World Chess Championship 2014

The World Chess Championship 2014 was a match between the world champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Viswanathan Anand, to determine the World Chess Champion. It was held from 7 to 25 November 2014, under the auspices of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) in Sochi, Russia.

The match was decided after eleven of twelve scheduled games. On 23 November 2014 Carlsen retained his title, winning three games, losing one and drawing seven.

Candidates Tournament

The challenger was determined in the 2014 Candidates Tournament, an eight-player double round-robin tournament that took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from 13 March to 31 March 2014. The participants, in order of rules announced by FIDE, were:

The tournament had a prize fund of €420,000. Prize money was shared between players tied on points; tiebreaks were not used to allocate it. The prizes for each place were as follows:

• 1st place – €95,000
• 2nd place – €88,000
• 3rd place – €75,000
• 4th place – €55,000
• 5th place – €40,000
• 6th place – €28,000
• 7th place – €22,000
• 8th place – €17,000

Results

Final standings of the 2014 Candidates Tournament Rank Player Rating March 2014 1 (ANA) 2 (KAR) 3 (KRA) 4 (MAM) 5 (AND) 6 (ARO) 7 (SVI) 8 (TOP) Points Tiebreaks H2H Wins SB W B W B W B W B W B W B W B W B 1 India Viswanathan Anand 2770 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 8½ — 3 57.25 2 Russia Sergey Karjakin 2766 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 7½ — 3 51.75 3 Russia Vladimir Kramnik 2787 ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 7 2½ 3 49.25 4 Azerbaijan Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2757 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 7 2 3 48.00 5 Russia Dmitry Andreikin 2709 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 7 1½ 2 48.50 6 Armenia Levon Aronian 2830 ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 6½ 1½ 3 45.00 7 Russia Peter Svidler 2758 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 6½ ½ 3 46.00 8 Bulgaria Veselin Topalov 2785 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 6 — 2 42.25

In the event of a tie, the following tie-break methods were used, in order of precedence:

1. Head-to-head scores between the tied players;
2. Highest number of wins;
3. The player with the highest Sonneborn–Berger score;
4. Rapid chess play-offs.

Pairings and results

Source:

Numbers in parentheses indicate players' scores prior to the round.

Championship match

The Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand was held from 7 to 28 November 2014 in Sochi, Russia, under the auspices of FIDE.

Previous head-to-head record

Prior to the match, from 2005 to 6 November 2014, Anand and Carlsen had played 40 games against each other at classical time controls, out of which Carlsen won six, Anand won six, and twenty-eight were drawn.

Historical notes

Both Carlsen and Anand appeared in the 2013 Championship, Anand as the reigning world champion and Carlsen as the challenger. This marked the first time the same two opponents met in consecutive World Championship matches since Garry Kasparov played Anatoly Karpov five times between 1984 and 1990.

Anand is only the second former champion (after Karpov in 1987 and 1990) to win a Candidates tournament. At 44, Anand is the second oldest person to win a Candidates tournament, behind Viktor Korchnoi in 1977 and 1981.

World championship organization

The match organizers faced several significant hurdles in organizing the event. The match venue was not finalized until June 2014, because the formal application from Norway, which was expected to host the title match at the time, was not forthcoming. FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced in June that the match would be held in Sochi, Russia, in November 2014, disclosing an agreement to host the match signed with the regional governor of Russia's Krasnodar Region, Aleksandr Tkachyov.

In the third week of August, Carlsen requested that the match be postponed because he was not satisfied with the choice of venue. However, Anand agreed to play versus Carlsen in Sochi on the proposed dates, and in early August, Carlsen signed the agreement to defend his title in Sochi.

This left the organizers, Agon Limited, the holder of rights to holding FIDE international tournaments only two months to prepare and organize the event. However, Agon successfully met its obligations, organizing the event to everyone's satisfaction. Nevertheless, the minimum prize fund of 2 million euros specified in the FIDE-Agon contract was not met, failing by 50%.

Gazprom and Summa Group were the main sponsors of the match. According to the world championship's website, the 2014 title match broke global audience records, drawing more than one million viewers every day. The total number of unique visitors to the website during the match was 10.5 million, with 2 million people visiting the match website on the final day.

Venue

The match was held at the Olympic Media Center located in the Adler City District of Sochi, Imeretinsky Valley, on the Black Sea, next to the Sochi Olympic Park houses and the main Fisht Olympic Stadium. The Olympic Media Center served as the main media hub during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Andrzej Filipowicz was chief arbiter for the match.

The FIDE press officer and photographer was Ukrainian Woman Grand Master Anastasiya Karlovich, who previously officiated at the World Chess Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Seconds

Both Carlsen and Anand had a team of seconds to aid in their match preparation. During the opening press conference, Anand revealed his seconds to be Krishnan Sasikiran, Radosław Wojtaszek and Grzegorz Gajewski. Carlsen's seconds were Peter Heine Nielsen and Jon Ludvig Hammer.

Although after the closing ceremony, in an interview with chief FIDE press officer Anastasiya Karlovich Carlsen revealed that also Laurent Fressinet and Michael Adams were helping him from home. Carlsen was also in touch with Garry Kasparov before the match. During the match Garry Kasparov was regularly in contact with Peter Heine Nielsen to give advice. During the match, the Carlsen's seconds team (Hammer, Fressinet and Adams) was located in the Norwegian resort of Kragerø helping him remotely, while Nielsen (Carlsen's main coach) was present in Sochi.

Format

The Championship match consisted of 12 games and, if necessary, tie-break games. The winner of the match would be the first player to score 6.5 points or more. The time control for the "classical" portion of the match was: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61.

Had tie-breakers been necessary, four rapid games would have been played at a time control of 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. If the score was still equal, up to five 2-game blitz matches (5 minutes + 3 seconds) would have been played, before a final "Armageddon" game. In that game, white would have received 5 minutes, black 4 minutes and a 3-second increment after move 61 for both; in the event of a draw, the player of the black pieces would have been declared champion.

The games were played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess prior to 1 July 2014, in order to keep uniformity throughout the entire championship cycle.

Prize fund

The prize fund was 1 million Euros. This is the minimum prize fund stipulated by FIDE in the official regulations. However, the FIDE-Agon contract (3.2b(i)) had required a 2 million euro minimum. If the match ended within the 12 regular games, 60 percent of the prize fund would go to the winner, while the loser receives the remaining 40 percent. If the match went to tie-break games, the winner would receive 55 percent and the loser 45 percent.

Schedule

The opening ceremony was held on 7 November 2014. The drawing of colours was held also at the opening ceremony. Unlike the 2013 match, Anand played with the white pieces in the first game.

The games started daily at 15:00 MSK (UTC+03:00).

As the match was decided after game 11, the closing ceremony was rescheduled to 25 November and game 12 was not played.

Results

Games

The player named first played the white pieces.

Game 1, Anand–Carlsen, ½–½

The first game of the match was played on 8 November 2014. The game saw Anand use the Queen's Pawn Opening, to which Carlsen replied with the Grünfeld Defence. Anand, who went down on time as the game progressed, fought a queen and rook middle game to eventually draw with the World Champion. Carlsen didn't make the best of his chances with 42...Re3! He allowed a quick draw after 42...Re2 43.Rb4 b5 44.Qh1!

Game 2, Carlsen–Anand, 1–0

The second game was played on 9 November 2014. The opening was the solid Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez where Carlsen played 4.d3 instead of the main line 4.0-0 Nxe4. Carlsen gave up the bishop pair to double Anand's c-pawns and the result of the opening was roughly equal. However, Anand's moves 16...Rd8, 18...Be6, and 19...Ng6 all contributed to making his position more unpleasant. In the heavy-piece endgame Carlsen's active pieces and outpost on e6 gave him a clear advantage. The game ended abruptly when Anand blundered with 34...h5??, allowing 35.Qb7 forcing instant resignation, because there is no good defense to 36.Rxg7+ Kh8 37.Rh7+ Kg8 38.Qg7 with checkmate. 34...Qd2 was the way to fight on but Anand's chances of a successful defence were slim. Carlsen took the lead in the match.

Game 3, Anand–Carlsen, 1–0

The third game was played on 11 November 2014. Anand's superior opening preparation was the decisive factor in this game. In a sharp, topical variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined involving an early queenside attack by White, he improved on an earlier game between Levon Aronian and Michael Adams. He soon had a clear advantage, his c-pawn on the 7th rank being far more dangerous than Carlsen's passed a-pawn. Carlsen, down to 6 minutes, blundered with 28...Ba5?, although his position was already poor. Anand leveled the match at 1½–1½. Over two matches (the earlier 2013 match, and this match), this was Anand's only victory over Carlsen in a world championship game.

Game 4, Carlsen–Anand, ½–½

The fourth game was played on 12 November 2014. Anand played the first Sicilian of the match, Carlsen opting to avoid the open Sicilian with the quiet 3.g3. Carlsen eventually gained a small advantage due to Black's isolated d-pawn, but Anand defended robustly. The game ended in a hard-fought draw.

Game 5, Anand–Carlsen, ½–½

The fifth game was played on 14 November 2014. Carlsen played a rare line in the Queen's Indian Defense, but Anand was well prepared and soon gained the advantage. On move 22, Carlsen made a risky decision to capture a pawn on b2 rather than enter an inferior endgame. He soon had to return the pawn and spoil his king's side pawn structure, but at the same time he managed to liquidate the pawns on the queen's side. The game was drawn shortly afterwards.

Game 6, Carlsen–Anand, 1–0

The sixth game was played on 15 November 2014. Carlsen adopted the space-gaining Maróczy Bind setup against the Kan Variation of the Sicilian Defence, and accepted a set of isolated doubled pawns in return for active play. After an early queen exchange he soon developed a commanding position and appeared to have excellent winning chances. At move 26 there was a double blunder. Carlsen's 26.Kd2?? should have been answered with 26...Nxe5! (with a discovered attack on the g4-rook) 27.Rxg8 Nxc4+ (zwischenzug) 28.Kd3 Nb2+ 29.Ke2 Rxg8, and Black will wind up with 2 extra pawns (on e5 and c4) and excellent winning chances. However, Anand missed this and rather quickly played 26...a4?? Carlsen made no further mistakes and converted his advantage into a win.

Game 7, Carlsen–Anand, ½–½

The seventh game was played on 17 November 2014. The opening was the highly theoretical Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez. Carlsen retained a slight advantage, despite sacrificing a pawn. At move 31 Carlsen was poised to win back the e5-pawn, thereby establishing connected passed pawns, but Anand instead sacrificed his bishop for two pawns and cleared away all the pawns on the kingside. With an extra knight, Carlsen tried to win but he was unable to penetrate Anand's defenses. Eventually the players traded down into a rook and knight versus rook endgame that is a theoretical draw and Anand made no mistakes while defending it. Carlsen finally acquiesced to a rook exchange on move 121, drawing immediately. With this draw, Carlsen still led by one point.

This is the third-longest game ever played in a World Chess Championship. Carlsen later set the record in Game 6 of the 2021 World Championship, in which he defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in 136 moves.

Game 8, Anand–Carlsen, ½–½

The eighth game was played on 18 November 2014. The opening was a Queen's Gambit Declined with 5.Bf4 which had won for Anand in game 3. Carlsen deviated from that game by playing 6...c5, an older line that was popular in the 1970s to 1990s but now less fashionable. During the game, Anand piled up a bishop and queen on the b1-h7 diagonal against Carlsen's king, but Carlsen was able to initiate a series of exchanges and obtain an easily drawn endgame.

Game 9, Carlsen–Anand, ½–½

The ninth game was played on 20 November 2014. The opening was the Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez. The game was drawn due to threefold repetition on the 20th move. This game included no original moves. The draw meant that Carlsen was closer to converting his 1-point lead to a match win, though Anand seemed satisfied to draw early and focus on his two remaining games with the white pieces.

Although a short draw at 20 moves, this game is far from the shortest in match history; a pair of 10-move draws sealed Petrosian's match victory over Botvinnik in 1963.

Game 10, Anand–Carlsen, ½–½

The tenth game was played on 21 November 2014. As in the first game, Carlsen played the Grünfeld Defence but Anand met it with the Russian System instead of the Exchange variation. Anand obtained a passed pawn on d5 that was isolated but well defended, and Carlsen was under pressure for much of the game. Anand's temporary bishop sacrifice 28.Bxb7 allowed the d-pawn through to its queening square and so winning the piece back, but the resulting double rook endgame was equal and soon agreed drawn. Instead, 28.g3 was suggested as a way of keeping an advantage.

Game 11, Carlsen–Anand, 1–0

The eleventh game was played on 23 November 2014. As in the seventh and ninth games, the opening resulted in the well-analyzed queenless middlegame of the Berlin Defence. In this game, Anand gained an initiative with the line opening pawn sacrifice 23...b5! Carlsen declined the sacrifice, but Anand still had a somewhat easier position until he sacrificed an exchange by 27...Rb4 in return for a protected passed pawn and free play for the bishops. Both players criticised this move afterwards, Anand describing it as "a bad gamble". Carlsen found a flaw in Black's plan and with 29.Nh5! followed by 30.f4 he opened up lines for the white rooks to penetrate on the d-file. After the capture of the black pawn on f7, the white pawn on e5 became a dangerous passed pawn. White's king was in position to block the black pawns while the white pawns proved unstoppable. Anand resigned on move 45, thus conceding the match and Carlsen retained the title of World Chess Champion.

Timeline of changes

There were several changes and controversies in the process of selecting the challenger and hosts for the championship. A timeline is given below.

2013

• 25 August. Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, announces its bid for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2014.
• 5 October. FIDE deadline to bid for 2014 Candidates Tournament. Kozloduy, Bulgaria, requested an extension to the deadline until 12 October to provide a bank guarantee.
• 7 October. Kozloduy refused to bid for the 2014 Candidates Tournament.
• 22 October. FIDE announces that the 2014 Candidates Tournament will take place from 12 to 30 March 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
• 22 November. Magnus Carlsen becomes World Chess Champion 2013 in Chennai, India and thus qualifies for the 2014 World Chess Championship match.

2014

• 10 January. FIDE announces procedure regulations for bidding to host the 2014 World Chess Championship match.
• 21 January. FIDE announces that all qualifiers for the Candidates Tournament 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk have confirmed their participation and confirms the match schedule for the candidates matches.
• 10 March. FIDE closing date for bid process to host the 2014 World Chess Championship match.
• 11 March. FIDE extended the bidding deadline to 30 April 2014, 13:00 GMT.
• 29 March. Anand wins the Candidates tournament with one round to spare, and thus qualifies to the 2014 World Chess Championship match.
• 30 April. New closing date for bid process to host the 2014 World Chess Championship match. Due to absence of bidders FIDE announced to inform in due course.
• 10 May. Originally expected date for signature of the final contract with the successful bidder for the 2014 World Chess Championship match.
• 11 June. Announcement of Sochi, Russia, being the venue for the 2014 World Chess Championship match.
• 7 November. The 2014 World Chess Championship match opening ceremony. Anand is allocated the white pieces for game one by a random draw.
• 23 November. Carlsen defends his World Championship title.

Analysis

Before the match began, many commentators believed that Carlsen had very strong chances of winning. However, many assumed that Anand had learned from his mistakes in 2013 and would be a stronger opponent this time around. These commentators were vindicated: Carlsen had to make a greater effort, winning the match with a ratio of wins to losses of 3:1 versus 3:0 in 2013. Commentators saw the match as more interesting precisely because Anand demonstrated himself as a much stronger player than he had done in 2013.

Overall, few doubted Carlsen's chances of winning, and Sergey Karjakin remarked that Anand was not in top form. Anand himself admitted that his key sacrifice in the final game was an unjustified risk, and that Carlsen had played better throughout the match.

External links

• 2016-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
• 2014-03-10 at the Wayback Machine