Over a long career spanning five world championship titles and countless chess games, Viswanathan Anand has moved many pieces on the battlefield they call the chessboard. But there are some moves that Anand considers among his favourite moves. In a video with Chess.com, Anand had once picked up an innocuous move — a simple pawn push by a single square — as one of his favourite moves before going on to explain why. He even called the move a ‘silent killer’. Anand’s French opponent resigned four moves later.
But before we reveal what the move was, let’s see if you can spot the move. Here’s what the board looked like.
A position from Viswanathan Anand’s game against Joel Lautier in the Biel Credit Suisse in 1997. Anand’s next move with white is one the five-time world champion called his favourite move. (PHOTO: Lichess)
Vishy Anand is playing with white pieces. It’s a game from the Biel Chess tournament in 1997, where Anand was playing against French GM Joel Lautier in the first round.
Anand later said the game had left him buoyed because of the “creative satisfaction” he got from the game.
“This was a very good start to the tournament. I mean, if you play a game like this, you feel very good with yourself for the coming rounds, and that’s a nice feeling to have. There was a lot of creative satisfaction to this game,” Anand said in a video for Chess.com.
Hint: Anand’s favourite move was actually a pawn push. Can you guess the move now?
Answer: Anand’s move — which he calls among his favourite moves — was 20.h6, pushing the h pawn one square ahead.
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The board position after Viswanathan Anand played his “silent killer” of a move against Joel Lautier in the Biel Credit Suisse in 1997. (PHOTO: Lichess)
This is what the board looks like after the move. Before we come to why this was such a good move, we’ll come to the moves that Anand thought about and rejected.
Vishy Anand explains his thinking
Here’s Anand’s first rejected idea in his own words: “If I play Bishop g6, he can play Queen takes d1. Now, I have two ways. I can go Bishop takes f7 check, King f8, Bishop a3 check, but then Knight e7, Bishop e7, King takes f7. I mean, this position is probably even good for white, I don’t know, but you know, I’ve spoiled it a little bit, and that didn’t seem very convincing to me. And the question is, how could I improve this? There is also Rook takes e6 check because King f8, Rook takes f7 check, King g8, and I have run out of steam; my attack has stopped.”
Anand then explained another line he thought of.
“If I go Bishop a3 check, that’s very nice because if he goes King f8… I have King g8. The problem is he does Knight e7, and I’m all over him. I have two rooks and a bishop able to take on e7, and there are multiple mating threats. But the problem is it will be black’s move for one move, and in that time, he can play Queen takes f3 over here or Queen f1, and my King will have to run around,” Anand explained.
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Anand explains why 20.h6 move was his favourite
“Then I found a move with just a quiet pawn move. ‘The silent killer.’ It just gives the move to black, but it’s not easy to find a way for black. And this is the move that I found, and it is one of my favorite moves. I like this move very much. I’ll show you why. Let’s look at a couple of variations. Let’s say black plays g5. Then I’ll go Bishop g6, Queen takes d1, and you’ll say, ‘Well, what’s the difference?’ Well, here it is: I take, King goes there, I take, and in difference with the other line, now I have Rook g7 check because it’s now defended. And here, Bishop a3, and it’s going to be mate. So that’s one thing. g6, same thing. Bishop takes g6, that rook goes to g7, and Bishop a3, exact same thing.
WATCH: Anand explains his favourite move
The game eventually ended in just 25 moves.
Anand will be seen in a 12-game match against another former world champion, Garry Kasparov, later this year.
Here is the full annotated game via Lichess.
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 { B01 Scandinavian Defense: Main Line, Mieses Variation } 5. Nf3 c6 6. Bc4 Bf5 7. Ne5 e6 8. g4 Bg6 9. h4 Nbd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. h5 Be4 12. Rh3?! { (0.65 → 0.02) Inaccuracy. O-O was best. } (12. O-O Bd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Bd3 h6 15. f4 Qc7 16. c3 Be7 17. Bd2 Nf6 18. Qe2 O-O-O) 12… Bg2 13. Re3 Nb6 14. Bd3 Nd5 15. f3 Bb4 16. Kf2 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Qxc3 18. Rb1 Qxd4 19. Rxb7 Rd8?? { (0.63 → 2.51) Blunder. Bh3 was best. } (19… Bh3) 20. h6 gxh6?? { (2.29 → 4.92) Blunder. Nxe3 was best. } (20… Nxe3 21. Bxe3 Qe5 22. Qg1 Bxf3 23. Kxf3 Qf6+ 24. Kg3 gxh6 25. Qh1 O-O 26. Rxa7 Qe5+ 27. Kf2) 21. Bg6 Ne7?! { (4.57 → 6.42) Inaccuracy. Qf6 was best. } (21… Qf6 22. Bxf7+ Qxf7 23. Rxf7 Nxe3 24. Qxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bxe3 Bh3 26. Rxa7 Re8 27. Bxh6 c5 28. Rxh7) 22. Qxd4 Rxd4 23. Rd3 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bd3 { Black resigns. } 1-0
