The twelfth and final “classical” game of the Anand-Gelfand match has ended in a draw. For chess fans this game was typical of the whole match — very promising initially, but disappointing in the end for the spectators. Anand, as White, played a new pawn sacrifice, which most Black players would have accepted and probably gone down to defeat. But Gelfand was not “most players.” He immediately returned the pawn and offered a pawn sac of his own, which threw Anand on the defensive. The result was a very early draw offer by Anand (on move 22!), which Gelfand accepted.
As GM Sergey Shipov says in his analysis, you have to give Gelfand credit for phenomenal defensive technique — faced with a morass of uncertainty and a line which his opponent had certainly prepared to the hilt, he found a quick and effective route to equality. Bravo for him! But sad for any fans hoping for one more decisive game in this draw-filled match.
My translation of Shipov’s comments should be ready in about two hours (5:00 UTC/GMT). His instant over-the-board analysis of Anand’s gambit is quite remarkable and should be the starting point for a theoretical opening debate that will probably go on for years!
