Easy draw for Anand. Next game he will breakdown the Berlin Wall!

Given that Lekois on Kramnik's team, I predict the Sveshnikov / Pelikan Sicilian as Kramnik's reply to 1.e4 :-) OK, OK a Petroff is a bit more likely, but still.... Also a Marshall is possible,
On the other hand, what are the odds that Anand goes 1.d4 ?

Drawnik spotted!

I am not so sure how well Anand is able to bear down on the Wall.
Jakovenko destroyed a couple of walls lately

Anand looked nervous in the press conference but he wasn't that nervous in the 1st game...

Anand is certainly very powerful as a player, he has his chances, but Kramnik is a world class player too. I think nobody can predict what will happen tomorrow.

@Ark: hahahahahah

I hope that Anand will win an early game, and the match will become very excited. Otherwise I am afraid that both players will play ultra-solidly and there will be many draws ike the first game-White will always take "the better half of the point".

Has anyone taken up the Foidos deal through the main organisers? If so, is it worth it? Does it work well?

Do WC-matches count for rating?

Anybody else notice that the Black Night and Bishop are on the wrong squares in the picture above with the two ladies standing?

No comment on 24 e5? What a strange move this is. We were just thinking white was getting somewhere, and 24 d5 looks obvious. 24... exd5 25 exd5 gives a strong free pawn and a possible invasion of a white rook. Malcolm Pein on Chessbase gives 24... e5, but than 25 Rd2 keeps the extra pawn for the moment. The black a-pawn is vulnerable. Why isn't white winning? Maybe there is a draw, but it's behind the horizon of a 2100 player (like me).

Why not 1.b4!? tomorrow?

Frits, what about just 25...e5, white has to retreat the bishop and black gets the pawn back. white would still have a passed pawn but not as strong.

Anand has to fix his aura. Looks a bit dim, that's bad for his luck.
Kramnik's aura is better and shiny.

Come on there are many yogist in India. Do relaxation technique for Anand before the second match. He is better than the press conf but still dark aura.

There is a new Miss Evonik, I will have to add her to my harem. ;)

Have you seen Chessbase's coverage? Are they serious? They are focusing more on the commercial girls in the background than on the press conference. Imagine if that would happen in any other sport... Pathetic.

Chessbase merely gives "24. d5 is well met by 24. ..., e5".
Me too, I would like to see this endgame just a bit better explored.

@Merijn. Good analysis mate! Keep up the good work!

Read again, Terrance, 24 d5 e5 25 Rd2 and white keeps the pawn. But 24... exd5 25 exd5 Rxa2 seems to be good enough. I thought 26 d6 Rd7 27 Rc1 was good for white, but 27... Bc2 spoils it.
But still, "Kramnik explained that defending the black side of these positions against the computer is not so easy since the machine somehow always keeps the game going." Is he saying he is incapable of doing the same? He used to prove otherwise.

Congratulation Peter!! Very nice software to cover Wc-match

Ojo porque este tipo de match son ideales para kramnik y ha empezado como a el le gusta,adem?ɬ°s a Anand se le ve algo nervioso

Vincent Hoogland. Good notion! I was sitting on a bus today thinking the same thing exactly.

I think this match may become more bloody than expected. It's like 12 rounds of heavy weight boxing, let's see what happens. I don't mind the tension being slowly build-up

@m 22.29

i took on the foidos deal, paid euro 10 but could not log on; there was not even a possibility on the site to log on, i suppose they are a bunch of crooks !

If you listen to the press conference for the game, and fast-forward to 6 minutes, Kramnik explains for a full minute why he avoided 24.d5.

Cheers,

James