Magnus Carlsen, the magician of Tønsberg

Wow. Today, Magnus has trounced world champion Vishy Anand in 29 moves, in 2 hours. His style is supremely simple, his pieces are placed on good squares and somehow something emerges.

This was the position when I logged on for a minute at lunchtime. ’draw today'. Amused/intrigued by his Bb4, willingly offering to double his pawns; something I would never have done: but then I appreciated that the b4 pawn would not be a weakness, and will advance to b5 and either be exchanged off or cramp down on black.

Logged on again: 'draw soon'. I would never have guessed that the e pawn is about to roll forward, nor noted that the Qd6 and Nf6 are in 'potassium cyanide' danger from that pawn. (See my previous logs on Purdy's potassium cyanide term).

Trouble mounting, perhaps, but as black I wouldn't have appreciated the full extent of the danger. (Cue: the music to Jaws).

It is now going seriously wrong for black.

Awesome. The sheer simplicity belies the power; and underpinning it is Magnus's tactical ability: to see his way through the exchanges after d5 and how strong Bg2-h3 is, is beyond me: and, beyond the champion.

PS, at lunchtime, I has assumed that Gelfand-Morozevich would be the 'game of the day', after Moro sacrificed the exchange in a Benoni: when I looked at the position immediately after the sac, I thought 'interesting' 'odd' 'might be sufficient': Boris showed, by playing a few only moves- quickly trebling on the f file, that Moro's plan was in fact just 'bad'. But it took Boris's incisive play to show this.

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