"Rear view mirror of the match" - A psychological perspective

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference"

This is rather going to be a very lo...ooong post and I wish to look at the play, especially from the losers perspective: as in most cases the ‘doors of perception’ into play reveals itself well from this angle!

What are the variables that can be tended to, from the perspective of this match?

- People may talk about the opening choices…
- The "Why….?" on various aspects!

I would rather prefer to investigate the cause for… prefer rather to work on the backstage: ‘the making of the thinking': please do not mistake this for "thought" - which is always in the past. I wish to stay put in the present, but would pick out those aspects that impacted the "present".

For, as Vishy himself said, "I had a feeling that this match would be more about execution …"; it is always about execution - no matter what preparations you make, no matter what plans you have, no matter your understanding about your opponent.

It is not about the fragmented past and parts; but an integration of those fragments which constituted and impacted the 'present' (in this match) - an effort to understand the chief operators and re-lay the base, firm and full. Incidentally, an understanding of this would allow the future 'present moments' to emerge impregnated with life and verve!

For this, I will pick from what the participants said and try interpreting the words uttered, in chess sense.

"At the start of the match, my chances depended on my ability to last long games without making a lot of mistakes. This year I had problems with mistakes creeping into my play. I kind of tried to pay some attention to that but in the end it was vain, because, in the end the way I lost the fifth game was the way that I thought I could not afford to lose…"

This significant statement by Anand gives a feeling that throughout this match, he may have been plagued with such thoughts - which we may define at best as 'disturbing' and not attach any adjectives to it.

I just wish to throw open certain thought process and end it with ‘ellipses’, indicating that the journey would continue from thereon and this is not the end of a statement or that I am arriving at a conclusion.


Game – 1 : See diagram 1 below (after 13.Qb3)
 

The first significant moment in the match occurred on the 13th move by black in Game – 1.

Settling in for a draw through repetition in a position that promised some good play doesn’t help the cause. Probably, Vishy’s frame of mind, conditioned by thoughts such as “my chances depended on my ability to last long games without making a lot of mistakes” and more significantly the thoughts about ‘the mistakes that were creeping in my play’, explains for this sedate thinking and choice.

It is precisely such situations, which offer the stage and possibility for a player to redeem him: probably Vishy could have dispelled such depressing thoughts that was nagging him, by infusing some vibrancy “here and now” and played 13)….b5!?

I am not saying it would have changed the result in that game and changed the course of the match; but my chief aim is to pick the “moments” which were significant and that would give us some insight into the players minds and how they approached chess “at that particular juncture".

Interestingly, this game also shows some clues on the ‘nervousness’ that Carlsen mentioned, which he had at the start of the match. The beating around the bush opening choice, which made Vishy open his moves out with freedom.

Precisely, this is what I meant few paragraph earlier; it occurs on the hindsight that it was here that Anand had a chance to hit two birds with one shot:

• Dispel doubts about his ability to play error free games, at this particular phase, and just get into playing the game, as well as he does, and even start enjoying it - defying disturbing thoughts!
• Capitalising on the nervousness of Carlsen and manage to instill some fear in his mind!

Game – 2: See diagram 2 below (after 14……O-O)
 

The moves were flowing till move number 14) and Vishy’s 15) Ne4 leading to simplification was totally inexplicable from chess point of view.

However, now with his revelation of what was going inside his mind, we can draw some inferences:

• The nagging and gnawing thoughts about his play in the past one year, influenced him to betray his natural instincts of going for complications; for that he needed to retain pieces – leave alone looking for their best dispositions.

• To look for solving the problems of piece development and placements and solve them creatively: for eg, in this position his knight on g3 is not greatly placed; and in such positions, if you can regroup that knight to a useful square and get the pawns rolling on the kingside, you would succeed in infusing great energy and enliven the position. It may or may not work, but you cannot approach a creative endeavor with the end result in mind. You keep setting up problems for yourself and try solving them as and when they are posed to you.
• Moves like 15) Ne4 succeeded in only steering the play into Carlsen’s arena and simplifications meant that his pressure and nervousness about complications in the game (which he left unsaid but what he meant effectively by being nervous, is this very aspect of Vishy’s ability to play as well as he could in complicated positions!) got slowly relieved, and ultimately allowed him to settle, as he himself expressed in the post match press conference.

Game – 3: See diagram 3 below (before 29)…..Bd4

The ghost, “thoughts of mistakes creeping in the play”, shows its face in such moments of indiscretion! The pawn was not only up for the grab, but as Tal mentioned in his game against Botvinnik (in the world championship match - where he played f4 - locking his bishop on g5); "one should provide ‘opportunities’ for one’s opponent to play out of their comfort zone."

Here with 29)….Bb2, and further complications that the positions offered, Anand could have steered the play into positions of his liking, which may have made him dispel the ghost and restored his prowess in thriving on such complex grounds.

Surviving this game sowed the first seeds of relief from nervousness for Carlsen and allowed him to settle in the match, especially after the nerve racking game -4.

Anand may have had recurring thoughts about this game, and the move 29)….Bb2, and probably a missed opportunity in this game, for the reminder of the match, which surely would not have helped his cause.


Game – 4: Diagram (after 18….Ba2)
 

“I saw the pawn hanging and went for the grab” – amazing to see what liberation of mind can do to a player. Surviving game -3 did the trick for Magnus and more importantly, it ‘allowed’ him to see that even the world champion was nervous. I wish to reproduce what Carlsen said:

“But the game 4 gave me a very good feeling, I thought it was a good fighting game…he (Vishy) was just as nervous and vulnerable as I was!

From that moment, I settled in and I just and started playing chess as usually I do. I didn’t have to do things differently than what I usually do”

A very significant statement and moment of the match!! When one spots vulnerability in the other, it relieves one’s own vulnerability and thereby strengthening one’s disposition!

From this moment onwards, Carlsen was transformed and Anand still was looking for form and transformation!

Such considerations are significant in any situations and more so in such big occasions as playing for the world championship title. They form the bedrock of creativity and paves way for personalities to emerge!

The play in this particular game was beautiful and both players lived up to its beautiful creation. Both the players spent their creative energy to the point of depletion and this very spending of creative energy can be made to manifest itself in another form, and self-generating:

• Carlsen managed to let it manifest into confidence and made him place his feet on the accelerator;

• Anand, on the other hand, probably was still not able to come to terms with his gnawing thoughts about the game – 3 and his primary thoughts about his recurring mistakes during the course of this year, and therefore failed to capitalize it.

Anand’s comment, “This year I had problems with mistakes creeping into my play. I kind of tried to pay some attention to that but in the end it was vain because in the end the way I lost the fifth game was the way that I thought I could not afford to lose”

That, for me, sums up the match!

Anand could not redeem himself from game 5 onwards and his very thoughts about avoiding long drawn out games, precisely lead him into the first long drawn out ending and in tiring moments towards the end of the play, made him commit his first serious and significant blunder in the match.

I do not wish to look further into this match, as the same themes and thoughts keep recurring. Anand himself said, "…after game-5, I was depressed!"

In conclusion, I wish to have a cursory glance on the aspect of “stress”: “Stress refers to that quality of experience, produced through a person-environment transaction, that, through either overarousal or underarousal, results in psychological or physiological distress. While the common assumption is that stress has negative physiological effects, it would be more accurate to perceive stress as having an ‘activating effect’, which at times can be positive as well as negative, depending upon a variety of factors.”

Both the players came to this match with some back of the mind thoughts – which precisely induces “stress”. One can either channelize it to make them takeoff or if they fail to, allow it to pull them down further.

Suffice to say that Carlsen managed to transact with his inner being and thoughts and channelize the stress positively after game number 3 and 4; and the same games managed to intensify the negative aspect of stress in Anand’s mind and which did not allow him to “become his true self”. Anand’s true self, did surface at some crucial moments in the game 4, but only just for this game. He was never his self in this match thereafter.

My pick of the statements made by both players (I give few below):

Anand: "This year I had problems with mistakes creeping into my play. I kind of tried to pay some attention to that but in the end it was vain because in the end the way I lost the fifth game was the way that I thought I could not afford to lose….”

Carlsen: “But the game 4 gave me a very good feeling, I thought it was a good fighting game…he was just nervous and vulnerable as I was! From that moment, I settled in and I just and started playing chess as usually I do. I don't have to do things differently than that of what I usually do!”

The following are some significant statements, both players made in summing up the match:

ANAND:

 

"As for the match, he dominated. At the start of the match, my chances depended on my ability to last long games without making a lot of mistakes. This year I had problems with mistakes creeping into my play."

"I kind of tried to pay some attention to that but in the end it was vain because in the end the way I lost the fifth game was the way that I thought I could not afford to lose…."

"I really hoped not to be afraid of long games…."

"My mistakes just didn't happen by themselves, he managed to provoke them…"

"My play in the match was a big disappointment and I didn't manage to achieve any of the things that I tried to aim for..."

"I am very disappointed with my play. And despite lot of support, my play never got going…"

"I had a feeling that this match would be more about execution …I could have had any strategy that I wanted …holding at the board and seeing it through, was worried about and that is what I focused about"

"…after game-5, I was depressed!"

"…this year, in tournaments, a lot of things have gone wrong and that will be the crucial area…no point having a plan….then"

"I managed to not understand him or understand me…I am not sure even which…and was simply not able to execute my strategy…"

CARLSEN:

"The first and third game I was very nervous and perhaps not ready for the big occasion..."

"But the game 4 gave me a very good feeling, I thought it was a good fighting game…he was just nervous and vulnerable as I was!"

"From that moment, I settled in and I just and started playing chess as usually I do. I don't have to do things differently than what I usually do..."

"I would take some responsibility for Vishy's mistakes..."

I"t's been that way for me and it just worked long time for me, that I just play and people crack under pressure, even in world championships keep on pushing and eventually things go right..."

"make him sit at the board and play for long time..."

CONGRATULIONS to the New World Champion!