Last chance for Anand to defend title

With eight games gone, Anand is down but still not out. It’s a two-game deficit for the Indian ace and the ninth game would decide the course of the match as Anand plays white Carlsen has been the pick between the two and he appears completely relax with his 5-3 lead. It’s a now or never situation for Anand as he has just two white games left. A victory in the ninth game will reduce the deficit to just one point and can unsettle Carlsen who is playing his first serious match. After four draws and two losses, the situation has brewed up before Anand can go for his comeback act. The last two games were the easiest draws that he could have hoped for.

The eighth game, in fact, was over in just under 75 minutes, giving the impression that Carlsen is also a contented man. The Chess pundits had predicted that Anand will try to claw his way back in the match soon after the sixth game loss but the composure on Anand’s face tells a different story about his plans.

The king of the 64 squares knows pretty well the match situation and now the time has come to show himself.