The strategy for beating underdogs is to avoid sharp forced lines in order to outclass them in the long run. This usually means playing second rate openings to a certain extent. One could even call it some sort of positional gambit. In the first round of the Tata Steel it didn’t always work since even the world’s best Anti-Drawmeister couldn’t break his solid opponent. Nice try by Carlsen though!

It went rather smooth for Anand, who just played normal moves in the slightly passive Caro Kann waiting for his opponent to blunder.

The successful hustle by Nepo should also be mentioned.