The Braingames Network (BGN)World Chess Championship began in London on October 8, 2000. The match is being held at the Riverside Television Studios in Hammersmith, West London. The prize fund is $2 million, including The Howard Staunton Memorial Trophy. The winner gets $1.33 million and the loser gets $670,000. The length of match is 16 games. The games are played on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, starting at 3 pm local time (10 am Eastern Daylight Time). Tickets are $30 a game. Kasparov retains his title if it is a tie at 8-8.
Garry Kasparov is recognized by most players as the current world champion. He is 37 (born on April 13, 1963) and has been a Grandmaster since 1980 (age 16). His FIDE rating is 2849 and ranked number 1 in the world. He is defending his title for the first time in 5 years. His last world championship match was with Viswanathan Anand in 1995. At that time, Kramnik was Kasparov�s Second. Kasparov has been the reigning World chess Champion for the past 15 years. He was originally from Baku, Azerbaijan but now lives in Moscow. He has defended his title 6 times � 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995. Kasparov�s second is Grandmaster Yuri Dokhojan.
The challenger, Vladimir Kramnik, from Moscow, is 25 (born on June 25, 1975) and has been a Grandmaster since 1992 (age 17). His FIDE rating is 2770, ranked number 2 in the world. He was a former pupil of Kasparov at the Kasparov-Botvinnik Chess School. He has an 86-game undefeated streak. Kramnik�s second is Grandmaster Joel Lautier. Lautier is the only player with a plus score against Kasparov, winning 2, losing 1, and drawing 7 times.
The two have played 67 times before this match, 23 times in serious tournament play. Kramnik has won 15 times, Kasparov has won 11 times, and 41 games have been drawn. In serious play, the score stands even with 3 wins each and 17 draws since 1993.
Kasparov drew the white chess pieces from the Staunton Trophy during the opening ceremony.
In game one, Kasparov played the Ruy Lopez and Kramnik played the Berlin Variation (3...Nf6). The game ended in a draw in 25 moves.
In game two, Kramnik won as Kasparov played the Grunfeld Defense, then got in time trouble. Kramnik threatened to put his Rook between Kasparov's King and Bishop, winning the Bishop.
In game three, Kramnik again played the Berlin variation. Kasparov won a pawn in the endgame, but it was a drawn position after 53 moves with Rook and Pawn vs. Rook.
In game four, Kramnik played the Queen's Gambit, and Kasparov accepted the Gambit. Kramnik was a piece up, but could not win in a Rook and Knight vs Rook endgame.
In game five, Kasparov played an English Opening and drew in 24 moves.
In game six, another Queen's Gambit Accepted. Kramnik had two extra pawns in the endgame, but could not win.
Game seven was an 11 move draw that lasted 47 minutes (38 minutes for Kasparov, 9 minutes for Kramnik). It was the shortest game of Kasparov�s career. In 1963, Botvinnik and Petrosian had 2 games (games 21 and 22) that drew in 10 moves in world championship play.
In game eight, Kasparov switched to the Nimzo-Indian Defense. The game ended up in an endgame of opposite colored bishops, with Kramnik having 1 pawn and Kasparov having 3 pawns. The game ended in a draw since Black could not break through.
In game 9, Kramnik stuck to the Berlin Defense and it was a draw in 30 moves.
In game 10, Kasparov tried a Nimzo-Indian Defense again, but Kramnik defeated Kasparov in 25 moves. It was Kasparov's shortest loss against a human (he lost to Deep Blue computer in 1997 in the final game).
In game 11, Kramnik played the Ruy Lopez, Archangelsk Variation and drew with 2 Bishops and Pawn vs Rook and Pawn.
In game 12, Kasparov played the Nimzo-Indian Defense and drew in 33 moves. Kasparov had an extra pawn, but lost it. Both players were in time trouble.
Game 13 was a 14-move draw. Kramnik played the Berlin Defense of the Ruy Lopez again.
Game 14 was a draw after 57 moves with Rook and 2 pawns vs Rook and 3 pawns.
Kramnik drew game 15 to become the 14th World Chess champion (if you ignore FIDE's world champion of Khalifman). Kasparov played 1.d4 for the first time and adopted the Catalan Opening. Kramnik holds and becomes the BrainGames World Champion with 8.5 points to Kasparov's 6.5 points.
This was the first world championship without an adjournment. He said he missed opportunities to win in games 3, 12, and 14. The defending champion did not win a single game. The last time this occurred was in 1921 when Lasker lost to Capablanca.
After the match, Kasparov said he had been completely out-prepared and was putting in 10 hours a day rebuilding his opeening repertoire.
Behind the scences, Scottish chess journalist John Henderson was expelled
from the press room by chief organizer Raymond Keene for writing a
satirical article critical of the BrainGames organizers. Braingames has
threatened to sue Kramnik for annotating games on the Kasparovchess site.
Grandmaster Shirov is trying to sue the organization because of the aborted
Kasparov-Shirov match. He had beaten Kramnik earler in a supposed qualifying
match. In the pressroom, 3 computers were stolen one night.
