Nerves of Steel
Chess is an endless stream of fascination. From the first time I made the first chess move, I am constantly amazed and thrilled by the game. The more I learn, play, and interact with other players, the more I am pulled into the beautiful world of combinations, tactics and strategy.  

Improving your chess demands a clear cut plan. But that is easier said than done. Considering the vast concepts that the chess player ought to study, it is very easy for one to get distracted, frustrated and lost. Personally, most times I will sit down to study pawn structures only to remember, midway through, how poor I am at rook endgames. One hour later, that seems like fifteen minutes, I am on Youtube watching something to do with songs to listen to while playing chess. 

Amidst the confusion, one simple plan has ensured my constant growth. And that is, reviewing the games of grandmasters. This is a learning strategy endorsed by chess coaches the world over, and that, as it worked for Tal so will it work for you.[Sometimes back I laboured through The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal book up to page 64, I am currently considering my life choices before picking the book up again.]  Thus, this series dubbed Immortal Games will highlight some of the most notable games that you should know by heart, and most importantly, point you to free, incredible materials surrounding these games. This series will focus on one game per week. 

After several days of indecision [for the list of chess masterpieces is vast], I settled on one of Viswanathan Anand’s Immortals. Commonly titled  Nerves of Steel within the chess circle, this game, played in round 4 of 2013 Tata Steel Group A, is a thrill every time I review it. I have even made it a routine to browse through it before serious tournaments, to motivate myself. The game is the highest beauty the chessboard can offer. [Which is clearly an overstatement, but what will you do about it?] On move 16, black’s dark square bishop, knight and rook are hanging, but picking any leads to white’s immediate collapse.

And now, let’s dive straight in.

Read the initial coverage of this game by chess.com here . 

Watch an exhilarating post-game analysis by the renowned chess Youtuber, the agadmotor, here .

Download the game PGN for your own analysis from ChessBase here .

Train the moves by replaying the game with Move Guesser here .