While Game Eight of the 2013 World Chess Championship may have taken 33 moves to complete, it was the fastest game yet in terms of how much time was spent at the board. It took just 40 minutes for the players to complete the game, with Magnus Carlsen in particular playing quickly, using less than 30 seconds per move. Carlsen had the white pieces, and pulled a minor surprise by playing 1. e4. Viswanathan Anand responded with e5, and we were treated to the third Berlin Defense of the match, this time with Carlsen avoiding the main lines as White. Neither side ever had any real advantage, and Carlsen took an opportunity to liquidate all of the pieces, leaving a king and pawn endgame where the board was completely closed. Left with a position that any beginner should be able to draw, the two shook hands and went into the rest day with a 5-3 lead for Carlsen.
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