After a hard-fought draw in Game 1 to kick off proceedings, world champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Viswanathan Anand will lock horns again in Game 2 at the Olympic Media Center in the Adler City District of Sochi on Sunday.
Anand started Game 1 with an aggressive approach and came out firing on all cylinders, sacrificing his pawn structure for activity. However, Carlsen found his way back and eventually won the initiative with a brilliant mid-game, attacking the five-time champion's pawn structure on the kingside.
The Indian Grandmaster then started losing the plot and committed quite a few errors. The Norwegian prodigy smelt blood and pushed for a win and, at one point, it looked like Anand would find it difficult to escape with a draw. But Anand came up with a stellar move pretty much towards the end of the game to salvage a draw.
Carlsen, however, insisted after the match that he was never in a position to win the game.
"The game was little bit tentative at the start. At first neither of us were playing confidently. I came out of the difficult postion and also got slightly better, but couldn't do more," the 23-year-old stressed.
Anand, on the other hand, admitted that some sloppy moves put him in deep trouble and he is relieved to have escaped with a draw.
"Somehow I did some careless moves and got wobbly in the middle, on the 34th move I got into a spot of bother and the time was pressing too. I'm a little bit relieved yes," the Indian pointed out.
Game 2 is also expected to be yet another hard-fought affair. Anand knows that he needs to strike as soon as possible as Carlsen is known for growing stronger with each passing game. However, the 44-year-old should be careful enough not to ruin his pawn structure or commit errors by being too aggressive like in Game 1 as it's unlikely that the defending champion will let him get off the hook easy once more.
Where to Watch Live
Game 2 of the 2014 World Chess Championship 2014 in Sochi is scheduled for a 3pm local time (5.30pm IST, 7am EST, 1pm CET) start. Game 2 of this best of 12 match can be watched via free live streaming online on the FIDE World Chess Championship 2014 Sochi website or on Sochi FIDE 2014.
