The story behind the game
This 2007 world championship game combines sharp Semi-Slav pawn structures with concrete piece coordination. Anand challenges the centre, plants a knight on e4 and later supports it with the f-pawn. The same pawn eventually advances again while the queen and rook cooperate near White’s king.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Answer a wing plan by checking the centre.
- A knight outpost becomes more useful when it attacks a piece.
- A pawn advance can reinforce an outpost and protect another pawn.
- Recalculate the queen’s diagonal after a pawn capture.
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.
c5 challenges the centre while White is expanding on the kingside. The recorded pawn capture does not end the central contest. Black’s queen and bishops gain new routes, and the position later produces an imbalance in material. Compare the forcing central replies before focusing only on threats near the king.
Ne4 gains a central square while attacking the bishop. White’s rook remains active on d5, so the knight needs support and concrete calculation. The recorded bishop retreats, and Black later reinforces the knight with the f-pawn. Compare the bishop’s safe squares and the rook’s threats in the saved candidates.
f5 reinforces the knight and the advanced g-pawn. The pawn move changes the king’s cover as well as the support network. White’s rook is close to the king, so the saved lines must justify the timing. Follow how the support for e4 helps Black maintain active threats instead of retreating.
f4 creates a threat to the pawn shielding White’s king. White can give a queen check, but the recorded king reply keeps Black’s attack going. When the f-pawn later captures on g3, it also clears the queen’s diagonal from c7 toward that square. Calculate the checks and the supporting line together.
Result: 0-1. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 17: Challenge the centre
White has played f3. Which c-pawn advance challenges the pawn on d4? In the game: c5. c5 challenges the centre while White is expanding on the kingside. The recorded pawn capture does not end the central contest. Black’s queen and bishops gain new routes, and the position later produces an imbalance in material. Compare the forcing central replies before focusing only on threats near the king.
Engine-supported alternatives
c5 d5 Be5 f4 Bd4+ Kh2 a6 a4 exd5 e5 b4 Qf5 · +0.00 · depth 17
Qb6 Kh2 · +0.98 · depth 17
Qe7 fxg4 · +0.89 · depth 16
Move 25: Attack the bishop from the centre
Which move brings the c5-knight to e4 with an attack on the bishop on g3? In the game: Ne4. Ne4 gains a central square while attacking the bishop. White’s rook remains active on d5, so the knight needs support and concrete calculation. The recorded bishop retreats, and Black later reinforces the knight with the f-pawn. Compare the bishop’s safe squares and the rook’s threats in the saved candidates.
Engine-supported alternatives
Ne4 Kh2 Rad8 Rxd8 Rxd8 Rd1 Rxd1 Qxd1 Nxg3 Kxg3 Qe3+ Bf3 · -1.79 · depth 17
Qe4 Qxe4 Nxe4 Kh2 Rfe8 axb5 axb5 Re1 Bxb2 c7 Bc3 Rb1 · -0.58 · depth 17
Rae8 axb5 · -0.35 · depth 17
Move 27: Reinforce the outpost
White has captured on h5. Which advance supports the knight on e4 and the pawn on g4? In the game: f5. f5 reinforces the knight and the advanced g-pawn. The pawn move changes the king’s cover as well as the support network. White’s rook is close to the king, so the saved lines must justify the timing. Follow how the support for e4 helps Black maintain active threats instead of retreating.
Engine-supported alternatives
f5 Kh2 Qg6 Rg5 Qxc6 b3 c3 Bd3 Nxg5 fxg5 Rae8 axb5 · -2.45 · depth 19
Qg6 f5 Qxh5 Qxe4 Rfe8 Qxg4 Qxg4 Bxg4 Bxb2 f6 c3 Bg3 · -2.14 · depth 19
Qxc6 Bxg4 · -0.81 · depth 19
Move 39: Create the next checking capture
Which advance by the f5-pawn attacks White’s pawn on g3? In the game: f4. f4 creates a threat to the pawn shielding White’s king. White can give a queen check, but the recorded king reply keeps Black’s attack going. When the f-pawn later captures on g3, it also clears the queen’s diagonal from c7 toward that square. Calculate the checks and the supporting line together.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rf3 Be2 Re3 h5 Kg7 Bf1 Qe7 Qc6 Qxg5 Kg2 f4 h6+ · -3.95 · depth 20
Kg7 h5 Qe7 Qd5 Qxg5 Qd4+ Kh7 Qd7+ Kh6 Qc6+ Kg7 Qd7+ · -3.88 · depth 20
Kh7 Qf2 f4 Kg1 Rxg3+ Kh2 Re3 Qc2+ Kg7 Qf5 g3+ Kh3 · -3.71 · depth 20
f4 Qd5+ Qf7 Qd8+ Re8 Qb6 fxg3+ Kxg3 Qf3+ Kh2 g3+ Kg1 · -4.90 · depth 24
Every piece has a part to play.
This 2007 world championship game combines sharp Semi-Slav pawn structures with concrete piece coordination. Anand challenges the centre, plants a knight on e4 and later supports it with the f-pawn. The same pawn eventually advances again while the queen and rook cooperate near White’s king.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–22. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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