Anand's Immortal is a chess game played by Levon Aronian as White against Viswanathan Anand as Black in Round 4 of the 2013 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.[1]
The game is considered one of Anand's greatest masterpieces; Chess.com staff ranked it as the third best chess game of all time, behind Kasparov's Immortal and the Opera Game.[2]
Aronian Black: Anand Opening: Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation (ECO D47)
The game opens up in a very theoretical and well-known fashion. Only until move 12 do the players start innovating with novel ideas.[3]
Aronian tempts Anand to play 12...Bxh2+, winning a pawn, where white might enjoy greater piece activity.
Anand responds with a pawn sacrifice (h7) of his own, which Aronian accepts.
This calls to mind the similar 20...Ng4 from the game Rotlewi versus Rubinstein.
White should have played 14. h3!, which gives an unclear position after 14...Bh2+ 15. Kh1 Qh4.[4]
The first of a series of sacrifices to come. If white accepts the sacrifice, Black will capture back on c5, followed by a quick invasion with Qd4+ and Nf2.
Black is still trying to clear the way for Qxd4+ and Nf2 and doesn't mind giving up a knight to do so.
If white plays 19. Ng5, black would continue similar to the game with f5, followed by either Rf6-h6 or Qh4.
Black cuts off white's chances of defense against the black queen.[5]
White cannot take the knight on g4 as there would be Qh6#.
Interfering white's defense against Qxh3+ (the g-pawn is pinned). Aronian sees no way out and finally resigns.