Sport - Chess

One decisive game will light up the contest

BONN: After a game each with white and black, there is very little to choose between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik in the World chess championship match here.

On the first day of rest, there is one after every two games, it is too early to read much into the on-board occurring or the direction in which this match seems to be heading.

A draw is a fair result for both as long as the match-score is level. So far it is. But once first blood is drawn, there will be a sense of urgency that will lead to exciting battles, featuring some verbal bombs as well.

If it were a 12-round boxing bout, Anand should have been marginally ahead on points at this stage. He looked at ease with black in the first game and drew happily. In the second, Anand clearly looked better but not good enough to win.

On Friday, when Anand plays black in the third game of this 12-game contest, it should not come as a surprise if he continues to adopt the Slav Defence should Kramnik persist by opening the game with his queen pawn. In the past, Anand had looked comfortable in this set-up.

Unless Kramnik comes up with an effective ‘novelty’ in this variation, it will be difficult for the Russian to drag Anand out of his comfort zone. Also, the number of victories for Anand with black has been on the rise in the past few years.

Though these are still early days, the chess world is eagerly awaiting the first decisive game. Normally, majority of games are drawn in a chess match and a contest comes alive from the moment a player moves ahead.

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