SOCHI (RUSSIA), Nov 9 (PTI): Satisfied with the draw in a tough opening match of the World Championships, Indian chess wizard Viswanathan Anand said he felt relieved to have pulled off the result after a rather wobbly start against title-holder Magnus Carlsen.
�I was a bit wobbly for a few moves but then I got back on track, I am slightly relieved,� the five-time world champion Indian said in the post-match conference.
Anand, who put pressure in the opening and then lost his way to find himself grappling in a slightly worse endgame, conceded that the position should have been an easy one to play.
�To be honest this position this should not require so much work, somehow some imperceptibly careless moves then it started to get very annoying. I was down to three minutes or so, allowing his pawn to �a4� didn�t help but then I am very happy that I calculated this idea (rook manoeuvre),� the Indian ace noted.
Carlsen, on the other hand, agreed that it was a tentative start.
�It was a little bit tentative at the start, I think at some point neither of us was playing particularly confidently, but somehow I managed to get out of a slightly difficult position and I even was slightly better and then probably there was no way to win, it was a good start�, the reigning champion observed.
Praising Anand for generating some nice ideas, Carlsen mentioned that he liked the Bishop manoeuvre when asked if was expecting this variation.
�I wasn�t sure what to expect I thought this idea with Bishop �h3� was nice and then it�s not so easy, the key afterwards is that if I get to exchange queens even under bad circumstances I should be holding easily. I was not playing for advantage but I just wanted to consolidate, certainly this opening needs to be checked,� he said.
There was wide speculation on the internet and Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov also said that Anand mixed up his moves in the opening. Replying to the query Anand was tongue-in-cheek.
�I cannot really get in to details.. No, I did not mix up my moves�.
When asked if the last match had any bearings on this one Anand said, �I don�t see the point of keeping that in the background. There will enough problems in this match to deal with without adding that, so at least that�s not something I am trying to reflect on.�
Carlsen agreed with his senior on the matter.
�What happened in the last match is in the past, I agree with Vishy that are going to be plenty of difficult and critical moments in the match, no point in dwelling in the past,� he said.
Carlsen also said he was optimistic during the match but did not see a clear path.
�I was getting a little bit optimistic at some point when he found this idea with rook and queen. I thought I had some chances to press, I tried my best but I could not find anything. It�s a game, I am not disappointed at all,� he said.
The second game of the 12-games match will be played on Sunday afternoon with Carlsen having the advantage of white pieces.3
