It was a position akin to the Grunfeld for Anand and he did not opt for a locked structure.
His ninth move created the imbalance that the Indian wanted and Carlsen conceded that white had nothing after the tenth move.
The Norwegian superstar said he was quite happy that he could start the match but not with the way it went.
"I am happy that finally the match is on, hopefully we will give you more than one and a half hour," he said mentioning the duration of the game.
With the first match done, Anand will now be playing with white pieces in the second game tomorrow. The 12-game match carries Rs 14 crore as prize money.