Action picks up on day two

In Game two of the world title match at Bonn, Viswanathan Anand showed that he was prepared to put aside his own well-known preferences by opting to open with a Queens Pawn (1.d4). The world champion does this very rarely but coming from him, 1.d4 carries a certain element of surprise.

Anand’s team includes two Queens Pawn players in Kazakh GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov and the low-key GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland. So, that was perhaps a clue. However, most people assumed that Anand was trying to decode Kramnik’s opening style through his choice of seconds rather than switch his own repertoire proactively.

Of course, Kramnik is himself a “permanent” QP player and he cannot have been all that shocked at the opening. He responded immediately with a Nimzo-Indian Defence. On Move 4, Anand chose a rare sideline (4.f3) and after white’s move 13, they had reached a position which human beings have never played before. Computers have. Kramnik responded on move 13 by following the programme Rybka’s in an obscure computer vs computer game.

On move 14, Anand uncorked a genuine novelty. By then, both players had consumed over 35 minutes. At such an early stage, this is a sign that they were both out of their main “prep,” though still likely in a position that both have analysed at some stage.

Unlike Game one, which always looked balanced and uncomplicated, Game two is developing into an unclear struggle with unbalancing factors. After move 14, White had the bishop pair on an open board versus Bishop and Knight — a small advantage. But neither side has managed to castle. Both sides have weak pawns and there is a dynamic interplay of pieces with a lot of lurking tactical themes.

The computers assess the situation as equal but this type of equality translates equally often into wins for either player rather than into sterile draws. Whatever happens, this game has already packed more excitement into 15 moves than Game 1 managed in 30. It looks to be heading into the kind of situation where both players will soon be short of time.