Chennai: World champion Viswanathan Anand started his title defense in style, holding off world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway to a draw in quick time in the first game of the World chess championship here on Saturday.

Anand, with black pieces, gave no chance to Carlsen who started with the Reti opening and got nothing with his first white game. The quick draw, lasting a mere 16 moves, proved Anand's preparation right as Magnus spent more time on the clock in the opening and still could not get the complicated and sometimes lifeless positions wherein he famously outplays opposition.

Anand said after the game that it was a relief to start with the championship after thinking about it for months and months months. “As for the game, it developed kind of fast, 10…Nb6 is a rather sharp idea, I mean forcing the play right way, he goes 11.c5, I played 11…Nc4, to be honest I expected 11. Qb3, though anyway after 11…Be6 black is doing fine.12.Bc1 was a bit of a surprise because after 12…Nd5 I mean 13.Qe1 even 13…Nb4 getting very unpleasant for white and after 13.Qb3 I can force this draw,” said Anand.

“I was seriously considering playing 13…b5 here, and 14.cb6 Na5 15. Qb2 ab6 and 16.Ne5 I thought was keeping the balance reasonably well, so I decided to repeat, but I mean after b5 there was also 14.a4 which was playable but I thought he would go for cb6,” he added.

Meanwhile Carlsen said: “I was happy actually to be able to play today. About the way the game went today, in general in these lines, play develops a little more slowly, but here there was an immediate crisis and I didn’t see that any of my options were particularly promising, particularly as I missed as Vishy mentioned earlier, move 13 Qe1 and 13…Nb4 is very strong – from then on I had to pull emergency brakes, and had to go for draw.”

Courtesy: www.fide.com