Anand loses to Nepomniachtchi

Anand came up against a forceful Kingside pawn thrust in the opening from Nepomniachtchi which made him work almost from the beginning of the game rather than draw upon the riches of his memory banks.

The game was only really lost right at the end, with one signally bad move played. Without that, one could imagine one of the younger super-GMs, particularly Carlsen, digging in and maybe getting away with a draw. Nepo was self-deprecatory but it sounded like he was being forceful and trying to win, whereas Anand seemed pessimistic and unsure about the specifics of this game. The former World Champion looked tired in London perhaps after more than a quarter of a century of facing the world’s elite on a regular basis.