Game 2: 1/2-1/2

Whew. It was a wonderful game. Both the giants (as Levon Aronian called them) played well. But Vishy definitely surprised his opponent (who am I to say he surprised Kramnik, I can't read his mind ;)) by playing 4 ... f3. It was rather atypical that it was Anand who had less time left on the clock -- but hey, it is the World Chess Championship where they play classical time control!

It was very tense during the game as it progressed:


Move 8:




Move 14:




The draw agreed:













Replay the game at: http://chessbase.com/news/2008/bonn/games/bonn02.htm

Scores after Round 02: Anand -- 1, Kramnik --1.

Game 1: 1/2-1/2

Game 1 of the match was drawn with the World Champion having plenty of counter-play after being a pawn down. Vishy played Black and resorted to Exchange Slav.

Here is how it ended.



See (http://chessbase.com/news/2008/bonn/games/bonn01.htm) for the complete game.

World Championship Chess Match ...

Ah folks. Here we are.

Next Tuesday, October 14, 2008 it is. Vishy Anand will be all set to defend his World Championship title against the challenger Vladimir Kramnik. It is expected to be an intense battle for the supremacy rather than a string of predictable draws. Who wins is matter of few days but the chess enthusiasts from around the world are going to enjoy this match being played at the famous Arts and Exhibitions hall at Bonn, Germany.

Here is the official website.

The tension is unbelievable and as a Vishy Anand fan, I feel my chest is bursting. I am sure he is calm and composed just as he said in this interview at chessbase.com -- a must read for any chess enthusiast (or a person who likes any form of art or sport or a thing of beauty).

If you want to see and hear what this man's current thinking is, click on the image/video below (from ibnlive):

Wow! I can't wait.