Sport - Chess

A quiet start by Anand and Kramnik

By Our Chess Correspondent

Chennai June 21. Einstein Group World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and defending champion Viswanathan Anand were unimpressive in their white games and were off to a quiet start with both of Friday's games ending in draws at Leon in Spain.

Four games remain to be played in this best of six Advanced Chess match, which is called the `chess of the future'. The games are played with each side given a powerful desktop computer fitted with the latest chess software databases and chess playing engines.

The three day meet, featuring two of the three world's strongest players will see two games played each day with each side given 45 minutes for each game plus an increment of 15 seconds for making each move. In the first game, after an ambitious 15th move, white had to stay on the backfoot to produce a 33-move draw in a major pieces ending. In the opening, Kramnik chose the queen pawn by transposition and Anand opted for the queen's gambit declined, Tarrasch defence as black. When white established a formidable pawn mass on the queen side, black's 14th move confused white enough. The attempted king side offensive by white on move 15 was quickly nullified by Anand who sacrificed a pawn to unleash his tied light squared bishop. Kramnik who could not castle had to be content and never had the advantage of making the first move.

In the second game, white sacrificed a pawn early in the game in a queen's Indian defence and Kramnik appeared to have a minute advantage with the black pieces when they agreed to a draw after just reaching 20 moves. Kramnik accepted a gambited pawn and the game was heading for a major pieces ending when a draw was agreed upon on white's proposal.

The moves: Vladimir Kramnik plus computer vs. V. Anand plus computer, Game one, Queen's gambit, D37: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3 Nc6 9.Rc1 a6 10.b4 Bd6 11.Bg5 a5 12.b5 Ne5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.c5 a4 15.f4 Bxc3+ 16.Rxc3 e5 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.fxe5 Qh4+ 19.g3 Qe4 20.Rg1 Qxe5 21.Qd4 Qh5 22.h4 Bg4 23.Bd3 Bf3 24.Kf2 Be4 25.Bxe4 dxe4 26.Qxe4 Rad8 27.Rc2 Rfe8 28.Qf3 Qg6 29.Rgc1 Qd3 30.c6 bxc6 31.bxc6 Qxa3 32.c7 Rc8 33.Rc3 Draw.

Anand plus computer vs. Kramnik plus computer, Game two, queen's Indian defence, E15: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.0-0 d5 9.Qc2 Nbd7 10.Rd1 0-0 11.Bf4 Rc8 12.Nc3 Qe8 13.a4 dxc4 14.bxc4 Bxc4 15.Ne4 Nxe4 16.Qxc4 Bd6 17.Ne5 f5 18.h4 c5 19.Bxe4 cxd4 20.Qxd4 Draw. _ Our Chess Correspondent

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