GM found it hard to come out with even a draw. But this time round, Anand did that and psychologically that is huge for the rest of the match. “Somewhere between move 34 and the time control, I got into a spot of bother. But can’t pinpoint exact moment,” said Anand. “I am slightly relieved. I was wobbly for a bit there.” Carlsen, on the other hand, also believes that the performances in Chennai will have almost no say in Sochi. “I agree with Vishy. No point in dwelling in the past. There will be enough critical moments in this one,” said the Norwegian. “Half a point with black is good, and I even had some pressure. I am not disappointed at all. If you saw one (a win), please tell me because I didn’t see it,” Carlsen further added. The two clash again today and this time, Anand will have black pieces. It will be interesting to see just what exactly Carlsen brings to the table. The match is off to an exciting start