World Chess Championship: Anand holds Carlsen in fourth game

Sochi (Russia), Nov 12: Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand played out an easy draw with black pieces against Magnus Carlsen in the fourth game of the ongoing World Chess Championship here today.

After a crushing win over Carlsen in the third game which level scores, Anand gave nothing away and was a completely different player from the first two games in which he had looked quite vulnerable. The scores are now level at 2-2 after four rounds.

There was pressure from Carlsen yet again but Anand was hardly intimidated as tackled the Norwegian move for move. Anand changed gears in the opening in the fourth game, shifting to the Sicilian defence, from the Berlin wherein he lost badly in the second game while playing with black pieces.

Carlsen, in his typical style, went for the closed set-up, livening things up at his own will when he wanted and put Anand under some pressure in the middle game. Anand, this time however did not buckle under pressure, found out a resourceful defence and then the pieces got exchanged in a heap.

The Norwegian was playing against a slightly vulnerable pawn structure but things did not go in his favour thanks to some perfect counter-attack that Anand produced after trading all the pieces except queen. Carlsen used up some of his time in the second time control after move 40 but decided that there was nothing to play for.

PTI