Comedy of errors

For reasons unknown, the world championship in Sochi between Carlsen and Anand is turning into a catalogue of disastrous blunders by both sides. Last week we witnessed Anand’s instantaneous implosion with one catastrophic move in game two, when he could still have resisted, while in game three Carlsen returned the favour, blundering material in a difficult, but not yet hopeless, situation. The nadir came in game six, when Carlsen committed a spectacular faux pas in a highly advantageous position. Anand could have wiped him out with his response, but without much consideration swiftly selected an alternative which handed victory straight back to the defending champion. Even the analysts are not immune from this vision-blurring mental fog: as I also pointed out last week, the experienced official commentator, Peter Svidler, was busy extolling the virtues of Anand’s play in game two, one move before the challenger was obliged to resign.

Anand-Carlsen: World Championship, Sochi (Game 3) 2014