The story behind the game
In the ninth game of the 2013 world championship in Chennai, Anand’s kingside attack raced Carlsen’s queenside passed pawn. Track both threats at once. The final position is especially useful for learning why a natural defensive move can fail when the opponent’s queen gains a new route.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Count promotion threats and threats against the king in the same calculation.
- A passed pawn can force the opponent to divert an attacking piece.
- After a promotion, recalculate the new queen’s full range instead of continuing the old plan.
- Judge the defender’s best resource separately from the eventual result of the game.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
Carlsen plays 16…Nxc1, exchanging the advanced knight for White’s bishop. After Qxc1, Black can turn to the rook’s activity; the historical continuation uses …Ra6. An advanced knight is useful because of what it can do, not because it has to stay advanced forever. White’s central and kingside pawns still create threats, so the exchange must be considered together with the next phase of counterplay.
With 22…b3, Carlsen advances past White’s c3-pawn and creates a passed pawn while White attacks on the kingside. A passed pawn has no opposing pawn ahead of it on its own or an adjacent file. Before this advance, White’s c3-pawn could capture on b4; after it, the pawns stand beside each other and White cannot capture backward. Black’s new passed pawn creates a threat far from the king attack. The saved engine candidates also consider …g6 and a capture on c3. Do not infer that the historical choice was the only sound defence merely because Black later won.
The historical 26…b2 brings Black’s pawn one move from promotion while White threatens the king. These are competing forcing plans, not independent pawn races. The game continues Rf4 and …b1=Q+, but the saved evidence also examines a different White response. Calculate the checks and defensive resources in the actual position. A queen close to the king and a pawn close to promotion are both warnings to be concrete.
After 28.Nf1, Black plays …Qe1, opening a defensive route toward h4. The promoted queen crosses the first rank from b1 to e1. If White follows with Rh4, the saved line includes …Qxh4, meeting the rook’s threat against h7. Rebuild the position after promotion rather than relying on the attack that existed a move earlier. The new queen’s diagonal is a concrete reason why the natural-looking block fails.
Result: 0-1. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 16: Complete the knight’s mission
Black’s knight has reached b3. Which capture resolves its task before Black activates the rook? In the game: Nxc1. Carlsen plays 16…Nxc1, exchanging the advanced knight for White’s bishop. After Qxc1, Black can turn to the rook’s activity; the historical continuation uses …Ra6. An advanced knight is useful because of what it can do, not because it has to stay advanced forever. White’s central and kingside pawns still create threats, so the exchange must be considered together with the next phase of counterplay.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nxc1 Qxc1 Rb8 Qd2 Nc7 Raa1 f6 gxf6 Qxf6 Rae1 b4 axb4 · -0.08 · depth 19
Ra6 Bf4 · +0.43 · depth 19
Nc7 Bf4 Ra6 Be5 b4 axb4 axb4 Rxa6 Nxa6 Qe1 Nc7 cxb4 · +0.54 · depth 18
Move 22: Create a threat on the other wing
White has just pushed f5. How can Black turn the b-pawn into a promotion threat away from the king? In the game: b3. With 22…b3, Carlsen advances past White’s c3-pawn and creates a passed pawn while White attacks on the kingside. A passed pawn has no opposing pawn ahead of it on its own or an adjacent file. Before this advance, White’s c3-pawn could capture on b4; after it, the pawns stand beside each other and White cannot capture backward. Black’s new passed pawn creates a threat far from the king attack. The saved engine candidates also consider …g6 and a capture on c3. Do not infer that the historical choice was the only sound defence merely because Black later won.
Engine-supported alternatives
g6 · +0.30 · depth 18
bxc3 Qxc3 g6 e6 fxe6 f6 Nc7 Ne2 Nb5 Qe3 Nd6 h4 · +0.52 · depth 18
b3 Nh5 Nc7 h4 Qd7 Kh2 Nb5 Qd2 Qb7 Qe3 Nc7 Bh3 · +0.67 · depth 18
Move 26: One square from a new queen
White’s queen has reached h6. Can Black continue the pawn race, and what must be calculated first? In the game: b2. The historical 26…b2 brings Black’s pawn one move from promotion while White threatens the king. These are competing forcing plans, not independent pawn races. The game continues Rf4 and …b1=Q+, but the saved evidence also examines a different White response. Calculate the checks and defensive resources in the actual position. A queen close to the king and a pawn close to promotion are both warnings to be concrete.
Engine-supported alternatives
b2 Ne2 Qa5 Nf4 Be6 Nxe6 fxe6 Bh3 Qa6 Bg4 Rf7 Qh4 · +0.79 · depth 16
Bg4 h3 · +2.75 · depth 16
Qa5 Rf4 Qa1+ Nf1 Qe1 Rh4 Qxh4 Qxh4 h5 gxh6 Kh7 Bxd5 · +4.25 · depth 15
Move 28: A new queen, a new defensive route
After White blocks the promotion check with Nf1, where can Black’s new queen move to meet the mating threat? In the game: Qe1. After 28.Nf1, Black plays …Qe1, opening a defensive route toward h4. The promoted queen crosses the first rank from b1 to e1. If White follows with Rh4, the saved line includes …Qxh4, meeting the rook’s threat against h7. Rebuild the position after promotion rather than relying on the attack that existed a move earlier. The new queen’s diagonal is a concrete reason why the natural-looking block fails.
Engine-supported alternatives
Qe1 Rh4 Qxh4 Qxh4 Qa5 Qe1 Kh8 Qc1 Rg8 Nd2 Nc7 Nf3 · -2.93 · depth 19
Bg4 Rxg4 Qe1 Rg3 Qd7 Rh3 Qxh3 Qxh3 Nc7 Bxd5 h5 gxh6 · +2.44 · depth 18
Qd1 Rh4 Qh5 Rxh5 gxh5 Ne3 Be6 Bxd5 Qxd5 Nxd5 Bxd5 Kf1 · +2.74 · depth 18
Every piece has a part to play.
In the ninth game of the 2013 world championship in Chennai, Anand’s kingside attack raced Carlsen’s queenside passed pawn. Track both threats at once. The final position is especially useful for learning why a natural defensive move can fail when the opponent’s queen gains a new route.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–19. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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