Topic: Anand v/s Kramnik - WC08 - The Big Match Up (Read 2770 times)

keep-it-cool · « **on:** October 13, 2008, 01:52:47 PM »

In my view, this match is way bigger than the India-Australia series going on now. It is a pity that only the ToI carries any mention of this among the leading English language newspapers.

Go Vishy

http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chess/News/Anand_vs_Kramnik_A_clash_of_styles/articleshow/msid-3584881,curpg-1.cms

NEW DELHI: There was this strong feeling in chess circles that the world will not be able to free itself from the stranglehold of Ks as the 'K conveyor belt' kept churning out stars like Karpov, Korchnoi, Kasparov, Kramnik, Kasimdzhanov and Kamsky. Viswanathan Anand, working with his seconds in an unknown destination in Europe, would have already finalised his preparations for Kramnik, the third K he is meeting for the World chess title. And, he must be thinking how to break free from the grip of Ks and the Russians as the Battle of Bonn unfolds from October 14 to find the 'Ultimate' world champion.

Both Kramnik and Anand have shielded themselves from public glare and also given nothing away with regard to the details of their seconds. But as the match starts next week, experts will soon get to know about the men who have worked behind the scene for the champion players.

Both Anand and Kramnik had a disastrous tournament in the run-up to this battle, forcing chess players to wonder if there was so much pressure on the two not to reveal anything before the match. Not even their skills and frame of mind.
Anand is perhaps the world's most popular chess player having an impeccable conduct and record in public relations. Naturally, he will have more supporters from the world over but that will not win him the title.

Kramnik is known to be a tough opponent in match play (as opposed to tournament play) as he had beaten Kasparov eight years ago in a match to become the world champion in classical chess. Anand's strength has been his awesome record in tournaments and the more popular and fast versions of rapid and blitz chess.

If you take the head-to-head record, you are struck by the clear trend indicating their respective strengths. In overall games, Anand has a 19-13 lead over Kramnik with 82 games ending in draws. In rapid and blitz, they have played 65 games, Anand winning 15 and losing 7. Anand does not have to think twice before picking his recent victory over Kramnik at Amber (Monaco, 2008) as his best rapid game against the Russian with black pieces

"The move that won the game was Qf3. No one really saw the move and thought that the position didn't look good. It took everyone a moment to real
ise that it won on the spot," revealed Anand to ToI.

But the situation is quite the opposite in Classical chess where Anand has won four games, lost six and drawn 39 in two decades. And the best of them? The world champion goes back 11 years to Belgrade where he lost in the first round to Joel Lautier and had black against Kramnik the next day. "Actually he captured a piece and a I made a very silent move that seemed to win immediately. I won that event," Anand recalled.

To many, the battle between Anand and Kramnik is a clash of styles. The world knows they are vastly different in disposition and their approach to the game. The vast number of draws in their personal encounters indicate that they are more or less equal in class but the Bonn battle could be different primarily because it is the first time that they meet in a match in Classical chess for such a big title. And the trend of the match will be decided by the kind of preparations they have made before the clash.

Anand is believed to have worked with Peter Heine Nielsen, who is his trusted second in tournaments. He is also reported to have worked with Magnus Carlsen, another Scandinavian and most probably the next world champion. If you look at the nationality of these two, it will be clear that the world of chess is divided into two halves: Russians and the non-Russians.

The late Bobby Fischer liked Anand and had picked his non-Russian background for his affinity towards the Indian and if Anand feels the same for Carlsen, it's not just by chance. And there is an unmistakable link between them - Nielsen, who had acted as second for Carlsen too.

But it is the Kramnik camp that has remained cut off from contacts. The Russian had earlier worked with Miguel Illescas and Evgeny Bareev but for this match the entire Russian brain-bank would have offered support. For the Russians, the world chess crown is a prestige issue and they certainly would like to see the back of Anand in Bonn against Kramnik. However, at the moment, Anand-Kramnik is better defined as a clash between the current world champion, who has a very practical approach to chess, and a former world champion, who is quite versatile. Let the battle commence.

keep-it-cool · « **Reply #1 on:** October 15, 2008, 03:54:34 AM »

Match I - Anand draws with black pieces.

proloy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 15, 2008, 04:26:23 AM »

Quote from: keep-it-cool on October 13, 2008, 01:52:47 PM

It is a pity that only the ToI carries any mention of this among the leading English language newspapers.

That's not quite correct. The Hindu usually covers chess well.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101560482100.htm

Rediff too covers it, but both TOI and rediff mostly plagiarize others' columns.

ABP is running daily articles from Dibyendu Barua on this. He often comments on big events. Have seen him cover it since the Anand-Kamsky days (way back in 1994).

Those who want to follow more keenly, visit these boards:

http://www.chessninja.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=6

It's a very hotly debated, and very eagerly awaited match-up in a long while.

keep-it-cool · « **Reply #3 on:** October 15, 2008, 05:31:51 AM »

I was talking about the build up to the event ... ToI was the only "national" daily where I saw detailed coverage ... maybe the Hindu had it as well .. but I may have missed it because I do not read it regularly.

Now, of course, everyone covers the match .. but it is just as an aside .. for instance, the DNA had a three line column in the left margin today.

I find it very surprising .. I mean this is probably the biggest thing in World Chess for a while (one could argue after the Kasparov - Kramnik match). An Indian is involved. And, virtually no coverage!

Now on the net I have been able to get some interesting articles .. mostly coming out of Kolkatta .. here is one of them.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081015/jsp/sports/story_9970522.jsp

Big Two in a thrilling draw
GM SPEAK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pravin Thipsay

The much-awaited Viswanathan Anand-Vladimir Kramnik World Chess Championship match began with a thriller that saw them settling for a draw in beautiful Bonn on Tuesday. Though rated fifth and sixth, respectively, in the latest Elo ratings, Anand and Kramnik have been regarded the best players in the world for the last five years.

Since the unexpected retirement of world No. 1 Garri Kasparov in 2003, the chess world has always been divided over who the best player in the world was. Anand has won the prestigious Chess Oscar as many as four times, but then Kramnik has the distinction of being the only one to have defeated the legendary Kasparov.

In the 2003-04 world title match, won by Kramnik, Anand was kept out of the championship cycle by Fide while the world championship won by Anand last year was not really accepted as proof of his absolute supremacy by Kramnik’s supporters as it was not a one-on-one match.

Therefore, when Fide signed a world championship match contract with Anand and Karmnik in December 2007, the chess world began to eagerly look forward to the emergence of a real champion who would take the coveted place of Kasparov.

The draw of lots on October 13 seemed to place Anand in a slightly better situation. In such a one-on-one match, it is often important to use your brahmastra in the last game. With Anand getting white pieces in the 12th and last game, we Indians can certainly look forward to the match optimistically.

Both Anand and Kramnik have been studying hard for the match for over six months and this has led to their under-performance in recent tournaments. However, on Tuesday the players began their match like true champions.

Kramnik opened the game with his favourite Queen Pawn opening which suits his positional style. His major victories have been in this very opening. Anand’s choice to counter the opening with the solid but passive Slav defence came as a surprise, particularly since he had been badly crushed by Kramnik in this opening in the World Blitz Championship last year.

Kramnik followed up with the exchange variation as in the previous game, but Anand varied as early as move 6, choosing the more obvious and popular path. Anand’s castling on the ninth move gave a dynamic twist to the game at a very early stage.

At this moment, Kramnik worked out a logical plan and found a new continuation on the 14th move, which apparently posed problems to Anand. At this stage, Anand thought for a long time and then sacrificed a queen side pawn to force a dynamic end game rather than defending a bad middle game passively.

Kramnik slowly improved his piece position and made a sharp central pawn break on the 21st move which created tense moments for Anand’s fans. However, with a brilliant tactical stroke on move 23, Anand made things absolutely simple and clear.

Kramnik was forced to deviate from his intended plan of creating a central passed pawn and had to give back his extra pawn on the 25th move. The players agreed to a draw on the 32nd move in a lifeless position.

Anand will have white pieces in the second game and we can look forward to a sharp battle in the Petroff defence or the Spanish game on Wednesday.

RicePlateReddy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2008, 02:16:14 PM »

Quote from: keep-it-cool on October 15, 2008, 05:31:51 AM

I was talking about the build up to the event ... ToI was the only "national" daily where I saw detailed coverage ... maybe the Hindu had it as well .. but I may have missed it because I do not read it regularly.

Now, of course, everyone covers the match .. but it is just as an aside .. for instance, the DNA had a three line column in the left margin today.

I find it very surprising .. I mean this is probably the biggest thing in World Chess for a while (one could argue after the Kasparov - Kramnik match). An Indian is involved. And, virtually no coverage!

Why is it surprising -- this is not a true spectator sport and very very very few can follow and really understand what the heck is happening! Look at your quoted report for instance:

Quote

Kramnik opened the game with his favourite Queen Pawn opening which suits his positional style. His major victories have been in this very opening. Anand’s choice to counter the opening with the solid but passive Slav defence came as a surprise, particularly since he had been badly crushed by Kramnik in this opening in the World Blitz Championship last year.

Quote

Kramnik followed up with the exchange variation as in the previous game, but Anand varied as early as move 6, choosing the more obvious and popular path. Anand’s castling on the ninth move gave a dynamic twist to the game at a very early stage.

Quote

Kramnik slowly improved his piece position and made a sharp central pawn break on the 21st move which created tense moments for Anand’s fans. However, with a brilliant tactical stroke on move 23, Anand made things absolutely simple and clear.

Quote

Anand will have white pieces in the second game and we can look forward to a sharp battle in the Petroff defence or the Spanish game on Wednesday.

News reports that just provide a scoreline and may be a photograph do it for me. Real chess enthusiasts who can understand "Slav defence", "Petroff defence" and appreciate a game situation that is "absolutely simple and clear" will be getting their fill through alternate sources and game review sites.

justforkix · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2008, 03:04:23 PM »

Hindu has an excellent coverage, nearly 1/2 page during match days - I'm not much of a chess guy but can understand it quite well.

btw, 2nd game ended in a draw.

poondu · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2008, 08:23:59 PM »

World Chess Championship: Anand draws first blood

CHENNAI: World champion Viswanathan Anand struck with black in Game 3 and took a crucial psychological lead in the 12-game World Chess Championship aViswanathan Anand making a move under the eyes of Vladimir Kramnik at the chess world championships in Bonn. (AFP Photo)
gainst Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn on Friday.

In a sharp line in Slav Defence, Anand took the initiative by inviting Kramnik for a debate in tactics and seemed to have fallen into a trap when he lost two pawns in the middle game. However, in a remarkable rally, he resisted temptations to go for a draw and fought brilliantly to pull off a big black win after 41 moves.

Game 3 started on a sedate note with Vladmir Kramnik opting to wait for Anand to show his hand with black on Friday. And Anand obliged by playing a a sharp line in Slav Defence, took risks to some extent and then got into trouble. After 29 moves, the Indian was fighting for a draw.

The fourth game with Anand having white will be played on Saturday.

The Russian relied on his characteristic Queen-pawn opening inviting the Indian for another battle in the Slav Defence. Having allowed Kramnik to get away with a draw in a complicated position in Game 2 where Anand as white looked much better but under time pressure, the Indian looked in a different state of mind in Game 3. He reeled off opening moves as though he was playing a blitz game and in the first seven minutes, 14 moves were played with Anand just about a minute ahead on the clock.

By move six, Kramnik entered the Meran variation and it was Anand who varied from the beaten path on move 14 by developing his bishop on the Queenside in an effort to control the long diagonal.

It was here that Kramnik fell behind the clock substantially as after move 16, Anand had increased his lead on the clock to 20 minutes. The position offered several possibilities and it was again Anand who initiated a foray on the Kingisde by taking out the rook and putting off the castling option for a while.

http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3610293.cms

justforkix · « **Reply #7 on:** October 18, 2008, 03:14:33 AM »

WOOOHOOOO - Anand - YOU ROCK

justforkix · « **Reply #8 on:** October 20, 2008, 04:44:11 PM »

Anand draws Game 4 with white

But

Anand beats Kramnik in Game 5 with Black

Takes a 2-PT lead with 7 more games to go

WOOOHOOOO

Blwe_torch · « **Reply #9 on:** October 20, 2008, 06:47:37 PM »

Anand wins again, extends lead against Kramnik

GERMANY: World champion Viswanathan Anand scored his second sensational victory with black against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the fifth game of the world championship, thus extending his lead to two points.

It was yet another Slav by the Indian ace and Kramnik went for what he had chosen in the third game, giving an idea that he had prepared something against the variation.

However, Anand had other ideas and once again he was the one to come out with another surprise. If Kramnik thought he was going to deviate from the earlier game, he was proven wrong as on the 15th move Anand came up with a new idea.

Like in the third game, Kramnik yet again felt the heat and spent a lot of time on his clock. Anand got a good lead on the time while his position also remained intact.

Kramnik went for unwarranted complications instead of going for equalising, which caused him dearly. The Russian was under pressure when Anand just improved the position of his pieces and maintained a fairly balanced position.

With the clock ticking away and not much in sight had a horrendous effect on Kramnik. Anand was probably hoping for the disaster that struck the Russian on the 29th move.

Going for a tactical move, Kramnik missed a fine retort that turned the tide decidedly in Anand's favour. The Russian had started the combination with a piece sacrifice that boomeranged in quick time.

Anand ended the game with a study-like finish. Sacrificing his last minor piece to ensure that his central pawn's march to glory. The game was over in just 35 moves.

The victory took Anand to 3.5 points out of a possible 5 and he now leads by a huge 2 points margin. The fact that both his victories have come as black is a clear indication that Anand is simply turning out to be the much better prepared player in the match.

With seven rounds still to come its probably not all over for Kramnik, but the Russian will have to do strike back very quickly in order to stay in the match. As things stand, Anand has four white games remaining out of sevens and the some experts say that the Indian is all set to retain the world championship crown.
http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3620682.cms

dhruvdeepak · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2008, 09:00:45 PM »

this is like India-England ODI series. 5 matches done, but still 7 to go!

Anand is interestingly also excellent at T20 chess. in fact that is his specialty.

LosingNow · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2008, 09:54:26 PM »

Can someone just update the score.. is it 3.5-1.5 in favor of Anand?

dextrous · « **Reply #12 on:** October 20, 2008, 10:08:55 PM »

1....(.5 A) (.5 K)
2....(1 A) (1 K)
3.....(2 A) (1 K)
4.....(2.5 A) (1.5 K)
5.....(3.5 A) (1.5 K)

LosingNow · « **Reply #13 on:** October 20, 2008, 10:12:03 PM »

thanks Dex.. this is excellent way to track this.

..and the total points are 15 and the first to 8 wins?

dextrous · « **Reply #14 on:** October 20, 2008, 10:48:55 PM »

Quote from: winningnow on October 20, 2008, 10:12:03 PM

thanks Dex.. this is excellent way to track this.

..and the total points are 15 and the first to 8 wins?

i think they play 12 total matches no matter what and see the score at the end...so most you can get is 12 if you win it all

justforkix · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:29:11 AM »

Yes and I think they stop playing if one player takes a decisive lead.

LosingNow · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:39:54 AM »

In other words...whoever gets to 6.5 points first ..wins?

pipsqueak · « **Reply #17 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM »

Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

LosingNow · « **Reply #18 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:42:04 AM »

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM

Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

You both can brag about being pally with a world champion !!

pipsqueak · « **Reply #19 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:48:06 AM »

Quote from: winningnow on October 21, 2008, 02:42:04 AM

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM
Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

You both can brag about being pally with a world champion !!

are you accusing me of "palling around with terrifics"?

LosingNow · « **Reply #20 on:** October 21, 2008, 02:51:15 AM »

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:48:06 AM

Quote from: winningnow on October 21, 2008, 02:42:04 AM
Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM
Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

You both can brag about being pally with a world champion !!

are you accusing me of "palling around with terrifics"?

Nah

justforkix · « **Reply #21 on:** October 21, 2008, 03:50:57 AM »

Quote from: winningnow on October 21, 2008, 02:39:54 AM

In other words...whoever gets to 6.5 points first ..wins?

yes

proloy · « **Reply #22 on:** October 21, 2008, 03:53:17 AM »

Watch the video and press conference:

http://blip.tv/play/AdTKb8Ac

dextrous · « **Reply #23 on:** October 21, 2008, 06:16:47 AM »

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM

Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

was he a langotiya yaar?

pipsqueak · « **Reply #24 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:11:27 AM »

Quote from: dextrous on October 21, 2008, 06:16:47 AM

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM
Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

was he a langotiya yaar?

what does langotiya mean?

oh, btw, kris srikkanth was my grandma's friend - he used to come to elliot's beach every evening w his buddies and my grandparents were permanent fixtures there in the evening. i have faint memories - was too young.

LosingNow · « **Reply #25 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:19:09 AM »

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 07:11:27 AM

Quote from: dextrous on October 21, 2008, 06:16:47 AM
Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM
Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

was he a langotiya yaar?

what does langotiya mean?

oh, btw, kris srikkanth was my grandma's friend - he used to come to elliot's beach every evening w his buddies and my grandparents were permanent fixtures there in the evening. i have faint memories - was too young.

The closest equivalent of "langotiya yaar" is "bosom buddy"

broadbat · « **Reply #26 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:22:50 AM »

Childhood friend.

broadbat · « **Reply #27 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:24:32 AM »

BTw there is a 'www.langotiyayaar.com/'

dhruvdeepak · « **Reply #28 on:** October 21, 2008, 12:15:26 PM »

Quote from: winningnow on October 21, 2008, 07:19:09 AM

Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 07:11:27 AM
Quote from: dextrous on October 21, 2008, 06:16:47 AM
Quote from: pipsqueak on October 21, 2008, 02:40:11 AM
Anand was my neighbour at Besant Nagar, Madras and I have been to his house many times.

who cares, you say? if Dex can brag about Dhoni, why not me!

was he a langotiya yaar?

what does langotiya mean?

oh, btw, kris srikkanth was my grandma's friend - he used to come to elliot's beach every evening w his buddies and my grandparents were permanent fixtures there in the evening. i have faint memories - was too young.

The closest equivalent of "langotiya yaar" is "bosom buddy"

chaddi dost.

Blwe_torch · « **Reply #29 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:23:46 PM »

Anand wins Game 6, takes three-point lead over Kramnik

CHENNAI: World champion Viswanathan Anand opened his account with white pieces on Tuesday in the World Championship winning the sixth round game against Vladimir Kramnik and in the process almost closed the door on the Russian winning in 47 moves. He now leads 4.5-1.5. ( Watch )

The seventh game with Anand having black will be played on Thursday after a day’s rest. Anand, who has scored two wins with black pieces, will have three more whites in the remaining six games. The victory has not come with his natural King-pawn opening with white. The Indian GM opened with 1.d4 for the third time in three white games and Game Six promised lot of action after the opening struggle.

The Nimzo-Indian Defence appeared for the second time. The opening moves indicated a fight between two styles. Anand was keen on keeping the complications, avoiding lines that would have taken the game to technical endgame positions while Kramnik was solid in defence. The Indian was understandably slightly slower on the clock because of the comfortable position that he is in with the two-point lead.

Anand showed his work behind the curtains when he floated a new move and invited Kramnik for another protracted battle. His pawn push on the ninth move, threatening a Kingside pawn storm, marked a big difference from his previous game in Nimzo. When Anand played a pawn push on the other flank, former World champion Anatoly Karpov, joining the official commentary team in Bonn during this game, suggested white would be slightly better after the exchange of the Queens.

Kramnik had to try something different as defence would not win him any points and he would not be happy taking a half point at this stage of the match. However, Anand kept the complications on the board and pushed Kramnik back on the clock.

Then he won a pawn on move 22 on the Queenside for which Kramnik had no compensation. In a rook and minor pieces ending, Kramnik was back in defence and must have hoped that he could manage a draw like he did in the second game in a similar position.

And all this, despite the fact that Anand had not castled in this game.

In fact, Anand did not castle in three of the six games he has played and still his King was safe as a locker. After 27 moves, Anand had 40 minutes left to Kramnik’s 19. What a turnaround!

And on move 31, Anand won a second pawn tand then rolled his connected Kingside pawns to force black’s surrender after the first time control. Though Kramnik had more than a minute to make his last move before the control, he did not have any to save the game.
http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3625194.cms

Blwe_torch · « **Reply #30 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:26:21 PM »

1....(.5 A) (.5 K)
2....(1 A) (1 K)
3.....(2 A) (1 K)
4.....(2.5 A) (1.5 K)
5.....(3.5 A) (1.5 K)
6.....(4.5 A) (1.5 K)

justforkix · « **Reply #31 on:** October 22, 2008, 03:09:02 AM »

HAHAHA - Anand is ANNIHILATING Kramnik

keep-it-cool · « **Reply #32 on:** October 23, 2008, 06:41:10 AM »

Quote from: proloy on October 15, 2008, 04:26:23 AM

Those who want to follow more keenly, visit these boards:

http://www.chessninja.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=6

All of you out there appear to be experts ... my understanding is a bit more basic

...but good fun to just read the comments on the threads & the shout thing.

justforkix · « **Reply #33 on:** October 23, 2008, 02:40:24 PM »

Game 7 seems to heading for a draw as of now - Anand may have a slight advantage going into the queenless end game....

keep-it-cool · « **Reply #34 on:** October 23, 2008, 04:24:13 PM »

Draw it is!

5-2

Blwe_torch · « **Reply #35 on:** October 24, 2008, 02:41:48 AM »

Black is not just OK, but deadly

CHENNAI: 'Black is OK' was the first in a series of books by Hungarian Grandmaster Andras Adorjan in the late 80s. At a time when the black pieces

in chess were the underdogs, Adorjan championed the cause of the player playing with black pieces and went on to add to the 'black series' books as 'Black Is Still OK' and 'Black Is OK forever', the last one coming out in 2005.

If Adorjan were to write a fourth book on Wednesday in the light of Viswanathan Anand's forcing wins with black pieces against Vladimir Kramnik in the current World championship in Bonn, Adorjan would perhaps title it 'Black Is Deadly'.

Such is the authority with which Anand has used the black pieces — which has not been his favourite colour over the board — that he has opened up a new dimension in the World chess competition taking his fight against Kramnik to the romantic ages of the game when the opening, colour and opponent did not matter. The fifth game on Monday was the best from the black side, though he was helped by Kramnik's blunder, while the third started the trend. Experts could find holes in white's handling of the positions and the mistakes Kramnik made in time trouble but in reality they were forced by the initiative, a very useful quality in chess, taken by Anand.

For long, in chess history, analysts would come up with ideas that a player playing black would defend and more so in battles as significant as the World championship, to negate the minute starting advantage that white has. And the player with white is supposed to call all the shots.

At the pre-match press conference, Kramnik had explained how difficult it is to strike with black at this level when asked about his poor record in classical chess against Anand (Kramnik had not won against him with black). "The theory of big numbers is on my side, and I hope that the day will come when I am able to win a game with black. But actually it is not easy at this level. For instance, in all the games I ever played against Garry Kasparov I won only one game with black, and he never won any black game he played against me."

What actually turned out during this match was the opposite. Anand looked determined to maximise black's chances by getting into the dark alleys of opening variations, often dusting off sidelines that were never tried for want of information or by practice and catching his opponent off-guard. The idea was that with computers giving solid help, analysis has improved by leaps and bounds helping the historically weaker colour to get stronger.

Adorjan was inspired by black magicians Tony Miles and Alexander Morozevich while extending his scope of his work. Anand's deeds with black in Bonn should spur a black revolution in chess.
http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chess/News/Black_is_not_just_OK_but_deadly/articleshow/3630089.cms

justforkix · « **Reply #36 on:** October 24, 2008, 06:31:00 AM »

Kramnik actually offered a draw after 21st move which Anad refused because at that point, he was in a better position.

broadbat · « **Reply #37 on:** October 24, 2008, 06:34:06 AM »

Anand should now be in a comfortable position to just hang back and pounce on Kramnik errors which are bound to happen as he (Kramnik) goes all out to win.

broadbat · « **Reply #38 on:** October 24, 2008, 09:03:59 AM »

For those who would like to see the moves online for completed games.
www.uep-chess.com/cms_english/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=27

justforkix · « **Reply #39 on:** October 24, 2008, 01:54:19 PM »

Games 8

Anand surprises Kramnik again with his opening moves - Anand is just screwing Kramnik in the opening game

But Kramnik has come back well - he's looking beter than Anand now !! - Kramnik's big chance to win IMO.

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	Subject	Started by	Replies	Views	Last post
	Anand loses Other Sports	dextrous	1	468	January 21, 2006, 11:14:14 PM by Aloo Kashmiri Ul Haq
	Nice one by Anand Vasu General Cricket Discussion	Libran	1	285	October 02, 2006, 04:25:53 AM by dhruvdeepak
	Anand Vasu on Ganguly General Cricket Discussion	pieterSAN	3	250	October 02, 2006, 07:50:33 PM by pieterSAN
	Anand is World No 1!!!!!!!!!! Other Sports	suraj	6	483	March 17, 2007, 06:47:54 AM by sudzz
	Too many holes - Anand Vasu General Cricket Discussion	poondu	2	240	June 13, 2007, 09:54:23 PM by fineleg
	Anand not too concerned about Kramnik Other Sports	Blwe_torch	0	256	December 21, 2007, 04:09:06 PM by Blwe_torch
	Analyse this...- Anand Vasu General Cricket Discussion	poondu	18	650	April 16, 2008, 12:20:10 AM by Vick

AuthorTopic: Anand v/s Kramnik - WC08 - The Big Match Up (Read 2770 times)