4 ms·

For those that weren't following closely, this rematch was nothing like the last world championship between Carlsen and Anand, when Carlsen won in a blowout. Ca

For those that weren't following closely, this rematch was nothing like the last world championship between Carlsen and Anand, when Carlsen won in a blowout. Carlsen didn't seem to be in top form this time, and Anand clearly came better prepared than the last match. Two games stood out as being particularly fascinating for me: Game 3, which Anand won: http://en.chessbase.com/post/sochi-wch-g3-the-tiger-roars http://en.chessbase.com/post/sochi-wch-g3-the-tiger-roars And game 11, in which Carlsen clinched the title: http://en.chessbase.com/post/sochi-g11-in-dramatic-finale-carlsen-retains-title http://en.chessbase.com/post/sochi-g11-in-dramatic-finale-ca...

tzs 12y ago
I wouldn't call 2013 a blowout, considering that it ended at the most likely final score based on their ratings at the time. Carlsen was 95 points higher than Anand, and 50 points higher than Anand's best ever. Assuming a 70% draw chance, there was a 22.6% chance of the match ending 3-0-7. 17.9% chance of 2-0-9, 13.6% chance of 4-0-5. There was only about a 15-18% chance Anand would win a game. I think people overestimated Anand's chances last year because he had a positive score against Carlsen going into the match, and that underestimated Carlsen because it included games long before Carlsen reached his present level. Or they thought wrongly that Carlsen would not perform as well in match play as he does in tournament play.
- dfan 12y ago
  I'd say you're both right; it was a blowout, and people should have predicted it based on their ratings (and of course many did).
- dillonforrest 12y ago
  The word choice "blowout" is arguably strong, but I do agree that this year's match was much less one-sided than last year's. This one was even until the very last game, while Carlsen had a good lead after only Game 6 last year.
  - pk2200 12y ago
    It wasn't even going into today's game - Carlsen had been one point ahead since game 6. That's why Anand rolled the dice with that risky exchange sacrifice - with only 2 games left, he was running out of time to catch up.

tzs 12y ago

I wouldn't call 2013 a blowout, considering that it ended at the most likely final score based on their ratings at the time. Carlsen was 95 points higher than Anand, and 50 points higher than Anand's best ever. Assuming a 70% draw chance, there was a 22.6% chance of the match ending 3-0-7. 17.9% chance of 2-0-9, 13.6% chance of 4-0-5. There was only about a 15-18% chance Anand would win a game. I think people overestimated Anand's chances last year because he had a positive score against Carlsen going into the match, and that underestimated Carlsen because it included games long before Carlsen reached his present level. Or they thought wrongly that Carlsen would not perform as well in match play as he does in tournament play.

dfan 12y ago
I'd say you're both right; it was a blowout, and people should have predicted it based on their ratings (and of course many did).
dillonforrest 12y ago
The word choice "blowout" is arguably strong, but I do agree that this year's match was much less one-sided than last year's. This one was even until the very last game, while Carlsen had a good lead after only Game 6 last year.
- pk2200 12y ago
  It wasn't even going into today's game - Carlsen had been one point ahead since game 6. That's why Anand rolled the dice with that risky exchange sacrifice - with only 2 games left, he was running out of time to catch up.