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World Championship in 145 days – book your tickets now
21.05.2008 – The first round of the World Championship match between the reigning title holder Viswanathan Anand and challenger Vladimir Kramnik starts on October 14th 2008 in Bonn, Germany. Tickets are now on sale and cost 35 Euro (= US $54.80) per round. Special VIP tickets are also available, at 280 Euro (US $438) per round. Here is everything you need to know. |
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Evonik and Gazprom are the World Championship sponsors
31.07.2008 – The main sponsors of the World Chess Championship from October 14 to November 2 in Bonn, Germany, are: Evonik Industries, which operates in chemicals, energy and real estate and turns over 14.4 billion Euros per year; and Gazprom, the world’s largest gas company, with a capitalization of over US $300 billion (it is one of the world's three largest energy companies). Full details. |
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Foidos: test the world championship broadcast system
03.08.2008 – The October World Chess Championship in Bonn, Germany, will be broadcast on the Internet using a new system developed by Dutch technology company DGT, using multiple cameras to show the action during the game. As a dry run the company is now covering the University of Twente Young Masters in Holland, with GM Yasser Seirawan commenting. 300 free tickets are available. |
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World Championship 2008: the commentators speak
28.08.2008 – Just 46 days to go until the start of the World Chess Championship in Bonn, Germany. The match between Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik will be covered by a battery of online commentators, including GM Yasser Seirawan in English, GMs Artur Yussupov, Dr Helmut Pfleger, Klaus Bischoff in German, GM Miguel Illescas in Spanish. Here are pre-match interviews with the experts. |
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Kampf der Könige – Fighting For The Crown
20.09.2008 – Just 23 days, 20 hours, 37 minutes and 06 seconds left (at the time of writing) for the start of the World Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany. For those of you who can barely wait there is a chess quiz on the official site; an opportunity to buy premium tickets for the live online coverage; and a chess film on DVD with spectacular chess visuals. |
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WCC Bonn: Press conference before the event
13.10.2008 – On Sunday, just two days before the start of the World Championship, the two players attended a press conference and answered questions from journalists who had already arrived at the playing site. World Champion Vishy Anand and Challenger Vladimir Kramnik were in a relaxed mood and their responses were often in a light-hearted vein.
Highlights and photographs. |
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World Championship in Bonn – checking the playing venue
13.10.2008 – Just two more days to the start of the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik. On Saturday the two players, who have taken up quarter in the former German capital, inspected the playing site and the technical facilities. After checking the lights, testing the chairs and picking the chess set they even sat down for an informal game. We have the moves. |
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WCC R01: Golden Book, drawing of colours
14.10.2008 – Before the start of a World Championship there are certain social and technical matters to attend to. Like the entry in the Golden Book of the host city, a reception with the Lady Mayor, welcome speeches and the drawing of colours. And violin recitals. All this took place on Monday, twenty hours before the start of the first game. Photo report and video. |
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WCC R02: Anand plays 1.d4, game drawn after 32 fighting moves
15.10.2008 – Vishy Anand surprised his opponent Vladimir Kramnik – and the world – with the move 1.d4 in his first white game of the World Championship in Bonn. The position became complicated and Anand started pressing for a win. However in time trouble the Indian GM decided to accept his Russian opponent's draw offer. Full illustrated report with comments by Levon Aronian and Malcolm Pein. |
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WCC R01: Draw in 32 moves
15.10.2008 – The World Championship in Bonn started with an Exchange Slav in which Challenger Vladimir Kramnik was a pawn up, but the World Champion Viswanathan Anand had plenty of counterplay and held the draw in what seemed to be a fairly effortless first game. We bring you opinions, express game analysis and extensive visual impressions of the first game. |
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WCC R03: Anand wins with black
17.10.2008 – First blood. World Champion Vishy Anand played a daring new idea in the Slav, put pressure on his opponent, and wound down to an endgames where he had a tremendous attack in return for two pawns. Both players were down to minutes on their clocks, but made the time control, after which Vladimir Kramnik resigned. Full report with analysis and photos. |
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WCC R04: Draw in 29 moves
18.10.2008 – Vladimir Kramnik solved all opening problems posed by Anand in this Queen's Gambit Declined, and then, with his position basically safe, undertook some tentative attacking attempts. But Anand's position was also secure and so the players agreed that there was nothing left in the position to play for. The draw came after 29 moves. Full report with pictures and video. |
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WCC Bonn: Aronian's take and impressions
19.10.2008 – Sunday, a free day at the World Championship in Bonn, Germany – and our chess expert, Levon Aronian, was stuck without Internet access at the European Club Cup in Kallithea, Greece. Today, in an heroic effort, he managed to send us his assessments of games three and four as SMS messages. We bring you the Super GM's take on the game, Europe Echecs videos and new pictures from Bonn. |
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WCC R05: Anand wins with black in 35 moves
20.10.2008 – "Anand the Brave!" writes Levon Aronian in his assessment of game five of the World Championship. "Not many people would repeat the same risky line against Kramnik, but he did just that." Another sharp game ensued, and Anand gained the advantage. Kramnik faltered in a tough position and the World Champion had won a second valuable point. Full report with pictures and commentary. |
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WCC R06: Anand wins again, score now 4.5:1.5
21.10.2008 – "This is a major tragedy in the making," said one of the official commentators, Dr. Helmut Pfleger, to the audience. After yesterday's loss with the white pieces Vladimir Kramnik was confronted again with a new idea by Anand. In spite of imaginative defence he found himself in an endgame where Anand could successfully press for victory. Illustrated report with Aronian's take. |
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WCC R06: Analysis of game six, Vaile in Bonn
23.10.2008 – Did you miss the commentary of game six by IM Malcolm Pein? He was on his way back from Bonn to London and could only send us the notes today. Together with them we bring you a pictorial report of some of the many interesting personalities we keep running into at the World Championship, including a wealthy grandmaster, an actor-singer and a quantum physicist. Enjoy. |
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WCC R08: Draw in 39, Anand one point from victory
24.10.2008 – For the first time in this match, Kramnik said, he had a tangible advantage. Not enough, though, for a much-needed win. "The game will be a draw," said his friend GM Evgeny Bareev in the press room. How did he know? By the colour of Anand's sweater. Anand now has 5.5 points and needs just one more from the remaining four games to retain his title. Pictorial report with analysis. |
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WCC R07: Draw in 37, Anand leads by 5:2
24.10.2008 – Playing with the white pieces (at half-time they switch colours) Vishy Anand played 1.d4 for the fourth time in this match, got a Slav and a clear advantage, but agreed to a draw when a pawn up, since Vladimir Kramnik had set up a fortress that the white king could not penetrate. Anand leads by three points and requires 1.5 points for victory. Illustrated report with game commentary. |
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WCC R09: Narrow escape for Anand, score now 6:3
26.10.2008 – With four games left and three points down Vladimir Kramnik came out to the ninth game fighting. And the Russian ex World Champion got a very promising position. "At one stage I thought I was lost," confessed Vishy Anand. But his defence held and after 45 moves a distraught Kramnik offered a draw. Anand now needs just one draw to keep his title. Big pictorial report. |
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WCC R10: Kramnik draws blood, score now 6:4
27.10.2008 – The tenth game of the World Championship in Bonn ended with a first victory for the challenger Vladimir Kramnik. World Champion Vishy Anand mishandled a surprise Nimzo, found his pieces uncoordinated and himself in time pressure. He resigned the game on move 29. A miracle comeback for Kramnik? He needs to win both the final games. Big pictorial report. |
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WCC Bonn: Analysis of game nine
27.10.2008 – It was a critical moment in the World Championship match between Anand and Kramnik. The Challenger was three points behind, with four games to go, and desperately needed to initiate a last-minute comeback with a win. And he came very close to making it, with the black pieces. Watch the drama unfold and the game turn to virtually end the match. Commentary by IM Malcolm Pein. |
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WCC Bonn: Analysis of game ten
28.10.2008 – "An astonishing game," says Malcolm Pein. "Kramnik got his kind of position with a tiny edge and a clear plan. He appears to do very little, but he does it very well." Later Kramnik admitted: "I didn't have to do anything, and the position was winning". It brought him his first win over Anand in this World Championship match. Commentary by IM Malcolm Pein and Lakhdar Mazouz. |
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World Championship Bonn – a resounding success
29.10.2008 – The organisers of the World Chess Championship 2008 have provided some statistics on the event: 86% of the 3,780 tickets available for the spectators were sold, 427 journalists from 28 countries were present, 1,271,000 Internet visitors were served, while an estimated 20 to 30 million visitors followed the games live. Impressive numbers to be found in this UEP press release. |
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WCC R11: Fighting draw, Anand wins World Championship by 6.5:4.5
29.10.2008 – It was a game of almost unbearable tension. Anand switched to 1.e4, Vladimir Kramnik went for do-or-die complications, Anand obliged, and for a couple of hours nobody knew what would happen. In the end, Vishy Anand prevailed, got a slightly better position and Vladimir Kramnik offered a draw. Anand remains World Champion. First report with comments by Garry Kasparov and Malcolm Pein. |
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World Championship Picture Gallery of the final day
30.10.2008 – The Match in Bonn is over, Anand has won and retained his title. After the final, eleventh game was over there was a brief prize-giving ceremony, a press conference, and then a flurry of phone calls for the World Champion, most from his native India. Finally, a relaxed celebratory dinner with his team, which had emerged for the first time from the workrooms in the hotel. Big pictorial report. |
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Bring on Kasparov says Anand
01.11.2008 – That is just one of hundreds of headlines in Indian newspapers and web news agencies. There are interviews and video reports by Indian journalists who were in Bonn for the World Championship match. Anand's parents speak, and wife Aruna admits she is not the only woman behind Anand’s success. We bring you links and excerpts from the most interesting of these effusive reports. |
