Answers.Body: <p>Anand primarily played 1. d4 in each of his 3 successful world championship matches between 2008 and 2012. In his 2013 match vs. Carlsen he favored 1. e4 before switching to 1. d4 for his last white of the match (game 9). Given the disastrous result of the 2013 match for him, I don't think it's surprising that he is apparently relying on 1. d4 this time.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2014-11-10T12:27:55.173Z
Answers.Text: Indeed! For me the question is: Why did Anand open with e4 last year?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Pouya
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Answers.CreationDate: 2014-11-08T21:06:09.633Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-11-08T21:06:09.633Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Cleveland
Body: <p>As far as I remember, Anand was(is) primarily an 1.e4 player throughout his career. Yet in the first game of the Carlsen-Anand match he opted to open with 1.d4. What are the potential benefits of such an opening choice in a situation like this? Is Anand simply wary of having to face the Berlin Defense, or is there another benefit to choosing 1.d4?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-08T21:15:22.237Z
Comments.Text: Why the downvote?
Comments.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-08T21:32:01.570Z
Comments.Text: not the downvoter, but this is the question, which is impossible to answer reliably if you are not Anand.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Salvador Dali
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-08T23:56:21.127Z
Comments.Text: Only Anand knows why. We can only speculate. My guess is that it is because 1. e4 didn't work for him in his last match with Carlsen. The only game where he had Carlsen in some sort of trouble playing White was when he played 1. d4. So it's logical for Anand to play 1. d4 in this match.
Comments.UserDisplayName: NM Wesley Falcao
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Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-08T23:57:30.687Z
Comments.Text: I didn't downvote, but this is indeed a very subjective question.
Comments.UserDisplayName: NM Wesley Falcao
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-09T00:34:46.650Z
Comments.Text: Leaving aside the subjectivity, there are extremely few top players that consistently choose an opening move over the rest. The first one that comes to mind is Mamedyarov, but nowadays Anand plays `1.e4` as much as `1.d4`.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Pablo S. Ocal
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-09T10:00:37.987Z
Comments.Text: I'm suggesting an edit that might help to make this question less subjective/reliant on Anand's preference by asking instead what the benefits are of choosing 1.d4 instead of 1.e4 at the start of a WC match.
Comments.UserDisplayName: DTR
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-09T12:05:19.623Z
Comments.Text: This question was too subjective anyway, can an full moderator close it?
Comments.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-09T18:30:12.317Z
Comments.Text: Can you delete it instead? It is pointless to lose points by downvotes, especially since you worked so hard to earn them. The question will never be rephrased into useful one anyway :(
Comments.UserDisplayName: AlwaysLearningNewStuff
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-09T18:37:52.750Z
Comments.Text: @AlwaysLearningNewStuff I cannot, since it has an answer. I need a mod to do it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-11-10T03:48:56.050Z
Comments.Text: I don't think the question is so bad, but I'll vote to close it since the original poster has requested it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: dfan
Tags: <carlsen-anand-2014>
Title: Why did Anand start with d4?
ThreadText: # Why did Anand start with d4?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-11-08)
  
  As far as I remember, Anand was(is) primarily an 1.e4 player throughout his career. Yet in the first game of the Carlsen-Anand match he opted to open with 1.d4. What are the potential benefits of such an opening choice in a situation like this? Is Anand simply wary of having to face the Berlin Defense, or is there another benefit to choosing 1.d4?
  
  **Tags:** carlsen-anand-2014
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Why the downvote?  
  > **username_1**: not the downvoter, but this is the question, which is impossible to answer reliably if you are not Anand.  
  > **username_2**: Only Anand knows why. We can only speculate. My guess is that it is because 1. e4 didn't work for him in his last match with Carlsen. The only game where he had Carlsen in some sort of trouble playing White was when he played 1. d4. So it's logical for Anand to play 1. d4 in this match.  
  > **username_2**: I didn't downvote, but this is indeed a very subjective question.  
  > **username_3**: Leaving aside the subjectivity, there are extremely few top players that consistently choose an opening move over the rest. The first one that comes to mind is Mamedyarov, but nowadays Anand plays `1.e4` as much as `1.d4`.  
  > **username_4**: I'm suggesting an edit that might help to make this question less subjective/reliant on Anand's preference by asking instead what the benefits are of choosing 1.d4 instead of 1.e4 at the start of a WC match.  
  > **username_0**: This question was too subjective anyway, can an full moderator close it?  
  > **username_5**: Can you delete it instead? It is pointless to lose points by downvotes, especially since you worked so hard to earn them. The question will never be rephrased into useful one anyway :(  
  > **username_0**: @username_5 I cannot, since it has an answer. I need a mod to do it.  
  > **username_6**: I don't think the question is so bad, but I'll vote to close it since the original poster has requested it.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2014-11-08. Score: 5
  
  Anand primarily played 1. d4 in each of his 3 successful world championship matches between 2008 and 2012. In his 2013 match vs. Carlsen he favored 1. e4 before switching to 1. d4 for his last white of the match (game 9). Given the disastrous result of the 2013 match for him, I don't think it's surprising that he is apparently relying on 1. d4 this time.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_8**: Indeed! For me the question is: Why did Anand open with e4 last year?  
  
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